A chill runs through me as I realize he’s right. Haven’s Heart views anything unexplainable as a potential weapon. If they discovered what I just did, I’d be removed from the field immediately, subjected to endless tests, possibly confined for “security reasons.”
“No one can know about this,” I say, glancing at the security cameras I disabled earlier in the night during my private research.
“Agreed.” He studies me for a long moment. “I’ll return for Zara tomorrow night. She needs rest before she can travel.”
“You’re leaving her here? With me?” I can’t hide my surprise.
“You saved her life. You won’t harm her now.” It’s not a question but a statement of absolute certainty. “And I mustreturn to the aerie before my absence is noticed. There are… political complications.”
I don’t ask for details. The less I know about Storm Eagle politics, the better for everyone involved.
“I’ll keep her hidden,” I promise. “But you’re taking an enormous risk.”
A ghost of a smile touches his lips. “Not my first.”
He moves to leave, then pauses, turning back. “The convoy raids. You should know they’re not meant to harm civilians. We take what we need to survive, nothing more.”
“Tell that to the people I’ve treated for lightning burns and talon wounds,” I reply, unable to keep the edge from my voice.
“War has casualties,” he says, not unkindly. “But genocide is not our goal.”
“What is your goal, then?”
He considers me for a long moment. “Survival. Same as yours.”
With that, he moves toward the door with silent grace. Just before he reaches it, he turns once more. “Tomorrow night. I’ll bring something in exchange for your help.”
“I don’t want payment,” I insist.
“Not payment. Knowledge.” His eyes lock with mine. “About what you are. What you might become.”
Then he’s gone, disappearing into the darkness beyond the door as silently as he arrived.
I stand motionless, processing what just happened. The enemy leader brought his sister to me for healing. I manifested impossible abilities. And now I’m harboring a Storm Eagle in my medical facility.
I glance at Zara, who has drifted into genuine sleep, her breathing deep and regular. Looking at her human form—young, vulnerable, so unlike the deadly predators that attack oursettlements—complicates everything I thought I knew about this conflict.
Moving quickly, I transfer her to a private recovery room reserved for quarantine cases. No one enters this room without my direct authorization. I adjust the facility’s security logs to show no anomalies, then return to my desk, mind racing with implications.
What am I? Storm-touched, Kael called it. The word feels right in a way I can’t explain, resonating with something deep within me. I’ve spent my life understanding others through science, through observable data and logical analysis. Now I find myself the greatest mystery of all.
I should report this encounter immediately. My duty to Haven’s Heart demands it. But something stops me—the memory of silver-blue light flowing from my hands, the feeling of rightness as I healed Zara, the strange sense of recognition when I looked into Kael’s golden eyes.
For the first time in my career, I chose to keep silent. To wait. To learn.
Dawn will arrive in a few hours, bringing with it my colleagues and the daily routine of the settlement. I will perform my duties, treat patients, attend meetings—all while guarding the secret sleeping in the quarantine room. And tomorrow night, Kael will return with answers about what I truly am.
I look down at my hands, remembering the glow that emanated from them. Whatever happens next, I’ve crossed a line tonight from which there’s no returning. I’ve healed an enemy, hidden her presence, and agreed to meet her brother again.
But the most dangerous thing of all? I’m looking forward to it.
6
KAEL
Ifly through the pre-dawn darkness, wings cutting silently through the mountain air. Behind me, the aerie’s distant lights shrink to pinpricks against the cliffside. No one knows I’ve left. No one can know where I’m going.
My wings burn with fatigue. The journey to and from the human settlement last night drained reserves I didn’t know I possessed. Yet here I am again, racing back toward enemy territory, toward her—the healer who worked impossible magic on my sister.
