She flapped her wings, picking up speed. “Not tonight, Zane Obispo. Not tonight.”
“Quinn?”
“Why are you still talking?”
“If… if something happens to me, promise you’ll find Brooks. Okay?” I couldn’t figure why she would’ve wandered away from camp. Except, she was Brooks.
Quinn didn’t answer, because a black owl with gold eyes came out of nowhere and slammed into her. I lay flat on Quinn as she spun into a nosedive.
Muwan sped through the dark after us, screeching.
Quinn righted herself and flew parallel to the ground. But Muwan was faster. She whizzed past, ripping Quinn’s left wing with her talons. Quinn let out a piercing cry as she tipped too far to the left. I clung even tighter to keep from falling.
“Jump!” Quinn cried.
Was she loca? Ah-Puch’s laughter echoed across the treetops. I jerked my cane/spear free. Muwan zipped overhead, her black wings extended wide, ready to wrap me in their darkness. Quinn was dropping fast. Muwan made a third pass, and this time I knew it was for the kill.
Without thinking, I launched my cane at her chest. “Take that, you mangy…” I couldn’t come up with a proper insult in the moment, so I settled for, “You suck!”
As it sailed through the air, I saw that it really had changed into a spear. It struck the target with perfect accuracy. Muwan released a terrible scream and started tumbling through the air. I watched in horror as she crashed into the bare trees below. They shook on impact, their sharp branches splitting her open.
38
Quinn was in free fall.
We were close to the trees, and I knew the sharp branches would rip us up if she continued at this speed. My eyes darted through the dark. Up ahead, twenty or so yards past the jungle, was a small field, big enough for a safe landing.
“There!” I pointed.
“I can’t make it,” Quinn cried as she plunged nearer to the branches that might as well have been spikes.
“You’re a warrior huntress of the White Sparkstriker Tribe!” I screamed. “And Brooks needs you!”
I could feel her giant eagle muscles struggling, flexing. Down, down, down we went, inches from the trees.
Just a little father. A little farther.
With an earsplitting cry, Quinn redoubled her efforts, but not before we grazed the last tree’s branches and their sharp tips raked her. We crash-tumbled into the field. White stars danced in front of me. Everything went black for a second, then came the pain that shot up my legs. I was on my knees when I scrambled over to her. She was back in human form. “Quinn!”
She groaned and sat up slowly. “You better be worth all this trouble,” she said, flinching and holding her left side. She was breathing too fast.
“You’re bleeding.”
“No kidding, Captain Obvious.”
“What do I do?” I wasn’t exactly trained in nawal first aid.
“Do you mean, will I live? Yeah. I’ll be fine.” She looked down at the slashes on her left arm. “Nawals have super healing powers, so I’m not going to die tonight. But you might, if you don’t find that spear.”
Yeah, why had I thrown my only weapon?
Because I’d had no other choice. Not that Quinn was grateful for it….
My hand tingled with a strange energy, like I’d slept on it for the last ten hours and it was only now prickling to life. I scanned the dense trees, and in the middle of their darkness, I saw a faint blue light glowing like a dimming candle. That had to be the cane! Sparkstriker had loaded it with a Find My Cane app, I guessed.
I stood up to circle back for the spear, and as I did, I saw a figure running toward us in the moonlight. Brooks! With her glowing eyes, ninja-black clothes, and intense expression, she looked like a barefoot warrior.
Quinn groaned. “She’s going to kill me.”