Six Weeks (Dragonfly #4)

Clipped Wings

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Zarathustra
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One week earlier.

I groggily opened my eyes, the next sensation I got was pain. I groaned as it filled me from my wing tips to my dull silver claws. Wherever I was it was dark, cold, and painful. I shivered, trying to move as little as I could. That's when I noticed, my wounds had been tended too. Various strips of human cloth were wound about me face and body. There was someone else here besides me, I hope that thing was friendly. I pushed myself up on my stomach, it hurt, and decided to go with the risky option.

"Hello?" I croaked.

A sudden greenish glow appeared in my face. It was so bright I couldn't see who was behind it, I had to blink several times before his face was recognizable. I cried out in joy when I realized who it was.

"Xanthos!" I gasped.

The young, Ghost king met my surprised expression with a crooked grin. "That's me," he replied weakly.

"What are doing here! Where are we?" I questioned.

He sighed, and leaned back against a rough, dirt wall. In his hand he held a tiny, flickering, ball of light. That's when I noticed bedraggled he looked, with several scratches on his face and arms.

"I don't know, but this place..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "It's so cold, and depressing, I can't last for much longer, I already used most of my energy healing you,"

Oh yeah, he feeds off of light and joyful thinking. I guess this hole would have a negative effect on his powers. Which made my stomach grumble, I was really hungry.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Since I got here? A week," he said, closing his eyes.

"Is there any way out of here?"

He did answer me for a moment, I think I saw something shine on his face before his hand light was suddenly extinguished.

"No, there is no way out," I heard him whisper.

I sat in the dark silence for a minute. If I was good at reading emotions, and I am, I'd say he was hiding something from me, again. What could possibly be a bigger secret than his wings?

I gasped as a sudden maniacal laugh filled the chamber. It sounded like Tenebris only, female. Xanthos' light suddenly came back on and her face was inches from mine. She laughed and disappeared, I was left scraping at the ground and gasping for breath.

That's when it all came back to me. The Blood Moon, Zach's turing, Tenebris. I remembered it all now, I threw back head and screamed. This couldn't be real, where was my brother?! I instantly reached for his mental connection only to discover it was gone! No! My heart beat faster and faster as reality caught up to me.

"Zach!" I screamed "Where is my brother?!"

Again I reached out with my mind, only to be blocked again. A sob a despair ripped through me and I suddenly blacked out.
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"Zara?" A voice cut through the thick, dense, cloud that blocked me from waking.

I opened my eyes to see Xanthos' glowing green ones. I shut my eyes quickly and squeezed out a few tears.

"Are you okay? I think you had a panic attack-"

"How did she capture you Xanthos?" I asked solemnly.

"She, told me you guys were in trouble, I remember flying outside and suddenly I wake up here," he said.

"Tenebris possessed my brother and turned him against me, all the scars are from her," I whispered.

"Oh,"

"We need to find a way out of here, I need to tell my brother I forgive him, I suspect he feels terrible," I said suddenly.

"I told you already, there is no way out, if you try..." he trailed off.

"What happened when you tried?"

He spread out a wing suddenly, I gasped in horror.

"She clipped my wings,"