Wings of Honor: Saving Grace

Chapter 13: Grace And The Scorpian Den

The next thing I remember, is falling. The wind rushing past me on the way down.
My eyes adjusted to the sudden light, realizing that the golden ground was coming up fast! I flared hard, trying to slow my stop, but it was too late.
I landed in the sand with a heavy crash, kicking up a dust cloud that rapidly choked me. I heard coughing from under me. I rolled over. Realizing that I had Travers somehow under me, protected.
He hacked up a lung. "Where-where are we?"
I looked around, squinting from the light and the almost unbearable heat. We were in the desert. The Kingdom of Sand no doubt.
"Travers." I got up groaning. "Are you alright?"
He groaned to his feet, then yelped.
"Argh! I think something's broken!"
"Okay-okay." I reached for my medkit, freezing when I felt an empty pouch. "Okay. Stay still." I turned around, feeling for Travers's duffles. They were gone. Shit.
"Grace?" He whimpered.
I turned back to him. "You're okay. We're okay. We just..."
"Where are my duffles?" He gasped out. Hanging back his head. "Aww shit."
"Yeah." I cringed. "Try not to use your magic. I'm going to see if I can find help."
"Don't."
I looked back at him, glossy eyed.
"The only people who can help me are McManis and MarGHHHvin."
I bounded back to him, holding him up. "Try-try your radio." I pointed at it.
"Argh ha! That's a better idea." He retrieved it from his chest. "3-1 calling all call signs. Nygh. 3-1 calling 1-1 and 2-3. Is anyone there?"
He let off the button. We both listened to the static, and Travers's raspy breathing. "3-1 calling all call signs. This is Travers, I am injured. I repeat: I am with Grace, but I am injured. Over." He said out of breath.
Static.
He clicked the button again, whimpering. "Marvin?" Tears gathered in his eyes.
I took a shaky breath, taking the radio from him. The electric tingling was gone. The radio somehow lost its enchantment.
"That's what that portal did." I looked back towards him.
"Grace?" He looked up at me.
"No."
I enchant this radio to fly into the air and fall back into my hand.
The metal rectangle flew up into the air, landing in my outstretched hand.
Good. I'm still an animus.
"Grace?" Travers said again.
I looked back towards him.
"You found something. Marvin has that face now and then. What is it? What happened? Argh." Travers doubled over, I caught him.
"That portal," I began, "I think it got rid of the animus enchantmented equipment we had." But not my cross. It was still around my neck.
"Wait. Am I still-" an animus?
"Yeah! Yeah. We're still animi."
Travers sighed, then groaned again.
"Hey. Take it easy." I got a large rock, propping his leg up, laying him down.
"Ahh! Shit!"
"Easy. This'll help with any bleeding." It was the least I could do.
"Why can't I heal myself again?" Travers groaned out.
"Because we can't risk your soul."
I knew what he would think next.
"SO IM SUFFERING BECAUSE OF MARVIN?"
We just looked each other in the eye, him breathing heavily.
"You'll be alright Travers. I got you."
He let himself fall onto the sand, drawing a small cloud of dust, making him cough.
"Why?" He groaned out.
Looking at his broken figure. I snorted, darting away.
Aww! If I could just find a plate of sheet metal for a stretcher! Something flat and strong. I could carry him!
The wind blew, revealing something shiny in the sand. Without a second to consider whether or not this was an enchantment, I drew the sheet of metal out of the sand, running it back to Travers.
"Where-where did you find that?"
"I don't know. Can we get you on it?"
He just groaned, scooting himself onto the piece of metal, before collapsing from exhaustion.
"Travers?"
He didn't respond.
"Alright." I moved the rock, bracing him. "I'm gonna get you help. Okay? I'm gonna get you help."
I gingerly grabbed the makeshift stretcher, bending slightly under Travers' weight.
"Alright. Let's get you some help."
I spread my wings, propelling us upward with small and short beats. Eventually getting enough speed and height to glide. Travers lost some of his breath with every wingbeat, he wasn't doing so good.
I'm gonna help him. I've got to help him.
I chatted into the hot, burning desert, fading into the sky.

The desert kept stretching on and on and on and on. The heat beat down on my wings, even though I was as white as an Icewing. Marvin said and Travers agreed that lighter colors are better than darker colors in the sun and heat, although I couldn't see much of a difference now.
The gold ground faded into the blue sky on the horizon, fuzzily blending colors.
Rarely between wingbeats, I made out Travers's gentle but raspy breath.
My mouth felt dry, and I stopped sweating a while ago.
What was it for humans, Marvin said? Three days without water?
I haven't drank anything since we got to the Sky Kingdom. But then I remembered I could just will something into existence, plus, even though he was in cover, I felt that Travers could use a drink too. I gently let Travers down before landing in the hard and compacted sand.
Sand was way worse than snow. It wasn't tasty, or fluffy, or cool in general. Sand was hard, it was compact like dirt. And the dust, it sapped whatever moisture right out of you. And it burns. Oh it burns.
Travers groaned so I moved quickly.
I enchant this canteen to be just small enough to fit in my largest pouch, and to be always filled with cool, filtered water.
I took the olive colored bottle out of the pouch, just large enough for me to hold in my hand. I unscrewed the cap, letting it dangle by its chain. I took long gulps from the cool and refreshing liquid. Taking a good sigh at the end. Wiping my mouth dry, I handed it to Travers. He too took a few sips, before handing it back to me. I ended up dousing myself with the water, helping me cool down and getting rid of all the dust. I gave myself a quick bath, then quickly shook myself relatively dry. Once I was cool, we took to the skies again.
Marvin was in Possibility, and I was in the desert. At least he was close enough to fly, although I didn't want to enchant things any more than I had to.
But... but Travers. I didn't want to leave him in agony as he is. But... but our souls?
No. I was gonna do this the hard way. The right way.
I kept flying.
Flying, flying, flying.
I spread my wings as wide as I could, letting the rising warm air currents help me where they could. Using the stuff the Army taught Marvin on the gliders, only I was also gliding.
Heh, Marvin's army training was helping me more than it was helping him.
Suddenly, I spotted something on the horizon. It was still blurry and wavy, and hard to make out. I squinted, trying to see what it was.
Buildings! A huge wall! A city
"Travers!" I exclaimed.
He sat up, the metal sounding like muted thunder warping under his weight.
"A city!" He groaned.
"The Scorpion Den." I called out, a little less happy. Realizing Travers had no idea. "Iiits a SandWing settlement. But it's kind of dog eat dog in there, from what Qibli has told me."
"Oh." He groaned out. "You mean where he learned to pick locks?"
What? "Well... yes?"
"Yeah. I know." He lay back down.
"What should we do?" I asked him.
"Ere." I looked back at him, trying to look up at me. "Is there a doctor in there?"
I looked back at the city. "I mean, it's a city. There's bound to be someone who can help."
Travers sighed. "Okay. Tr-try to get inside. Find some medical supplies, a doctor if you can. Rrgh! Maybe some morphine?"
"Alright."
I banked around, looking for a spot I could place him down. I set Travers behind two dunes away from the main gate.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"I'll be fine." As he racked his M1 rifle.
"If anything happens, fire three times into the air. I'll be there in the next instant."
"Psh!" Travers scoffed. "What trouble I'll get into will only take two shots!"
"Don't get cocky now." I warned him with a smile.
"You... just go find help. Get a message going to Marvin, if you can."
"Yes sir." I mumbled, bounding off a ways before spreading my wings and powering myself back into the air. I wasn't too partial to leaving Travers alone like that, so I was going to try and have this take as little time as possible.
With newfound energy, I beat my wings harder, flying as fast as I could.