Eye of the Falcon (Psychic Visions #12)(16)

“I was held captive, but I don’t know for how long,” she tried to explain to the two tall silent people staring at her. “I don’t know by whom, and honestly I couldn’t even tell you where.”

The woman walked farther into the room. Issa could feel the compassion in her worldly eyes. She stopped beside the bed. “Well, lucky for you, you are here now.” She motioned to the man at her side. “This is Eagle, and I’m Annie.”

“My name is Issa.” She frowned as she searched for her last name. Then shook her head only to stop as pain slammed into her. She winced, half closing her eyes in response. When she could speak again, she whispered, “I’m not sure what my last name is though.”

“That’s the head injury,” Eagle said. “The memories will come back soon.”

“Maybe I don’t want them to,” she said, careful to not move her head.

“What can you tell us about yourself?”

“I have a PhD in biology, a masters in environmental science. Falconry is a hobby. Roash and Humbug and a few others are my passion.”

“Humbug?”

Talking was taking too much out of her, and Issa found it hard to keep her eyes open. “Humbug is my snowy owl. He lives with me at my cabin.”

“And where is your cabin?”

Her gaze flew open as she studied him, her mouth trying to form the words. She frowned and looked at him. “I’m not sure. I can see the driveway in my mind … and the road … and the cabin itself. But I …” She fell silent.

He shook his head. “Not to worry. It’ll come back.”

Annie walked out of the room.

“Humbug needs help,” Issa said quietly. “He can’t feed himself well. How did you find my falcon?”

“He showed up one day. I run a raptor center for birds. His wing was broken, and I tried to help him. But he stopped eating and ripped off the splint. He would cry, and then he would go silent.”

She nodded. “His crying was to find me. If he fell into a despondent state, it was the lack of communication with me.”

Eagle nodded, slowly walking closer. “I had him in my arms. He just lay like he was ready to die. And I thought maybe it would be a kindness to put him down.” He shook his head in wonder. “But he bolted from my arms as if he was just playing dead, and he flew into the sky. He shouldn’t have been able to fly with that wing. He shouldn’t have been able to do anything he did that day. He disappeared like an arrow in one direction. I looked for the rest the day. I came out several times later at night and in the morning calling for him. Later that day, when I found you, he was sitting on your shoulder.”

“How did you find me?” she asked curiously. She studied the man Roash trusted. “Did he call you?”

He frowned. “I don’t know what you mean by that. The other animals alerted me something was very wrong. My dogs led me toward you. And when I climbed over the fence and found you in the hollow, Rikker was sitting there.”

She smiled. “Thank you for bringing me home. His name is Roash, by the way.”

Just then Annie returned.

“I could do nothing else.” He glanced over at Annie. “Can we move her to sit up?”

Annie nodded. “I suggest you tape the ribs first. Just two fractures, one on both sides. The collarbone is cracked, right arm is cracked, several toes cracked.”

“Is that all?” Issa said, her voice full of pain. “I was pretty damn sure the men had broken more than that.”

“I’m still waiting for a couple more pictures to process,” Annie said quietly.

Eagle said, “I have an idea. At least for this time. Then, after you’ve eaten, I’ll find the tape and bind those ribs.”

“I don’t know that I can eat very much,” she whispered, adding, “but I would love to try. It smells delicious.”

Roash stepped forward as Eagle disappeared and then returned with a travel mug and a metal straw. He poured the broth from the soup into the cup, put the straw and the lid in place, and then gently lifted her head to take a few sips. The heat filled her stomach, sending waves of warmth through her.

When she drank what was in the cup, she lay her head back down again. “I presume all the injuries are small enough they don’t need to be reset or casted.”

“Yes, you’re correct,” he said quietly. “And you’re right, they were directed, very controlled.”

She gave a tiny nod. “That makes sense.”

“How does any of this make sense?” Eagle asked. “That somebody would deliberately do that to you is not normal.”

“No, but I think for those men it was very normal.” She closed her eyes, and now, with a warm tummy, she let herself fall back into the healing state of sleep.

*

“Wow,” Annie said. “When you pick a mystery, you really pick a doozy.”

He shook his head. “This is bizarre.” He lifted the bowl and cup, checked to make sure Issa was covered, and ushered Annie out. “But at least she’s eaten. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

“Her stomach is not likely to handle much more than this.”

He nodded. “Agreed.”

“I’ll see what these last two X-rays bring up. I have tape here. The ribs are hairline fractures from very focused blows.”