Chapter 1
They hovered above the scene below, Kendis’ clothing fluttering in the wind. Jade, clad only in her white cotton underwear, was having a much easier time flying.
It wasn’t exactly a battle down there but there were definitely indications of a fight. They saw three Elvwist flyers and their companions, all wearing only their feathers, circling below them.
Two were their friends and teachers, Eagle, and its lifter companion, Owl.
Jade could see they were towing several kicking Humans, and watched as they dumped them, more or less gently, into one of two cleared areas down-slope from the densely treed expanse going up the side of the mountain.
she sent,
sent Eagle.
Jade sent an acknowledgement and started for the clearing. She could see flames about a third of the way up the slope and wondered if that meant they was slinging fire, and if so, did they have a way of controlling it. She would sure hate to see the whole forest go up in smoke.
Kendis suddenly yelled and pulled Jade close. He watched a missile whiz past and saw it was curving to come back at them, so he used his lifter esa to bat it away. It flew end over end and just as he thought he might have to swat it again to keep it from falling on the people below, it exploded violently, shrapnel flying in all directions.
He and Jade found themselves tossed by the concussion from the blast. Jade clung fiercely to Kendis as they were whipped through the air. They managed to avoid the worst of the shrapnel though Jade felt a stinging in her right thigh and a burning sensation across her back.
With an effort of will, she halted their uncontrolled tumbling and quickly headed down, aiming for the clearing. They kept a lookout for more missiles.
Jade could see there was a force shield around the clearing, and as she got closer, sent: She saw the shield flicker, and darted in with a sigh of relief. She felt Alex near the center and headed in that direction, landing lightly a few feet from him.
Kendis immediately began checking her and drew in a sharp breath.
“Jade, you were hit!” he hissed when he spotted the blood on her thigh. He spun her around, drawing in his breath again when he saw the burn on her lower back.
“They’re just scratches, Kendis,” declared Jade. “Doesn’t really hurt, just stings a little.”
Kendis wrapped his arms around her, closed his eyes and concentrated. Jade felt something hit her foot, and the stinging went away. The burning in her back stopped.
Shards! His minor healing esa has gotten a lot more intense, she thought.
She looked down to see a tiny piece of metallic material lying on the ground. She reached down and picked it up, looking at it in surprise. She looked back up at Kendis, her eyes flashing.
He was unharmed, though his clothing looked a lot worse for wear. He was definitely not going to get any more use out of those once this was over. She dropped the piece of shrapnel into his pocket and smiled up at him, reaching around behind herself, feeling the smooth, newly healed skin of her back.
“Whew! A little higher and I’d be borrowing your beat up shirt to put on right about now. That nearly took my bra off!”
Alex ran up to them, grabbing Jade and giving her a big hug. “Hey, little Sis!” he exclaimed with a relieved laugh. “I knew you would make it!”
He eyed her lack of outerwear but didn’t comment on it. “Who took out the suppressor?” he asked. They had seen and heard the explosion, and since they suddenly had mind-speak again, knew the suppressor was gone.
Jade felt a sudden squeeze in her heart. She looked up at her brother as she felt Kendis’ arms come around her waist. “A friend who is no longer with us, Alex.”
She looked past him and saw the prisoners in a zone enclosed by a clear force shield. She saw a battered looking man sitting on the bare ground, his shoulders slumped, his head resting on his knees. She recognized Charles, the guard who’d been outside S’tella’s door at the chateau.
She turned back to Alex and noticed he was staring at her eyes. He looked over at Kendis, pausing when he saw his eyes.
“Um, guys, did you know you seem to be having an issue with your eyes?” he asked worriedly. Their eyes were still glowing, and changed.
Kendis snorted. “The better to see you with, Alex. Ah, yeah, we’re aware of how our eyes look.”
Jade gave a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry, I think they’ll change back once we get over being aggravated. In the meantime, just ignore them.” She went on somberly, “Just hope no one kidnaps and tries to assault and/or kill your soul-mate or you may find yourself with similar eye problems.”
Alex sobered. And his deep, dark brown eyes flashed momentarily with a touch of purple - and a hint of blue - when he thought of Ro, whom he’d had to leave in hospital because of Montford.
Jade, watching, chuckled grimly.
Kendis smiled faintly. “Let’s talk about eyes later. Tell us what we can do to help.”
Alex explained there was an unknown number of men still on the slope fighting. Jade activated her much expanded esa of finding and cast out.
She turned to him, “I know how many there are and their locations. Also, there is some type of large weapon being set up in one area.”
He was relieved. He had hoped she'd be able to give him that kind of information. It would save a lot of time and maybe lives. She gave him the numbers and the locations, and he hugged her again.
“Thanks, Sis! This’s exactly what we needed. Now I can tell the firestarters where to direct their fire and the Elvwist where to find these guys. Oh, and Hester and Louis are up there with the firestarters. She developed that esa and has been practicing with Louis for a couple of weeks. She refused to stay behind when he volunteered to come. Now, can you show me what the weapon looks like?”
She projected an image to him and he whistled. “We need to take that thing out before they get it set up! It can penetrate our shields.” Not just the shield around the camp either.
He explained the Elvwists had brought personal shields which protected them from the lasers and projectiles - though the concussion from a projectile could still tumble them around as they’d already learned. At least if that happened again, the shrapnel wouldn’t hurt them. He handed each of them a palm-sized flat disc on a chain.
“These are the personal shields.” He showed them how they worked as they placed them over their heads.
“I’ve directed Eagle and Owl to the weapon. You and Kendis meet them there. We’re going to move the damned thing.”
(End of excerpt)
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Other Works by Bea Cannon
(Novels)
*Boucher’s World: Transformations
(Book 2 of the Boucher’s World Trilogy)
*Boucher’s World: Encounters
(Book 3 of the Boucher’s World Trilogy)
*Bridge
*Turner: Bitter Change
(Book 1 of Spaceships and Magic)
*Turner: World Change
(Book 2 of Spaceships and Magic)
*Turner: Unexpected Change
(Book 3 of Spaceships and Magic)
*Turner: Inevitable Change
(Book 4 of Spaceships and Magic)
*First
(Novellas)
*Seed
*Swallow And Dove: A Tale From The Turmoils
**A Blankie for Baby
(#3 of the Cady and Sam series)
(Novelettes)
*Raven and C’elie: A Love Story
**Living in the Moment
(#2 of the Cady and Sam series)
*Hard Changes
(Short Stories)
**Interruptions
(#1 of the Cady and Sam series)
Moving Day
Why I Started Smokin’ Cigarettes
Adams and Eve
The Other Shoe
(#4 of the Cady and Sam series)
*Available in paperback and ebook
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**Also available in ebook and paperback as a collection in A Short Trilogy of Quiet
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About the author:
Bea lives in Charlotte, NC.
In addition to writing science fiction and fantasy (and a smidgen of horror) she enjoys a good read, working crossword puzzles, walking, drawing, and painting.
She is a retired electronics technician and admits to having worked at a variety of other jobs during her life, including being a dishwasher, a busgirl, a house maid, a motel/hotel maid, working in a fast-food joint, a telephone operator, and a store clerk. There have been other, not-so-glamorous jobs, including picking cotton.
She also daydreams a lot.
Blog: https://pcannon16.wordpress.com/
Face Book Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bea-Cannon/295432397242703
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pbeacannon
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6869960.Bea_Cannon
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