Kile of Zumada

20. Night of the Shriekbirds

They left Millerton immediately the next morning, sending off the man to face trial and sending one of the guards after the woman who had acquired the box. By proving she was aware of what she had been carrying, Lija had also incriminated her. Geffray would go on and on about how they may well have broken up a very large smuggling ring, at least a part of one. Shipments that big didn't come from amateurs.

Alora was just happy that everything turned out alright. She had been convinced that one of the reasons they gave her her own dorm room was so that the other students wouldn't influence her to give it a try - the effects were worse on the young - but surely, that was paranoia. Surely!

They were on their way to Mudtop Heights, home of the Earth Spire and the Geoclique. The people of Eda had once ruled these lands, but their civilization disappeared a while ago, leaving nothing but ruins. They were a particular interest of hers. How they managed to survive in the Scablands without knowing how to use the Spires was a huge mystery that, when solved, could lead them to fantastic new discoveries. How exciting!

They had set up camp and were asleep soft and sound when they heard it. A horrible, ear-shattering shriek pierced the night, waking them all. Alora jumped out. Lija grabbed her swords and they ran out to meet Kile and the others, and the whole group beheld a horrible sight.

Large, black skinned flying creatures. No faces to speak of, only a giant whirling maw of teeth at the end of a long, articulated neck. Lines of red and blue bioluminescence ran across their bodies in unique patterns, identifying them amongst themselves. Alora could see two holes on the top of their maws - their noses. They didn't even have a tongue. Just a screaming, serrated maw more resembling a claw than a mouth.

Shriekbirds. Four of them.

Alora ran into her tent and grabbed a shining white box. One of them dive bombed Lija, who rolled out of the way and tried to swing her now blazing swords at it but missed.

"They think we're in their territory!" Kile said.

Kile took a bolt from the wristband he wore, loaded it into the crossbow he carried, and pulled the trigger, launching it. It came nowhere near its target, but she had the feeling that it wasn't meant to. It had been fired to scare the creature away, and it succeeded.

The third one made an attack on Geffray's tent, which one of his guards managed to deflect. The fourth one came for Alora, who held up her white box, prepared to use it, before Lija screamed and leaped over her, scaring it off.

Lija sent a massive blast of fire into the sky, but the Shirekbirds dodged it too.

"We can't keep this up. They're too fast!" Lija said.

"They are repelled by light," Kile shouted, "we need something bright to run them off!"

Geffray emerged from his tent, his hair messy from having slept and his expression disgruntled.

"Then let's get them some light!" He declared.

He raised his hands and then clapped them together. An enormous blast of light erupted from his hands, enough to blind Alora. It was like it had become day in the middle of the night. When she finally opened her eyes again, she saw the Shriekbirds flying away, screaming in pain. They were covered in burns from how bright and powerful the light had been.

Alora was shocked at the raw power, a chill went down her spine. So much power with so little effort. Is that what it meant to be an Exemplar? Had that power been passed down to him already?

"Are they going to be okay?" Kile asked.

Geffray's eyes went wide with confusion, and he gave a soft smile - the kind a parent gives a kid who said something stupid.

"Perhaps. If they go to their nests and recover, they should make it."

He had chosen his words carefully. IF they made it back to their nests was a pretty big if in the sorry state they were in. Alora didn't believe him, but she knew it was better than the alternative.