Sixteen Moons | Shelha Series 3 | ✔

Through the Night

The forest was cold, dark and quiet. Shadows moved in it, but Dusk made it clear which way he was walking, and they left him alone. Then a Drakon's wings buzzed, and he started to run. The Drakon didn't follow. Time had lost its structure, and in a moment, the trees were giving way. Two parts of the South river had a gorge. The other was in Winter's territory.

Something struck his body so hard his spine nearly snapped. Dusk flung the stone, but a whistle and snap of diving wings went after it. A Saggitayria landed on the gorge's edge and handed the stone to Winter.

"I underestimated you," said Winter softly. "Prepared to kill yourself rather than work with me? And here I was hoping you would make a good recruit."

Autumn's paws were so strong, even the thought of moving was stamped out. Winter was saying something else, but it had no meaning anymore.

"The renegades."

Something shuddered deep in Dusk's body, and the fog lifted a little. He had nearly stopped breathing.

Winter's voice was soft but unreadable. "Are you doing this for yourself, or for them?"

When she got no reply, she continued, "The Saberel. The copper-furred renegade. My Drakon brought me news of him, but he's disappeared again. Where is he?"

"He's dead. Radar killed him yesterday."

A deep and unpleasant shock settled across Winter's face.

"He's telling the truth," offered the Saggitayria.

Winter closed her eyes. "I shall have to discuss that with Radar, then. Autumn, are the attack groups in place around the fort?"

A deep chill slithered through Dusk's body. The world was coming back into focus.

Winter's smile was cold. "Oh, did you think you had protected your little family by sacrificing yourself? I've known where the renegade fort was since last year. A little spy-bird of mine led a squad of Drakons there. He pretended not to remember where it was, but Drakons are very good at recalling locations."

Dusk gathered all his strength and directed it into Autumn. She staggered off him. He dragged himself to his paws. Before he could take a step towards the stone in front of Winter, a second weight knocked him back to the ground. Radar might as well have been as heavy as Autumn; the power in Dusk's paws was gone.

The Vipra had murder in his eyes. "You're dead," he whispered.

"That was the point," murmured Dusk. A heartbeat later, Sonar's teeth sank into the back of his neck. Searing heat lanced upwards, then radiated to engulf his whole body. Dusk tried to scream, but his lungs were burning. Winter walked away. North. Towards Rockhall.

"You're lucky I'm out of venom right now," said Radar. "Have fun dying." He dealt Dusk a savage kick to the stomach and stalked after the Mountainair.

The fire only grew, but the fog had descended again. A part of Dusk was glad, now, to be finally getting this over with. He would not have to be a slave to Winter. He would not have to face the renegades again. Shapes danced in the trees as his mind fractured the world into pictures painted over one another. One grew like it was walking towards him. It was a Coppertail, but not quite one. Every part of it was made of fire. Was it here for him? Dusk let his eyes close as the creature circled. A ghost-light touch brushed the back of his neck. The fire exploded. Dusk did scream this time, writhing as the pain got brighter and brighter and filled the whole world. He wanted it to stop. Strength was flooding out of him like blood from a wound nobody could staunch.