The Air Howlers Book I ✔

26

Bodies.

Bodies of soldiers lay strewn across the plains.

On some of those lying on their backs Ki could see the familiar handprint scorched into their chests. Judging by the smell hanging heavy in the air, the bodies had been there for more than a day. Crows had begun picking at the flesh.

Ki's horse whinnied and tossed its head, no doubt sensing the wrongness that clouded the place and she patted the mare reassuringly.

She could hear the ocean roaring just off to their right, but she was too busy scanning the bodies for a familiar one with short dark hair, but it was hard to distinguish them from one another. Her heart was in her throat.

"Look for survivors," Sarko ordered and several soldiers got off their horses and went to check for signs of life, but it didn't take very long before it was established that there were living among the casualties.

"Sir," one of the soldiers spoke, coming up to the training master. "Several soldiers are missing, perhaps they escaped and are hiding out somewhere."

Ki's heart skipped a beat. Thoran could still be alive somewhere. To her relief, he had not been among the bodies, but that didn't necessarily mean that he was alright.

"I'm going to rip them apart," Thatch said through clenched teeth. Ki could feel the heat simmering from his skin and she did wise to keep a distance. But his anger echoed through her own body. It was trembling, from rage, but also terror. This was what she had been training for, what the Chamber had chosen her for. To protect this country from the evil that was now seeping into the land. The Chamber had seen something in her and now it was up to her to show it had chosen right.

"Sir!" A soldier called out.

A blood trail led them a mile east from where they had found the first bodies. An old and long abandoned village stood mere yards away from the edge of the cliff. The residents had moved away ages ago out of fear that the sea would swallow the earth and their homes. Several had been taken already, with remains scattered down the side of the cliff.

Looking out across the ocean, Ki thought she saw the silhouette of a ship, but whatever it was disappeared before she could take a closer look.

"I feel the Earth trembling like a scared child," Emmie whispered. It did not exactly provide comfort for any of them.

"Search the village," Sarko said, "but be watchful. The Shadow Walkers are probably still here, somewhere."

"Don't stray too far," Thatch muttered to Ki and she nodded in response. Though it was tempting to split up and cover more ground, they were stronger together if they came across a Shadow Walker. Since her last encounter with one of these creatures, Ki felt a lot stronger. She had trained her gift, letting it develop and grow more powerful, but as they entered the deserted village it wasn't enough reassurance to keep her from being frightened. The soldiers dispatched into several groups, checking each house thoroughly for any survivors.

"I don't like the feeling of this," Ori whispered as yet another house was checked, but without any proof of life.

"Me neither, man," Thatch muttered in reply. "But we have to keep going." Their feet hitting the dry earth and their breathing was the only sound filling the air. Ki flung her gift out with the wind, listening for any disturbances in the wind that could be from movement or heavy breathing from a wounded soldier. But everything was silent.

Then one soldier off to their right raised a hand, calling for attention. A smudged bloodied handprint was on the corner of a half-crumbled building. Without speaking, Sarko waved to the soldiers, signalling with just the use of his hands what he wanted. Ki had learned some of the code they used, for purposes such as this and she knew he was telling them to split into two groups, two Howlers in each. Two were still better than being alone, but she didn't like it one bit as she and Thatch went with one group of soldiers, heading East as the others, including Emmie and Ori, went West.

Edging their way down the dusty street, Ki's ears were as sharp as they could be, listening for sounds, anything at all. Several times she made eye contact with Thatch, but his face was masked with a stern expression, not the carefree smirk he always displayed. His eyes were aflame. They were two burning orbs ready to strike. She could practically see the fire raging in there. He nodded at her and they continued on their search. Ori's words kept repeating in her head and a chill ran down her spine. No, she did not like this at all. They should have found something by now.

A crow screeching as it flew over them surprised them so much that a soldier nearly dropped his raised sword. Ki's heart hammered loudly in her chest, beating at her ribcage to be let out. She was certain it could be heard a mile away.

Suddenly, a soldier raised his fist and everyone stopped to look. He pointed at a doorway across the road and, Ki had to squint to see it, but there, a tiny smear of blood coated the sandy-coloured wall. She closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself and her body to calm down. 

Thatch stayed outside with most of the soldiers as Ki and the rest moved silently into the broken building. Dust and sand covered the wooden floor. The furniture inside was sparse; a few knocked over chairs and a table was all that was left behind from the people who once had lived there. The soldier next to Ki tapped her shoulder and when she looked, he pointed ahead to a door that was half off its hinges, obscuring the room on the other side. Then she saw it; more blood.

Ki nodded to the soldier and she sent out her gift and through the air, besides her and her fellow soldiers' breathing, she heard the sound of heavy panting. Someone was here, breathing heavily, no doubt because they were in pain. She closed her eyes and focused. Not just one set of lungs breathing, but two. She held up two fingers for her companions to see. Shuffling, the door being moved. It was dark in the small room, but Ki was certain this was the place. The breathing quickened.

Wooden boards, perhaps once part of the floor covered the corner of the small, square room, but it moved, ever so slightly. The soldier at the front, the one put in charge of their small group, Makheir, lifted a finger, telling them all to prepare. With a raised sword, Makheir edged closer to the where they knew something was hiding. Ki's pulse raced. She watched as Makheir stretched his hand to grab hold of the boards and with a quick flick, he tossed them aside.

Ki nearly cried out in relief. Bundled up in blankets were not two, but three soldiers huddled together. The one in the middle slowly raised his head, his dirty face tired-looking, but alive nonetheless. When his heavy eyes found Ki's they widened, almost in shock. 

"I thought you were dead," Ki whispered, dropping to her knees in front of Thoran, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. His face was caked in dirt and dried blood, his own or someone else's, Ki didn't know. There was a nasty gash across his forehead and his nose looked broken. 

"Can you walk, soldier?" She heard Makheir asked from behind her. Thoran shook his head ever so slightly then tilted it to his left, towards the man breathing heavily next to him. Ki then focused her attention on the man on the other side of Thoran. He looked to be sleeping, but no air left his lungs. Dead.

Her attention returned to Thoran, who seemed to be struggling to move. He kept shaking his head.

"Shh, don't," Ki muttered, putting her hands on his shoulders to keep him still. Thoran gasped, grabbing Ki's hand with all the strength he could muster, which was, worryingly, not that much. His mouth opened a crack, his lips moved, but no sound came. He gritted his teeth and pulled Ki closer, his dry lips almost touching her ear and repeated what he had been trying to say.

"Trap."