Rayna's Sacrifice (The Katori Chronicles Book 3) by A. Lombardo (intellectual books to read .TXT) 📗

white light within his soul. His true form returned, and he collapsed in a heap.

A clump of dirt pressed into his face. He tried to sit up. Tiny white stars danced around his vision. His head throbbed. The world blurred in a swirl of green and blue. Up was down and back again. He felt sick. Rayna rushed to his side and pulled at his limp arms. Her words slurred around his head, and blackness took him.

◆◆◆

Rayna knelt behind Kai’s motionless body in the tall grass. She brushed dirt from his sweaty head. The silver bolt stuck out of his upper back near his shoulder. Blood oozed out of the wound. “What can I do for him?” she asked Ryker.

Ryker scanned the skies.

She figured he watched for other Beastmasters who might follow. “Ryker, we have to help Kai. What do I do?”

He did not look at her. “Pull out the bolt and heal the wound. See if you can wake him. I will keep watch.”

The task sounded simple, but making a mistake terrified her. Up until now, Jayla or Imani had always guided her on how to wield her magic. They always do most of the work, she thought. She held her breath. This was no time to panic or have self-doubt.

“We need to move,” Ryker knelt next to Rayna. “Keegan saw us. More importantly, he saw Mariana’s necklace. He will come for Kai.”

The knowledge that they were still in trouble stirred Rayna into action. She wrapped her hand around the silver bolt. The metal was warm with the heat from Kai’s body. With the other hand, she pressed against Kai’s back. With her eyes closed, she searched her soul for the knowledge and power to heal Kai.

Rayna’s breathing slowed. The sun warmed her back, its power filling her body. Beneath her knees, the grass and dirt gave her more energy. Light blossomed within her green teardrop crystal. In one swift motion, she withdrew the bolt and pushed her magic into the wound.

Her hands glowed with power. Kai’s puncture wound began to close. Deep within the gash, she sensed the bone fracture seal and the muscle regrow. The use of so much magic weighed on her. She did not have enough energy to heal the injury completely. A tear slid down her cheek. A warm hand pressed down on hers. “You can do this Rayna,” Ryker assured her, offering her a bit of his own magic.

The magic from Ryker gave her the strength she needed. Filled with his power, she continued to repair the damage. “Thank you,” she said, opening her eyes. “I am afraid I do not have enough magic left to wake him, but at least his neck is no longer bleeding and his shoulder wound is closed. If Keegan is coming, what can we do?”

“We are exposed here in the open. We need to hide, but I cannot carry Kai and run very fast—not as a man anyway.”

Rayna stood to survey their surroundings. “If we could make it to those mountains, maybe we could hide there.” She pointed across the jungle.

“Once I transform into a shuk, you will have to pull him onto my back.”

She nodded. “Will I be able to communicate with you?”

“I can understand your spoken words, yes, but I cannot talk back to you as I would with Kai.”

Rayna nodded—she would be on her own to provide direction. After Ryker transformed, he laid next to Kai. Even on the ground, he was a massive beast. His thick black fur felt course against her skin. Thankful for her Katori strength, Rayna pulled Kai onto Ryker’s back and climbed up behind Kai.

On the move, Ryker eased into a run. Rayna held on with her legs to keep from slipping while putting a hand on Kai to keep him from bouncing off. As before, Ryker’s rhythm felt natural, like riding a horse. When they entered the dense jungle, Ryker slowed to sniff the air. His massive head craned right, then left.

From atop Ryker’s shuk form, she scanned the area as he did, unsure which way to go. Relieved she did not have to choose, he went left. The ground evened out, and they weaved through the trees. Palm trees and vines gave way to another clearing. Overhead an eagle soared above them. Rayna noticed it circling. Its high-pitched call barely reached her ears, but when a second approached, she knew they were in trouble.

“Ryker, we have to get out of the open! They’ve spotted us, I am sure of it. Take cover back into the jungle!”

◆◆◆

Kai’s arms dangled next to his head. His upside-down body bounced, making it difficult to breathe. Black fur brushed his face. Where am I? Ryker? He wanted to move but could not find the strength. The rhythm of Ryker’s shuk form rocked him back and forth. In and out of consciousness, Kai caught flutters of his surroundings. Green ferns and giant red stalky flowers. Rocks. They splashed into a babbling brook and he noticed more leafy plants. Rayna’s hands pressed into his back. “Over there,” she called. “Go that way. Back through the jungle.”

Black paws pounded through the tall grass below his head. The setting sun struck his eyes, and he closed them. The desire to sleep tugged at Kai. Again, he passed out.

◆◆◆

Rayna slid from Ryker’s back and pulled Kai into the grass. His limp body was loose and floppy, making him difficult to move. Behind her, Ryker transformed back into his usual self. To the west, the setting sun cast looming long shadows across the land. “Why are there no Katori on this island?” she tilted her head to glance around Ryker.

“Not all islands have people,” Ryker responded. “Any that live here are most likely hermits. People who don’t want to live near others. They will not help us—just the opposite, they will avoid interaction and hide like a wild animal might.”

This was not good news. She and Ryker could not even rely on other Katori to help them. Her