Bonds of Light and Fire

67. Unprepared

Luciana bounded towards Suria on velvet paws. She'd done her best to stay on the horse as Vaughan instructed, but an arrow through the eye had taken the beast down. She'd had no choice but to shift into her ocelot to chase after Aeron and the Revolutionist leader.

Luciana squinted, peering through the darkness of night. She was allowing some light to manifest, just enough so she could see well enough to avoid breaking her own neck. She'd been tunneling into her magic but only using it sparingly. Already, some pressure was beginning to build in her chest.

Luciana put on another burst of speed, hearing a horse whinny up ahead. A heartbeat later, a lynx yowled and the horse shrieked. There was a muffled thud as someone was thrown from the saddle, then more scrambling as they attempted to flee from Aeron. Luciana let her light grow brighter.

Aeron had a Human male pinned down by the arms. His jaw was mere inches from the male's throat. Luciana shifted into herself and approached the Revolutionist's spooked horse, which was prancing and throwing its head a good distance away from the two.

Luciana stepped carefully towards it, murmuring gentle words. The horse's nostrils flared. "Aeron, shift back," Luciana called. "We need a way to get him back to the others, so I don't want the horse to bolt."

She didn't looking to see if her brother obeyed. Luciana stretched a hand towards the horse's muzzle. It backed away nervously, laying its ears flat. Luciana paused. Behind her, she could hear Aeron hauling the Revolutionist to his feet. The horse's ears perked up again. Luciana reached for the reins. The horse snorted, but didn't shy away when she took them.

"You're going to want to bite down on this," Aeron said behind her.

"Demi-Fae bastard!" Came the sharp response.

"Have it your way then."

Luciana kept an eye on the horse and ignored the scream of pain behind her. She stroked the horse's neck gently, doing her best to keep it calm. "How did you know where to find me?" Aeron asked, dragging the Revolutionist over to her. The male was sobbing and pressing a bit of torn cloth to his ankle. Aeron hauled him onto the horse.

"Vaughan told me where you were headed and said you might need help. We brought reinforcements. Kyllian is with us too."

Aeron smiled, but it seemed strained. "You're a little late."

"I know."

Aeron hugged her close for a split second. "I need to get this one back to camp before he bleeds out." He jerked his head towards their prisoner. "Not that there's much of a camp left."

"What did you do to him?"

"Slashed his ankle so he can't run."

"And he might bleed out?"

Aeron shrugged, swinging himself into the saddle behind the Human. "Maybe. Ankle cuts are finicky. Will you be all right on your own?"

Luciana smiled. "I'll follow you, in case there's trouble on the way."

Aeron nodded and spurred the horse forward. Luciana shifted into her ocelot and followed them at a safe distance, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of other Revolutionists. None appeared, and it didn't take long for them to reach the smoldering ruins of the camp.

Luciana shifted into herself once more and stared at the destruction, horror creeping over her. All around, there was nothing but carnage. Gutted bodies littered the ground. Tents were still burning. Ash and glowing embers swirled through the air. The stench of blood and smoke was everywhere.