Yes, but it’s more than that.Hyperion sits again, his eye ridges bunched in confusion.She’s...sad.Or...I don’t know.I’m not as familiar with humans as you, but something’s wrong.
She said she doesn’t have a clear memory of what happened, so I locked her up until she recalls.
Throwing her in got the earth blessed a big upgrade and restored Azar,Hyperion says.I think we should just throw her back in and see what happens this time.
Or maybe we try sacrificing some of her smaller human family members.If they’re related, that should motivate her to remember what happened, and we can test whether it’s just her the volcano wants, or any human connected to her.
You really don’t remember anything, do you?Hyperion shakes his head.
What do you mean?
Liz will hate you forever if you do that.
She fixated quite a lot on keeping them safe.
Other than you, and saving all the humans she can, it’s all she cares about.
Maybe we can use that.I stand up.If we threaten them...
Hyperion laughs and shoots up into the sky, trumpeting.I follow him, my body coming alive as we do what we were meant to do—fly.My brother swings around wide, circling the volcano we just left.I pick up my speed and pass him, dropping in to fly right in front of him.
His great wings beat frantically, and he’s gaining on me when I notice something.
Why are so many blessed heading for the volcano?
Eyjafjallajökull?
The one we just left?I wheel around and begin flying toward it, too.It’s almost hard to approach.Strike blessed dart and dip, vying for the space to land by the entrance to the cave.
Earth blessed teem on the rocky ground, and as we near, I notice quite a few water blessed as well.
It’s true,a water blessed says.Azar’s alive.
What’s going on?Hyperion asks.
The blessed around us all freeze.
As we circle, they shift and jostle and generally shove each other aside until there’s room for Hyperion and me to land, at least.
My brother asked why you’re here.I direct my demand to a group of earth blessed.They should, at least, answer the questions.
Is it true you’re also Axel?Gaia’s an earth blessed with an interesting and unique brain.I like her.If I didn’t like her, I might bite her head off.
Yes, I’m also Axel.Answer the question.Why are you all here?
The warrior human’s no longer bonded,Halfdan says.He’s fairly intelligent and was always quite strong for an earth blessed.He’s even stronger now that he has grown forty percent larger.I hear she got wings, too.Everyone wants to bond her.
She knows me,Gaia says.I carried her here—helped her escape the humans and find Axel again.Her sideways glance at me is almost apologetic.I think she’ll pick me.
She liked me too,a large, strong water blessed—Plumeria, I think?—says.She said she would bond me if she were looking for a new blessed.And now?She scowls at me, as if she’s judging me.She is.
They’re all here...to bond the winged human?
Mywinged human?
Who said that she could be bonded?Hyperion bellows.The earth blessed can’t even bond humans.
Who knows?Halfdan says.Maybe we can, now.
