The Steele Wolf (Iron Butterfly #2)

We took to the north tower and checked with the skycage operator to see if anyone matching Kael or Talbot’s description had left any time last night or early morning. He hadn’t. Joss led me at a fast pace as we followed a less worn path and cut through the city using back alleys to the skitesmith.

Skyfell’s skitesmith was very much like Haven’s blacksmith.  Since there weren’t any horses or tack on Skyfell, his main line of work was repairing the city’s skycages and skites.

Bartus looked to be in his eighties, with wiry limbs, long scraggly white hair on his head and bottle-lens spectacles covered his eyes, giving him a bug-like appearance.

“Why, Joss. Bless my soul. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Bartus chuckled while standing to give Joss a warm hug. He was so thin that I thought for sure he would break if a strong wind blew in.

“I’m sad to say this isn’t a pleasure visit, Bartus. We are looking for a friend who went missing late last night.” Joss was about to say more when I cleared my throat and held up two fingers. “Well actually, one young man and an older went missing and I’m wondering if they made it off of Skyfell without using the skycages.”

Bartus stared at Joss as if he were reading his lips and then shook his head in silent understanding. “Well, now, I didn’t hear anything but one of the skites I was to repair for the Quints family went missing sometime last night. The tarp’s stitching needed repair so I feel sorry for the poor fool who took it for a joy ride. Most people are smart and know not to mess with them if they are hanging outside my shop, because those are the ones waiting to be fixed.”

Visions of Kael falling through the misty veils the first time flew through my head and I felt myself go weak. I grasped Joss’s arm to steady me. The first time Kael had been saved by Joss since he controlled the wind to catch him.

“Joss, I think I’m going to be sick,” I whispered and ran outside of Bartus’ skitesmith shop.

A few moments later Joss followed me and came to give me a reassuring hug. “It will be okay. We know that someone left Skyfell with a broken skite. Now we can send out search parties along Skydown and the riverbeds.”

“Joss, if the skite malfunctioned, what are the odds of someone surviving the fall?”

“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.