Firefly | Shelha Series 5 | ✔

Chapter Eighty: On the Move

Sethral shut her eyes against a horrible, sinking feeling. "Okay, I need to process this for a heartbeat."

Dusk had just revealed more about Phoenix in a hundred heartbeats than she had known about him, total, and now the thought of him under Winter's paws made her sick. Firebrand was Rosethorn, the Leslander Wing had once seen chased by Winter's Drakons like Tornado had been. The renegades had at least five of 'them'.

"How many of her target creatures has she caught now, then?" she said. "That's four here, plus her first one—that was an Eastyren, right? I think that's what Bracken said. Then that Basilix that Whipper tried to save, too, and Naja-whoever's sister down in that place Whip and Loki got stuck together. That's seven. We know she's after Ratty, Tornado and Oakleaf, and she hasn't caught any of them yet. Seven of ten. Drakon shit, guys. We're losing this. We're losing badly. And we don't even know why she wants them yet."

"Well, she doesn't want us to have them," said Firebrand. "She's killed or tried to kill every single one of us after we got caught. The Eastyren's dead, and so are the Basilix and Naja's sister. Winter tried to kill me, tried to kill Dusk, was going to kill Silver, and..." She trailed off.

"Yeah, what about Phoenix?" said Loki.

Fletch seemed to have come to the same realization Sethral had, and Dusk looked like he already knew. Fletch's face creased. "The scars are the same age, Loki."

"I bet he got the wound on his stomach first," said Sethral. "Winter probably found him then, got what she needed and left him to die."

Dusk curled tighter around the sleeping Pyrya.

"But he didn't die," said Silversand.

"Yeah, what's with that?" said Firebrand. "An injury like that should have killed him. Dusk, has he told you that yet?"

"He hasn't 'told' me anything. I just figure out what he wants to tell me, then ask him questions and gauge the response. And no, I don't know how he survived. As far as I can tell, he doesn't know either."

"What about why he came south?" said Sethral. "If Winter caught him and Iris came here, he'd need a really good reason to follow them. Especially if the creeping winter hasn't hit his homeland yet."

"Same goes," said Dusk.

"What, he doesn't remember?"

"If he does, he's faking it really well, and one of those two is a far more likely option."

Sethral wiped her face with both claws. "So he doesn't remember. Maybe whoever saved him brought him here."

"But who else do we know who's come south?" said Taz. "Who else friendly, that is."

"Wasn't me," said Dusk.

"Dusk, what's the age of the scars?" said Fletch.

"Hm? I'd guess he got hurt over a year ago. Probably closer to a year and a half. It took a long time to heal."

"So it couldn't have been Jay, could it? He was out in the Western District by then."

"Yeah, Pheo wouldn't have survived out there. And it doesn't look like Jay's work. It was stitched."

"Since when are you a healer?" said Sethral.

Dusk raised an eyebrow. "You learn things when you're on your second war by my age."

"Your second—"

They were all staring at him now. All of them except Whipper.

Dusk groaned. "Whipper, you didn't tell them?"