Wolf Heart

Chapter 62

First Insurgency War

RAYAN

It was Eastpoint once again.

Ava disappeared, along with the friends he made in his innocent school days. James slipped out of his reach, eyes wide in tormented terror when he crawled back into the darkness of the trees, and rushed from him.

Come back...

But he left him too.

Maia, the other Elite, stared after where James disappeared. "I'm going to get in contact for extraction of both of you," she said.

"No," Rayan rasped. "I'll take Matthey to Meryn, my ship is close." He crawled to the feet of the Elite, to stop her. "I can take care of Aelius, I'll make sure nothing happens to him, but please..." His tears cracked against his cheeks. "Go after him." He motioned at the tree line, where his leg refused to move and give chase to his past.

Maia rubbed her fingers together, then nodded before doing what he was unable to do. Aelius turned to the fireball while sirens rang out in the distant quarantine.

Over and over again.

"Why did you save me? You know what I've done, and still you saved me," Aelius questioned. "You could've avoided all of this if you just—"

Minded my own business? When have I ever been able to do that? Rayan used a fallen branch to lift himself back to his feet with a shake of his head. "I couldn't sit back and watch." He found his balance, and tugged on Aelius' arm to drag him from the roar of ship engines when they tore through the clouds and to the hospital. His knee buckled, and Aelius rushed back to his side.

"Rayan—"

"I don't think it's wise for me to hand myself over to the Sanctum." He groaned through his broken heart. "I can still fly you to Meryn. I know where he is, can you just cooperate?"

Aelius grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. Rayan guided him to the ship, where the Sanctum floats surrounded the hospital with blazing reds. James... He pressed his hand against his scorched heart.

"What's wrong?" Aelius asked.

"Nothing." Rayan climbed onto the wing, and hauled Aelius after him. "Get in."

"But, your leg—"

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Tired, but fine. I'll just have one of my own look at it once I drop you off. Okay?" Rayan raised his hand, then nudged Aelius into the back seat of his scout. He launched off the burning planet, escaping from his past once more.

It took too long for him to reach Kestra and to enter the atmosphere. Odaport bloomed across the salt flats, but he dodged the shipyard at the amount of Sanctum ships purring on top of the landing pads. He landed near his old home among the hills, and crawled out. His knee screamed when he hit the ground, and he stumbled to the grass. Aelius rejoined him.

"Ray, please, let me look at it—"

"I'm fine." Rayan grunted. "Meryn's apartment pod isn't too far from here." He forced himself through the pain and hoped Aelius followed. It didn't stop the shaken doctor from swinging his arm over his shoulder, though when he attempted to flee from his assistance, the glare Aelius gave him in return made it non-negotiable. Rayan winced with each step, and when they reached the apartment block on the edges of Odaport, the metal doors slid open.

Panels full of numbers and names stretched across the wall in the entrance.

"Rayan—"

"Worry about yourself, yeah?" Rayan bit and ran his fingers down the panel to find Meryn's name. "I need to make sure you're out of harm's way."