Forty
Covert Stalker
Skye paced Saber’s living area, the image of her uncle with his arm around Tirah taunting her. She wasn’t surprised. Tirah was gorgeous, while she was nothing. A fourteen-year-old youth with a flat chest. Furious and devastated, Skye fought back her tears. That made her angry as well, for she never cried. Even when she’d broken her wing, she hadn’t cried, and though it healed up right away, the pain had been beyond imaginable. Feeling like she just lost the only person who ever loved her, Skye swiped angrily at the tear that managed to escape and swore.
Then her father walked in with Uncle Zales, followed by the two strangers she’d seen in the bedroom, both of whom has similar features to the soldier she’d met earlier.
“Skye,” her father said.
“Leave me alone, Cass.”
“I’m your father, Skye. I want to talk to you,” Cass said as she walked away from him.
“Yeah, and I don’t want to talk to you,” she replied, as she headed for the tunnel.
“Where are you going?”
Skye hesitated and glanced back at him. “Home, I guess. Where else would I go?”
“Wait, Skye,” Cass called, but too pissed and upset to listen to him reprimand her, she hurried through the tunnel and waterfall until she was outside. Then she drew in a deep breath and let it out.
Skye looked up and saw the stars twinkling high above, as if mocking her. With a growl, she tore her gaze away, trying not to remember how many times she and Saber used to lie back and count them while making up stories about each one.
Then she looked toward the south and wondered where the male she’d spoken to earlier had gone. Was he still snooping around or was he on his way home? She had meant to tell one of her uncles but had kind of forgotten in the mess that was her life. Besides, she didn’t know who those strangers were, and hadn’t wanted to say anything in front of them.
Not wanting to think about Saber and what he might be doing with Tirah, Skye continued to stare to the south. There wasn’t anything she could do about her broken heart right now, and she really didn’t feel like going home.
Whether it was her father, or those who were supposed to be watching out for her, Skye knew she’d get in shit for night-flying on her own. Besides, it isn’t like she was going to be able to go home, crawl into bed, and sleep.
“May as well make the most of it,” she decided and drawing on her power, shifted into her dragon. If the guy was still sneaking around, then she’d think about telling someone, but first she’d go see what he was up to.
Without wasting another moment, she took to the sky, circled twice, and started to fly south. This time she activated her invisibility.
It wasn’t long before she spotted the male from earlier, but she’d expected him to be walking. Instead, he was riding a … a horse? There weren’t many of the exotic creatures on Tartaria, and the ones that were, had been imported from Earth.
Then she wondered where he’d hidden it. She hadn’t caught the scent of a horse, though, not familiar with the animals and as intent on the male as she’d been, she must’ve just missed it.
Skye flew lower, even more curious now. She kept her eye on him, seeing why he might like riding the horse. It was definitely faster than walking. Not that she’d know much about that either. Being able to shift into a dragon meant she didn’t have to walk very far, ever. Well, thank the gods above for that. It was the least she could be offered in this shitty life.
The male rode the horse well, she noted, growing even more surprised and impressed. Obviously, he had experience. Still, as if hearing her thoughts or sensing her, he slowed the animal, then stopped. Then he looked at the sky, and right at her.
Skye faltered, shocked. He saw her. Or wait, did he see her? She craned her neck around and looked at her body. Yup, her invisibility was still working. Then she wondered how he knew she was there. He was Ilyium, which had to mean he was human. She thought back to everything she knew about the druid witches. She knew they could do magic, but they didn’t hold any magic of their own, and she never heard of them having abilities.
But if that were the case, then how come he knew she was above him?
Her heartbreak over Saber totally forgotten, Skye continued to follow the male for the rest of the night and all the next morning, until he stopped and dismounted in front of a twisted forest.
Skye wondered what he was going to do when he pulled a couple branches out of the way, then led the horse into the tangled mess of prickly, gnarled, twisty trees. Shocked, Skye circled around once, then twice. But he didn’t come out. She landed, shifted, and quickly ran over to the place where he’d entered.
She grinned when she saw that a path had been cleared through the nasty, deadly forest. No one went into the twisted forest if they wanted to stay alive. They’d be shredded in no time by the poisonous barbs and thorns that grew on each twisted tree, vine, and bush. Yet this guy had. What was he up to? Then she jumped when the path closed up right in front of her eyes, as if it had never been.
So, he used a spell to keep it hidden. Sneaky. Skye shifted back into her dragon and shot into the air. Then she flew over the forest, circling around, looking for her prey.
She wanted to smile when she spotted him exiting the forest into a large clearing in the very middle. Now how had he known about that, she wondered, looking at the old abandoned farm.
He led the horse over to one of the animal pens, took the saddle and bridle off, and then carried them into one of the smaller buildings. After that, he fed the horse, rubbed its neck, and then left.
Skye waited as he made his way back through the forest, then away from it. Where was he going now? Half an hour later, he stopped in the middle of nowhere, glanced up at the sky once again, and searched all around. Hmm, so maybe he just suspected she was there and didn’t actually know?
Then he lowered his gaze and took another step forward … and disappeared.
Skye blinked. There was nothing there but wide-open space. Sure, there were trees and hills and dips all around, but the large expanse in the middle was barren.
Skye flew around, and around, over and over, waiting, but nothing happened. Finally, she flew over to the nearest outcropping of rocks, found a spot to hunker down, and retaining her invisibility, waited.