Page 13 of Wings of Betrayal

He finally turns to me. “By a lost one.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Keva’s wounds healed with my help, but despite that, the scars remain. And it doesn’t look right. The flesh around the area, although now knitted back together, holds a green tinge to it, and around the outside of that, the skin appears red. It’s infected.

“That was incredible. I didn’t know you had the power to heal,” Nilo says as he looks between Keva and me.

I shrug, biting my bottom lip. I really don’t want word to get out about my multiple powers. It already feels odd having more than one when it’s so uncommon. But I trust Nilo, and I know he’s not the type to run off and spill my secrets to anyone who’ll listen.

“It’s nothing.”

He raises gets to his feet, dusting leaves and dirt off his pants. “I wouldn’t call it nothing.”

My cheeks flush as nerves swirl inside me. “Please don’t mention this to anyone.”

His brows pull together. “I won’t. You can trust me on that.”

I give Keva a scratch behind his ears, and he stumbles to his feet, stretching out his front legs and then his back ones.

“Thanks, Nilo,” I say and climb to my feet. “I appreciate that. I better get Keva home. The other Zelons might be able to help him. Or the forest. We still don’t know the extent of the power that the forest holds.”

Nilo nods, releasing his wings, and hesitates. “Hey, Zarla?”

I glance over my shoulder, and his expression holds genuine sincerity. “Yeah?”

“You know I meant what I said, right? I’m here if you ever need a friend.”

I take in a deep breath of air and then let it out slowly. “Thanks, Nilo. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He swoops his large wings and lifts off into the air, heading in the castle's direction, leaving Keva and me alone.

“Come on, boy. Let’s get you home.”

Keva and I wander slowly back to the edge of the Dark Forest, and once we’re there, Keva rubs his face against mine before disappearing into the dense bush.

Gods above, he better be okay. These so-called lost ones are bad news. If they can injure a Zelon like that, what can they do to the rest of us?

A shiver rakes down my spine.

Nope, so not going to think about that right now.

I fly back to the castle, and on my way, a familiar sense kicks in. My bond with Finlay. He’s nearby. I glide down and land outside the perimeter, reaching out through our bond to find him near his manor.

“Zarla?”

Mikel appears before me, and I smile at him.

He bows his head low. “Zarla, Harlum has an urgent request for you. He wishes for you to gather the Zelons together and have them guard the borders of the Kingdom. He feels it’s much-needed protection that could bolster our borders from unwanted attacks.”

My brows pinch as I process the request. Seriously? That was his solution? “Um, I hate to break it to you, but I’m not some kind of animal whisperer.”

Mikel stifles a laugh with a cough, covering his mouth with his fist, and I resist the urge to laugh, too.

“I believe he’s referring to the bond you share with your own Zelon. He thinks it’s worthwhile to see if that bond can extend to the entire Zelon pack.”

I press my hands against my hips. “You know what I think is worthwhile? Strengthening our wards. Now that’s something I can imagine would be a much easier, more realistic task. Why in the gods would he suggest using the Zelons when he has the means to do it properly?”

Mikel scratches his chin, and I get a sense that he agrees with me, although he’s not going to voice that.

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