Radai stood on Lilau’s left, Makotae on her right as they watched the horizon. Lilau’s eyes blurred, smudging the purples, blues and reds of dusk into a single brush stroke. Blurry shapes marched toward them. More City attackers. Finally.

The Silent Hunter survivors had decided to stay put. Or more accurately, Inalia had refused to move the wounded and Lilau refused to abandon them. They had spent the next few days taking turns at watch while charging the red orbs to prepare for the City’s next attack. It proved effective in reducing the amount of essence she had. On the downside, it also reduced the amount of focus.

“Lilau.” Radai’s sharp tone banished some of the blur in Lilau’s vision. “Do you think you can hit them?”

Lilau had thought little in the last day. She forced her sluggish mind to gauge the distance. The attackers were still a long distance away, and by the look of it, they were not in a hurry to get closer to their prey. Most likely, they saw the pitiful force of three standing in their way and decided there was no need to hurry. It was exactly what she wanted them to think.

She fiddled with the modified bow which sat slightly behind her, hidden from the attackers’ view. She had replaced its string with thick, springy, woven cord, once used to lash heavy items to a Great Cat. Radai had whittled the arms from the best wooden braces they could find, with a sharp spike set in the middle and driven into the ground. A slingshot of unusual size, awaiting its unusual ammo.

She and Makotae had practiced shooting rocks with it until they’d collapsed from exhaustion. At most, they’d hit targets about as far as the attackers were now.

Lilau nodded as she stepped behind the slingshot and pulled a red orb from a pouch on her belt, nestling it in the leather pad set on the bow’s string. She held it still for Makotae as he grabbed the strap hanging off the back of the pad and pulled. The string stretched as the arms creaked. The spike leaned back, but held fast.

Her eyes tracked the invaders, gauging their distance as they closed in. She fed her sight to Makotae, who pulled down and left, adjusting his aim.

There. Release!

Makotae let go.

The red orb sailed through the air, a tiny speck against the backdrop of the sky. Lilau held her breath as it disappeared from sight. For fear of blowing them all up, she’d refused to use an orb in practice, and had only focused on shooting as far as possible. She hoped it was far enough.

Light bloomed. Small at first, expanding out like a hungry mouth to envelop all around it. A chill ran through Lilau as it consumed the attackers in a flash, then the ground and the sky, eating toward Lilau at an incredible speed.

She took a step back. What if they weren’t far enough away? What if, in her flawed plan to help, she destroyed them all anyway?

A low cracking came from the explosion as it closed in on their position. Then, in an instant, it stopped. The light broke apart in uncountable glitter, raining to the ground without sound, only to be absorbed.

The stretch of sand before them returned to normal, save the blackened lumps in the distance.

“I’ll be sure to handle the orbs extra carefully from now on,” Radai whispered.

Lilau simply nodded, the stars in her eyes still twinkling from the orb’s blast.

After a quick scan of the horizon, the three of them retraced their path across the desert to the medical lean-to, where Inalia busied herself caring for her patients as if the day was like any other.

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Macien, on the other hand, moved over to them as fast as her injuries allowed. “How did it work? Are they dead?”

The cold, concise way Macien said it set oddly with Lilau, but she shook it off. As Weapons Master, Maciens had surely killed enough people to rival Lilau’s hunting exploits. “They’re dead.”

“Not just dead,” Radai said, his arms starting their animated journey across the story he was about to weave. “The orb became a little sun, scorching the flesh from their bones quicker than a Great Cat devours its prey. It was terrifying. Beautiful waves—”

“I get it.” Macien held up a hand. “It worked. Lilau, do you think the other orbs will work the same?”

“I assume so, but I have no way of knowing. Regardless, the distance Makotae launched it should be the minimum. The farther, the better.”

Macien nodded, wincing at the movement. The reaction caught the eye of the ever-vigilant Inalia who hurried over to glare at the Weapons Master. “Macien, you need to be lying down.”

“I’ve been lying down plenty.”

“So you would prefer to further injure your head. Perhaps bleed out right where you stand?”

“I…. No.”

“Good. Lie down.”

Lilau and Radai looked away as Macien growled and turned back toward her rug.

Even the new leader can’t stand up to Inalia. Makotae’s thoughts were coated in amusement.

Lilau smiled, an out-of-place feeling considering their situation. She can be quite persuasive.

Despite Inalia having been the first to claim Macien as the new leader of the Silent Hunters, they all knew who ruled within the walls of the lean-to.

Macien shouted over her shoulder as she made her way back to her resting spot. “Be ready, Lilau. If all of those orbs are as powerful as that one, we’ll be done with the City within a moon.”

Motion caught Lilau’s eyes, distracting her from trying to figure out Macien’s plans.

Radai’s Great Cat loped across the desert, supply bags tied to a leather harness strapped across its body. Lilau frowned. Great Cats were usually either saddled or left bare to hunt and roam on their own terms.

“Aza.” Radai clapped his hands together. “Great timing. We need to celebrate after our success.”

Lilau’s frown deepened. She wasn’t sure celebrating burning people to cinders was such a good idea.

Radai turned back and waved at her, already halfway to his cat. “Come on. It will help keep your mind off things.”

With a cock of his head, Makotae trotted off with Radai.

Lilau sighed. Looked like she had little choice. More work sounded pretty terrible, but she supposed it would be distracting.

By the time she caught up, Makotae was sniffing up and down the supply bags, much to the annoyance of Aza, and Radai had freed a bag which wiggled in his hand.

He turned and grinned at Lilau, opening the bag wide and shoving it toward Lilau. “Look. Talz from our sister camp found a hawk's nest.”

Hawks…? Lilau peered inside in time to hear a soft peep from the bag’s occupant. A pure-white, fluffy hawk chick peered up at her. As soon as it made eye contact, it started squeaking in earnest.

“Aw, I think it’s hungry.” Radai pushed the bag a little closer to her. “Here. Take it under the lean-to. I’ll gather some food for it. We still have quite a bit from the cats’ last hunt.”

Lilau stared, unsure of what to do. The puffball didn’t stir up the same fears a full grown hawk did, but the idea of walking around with it still made her skin crawl. She’d rather get the meat.

“Go on,” Radai said. “You still want to get over your fear of hawks, right? Is this still too much?”

“No.” Lilau reached out quicker than necessary, pulling the peeping bag out of Radai’s hands. “I’m fine. Go get the food.”

Radai grinned and walked away, Aza on his heels.

Makotae came up and sniffed gently at the bag. An eyass. I suppose with all the attacks, it’s better if we have a hawk of our own. Being able to contact the other camps without losing a cat’s claws would be useful.

True. Lilau watched Radai’s retreat. She had a feeling the main reason Radai had asked for an eyass wasn’t because of the camp’s needs. Her skin itched at his concern. She grimaced at the reaction. Radai had his annoying moments, but in all her time in the camp, he’d never done anything against her. Do you think Radai’s trustworthy?

Makotae perked up. Oh? Are you concerned he’s giving us gifts to warm us up for something?

Maybe. Why else go through all this trouble?

Aza tells me he only worries about your well-being.

Do you believe that?

I believe we should follow along for now, and see. The City will see us as no different from the other camp members, at best. If we leave while the City hunts, I don’t think we would get far.

Right.

Lilau glanced once more at the fluff ball in the bag before turning back to the lean-to. Come on. I’m sure Inalia needs help with something. I don’t want to sit here with nothing to do but think about this eyass and Radai.