Page 100 of Shadow Wings

“There’s smoke coming from the eastern range,” Dyter said, his eyes bright. “King Zakai’s scouts just came in with thereport.”

Tyrrik reached over and threaded his fingers back with mine. “And?”

“Smoke?” I asked at the sametime.

“Druman,” Dyter replied. “The scouting parties we saw on the way here. They’re lighting fires out there on themountains.”

“How do you know it’s Druman?” Tyrrikasked.

Dyter gave him a pointed look. “Who else would itbe?”

My mind caught up to Dyter’s. The Druman had been gathered around the areas of growth, likely searching for someone, especially after Tyrrik torched the search party a couple daysago.

Tyrrik squeezed my hand and followed my train of thought. “They’re looking for us, even if they don’t know it’sus.”

I began pacing. “But they weren’t burning stuff when we saw them before.Why—”

Horror dawned on me, and I spun to look atDyter.

He nodded. “I think they’ve found her. Or, at least, suspect she’s close. I can’t think of any other reason why they’re burning the areas ofgrowth.”

Tyrrik’s face hardened. “They’re trying to flush her out of hiding.” He glanced over at me. “The Phaetyn need her, and we need the Phaetyn. I’ve got to risk going out there to findher.”

“We,” I corrected, rounding on the Drae. “We riskit.”

“Wedon’t have time toargue.”

“No,wedon’t, so stop. Thisthinggoes two ways. I’ll either go with you now, or I follow you later.” I gritted my teeth and waited. If he said no, I was going to be sopissed.

His eyesglinted.

“We don’t know that they’ve found her,” Dyter interjected. “But at the very least, you need to go out and make sure.Weneed to scout itout.”

Both Tyrrik and I ignored the older man, locked in our own battle ofwills.

“If you go out there, I do too,” I pressed, taking a predatory step towardhim.

Several tense moments of silence passed, but I wasn’t about to give in on this. Whatever protection ignorance provided wasn’t worth it. Not anymore. Neveragain.

Tyrrik finally said, “I don’t like it, but Iunderstand.”

I opened my mouth to protest, and then his words registered. I tried to play my gaping mouth off as a smile, but he wasn’t the least bit fooled. Still, he was kind enough not to sayanything.

Ryn: 1 Tyrrik:1

I liked that kind ofscore.

* * *

The dark graysmoke billowed into the sky, making everything smell like singed wood. The blackened expanse stretched past where the Phaetyn’s flourishing foliage had once been and into the scraggly trees and brush. Twisted and charred trunks jutted into the air from the scorched earth, their appearance far too similar to the rocks outsideZivost.

Anything?

Tyrrik asked his question casually, but I could feel his worry seeping through our tentative bond. Worry was only slightly better than anger, but baby steps were good. But we’d seen no Druman on the ground since leaving Gemond. Not that I’d expected to see lots of them, but we’d been flying for almost an hour, and there werenone.

Let’s get closer to the fire.The crackling and chomping of the roaring flames lay just ahead, and the heat and smoke spread into thesky.

Druman, Tyrriksaid.