Luky and the Birdmen
Chapter 12

Running down the hill, Aurielle didn’t waste time looking back. Her feet were now struggling against the sand. She almost lost her balance once or twice.

Luky was behind her, that, she was sure of it. But Ezra...

Ezra was gone.

Aurielle collapsed to her knees. Her magic had drained most of her energy. She was surprised she’d managed to get this far running, for that matter.

Her hands touched the sand. She was exhausted and out of breath. She closed her eyes to focus on her breathing and exhaled deeply. Her lungs relaxed, and Aurielle opened her eyes again.

In front of her were the calm ocean waves that caressed the sand. The water was just in her reach. Aurielle smiled. They’d made it to the western shore.

Luky caught up to her. He panted and tried talking between breaths. “We...need...to go...back!”

Aurielle looked at the boy-cat then up the dune. There were no cockatrices in sight, but those terrifying beasts weren’t far.

“We need to replace shelter,” she said. She wanted to get as far as possible.

“We need to go rescue Ezra!” Luky shouted. “We can’t leave him behind!”

What were the chances of Ezra surviving an entire flock of these beasts? Aurielle knew the answer to that. Zero.

Gods be damned! With the Collector gone, how would Aurielle complete her mission? How would she replace the lost item only Ezra Steele could replace?

Stupid you, Aurielle cursed herself.

How could she think of the mission when the man she’d dragged all the way down here had just lost his life? How selfish of her!

Ezra had sacrificed himself to give her and Luky a head start. Now, he was gone, and they were safe.

“I don’t think Ezra survived, little one,” she said, almost in a whisper.

She brought her hand to Luky’s head and began stroking it.

Luky closed his eyes and let her scratch the spot behind his ear. All of a sudden, he shooed her hand. “Ezra’s alive!” he swore. “I know it!”

“How can you be sure? Those beasts had him—”

“Don’t you remember?”

Aurielle frowned, confused. What did the boy-cat want her to remember?

“Ezra said he had two potions: an Elixir of Mist and a Vial of Evasion,” Luky said. He was looking at Aurielle as if he needed confirmation.

Aurielle had to trust Luky on this. She had no clue Ezra had these potions with him. She nodded.

“We saw the cloud purple mist,” Luky pursued. “But the last thing we saw must have been the other one!”

By the gods, Luky had a point. What a clever boy.

Luky instantly spun on his heels after seeing Aurielle’s relieved reaction.

“I’m going to save Ezra!” Luky promised. He started running back up the dune.

“Wait!” Aurielle called. “What about the cockatrices?”

Luky turned back, a finger up in the air and a smirk on his face. “Let me tell you, Miss Aurielle, do you know the best hunter in town?” He paused, mysterious. “It is I, Luk Ma the Tenth, adept hunter, master of stealth.”

Tracking the Collector’s scent was much easier than Aurielle had thought. Luky was quick, alert, and it was like he could smell Ezra from miles away.

The two had been walking on the shore for quite some time. How could a potion do this? Luky was convinced Ezra was near.

“There!” Luky said and pointed at something ahead.

Aurielle squinted. There was a rising cliff where the sand disappeared. Right there, below the cliff, was the entrance to a cave.

“That’s where his smell is coming from!” Luky asserted. “We’re lucky he hasn’t taken a bath in years!” He chucked, his front paws muffling his laugh.

Suddenly, Luky’s pupils narrowed, and it was his turn to squint. Then, his pupils became whole again.

He instantly grabbed Aurielle’s arm and led her behind the closest large rock.

“Those ugly birds from earlier,” he began. “They’re right there, standing watch.”

Aurielle peered behind the rock. She could see them too—two large silver cockatrices guarding the entrance to the cave.

If Luky was a hundred percent sure that Ezra was in there, they’d have to get through these two birds first. Who knew how many more were inside the cave?

Who knew if Ezra was even still alive, and the beasts hadn’t made a meal out of him!

“And you’re sure Ezra’s inside?” Aurielle checked. She didn’t want to make any other move before Luky confirmed.

“Affirmative. And he’s definitely alive!”

Aurielle frowned. “How do you plan on getting inside?”

“Do I have to remind you who the best hunter in town is?” Luky smirked.

The boy-cat stood there and patted his linen overalls.

“Be right back,” he whispered.

“Wait!” Aurielle called. “What if they see you?”

Luky shook his head with confidence. “They won’t.” He turned around and walked away.

Aurielle could see him zigzag between rocks until he reached the entrance of the cave. At this point, she couldn’t see him anymore, but the guard birds were still standing watch.

Time passed. Luky had been inside the cave for more than ten minutes now. Was he stuck?

Maybe he couldn’t replace Ezra.

Maybe he got lost. Who knew where this cave led! Or maybe he’d also been eaten!

Aurielle couldn’t wait anymore. She was too worried about her furry friend. She wanted to go after him.

The princess looked behind the rock then noticed something was wrong. The cockatrices were looking inside the cave.

It was like a noise had caught their attention. Aurielle heard a strident, beastly call coming down the tunnel. Then, in a quick movement of their long legs, the two giant birds ran inside.

That could only mean one thing: they’d heard Luky.

Aurielle had to do something. She must catch their attention before they reached the boy-cat. She inhaled deeply and stepped away from the rock.

Her eyes filled with light. If she was going to cause a distraction, she’d better make it a good one.

Aurielle joined her hands together. That rock right by the cave’s entrance was going to be her target.

She called upon the light, whispering ancient words, summoning the arcane energy that flowed in her veins.

The Valdum lineage was known to be sensitive to magic, but nobody would have ever thought little naive Aurielle to be the first photomancer of the royal line. She’d show them right here what she was capable of.

A ray of searing light burst from Aurielle’s hands and headed straight for the rock. It exploded upon impact in a loud blast, but nothing else happened.

She needed more, louder, brighter. It’d cost her all of her energy, but she had to do it. Aurielle called for a shockwave of starlight and shattered all the rocks around her.

The ground was still shaking, even after the light was gone.