CHAPTER 29

Lis' strength fled her as she climbed until she had to rely on the bodily force of Strale to rise any further. He pulled her up without any apparent effort, not eyeing her naked form as she expected from such a man, but the satchel that she carried. Wisely, he said nothing about the excess weight, simply turned to aid Cillumn in the same manner.

Lis found her feet and looked around warily. A ghastly field of corpses surrounded them. Bodies, already well within the realm of decay, littered the ground. But they were all still and, other than their mutilation, appeared uninjured; at least they still had their heads. Maybe her smoke bundles worked after all, the effectiveness just took a lot longer than she had anticipated.

“They were stumbling around each other, waving their limbs erratically like some wild dance when we arrived,” Cillumn joined Lis where she stood.

“Yes, and then, once you had joined the incursion below ground, they began falling about the field like flies. The ones that didn't pass out and stiffen took off into that pass there,” Strale pointed.

Lis' jaw fell open. What had once been a row of cliffs and the foot of a mountain was now a dished crater filled with rubble.

Had she done that? It looked as though it might be part of a massive cave in.

“You are a dangerous Shifter,” Cillumn murmured, but he did not sound put out by the fact. Then, to Strale, “where are the others?”

“Dynarys leads them against Grim. He blew out from the side of the mountain and flees southward. His Lords, the cowards, had been hiding in the valley adjacent and they followed him, so our men should have plenty of fun to occupy them.”

Lis wasn't sure if it was the weakness creeping up on her, or the disbelief that, for the moment, they were safe, but she sensed that Strale was a bit put out that he was missing out on the battle. She worked her way around fallen limbs and skulls toward where Scet cradled her sister. The Shifter watched her now, something unreadable on his face. Adda was still limp, and looked too slender and weak, but her breathing was strong, and there were no obvious injuries, or bites for Lis to worry about.

“Adda,” she whispered, placing her head upon her forehead, a tear escaping and landing on her cheek. What had she suffered before Lis could find her? She shuddered to even think about it. Would she even be the same Adda Lis had known when she awoke? “You are safe now,” Lis stroked her tangled hair and brushed her fingers against her eyelids, willing her to wake.

Back against the mountains, an increasingly familiar shriek echoed against the canyon walls. It came from the area around the cave in, possibly the possessed Shifters, looking for their buried brethren. Too close for comfort, nonetheless.

“We best get you back to the Aerie,” Strale announced.

“We will never make it that far. Most of us are injured and will need time to heal. And one, for certain, will need to be carried,” Cillumn gestured to Adda.

“I am pretty amazing, even for a Dragon Lord, but even I can only carry one in flight, and I will not be walking, not through that Gods forsaken swampland we passed on the way here,” Strale sniffed disdainfully.

Scet eyed Lis, his expression changing. He still looked uncomfortable standing there with a naked woman in his arms, like he didn't quite know what to do with himself. “You have healing tinctures? You can tend to her?”

Lis nodded. She wasn't sure what was wrong with Adda, why she wouldn't wake, but she would be damned to all Six levels of the underworld if anyone else was getting anywhere near her for a long time.

Scet met her gaze.

“I owe you my life. In return, I would help you see your sister safe. Take her to my cabin, it is closer. Illaise and I will work our way there on foot.”

Lis frowned. She did not wish for him to feel indebted to her, but if it inspired loyalty to Adda...

Yet, Scet and Illaise had been injured, as well. It did not seem like a good plan to leave them wandering through the mountains alone. Illaise made no protest, she said nothing at all, just watched the Lords with a faint air of distaste. Maybe that was simply her neutral expression, a woman displeased with everything. Lis remembered, then, that her pack should still be in the area, they wouldn't have succumbed to the effects of the smoke...she hoped. Illaise did not seem overly concerned for them at the moment. Did she know where they were? Was this all part of some greater scheming on her part?

Lis decided she couldn't be certain, and she did not like that. An Alpha should be open and clear, not sneaky and manipulative. Despite the fact that she had saved Lis, physically, more than once, she did not trust her.

“It is decided, then,” Cillumn announced. Lis was too tired to argue. If everyone else was satisfied with the arrangement, who was she to question it? He turned to her, amber eyes weary. His injuries had to be wearing on him, too. “Lis, how do you feel about Dragon flight?”

***

Dragon flight was a perfectly acceptable way of travel, if one was completely mad, or maybe unconscious. For Lis, it was like being gripped in her worst nightmare. She had closed her eyes while Cillumn and Strale transformed, very firmly telling her mind that it was not a dragon that gripped her in massive scaled claws. Her mind did not believe her, and she spent the next hour trying to talk herself down from certain panic. The last thing she wanted was to startle the beast that held her and be dropped to her death. Fear rattled in the back of her mind, but the rest of her was too tired for such emotional extremes. She couldn't think, not clearly, not even if her life had depended upon it. Fortunately, she didn't have to. The moments ticked by until it felt like all she had ever known was the terror of what was happening, and still she kept her eyes closed.

When at last her feet touched solid ground and the grip upon her upper arms released, she collapsed instantly, and then crawled a short distance to allow her stomach to empty.

“Not too far woman, remember Scet's traps?” Cillumn warned, his voice strained.

She did remember the traps, but she felt very vulnerable getting sick before the Lords. Blessedly, Cillumn guessed the problem and turned the other way, guiding Strale, who was laden with Adda, into the hut.

Lis lay on the cool ground for a long moment afterward, urging her stomach to settle. She was safe, she had saved Adda, so why wasn't she happy?

Her thoughts floated back to the encampment. So many Shifters, so many of her people mutilated and possessed. Something bad was brewing. No matter that Lis had met her own personal goals, the rest of her world proved to be changing for the worse.

She didn't want to think about it, though, think about all those men and women and how they must have families out there mourning for them, as she had mourned for Adda. She didn't want to worry about what it meant if a single bite could transmit the possession like some sort of disease. She didn't even want to panic about what would happen to her pack, if her Alpha was out wondering swamps. For one night, she wanted to feel safe and secure.

She pushed herself off the ground and stood, brushing dirt and grass off her skin and wiping her mouth clean, and then made her way to the cabin. It was as she remembered, moss covered logs forming a rough rectangle in this hard to reach place.

The Dragon Lords had left the door cracked open and Cillumn looked up as she entered.

“Are you certain you will be secure here? Dynarys will kill me if I lose you now,” Strale paced the small space, picking up a strip of dried meat from the makeshift table and sniffing it. His lip curled up a little and he set the strip back. They had lit three of Scet's lanterns, brightening the space considerably. Lis blinked away the light and looked for Adda. She was placed on the bed of skins, Lis' heart fluttered at how weak and helpless she looked there. She moved to her side and placed a hand upon her skin, checking for fever, or any reason for her continued unconsciousness.

“The traps here will provide sufficient protection, I believe. Besides I am not so much injured as tired, a little rest will see me return to my full capacity.” Cillumn stood by the door, his words were strong but the way he slumped spoke to a dragging exhaustion.

Despite that, his figure pulled at her attention. All lean muscle and deeply tanned skin, the black markings covered all parts of his body, aside from his face, and she once again had the insane urge to run over them with her tongue. It seemed her libido had taken in the recent excitement and become stuck at high intensity. A warm blush crept over her and she could feel the deep pull between her thighs, and a moisture that she worried would be noticeable if she didn't find some sort of covering soon.

“Then maybe I will remain until you have rested.”

Lis shook herself. She had nearly forgotten Strale was there. Silly girl and your fantasies. She removed her satchel, placing it before her to block some of her nakedness, and dug within for...well, she didn't know what she was looking for. Adda didn't seem to be in any sort of pain, nor did she have a fever. Her pulse was steady and even and her breathing unlabored. There was, as far as Lis could tell, nothing physically wrong with her. Could the psychological trauma be the reason she would not wake? Surely there had been many horrors over the course of the last week, why would they suddenly have effect now?

Lis decided on a moonblossom tincture, something that would ease Adda into a deep healing slumber, then perhaps her body could mend whatever it was Lis couldn't see. Shifter healing was fast and efficient, but it worked best if the patient was resting peacefully. She forced a few drops past Adda's lips and waited. There was no discernible difference in her state, but Lis felt some of her own tension release anyway. She had done what she could, she knew now that Adda was resting peacefully.

“You could, but I believe it is unnecessary. Between Lis and myself, I think we can hold this place for several days should we need to, and Scet and Illaise will make their way here by morning. It is more likely Firestriker will need your assistance with Grim and his flock of carrion eating cowards.”

Strale raised an eyebrow. “You trust the Shifter girl to watch your back?” He looked to Lis, “no offense intended.”

Lis frowned, how was she not to take offense at such a statement? It wasn't like she was bound to attack Cillumn while he slept. Lis wondered if there was some sort of Dragon Lord rule where they were encouraged not to turn their back on Shifter kind.

“Absolutely,” Cillumn nodded. “She is more than capable.”

With his conviction, Lis' ire fled. Cillumn trusted her, and her abilities, and the knowledge did strange things to her insides. Had anyone, other than Adda, ever trusted her so completely?

“Then, if you are certain, I will join the others. They were outnumbered at my last count.”

If Strale seemed like a soft minded lout at times, she could see now that it was merely for show. His face hardened into a resolute mask. He wished to fight, not simply for the sake of battle, but to protect those he cared about. And this instant, he was caught between Cillumn and whichever Lords were out battling the Master. It wasn't often Lis could interpret someone's true intent. This time, she decided that, overall, she liked Strale, despite his penchant for annoying displays of manliness and self-admiration.

Cillumn nodded, and the two clasped arms, as Shifter warriors often do when heading into battle together. Then, the blond Dragon Lord slipped out of the cabin's door and into the night's inky blackness.

Never had Lis imagined she would care what happened to one of the Lords, one way or another. It was odd enough that she cared now what happened to Cillumn, but she found herself hoping, with the chaos that had found the world, that Strale would return safely and she would see him again.