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in sweeping attacks.
Hydeia ran to the first gorture she'd killed with the knife
and screamed against the sudden pain that exploded when
her torn palms slipped around the hilt. She tugged out the
knife so forcefully she fell back while another of the great
birds swept over her. Its talons whipped across her shoulder,
tossing her in the air. She fell with a wrenching thud to her
shoulder and scrambled across the grasses to the fallen
gorture, using it for scant cover. She slashed through
another's wing, while she kicked another's curved beak away
from her. Momentarily stunned, the winged beast soared high
into the sunlight. She heard Ammah cry out, but she could
not get to him, could not see him past the darting gortures
swooping around her. She had no idea what had become of
Uloki, not sharing a bond with him, and unable to search for
sight of him in the melee. She prayed he had escaped.
Hydeia became furious motion. Rolling and diving beneath
talons, she grabbed up a travel cook pot, and swung it into
wings, necks, talons, beaks, until it ripped out of her bleeding
grasp on a sharp-edged shoulder bone.
Exhausted and without a weapon, Hydeia grabbed onto
passing wings, pulling feathers with her bare hands that
burned and cut across her already wounded palms, until she
stumbled upon Ammah's torn and tattered bedroll, nearly
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by Clover Autrey
tripping in it, and threw it into the talons that stretched for
her.
Wings arched out in a talon-first plummet, the gorture
flapped backward, further tangling in the bedroll. Hydeia
pulled with the little strength she had left, dragging the large
bird from the sky. They toppled to the ground together,
feathers, bedroll, legs and arms tangled. The gnarled beak
caught in Hydeia's tunic, wrenching her back.
Hydeia hung onto the wings with all she had.
The battered cook pot suddenly flew past her head,
slammed against the long neck, cracking hollow bones. The
wings flapped harder, nearly sending Hydeia rolling except for
the painful hold on her tunic, near to choking her.
Ammah's body covered hers as he added his greater
strength to hold the gorture down. His muscles strained, jaw
clenched, while he drove the heel of his large hand into the
bird's neck. The sound of bones snapping creaked through the
charged air.
Finally the bird went still. All was quiet but for Hydeia's
and Ammah's ragged breathing.
"They're ... leaving," Ammah said between gasps.
Hydeia looked up to see five of the gortures flapping away.
Tyalan! She flicked her senses to the eagle and let out a
shuddering breath, finding Tyalan unhurt. Turning her head,
she saw Tyalan nudging her neck across Uloki's. Both eagles
were well. Dear skies, they were well.
Ammah grunted as he moved off her. Alarmed, Hydeia
tried to turn, but found herself pinned. "You're hurt."
"I'm well."
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by Clover Autrey
He wasn't. He had deep bleeding gashes on his forearm
where talons must have gotten a hold of him. With their
strength, it was a wonder his bones weren't broken or
crushed. Koric's teeth, they had been lucky. Hydeia shrugged
off an immobilizing wave of emotion.
Ammah pried open the gorture's beak a fraction and
worked her tunic free, unintentionally tearing it further. "Are
you hurt?"
"Sore, but it's you who is bleeding." Sitting up, she shook
her hair free.
"No?" Ammah pulled her torn tunic across her shoulder
where there were several red scrapes. "This needs to be
tended."
His gaze held hers, worried. A bittersweet smile graced his
mouth. A quick shocking burn traveled her spine down to her
toes that curled inside her boots. His name swirled around in
her head, slipped whisper-soft through her lips.
His golden eyes darkened to a deeper shade of autumn-
leaf brown. His hands slid lightly down her arm, warm and
solid, then he shifted away, grew reserved, but Hydeia
perceived the longing and fear for her that he tried to hold
back. She tamped down her own tormented worry and the
stuttering nerves that went with it.
His eyes came back to her, controlled. A lopsided grin
crept over his strong features. "I've never seen anyone fight
off a gorture with a pot before. Is that a technique they teach
in the eyries now?"
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by Clover Autrey
"No, but I'll suggest it." Hydeia's answering grin melted
away. "Is mankind's land full of so many such creatures? The
Matrons are correct to keep our people from these dangers."
Ammah frowned. "Perhaps. But closing yourselves off from
the world of mankind deprives you from many wonders as
well. Besides, would anyone of mankind's race find the sand
wolves or horny plated river beasts or lumbering maspbulls of
Gaspar any less threatening?"
Hydeia clucked her tongue. Which made Ammah smile [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]