“Gently jogging your memory,” the First Claw said.
The man’s face twisted with frustration. “My memories really are a jumble. I wish they were clearer.”
“Do you remember anything new?” Brodin asked.
The man shook his head. “Nothing of value. I know Candela and her people took me into the forest to run more experiments. I managed to get free.”
“I think he was held somewhere in the Celsa Forest,” Annora said.
Brodin grunted.
“That doesn’t help?” Poppy asked.
Brodin stabbed at the map. “The Celsa Forest is huge. It’s covered in dense vegetation, and dotted with lakes.”
Poppy eyed the map.
“You didn’t see any landmarks?” Annora asked Fillian.
“I remember the ceiling glowed blue.” He threw his hands up. “I have no idea if that was real or not.”
“What about scents?” Poppy said. “I’m learning that you Damari are all about scents.” She glanced at Brodin, and they shared a private smile.
“Zhylaw chemicals.” Fillian’s brow furrowed. “Cats.”
“Cats?” Brodin said.
“I remember a feline scent.”
“Maybe creatures they’re experimenting on?” Annora suggested.
“What about before that? Or after they let you out?” Poppy asked.
“The forest. Lix trees. Wait.” His eyes widened. “I smelled allium.”
Brodin and Annora straightened.
“What’s that?” Poppy asked.
“An algae that grows on the shore of a lake in the Celsa Forest,” Annora answered. “It has a particular smell.”
“It smells like overripe fruit,” Brodin said. “It’s an algae that only grows at that particular lake.” He touched a large body of water on the map. “Lake Hollae.”
Poppy sucked in a breath. “Candela must be close to there, somewhere.”
Annora rose. “I’ll organize a flyer.”
“Well done, Fillian,” Brodin said.
Poppy stepped out onto the large, semi-circular landing platform. The wind whipped at her hair as she looked down at Accalia below.
She had a bird’s-eye view. She saw the market, noted the twisting pathways through the trees. Farther up the valley, she saw Brodin’s cabin.
Right in front of her was a Damari flyer.
It was nothing like the sleek, little ship she and Mal had been testing for Nynatech. This flyer was built solid, from a brown metal. It had two long wings which were currently folded straight up, spearing toward the sky. They would unfold once they were airborne.
Ahead, Annora and several cleavers were already boarding. Brodin took her hand and tugged her forward.
Inside, she could see it was built as a workhorse, not for luxury. The seats were large, to fit Damari bodies, and were arranged in neat rows.
She sat beside Brodin, close to a window. At the front, in the boxy cockpit, two pilots sat at a long console.
“Prepare for flying,” one pilot called back.
As they lifted off, Brodin touched a hand to her knee. “Okay?”
She nodded. “I like flying.”
“You were in a bad crash.”
“True, but I don’t remember much of it.” She looked out the window and saw the flyer’s wings descend. As they flew away from the city, the wings flapped gently. Down below was a green sweep of stunning, dense forest. The trees were dark green, with pops of red here and there.
“It’s not far,” Brodin said.
Soon, the pilot called back. “We’re coming up on Lake Hollae. We’ll do a grid search over it.”
“Run the scans,” Brodin ordered.
Poppy spotted the glitter of the pretty lake below. The water was a brilliant blue-green. “Oh, it’s gorgeous.”
Brodin squeezed her hand. “I’ll bring you here sometime. There’s a private beach at one end that’s good for swimming.”
Her heart lurched. He was talking like she’d stay.
Did he want her to stay? Yes, they’d spent a frenzied night together, and were definitely compatible in bed. But that didn’t translate into forever.
She kept her gaze on the lake. The few men she’d dated, including asshole Andrew, had lost interest in her eventually. Could she really hold the interest of this wild, larger-than-life man? He was an emperor, for Pete’s sake.
“See anything?” Annora asked from the seat in front of them, voice tense.
“Nothing yet,” Brodin said.
All Poppy could see was lake and forest. There were no signs of vehicles, buildings, or tracks.
Damn.
“Let’s check on the scans.” Annora rose and headed for the cockpit.
Brodin and Poppy followed.
“Do the scans show anything, Gerrant?” he asked.
The head pilot shook his head. He was young, with a clean-cut face and deep-green eyes. “Nothing that pinpoints the location, sire.” The man frowned. “There are a few strange energy spikes, but we can’t pinpoint an exact location.”
A projection speared up like a heads-up display. It showed a graph. Poppy instantly noted the energy detection spikes. Something close by was pumping off some energy.
“Do you have more detailed scanning equipment?” she asked. “This has to be Candela. She’s here, somewhere.”
Brodin shook his head, frowning as he stared out the cockpit window.
“We’re wolves,” Annora said. “We depend on sight, sound, and scent. We can’t track energy.”
“But we know someone who’s more attuned to energy then us,” Brodin said.
Annora snapped her fingers. “The Zhaltons.”
Of course. Poppy looked at the lake and forest beyond. Brodin’s brother Rhain could wield energy.
And so now could Mal. The thought still shocked Poppy, but since she could grow claws, hear heartbeats, and calm wolves, she guessed she shouldn’t be so surprised.
“Gerrant, get us back to Accalia. I need to call my brother. We can get some Zhaltons here to help track down Candela.” Brodin’s tone was dark and menacing.
Poppy took his hand, and saw him let out a breath.
“Hold on, Nayla,” Annora whispered.
They had to find the kids.
Chapter Fourteen
Brodin waited on the landing pad, high above the city. Poppy and Annora stood with him.
On the landing pads below, several Damari flyers took off, soaring into the sky like giant birds. Others sat parked on the platforms, waiting to travel to other parts of Damar.
The platform he stood on was empty. Above, he saw a Zhalton shuttle appear in the sky.
He’d called Rhain several hours ago. After the attacks and deaths on Zhalto, Rhain couldn’t immediately leave his planet. His people needed his visible presence, but he’d promised to send Brodin his best man.
The Zhalton shuttle flew closer. It was made from shiny, silver craxma metal, and was a much sleeker design. The engine at the back of it crackled with blue energy.
Brodin saw Poppy straighten, her gaze taking in every part of the approaching ship. He smiled. His little scientist just couldn’t help herself.
The shuttle landed smoothly on the platform, a rush of warm air hitting Brodin and the women. A moment later, the side door opened.