I hovered over the ground, carefully depositing my cargo even though my wings ached and my chest fluttered rapidly with exhaustion. When they were down, I sprang to the side and fell, curling my wings around myself to cushion me. The Coyote Soul clattered to the ground. I heard men shouting and felt hands on my feathers. I had just enough strength left to shift and when I did, the change revived me. My bird hadn't harmonized with me yet so I didn't share his exhaustion. Thank you, Goddess.
“Dal!” I shouted as I pushed away the men trying to help me. “Is he okay?”
“He's fine, Valorian,” one of the guards said. “So is Kervel. Be at ease.”
They had already lifted Dalsharan and were taking him inside with Kervel. I scooped up the Coyote Soul by its chain and followed, staying right beside Dal as we went through the corridors and into the master bedroom. They laid him carefully on the bed as I set the Coyote Soul down on the bedside table. Then I climbed up beside the Hawk Lord. I heard the palace staff shouting to each other and the sound of their pounding feet echoed down the hall.
“Kervel will need... he's... the Coyote Lord tortured him,” I stumbled over the words. “Someone needs to be with him when he wakes.”
The guards exchanged grim looks and two of them left the room.
Farin, one of the remaining guards said, “We will look after him, my lord. Rest easy.”
He laid a robe over my shoulders. It wasn't mine. My robe was still in the satchel in Brendallen's tent along with my sword, but I didn't give a shit. I'd brought back what mattered.
“Thank you.” I shrugged into the robe, then brushed the hair back from Dalsharan's face. “Can someone get me a wet cloth? And can we get these manacles off him?”
“What happened?” Farin asked as another guard left.
“It was the fucking Coyote Lord!” I hissed. “He's in league with the Farungal. He sold us out. He gave Dal to the Farungal.”
“What?” Farin growled. “A warlord turned traitor?” His green eyes flashed as he turned to one of the other guards. “Send word to His Majesty.”
The man ran off just as another appeared with a roll of fabric in his hand. The guard unrolled the fabric on the bed and revealed an elite set of lock picking tools. He chose a couple and started on Dal's manacles.
One of the palace staff came in with towels and a bowl of water. “My lord, may I clean the Hawk Lord for you?” the woman asked.
“No. No, thank you. I'll do it.” I held out my hand for the bowl, and she handed it over.
She laid the towels beside me, curtsied, and left with a worried look at Dalsharan. The manacles opened and were removed—both the tools and the chains taken out of the room immediately. Farin stepped closer, his gaze going from the Hawk Lord to the Coyote Soul Stone.
“I took it from Brendallen,” I admitted. “The Coyote Soul asked me to save it, so I took it.”
The guards exchanged shocked looks but said nothing.
I dipped a cloth in the water, wrung it out, and began to gently clean Dal's face before I went on, “That fucker admitted to stealing the Lion Lord's amulet and giving it to the Farungal Queen along with his own. He said he's trying to end the war, that if Gremara has a child with Dalsharan, it will bring peace.”
Farin cursed and shook his head. “That insane bastard!”
“I think I killed him,” I whispered.
Farin went still. “You think?”
“I stabbed him in the throat with my beak, but then his men came in. I only had time to grab the Coyote Soul and Kervel before I flew away. I'm not sure if Brendallen died. I was too focused on getting to Dal before the Farungal got away.”
“A neck wound is tricky,” Farin murmured thoughtfully. “If they got him help in time, he could heal.”
“Fuck,” I hissed. “I should have bitten his fucking head off!”
“You did well, Valorian.” Farin laid a hand on my shoulder. “Better than any of us could have done. You brought our lord and brother home safely. Thank you.”
“Not me, the Goddess.” I looked up at him. “I was chained with iron and helpless. But then I prayed to her. She set my hawk free. She saved us.”
Farin dropped to his knees beside the bed, a reverent look overtaking his face. “Dear Mother,” he whispered, “thank you. Thank you for looking after our lord.”
It sounded so similar to the prayer I'd made that I smiled softly. “She loves him as much as we do I think.”
“And you, Valorian. The Mother obviously treasures you.” Farin got to his feet and bowed to me. “I bless the day she brought you to us.”
I cleared my throat uncomfortably and went back to cleaning Dal. “Uh, thanks. But really, it was all her.”
“It was not all her, but I understand. I will speak no more on it.”
“Ravyn,” Dalsharan moaned. Then he sat up abruptly and screamed it, “Ravyn!”
The bowl of water got knocked aside, splashing me. I kicked it away and grabbed Dalsharan's hands. “I'm here! I'm right here, Dal.”
Dal blinked and gaped at me. “Ravyn?” he whispered in shock. Then in a stronger voice, “Ravyn!” He grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me against his chest, his hands sliding over my back. “Sweetheart, oh, goddess, I thought you were lost to me.”
“Right back at ya, babe,” I growled.
Dalsharan jerked back suddenly and looked around. “We're in Larinesse? How? The last thing I remember is that Farungal hitting me with a sleep stick.”
“The Valorian saved you, my lord,” Farin said with a smug look at me. “He carried you and Kervel back to us. A young bird, barely a week into flight, and he bore two grown fae warriors for miles with the Coyote Soul clutched in his beak the entire time.”
“And I dropped on my ass as soon as I got here,” I muttered.
Dalsharan looked from Farin to me. “But how did you get away from Brendallen?”
“She answered my prayer,” I said and sniffed. Fuck, was I crying?
Dalsharan lifted a hand and gently wiped my tears away. “The Goddess helped you?”
“She freed my hawk. I stabbed that motherfucker in the neck, snatched his stone, grabbed Kervel, and went after you. Those Farungal bastards didn't even see me coming.”
Dal let out a shocked laugh, just a puff of air really, but then it turned into a chuckle, and then full-blown laughter. He clasped me to him again, and we held each other as we laughed.