October

Issue 25

    A groan reached Telsa’s ears, and she darted between trees, flittering nearer to the field again. A body moved. His face contorted in pain, his beard, neck, and chest soaked in blood. He opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on her. She skittered back, her heart thudding, but could not make herself leave. The Holy One’s voice whispered in her heart. This man could not hurt her. She could help him.

    His kind hunted hers. Cries of agony and death rang in her memory. Images of kin butchered. Her father’s vain attempt to shield her mother. Their battered bodies left in the mould to rot. Telsa trembled, remembering her sliced wing. Oh, it had hurt! She had wondered if she would fly again.

    She turned her face away, jaw set, closing her eyes. Man gave no mercy. He deserved no mercy.