"Are you okay?" Mar'kost murmured.
"Yeah." Though a little unsteady and light-headed, I managed to stand without help. That was a small relief, because I didn't want to look even more pathetic than I'd already done. Now I had to approach a giant predator and convince her not to kill the people who wanted to tie her up. No big deal.
I pressed my hands against my thighs to keep them from visibly shaking. Everyone here was relying on me to keep this from becoming a massacre. They didn't want to see me looking terrified, even if terror was the appropriate reaction in this situation.
Mar'kost cleared his throat. He was holding my polearm. "If he- she attacks, get down. I can defend you long enough for the firing squad to take care of her."
"If they think she's so dangerous, why haven't they done it already?" I asked in a low voice.
He winced. "If she's fast enough, she could take out one or two of them before they killed her. They won't take that risk if they can avoid it."
"Oh. Great." I was going to be the closest person to her if she attacked. And I had a sneaking suspicion that Mar'kost wasn't so sure about his ability to keep me alive in the face of a vicious Tundra drykon.
I took a few halting steps toward Bloodflight with Mar'kost at my side. A dozen guns aimed at her head and chest.
[Finally.] Bloodflight's voice sounded in my mind as she lifted her head to peer at me. She glanced around the clearing, head cocked and a curious feeling in her mental voice. It was almost like... amusement? But it couldn't beâunless she had no idea what a gun was.
She laughed in her mind and made a chuffing noise. [I know what guns are. These unenchanted bits of metal can't pierce my feathers.] Her voice was much clearer than before, and there was a sharp edge to it that made me shiver.
[I'm pretty sure guns can go through feathers.]
She hooted with mirth. [Your mind is as empty as a hatchling's. You know nothing of this world.] Pausing, she leaned closer with wide eyes. [How- ah, I see. Truly, you know nothing. You come from an arka-dead world.]
"What?" I stepped back with a quiver in my voice. How could she possibly know that? And why did she sound completely differently from yesterday?
"What's wrong? Is she going to attack?" Mar'kost asked.
I shook my head. "Give me a minute."
[As you are brain-empty, I will explain.] Yawning, she rose on her hind legs and stretched wings large enough to blot out the sun. When she folded them, she remained standing. [A drykon hatchling possesses more control over their telepathy than you do. Anyone can ravage your mind once you give them access. I knew this yesterday, but I submitted to you until I could regain some of my former strength.] At my horrified look, she added, [Don't fear me. Why would I hurt my translator? If the others attack me, I will spare you alone. Now, tell them what I sayâand leave nothing out.]
I nodded slightly before looking around the circle of armed men. "She says she wants to tell you something. Also, she says the guns can't hurt her because they're not enchanted." I wasn't sure if I was allowed to share that part, but I didn't want anyone to get trigger happy if she made me share something provocative. Luckily, Bloodflight didn't make any indication that I'd upset her.
Whispers traveled around the circle. I caught several along the lines of 'she's crazy,' but it wasn't clear whether they were referring to me or Bloodflight.
[Tell them: I am Glacier, Sky Death, Killer of Hoarfrost.] She paused for me to relay her message.
I did so, careful to say everything word for word.
[Outsiders broke the Treaty of Iceberg. They stole our eggs. We fought back.]
I told everyone what she'd said, and there were mutters and chuckles that sent fury burning through Bloodflightâno, Glacier'sâmind.
She snarled, an animalistic noise that made me want to run and hide. [You think the Old One lies? Should I kill one of you so you understand my seriousness?]
I hesitated to relay her threat. Every fiber of my being wanted to keep quiet or, at the very least, soften her words. But I didn't want to risk angering her even more, so I repeated what she'd said.
The men's attention wandered to me.
A longstrider leveled a rifle at my chest. "Don't threaten us, girl."
I shook my head fervently as Mar'kost stepped between us. "I swear, I'm just repeating her."
"Everybody knows drykons can't talk like real people."
Mar'kost raised his hand to point at the man's weapon. "Whether they can or not, aiming a gun at her is unacceptable. Lower it, or I will confiscate it."
"She said she'd have her drykon kill-"
"I assure you, if the best telepath in the country wanted to kill you, she wouldn't need a drykon to do it. Lower the gun."
The longstrider hesitantly lowered his rifle, but Mar'kost remained between us.
"Go on, Liza. What does she want to tell us?"
I hesitantly looked to Glacier, who looked like she was about to pounce on the man who'd threatened me. [Well?]
[Tell them: If any of them harm my chosen spokesperson, they will die shortly afterward.]
[Do I have to?]
[Yes.]
Avoiding everyone's gaze, I mumbled out her warning.
She was less than pleased, but at least she didn't make me say it louder. [Now, where was I? Yes, we fought back. The outsiders brought more men and enchanted weapons. They killed many of us and caught the rest. They scattered us across the land, and I came here. I was muzzled and shackled like a common hound. The only thing standing between me and razing that foul place to the ground is the debt I owe to this Old One.]
I'd been repeating what she said until she got to that last bit. [Sorry, what's an 'Old One?']
She snapped her beaked snout shut. [You are an Old One.]
[I'm not really that old for a-]
[No, you are this.] She sent me a memory of an androgynous-looking person with skin that seemed crafted from marble. Two smooth horns grew from the person's head, and pitch black hair sprouted between them. It moved like a sheet of silk rippling underwater. Glittering stars dotted its surface. [The Old Ones brought us to this planet. They were the only beings worthy of our service.] She paused. [I see in your mind that the truth would put you in more danger. You may refer to yourself as whatever creature you pretend to be.]
[Uh, thanks.] I relayed her message, substituting 'human' for 'Old One.'
[So long as she lives, the drykon ranch won't fall beneath my claws. Neither will I hunt the ones you call 'people.' But I make no promises if I am attacked or prevented from hunting wild beasts. Now, you will all leave except the Old One and her companions.]
As I repeated her message, it took me a moment to realize she was counting Sparrowfoot as one of my companions. That was a weird way to refer to a mount, but if Sparrowfoot was as intelligent as Glacier...
[He is not.] A hint of disdain colored her tone. [Even from here, I can sense the stupid docility he was bred for.]
That was harsh.
[Yet true. He cannot even hear my thoughts unless I touch him and shout. The scalewings and longstriders have ruined his kind. Few Grassland drykons remain untainted by their influence.]
[Are there a lot of Tundra-]
Mar'kost cleared his throat. "Did you hear that?"
"Hmm?"
"Cadmus's men say they aren't allowed to leave Glacier unless she's in chains or dead."
"Tell them to go away, and we'll explain everything to Cadmus later so they don't get in trouble."
He frowned. "I believe they're worried that Cadmus will fire them if they allow Glacier to kill his brother."
"Then his brother should go too."
"I won't leave you alone with her."
"Wh-" My frazzled brain finally processed what my eyes were already seeing. "You're Cadmus's twin brother."
"Yes... didn't I tell you that yesterday?"
"It's been a long day." I took a deep breath, trying to drag a coherent thought from my head.
[Tell them I won't harm the not-lizard unless he attacks me.]
"I really don't think they'll believe me."
[Then I will scare them away.] She reared her head back and opened her mouth wide.
"Wait, don't-" I tried to run in front of her, but Mar'kost yanked me back. "She wants everyone to leave, and she says she won't hurt Mar'kost unless he hurts her first, so there's really no reason for anyone to stay because she'll start going after people if you don't leave."
Cadmus's men collectively stepped back, clutching their guns. I really hoped none of them shot at Glacier. If she killed someone, even in 'self defence,' Cadmus and his veritable drykon army would go after her.
"No one needs to get hurt. Just please go back to the ranch." I struggled against Mar'kost's firm grip holding me behind him. "I know you all think I'm in control of Glacier, but I'm really not."
The longstrider who'd aimed at me exchanged looks with another longstrider, who nodded at a scalewing across the circle. They were deciding to leave, right? Tell me they were going to leave.
Thunder and smoke erupted from a dozen rifles. Eyes wild, Mar'kost spun and tackled me to the ground. He threw himself on top of me, shielding my head and chest with his torso. I couldn't see anything except him, but Glacier's furious roar told me exactly what was happening.
[Don't kill anyone,] I shouted in my mind. [Please, I didn't let you go so you could kill people!]
She scoffed. [Don't pretend you did it for righteous reasons. You let me go because you wanted to keep me as a pet.]
[How was I supposed to know drykons were sentient?] I winced as another round of shots went off, making the ringing in my ears even worse. [Just ignore them. It's not like they can hurt you, anyway.]
There was a pregnant pause. [I might have overstated the abilities of my natural armor.]
[Might have or did?] I tried to move my head just enough to peek around Mar'kost, but he pinned me in place.
"Don't you dare," he hissed.
[I suppose this is goodbye, Old One.] She roared louder than the gunshots.
"No-" I arched my back in a futile attempt to throw Mar'kost off. He was significantly heavier than me with the wings and tail.
"You are not going to die today."
"I don't want to die. I just-" But what could I do, really? What hope did I have in defending her against a dozen armed men? My eyes blurred with tears as I wracked my brain for an answer. I was useless. There was nothing I could do to save her. Nothing I could do. But maybe I could ask for help. I just hoped Glacier was wrong about how stupid domesticated drykons were.
[Help her,] I shouted with all the mental power I could muster. [Stop them from shooting her! Knock them downâbut don't kill them!] I sensed distant confusion and chaos, but I couldn't tell if they'd got my message.
Shouts and trampling hooves replaced gunshots. Footsteps raced away. After a few moments, Mar'kost rolled off me. He sat up with an awed look.
"I didn't think you could do it."
I sat up. "How'd you know it was me?"
"I heard your thoughts while I was touching you." He paused. "Though I'm fairly certain anyone with half a brain could have deduced that the telepath who speaks to drykons was the cause of the drykons turning on their riders." He gestured at the clearing, which was empty of Cadmus's men and all the drykons except Glacier.
She was curled with her wings covering her in the center of the clearing, surrounded by shards of ice and blood-splattered grass. There was far less blood on her wings than where Cadmus's men had been standing. Her feathers had to be bullet resistant, at least.
She pulled back her wings. [I am immune to small bullets.]
"Did those look like small bullets?"
[Occasionally, lies are necessary to intimidate foes.]
"I'm not your foe, you giant turkey."
[Turkey?! I am nothing like those stupid, fat birds!]
"That's debatable right about now." I started to stand, and my head pounded. I must've hit it on the ground when Mar'kost tackled me.
[He hurt you?] Her voice was unusually soft.
[Don't you dare hurt him. He was just trying to protect me.]
[I understand. I am not cruel.] Bearing weight on her wings, she leaned closer. [The not-lizard is hurt.] She rocked back on her heels to flex her wings. Rivulets of blood ran down her feathers. [I am hurt too, but less. I cannot fly, but I can walk him to his final resting place. Where would he like to go?]
[He's not dying.] I turned to Mar'kost. "You're not super hurt, right?"
"Well... my heart and left lung have ceased functioning, among other organs."
No. He'd been fighting monsters in a dungeon for months, and he'd been fine, but two days with me, and he was dying. I wished he'd never met me. I wished-
"No, no, don't cry." He cupped my cheek in his hand. "It doesn't hurt much."
I threw my arms around his neck, biting back sobs. If he didn't want me to cry, I had to try my best not to ruin his final moments. How could he be so calm? It had to be the shock. He was in shock, and he didn't really comprehend what was happening.
"As much as I would enjoy a hug under different circumstances, I have to askâdoes Glacier sense anyone nearby?"
[We are alone.]
"Sh-she doesn't s-sense-" A sob escaped me. I buried my face in his shoulder to keep quiet.
He shifted, resting his arms around my waist. "Everything's going to be okay. Cadmus might require some convincing, but he'll understand. If Glacier keeps her word, I highly doubt he'll expend the resources necessary to hunt her down. I'm afraid he might not want you to stay in his houseâor work at his ranch to repay your debtsâbut you still have the couch at the hotel. Not all is lost." He rubbed my back.
[Impressive.]
I started. [Not now.]
[I believe the not-lizard is more durable than we assumed.]
[What?] I pulled away to see Mar'kost in his natural form and Glacier staring at his back. I scooted around him to look at what she was seeing.
His shirt had several holes in it but no blood stains, which was unexpected, to say the least. I poked his skin through one of the holes.
Yelping, he jerked away. "Careful. It's tender."
"Sorry." Wiping my eyes, I moved to sit in front of him again. "Let me guess, you're not dying?"
"Did you think-" He swallowed. "I didn't mean to worry you. I forget you don't know much about shifter biology."
"You can say that again. So, you're like super fast at healing?"
"That depends on your definition of 'healing.' I can close wounds to avoid fluid loss, but fully restoring the flesh takes more time. If I shift into another form, I'll begin bleeding again. I need to stay away from people for a few hoursâuntil the flesh is mostly restored. We should start walking before anyone regains control of their drykon and returns."
"Can you walk?"
He hesitated. "Yes."
[I can carry him and you.]
"Glacier says she can carry us."
"Thank you." He looked relieved as he nodded at Glacier.
[He is welcome.]
I started to get up, but my pounding headache resurfaced with a vengeance. Before I could try to make myself stand, Glacier offered me her neck for support. It helped, but it didn't banish the dizziness that threatened to drag me down again.
"Are you alright?" Mar'kost asked.
"I'm fine." I climbed on Glacier's back, pulling as few feathers as possible. Resting my head against her neck lessened the pain to a tolerable amount. "You need help up?"
"No, I believe I can manage alone." He sounded worried. Leaning on my polearm, he stood and limped over to us.
Glacier extended her wing to help him.
He climbed up behind me and took hold of my arm. "Glacier, might I assume that you understand me?"
[Yes.]
"Firstly, I would like to thank you for your assistance and apologize for the actions of those other men. I assure you, I don't approve of what they've done, and I will do whatever I can to prevent them from harming you again."
[I'm beginning to like you, not-lizard.]
"Pardon, did you call me a 'not-lizard?'"
[Yes.]
"I see... Well, I wanted to ask if you might be able to hold Liza's polearm in your mouth? I'm afraid neither of us are in the best shape to hold it safely while you walk, and I would hate to injure you by accident."
[Of course.] She twisted her head around to take the polearm from him. [Where shall we go?]
"Anywhere we aren't likely to be found for a few hours."
[I will seek such a place.] She rose up and started walking at a brisk pace.