The Steele Wolf (Iron Butterfly #2)(69)

“Not good. Only a Denai could possibly survive the fall, which is why we offer the skycages.”

I covered my mouth and concentrated on deep breathing so I wouldn’t dwell on the possibility that Kael could very well be dead.

We ran as fast as we could back to Joss’ home and told Nero what we had learned. Gloria had recovered and was sitting up in bed, her eyes wet with tears. Berry and Avina were keeping her company, telling her stories of living in the Citadel. I saw that Berry’s hands were filled with what looked to be the makings of a lovely dress for Joss’s mother. They were doing their best to keep her spirits uplifted and to keep at bay the probable guilt that was assailing her.

Nero told us to take the dorabills and search the riverbeds and the ravine along the skite launching points. Joss nodded and ran to the veranda and pulled out his flute. He played a short tune and I saw a red speck fly through the mists and grow in circumference until Nero’s Cecili landed in front of us. The same Cecili that Joss had said “Is a biter.”

“Get on,” Joss commanded.

Too nervous to disobey, I scrambled behind him and held on tight as the dorabill alit into the air with the mad pumping of her powerful wings. It was a short flight as I saw that Joss was aiming for the southern Skycage tower. We landed in a cloud of dust and Joss hopped off to run in and notify the operator of a need for a search party. A bell began to ring out from the tower and within moments people began to gather together to help with the search.

It was a different operator who came out of the tower and he pulled a map out of his pocket and circled the different areas underneath Skyfell that we were to search. From the operator’s cool demeanor, I guessed that this wasn’t the first time someone had gone missing or fallen and a search and rescue mission had been ordered. In our case, we had little hope of it being a success; it was more of a recovery mission.

Joss and I crawled onto Cecili and we dove off of the launching point by the tower after three other dorabills and their riders. The jump was very much like my first dive with Joss’s fathers—scary. This time I was able to open my eyes as we dove through the silvery mists. Once we cleared the mists, I saw exactly how far down the earth was from the city. The distance was incredible and nothing could survive the fall, which. All this made me wonder why people were crazy enough to live in SkyFell to begin with. Skydown was becoming much more desirable property by the minute.

I watched as Joss, with subtle touches and by leaning his own weight, directed Cecili. She was one of the larger dorabills and I was able watch her wings in awe as she rode the currents so effortlessly. Joss turned Cecili and we spiraled lower and took to flying along the riverbank that we were assigned to.

Back and forth we flew and I scanned the river itself, its banks and the surrounding foliage looking for the black of Kael’s clothing. Nothing. I tried calling his name but the wind just whipped it back at me and I found it hard to breathe. I saw another dorabill in the distance scouring the ravine.

I had about given up hope when a whisper touched my mind and I almost jumped. It had been so long since I’d felt his touch I almost cried with happiness.

Faraway? Oh, I’ve missed you.

I’ve missed you too, my lady.

Faraway, we can’t find Kael.

Have you searched for him?

What do you mean, have I searched for him? I’ve been looking for him all morning.

Faraway chuckled at me as if I were a child that needed chiding. Have you searched for him since you’ve cleared the mists?

“What? Oh!” and that’s when I realized what my omniscient horse meant. Clearing my mind, I stretched out my consciousness and realized how easy the power flowed to me once I was out of the mists. It was as if a powerful ocean was flowing back to its bed. The power came so willingly that my senses were almost overwhelmed. Never before had it been like this; I was usually borrowing energy from Faraway but, once I was out of the mists, it seemed to come from the very earth itself.

Closing my eyes, I searched the banks and river with my mind. Only this time with my mind was searching for him, I was able to cover more ground than three dorabill’s together could fly.

No, Thalia. Don’t search with your mind.” Faraway corrected. Search with your heart.

How, Faraway?

In my mind, my fears began to take control and I sounded like a little girl who was lost.

Think of Kael, remember Kael and your heart will find him.

Taking a deep breath, I released my fears and concentrated on Kael, his stony demeanor that he always showed people. I thought of him in his favorite unapproachable position, leaning against a wall, with arms crossed. Of his incomparable fighting skills and how he was unmatched in battle. How honor was everything to him. I tried to remember every SwordBrother detail about him and I got nothing.

No Thalia. Not Kael the SwordBrother, Kael the man.

It was then that I let the floodgates open. I thought of Kael and all of the feelings I had tried to keep hidden burst forth. Kael, who comforted me and held me through the storm, keeping my nightmares at bay. Kael holding his hand playfully over my mouth; Kael watching over me, making sure I was eating and sneaking me bits of mint leaf. I thought of the way Kael embraced me outside of the Jesai home, and how worried he was for my safety. How he fought off a pack of wild dogs to save me and how he liked to tease me to get me mad. Kael, who was my protector and friend.

Everything I remembered made me miss him more and tears poured down my face though they dried almost instantly because of the wind. I had almost given up when I felt a pull on my spirit so light I almost ignored it. When it came again, I snapped my attention in the direction of the pull and sought with my sight. We were flying under Skyfell and shadows covered the ground and made it hard to see. Then I felt it again and it was above me. Looking up all I saw was darkness on the underside of the city.