Uncontrollable shivers woke Lara. She whimpered before she could stop it. Oh God, she hurt. Blinking her eyes open, she stared up at the dirt ceiling, trying to remember where she was.

A cold sweat had drenched her clothes while she slept. Running her tongue over her cracked lips, she tried to sit up, only to release a louder whimper.

Solara, what is it? What is wrong? Chion’s concerned gaze ran over her. Her befuddled brain kept her from remembering how she woke with Chion so close.

Right. They had rescued her from the Malirrans. They were now Lan’Ai. Maybe the pain had to do with the new bond. She shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. No, that wasn’t right. She couldn’t feel anyone’s emotions except through the Lan’Ai bond.

My Lady? Skye, Eiren, Chion called out, waking them up, something is wrong with My Lady.

“Ch-Chion, I’m okay.” When both Eiren and Chion looked at her with disbelief, she coughed as she trembled. “F-Fine, you’re right. I’m not okay. But I don’t understand what’s wrong. I’m running a fever and I hurt.”

You are in pain? Tell me where, Solara. Chion’s tone was commanding, though she could feel his underlying worry and panic through their bond.

Lara had a hard time rolling up the sleeves of her shirt with the tremors wracking her. After a few tries, Skye gently pushed aside her hands and rolled them to above her elbows.

“Oh God,” she whispered, staring at her arms. Her wounds were infected, red and swollen. When she pressed a finger to one of the cuts, the skin was hot to the touch. No wonder she hurt everywhere.

“Lara’s injuries have worsened,” Skye said with grim knowledge.

Yes, her wounds are not healing, Eiren told him, her concern adding another layer to the worry already surrounding them.

Lara lifted her pant legs to check out the other injuries. She wasn’t surprised at what she found. It looked as if every wound had become infected overnight. How was she going to make it to Kureto and a healer?

As if hearing her, Skye thrust a water bag into her hand. “Drink all of this. You must stay hydrated. We leave now. Do you think you can walk?”

At the thought, she groaned aloud. Her entire body ached as if she’d been stuck with a hot poker. Cold sweat broke out along her forehead, and she gritted her teeth.

Skye stood up, determination exuding from his features. “Drink all the water while I work on a harness to carry you.”

No, Chion growled. I will carry her. You can strap her to my back so that she can lie down and rest.

Taking a sip of water, Lara sighed and licked her lips. “I’m sorry. Maybe if I rest some, I’ll be able to walk later. That way neither of you gets too tired from carrying me.”

When Skye simply stood there, looking down at her in indecision, Chion stepped between them. Skye, I could not rescue My Lady from the Malirrans’ clutches. Let me do this. My sanity requires me to aid Solara when I can carry her as easily as you.

Eiren stayed close to her, giving Lara some of her warmth. “Thanks,” she whispered before taking another drink of water. Through the hair falling in her eyes, Lara saw Skye run a weary hand over his face.

Skye walked over to his pack and pulled out a length of rope. “Carry her only as far as you can without overtaxing yourself. We need you able to fight if necessary. We’ll take turns. I’ll carry your pack while you carry Lara.”

Eiren volunteered, “I’ll take point. I remember the way back to Avu.”

Lara finished the water, then remembered that they only had two bags. The others were doing all the work and needed to stay hydrated as well. When Chion sat down beside her, she reminded him, “We need more water.”

Skye answered while he studied the rope and Chion with a frown. “Do not worry. We will cover a lot of ground today. I will use my magic to find a stream. I am more concerned with your welfare than ours.”

Strapped onto Chion’s back was a new experience. The rise and fall of Chion’s legs were different from a horse; smooth, yet not. If her weight caused an issue for Chion, he never showed it. He kept to a smooth jog without a single complaint. The warmth he emanated kept her from feeling too chilled, but the ropes rubbed against her body, making her all too aware of the wounds on her body. She never fell asleep, but she did manage a light doze. They only stopped once to push water at her when they found a stream.

Lara jerked her head up when she felt Chion stumble beneath her. Chion, stop! You need to rest a while. Don’t push so hard, we need you.

She called to the others through the bond, Chion needs a break.

Without saying a word, Skye came up from behind and undid the knots holding her down. Lara moaned as she slid off and fell to the ground. “How long did you carry me?”

Chion hissed as he stretched his back and paced up and down the tunnel, trying to cool down. It is late afternoon, but I still think we should travel farther. We are approximately three days out from the nearest village.

“I think I can walk for a while, but there is no way I can go as fast as you guys.”

Eiren spoke up, Your body needs to focus on fighting the poison running rampant through your body. Let Skye carry you. We will make better time than if you walk on your own. I fear your wounds will only worsen the longer we take to reach a healer.

Skye stood for a moment as if meditating before he nodded once with satisfaction. “I’ve found a small cave at the next intersection. We can sit and eat some food while we rest. Eiren, at the next cross section, take the tunnel on the far left.”

When they reached the small room, Skye sat her down on a small boulder, keeping a hand on her until Lara could hold herself upright. Once she nodded, he dropped down beside her and untied his pack. Lara looked around with a frown. “There isn’t any water here.”

If I remember correctly, we crossed a stream on our way to Gharra. It is not too far ahead, My Lady. The stream will make the perfect place to stop tonight.

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She nodded but kept a close, if bleary, eye on Chion. He didn’t look overly tired; even so, she still worried.

Skye nudged her arm. “Here, eat this.” He handed her a large piece of dried meat. “It isn’t much, but I’ll make stew tonight once we reach the next place. I can easily carry you for a couple more hours. The stream is deep enough there we can wash your wounds out and rebandage them.”

The combination of a parched throat and jerky made her choke a few times, but she persevered, knowing her body needed the fuel. After she swallowed her last bite, she asked, “Why the rush back to Kureto?” Before anyone could respond, she hurried to explain, “I’m not talking about me. I mean why are we so focused on returning to Kureto? Don’t the Kurite leaders know that the Malirrans are preparing to attack?”

“They are aware of the situation in Pyran,” Skye assured before taking a bite of his own jerky.

Eiren continued to explain, Every entrance into Kureto is under heavy guard. From what I understand, every major city is gathering its forces and moving them closer to Areth.

“Eiren is right. I don’t know the exact plan the Kurite war council has put in place, but I have a few ideas of my own.” Skye rubbed his hand along his beard. “For a reason I cannot explain, I have the distinct urge to be present during the deliberations. Not that they will listen to me.”

Lara stared at the wall, deep in thought. “We think at least some of the Malirrans have magic, right?”

Yes, My Lady. Chion tilted his head and looked at her. I can almost hear your mind thinking from where I sit.

She cleared her throat as another shiver hijacked her body. “Well, I’m not a strategist, but if they do have magic, then can’t we use the Gais Desert against them? I mean, we can’t access our magic in the desert, so they shouldn’t either. It puts everyone on equal footing.”

It puts us also at a disadvantage, does it not? Eiren asked, concern dripping from each word.

Skye barked out a laugh, shaking his head. “Why did I not think of the desert? As a trainee, we were taught to use our surroundings to our advantage. Although none of the Kurites can use their Tal’Ai magic, we will have the element of surprise on our side. Even if the Malirrans learn everything about the location of the Kurite cities, there is no reason to think that they would understand the properties of the desert itself. If we position our warriors right, we can turn the battle in our favor.”

Chion warned, Depending on the time of day the battle begins will affect how many warriors we can call upon to fight above ground. Warriors who do not have an Ai are hampered by the sun. We have always herded Pyrannis into the tunnels for that exact reason.

“Hm, but if we choose the time and place for a battle, we can take all the different factors into account.” Skye grinned and stood up. “Come, now we must return to Kureto. I have the beginnings of a battle scenario that must be discussed with the war council. Unfortunately, I don’t know the layout of Kureto beyond the rudimentary basics. We don’t have long until the Malirrans march for Kureto. We need all the time we have to make this the first and last battle against the Malirrans.”

Lara wiped the perspiration off her forehead with her sleeve. Limping over to Skye, she sighed, “How do you want to carry me? Piggy-back style? In your arms like before?”

Skye considered for a bit, then picked up his pack and shrugged it back on. “Give me your pack.” Once she handed it over, he lengthened the holds and pulled it on over his own pack. “I’ll carry you in my arms, and you can rest.”

“Okay,” she said with a nod. Checking on the pakas and finding them already in the hallway, she edged closer to Skye. “Whenever you are ready.”

With an ease that made her more than a little envious, he picked her up. “Loop your arms around my neck.” Once they were situated, he strode to the door and followed the pakas.

Soon, the sway of each step made her drowsy. She released another sigh and leaned her head against Skye’s shoulder. Silence fell between everyone, and she fell asleep a few minutes later.

¤ ¤ ¤

Eiren swiveled her ears when the soft sounds of Skye’s footfalls stopped behind her. When she could not hear even his breathing, she twisted around to face the way they had come. The tunnel was empty.

My Lord?

Silence met her query. Heart racing, she bounded back toward the last intersection, frantic for signs of her bondmate. What if they had been ambushed?

Chion! I cannot reach Skye. They’re gone.

As she waited for Chion to call to Lara, she spread her senses out, trying to hear anything, slight or otherwise.

Neither can I. Chion sighed with a small amount of frustration. I fear we must wait until they return.

At a loss, she stammered, What do you mean? However, when he simply looked at her, the two suddenly vanishing made sense. Oh. She sat down hard on the ground. We forgot to remove the coil from Skye’s pack.

Yes, My Lady must have fallen asleep.

Will… Do you think they will return? What if Skye and Lara couldn’t return. Worse yet, what if they returned but were too late to affect the outcome of the coming battle against the Malirrans?

Chion tilted his head before coming over to brush her cheek with his own, offering her comfort. From everything we have learned, the coil is intricately tied to the fate of Kureto, and possibly even Pyran. You have more faith in our God and Goddess than the rest of us combined. What does your heart tell you?

Leaning against the bigger paka, she breathed in and out, searching her heart for the answer. The coil was indeed intertwined with Kureto’s fate, but she also held the belief that it was tied to their Lan’Ai bond as well. Relief cascaded through her as she felt the truth. The God and Goddess would not take them away when they are both needed here, at least not for too long.

I agree. Chion’s tail whipped behind him. Hm, a thought just came to me.

Eiren perked up, giving thanks once again that she could speak to Chion, no longer needing the scroll. He had never shown impatience with the time it took to spell out the words, but her new ability to speak with at least her bondmates sped up the conversation considerably.

I wonder whether the coil whisked Solara and Skye to Earth to heal her wounds. My Lady’s condition worsened the more we moved her. She was in dire need of a Tal’Ai healer.

Eiren thought about the other paka’s statement for a moment. So, you believe that the God and Goddess knew she needed help, so they had the coil send them back to Earth. Her ears flattened against her head with her next words. Lara’s world doesn’t have magic, Chion.

His nod was grave. Solara has spoken often of the differences between our two worlds when given the chance. Although she’s admitted magic does not exist on her Earth, she has described the gifts and knowledge her healers—what she calls doctors—that equal or perhaps in some situations, surpasses the Tal’Ai magic we so depend on. Their herbal remedies are far superior to ours. She has attempted to explain different procedures to me, but I confess the words she used confused me.

Intrigued, she stood back up. She was about to ask him about some of the words when she shook herself and arched her body. Once back on solid footing—at least mentally, Eiren looked down the long tunnel. I put my trust in our bondmates as well as the God and Goddess. Now, a more important decision must be made.

And what would that be, Chion asked, prowling up to stand beside her.

She nuzzled his neck in silent thanks for his calming presence. Do we wait here for them?

Chion growled long and low. His turmoil was obvious when he started pacing in front of her. Eiren waited for him to make the decision. He knew the convoluted relationship between the coil and Lara better than she did.

As I see it, we should continue to our destination.

Eiren had her own opinion, but she was curious about his. Why?

Aggravated with the situation, he swiped at the tunnel with extended claws, leaving behind deep rakes within the dirt walls. Solara can control where she returns to Aradun to a certain extent. I know that she will return within a short proximity of our presence. We do not know how long they will be gone, but if we are already in Kureto, then we have shortened the time they must travel.

She nodded her head, agreeing with his rationale. Without a word, she brushed past him and loped down the tunnel, picking up speed.

He quickly caught up with her and said as a challenge, Without the burden of carrying My Lady, we can make even better time. Two pakas can outrun humans in both speed and distance. Shall we put it to the test?

In answer, she tucked her head and increased the length of her strides until she was racing through the tunnel. Despite the gravity of their situation and her worry for Skye and Lara, she giggled.

Chion’s playful huff lightened her heart a little more. She sent up a prayer for her bondmates’ safekeeping.