CHAPTER 73: CHASING SHADOWS

Aiyana whooped like a wild thing, twirling her staff above her head before slamming it down to scatter a spray of leaves. She vaulted over roots and hurdled fallen logs, barely slowing, her laughter echoing through the trees like a battle cry. Adrenaline thundered through her veins — this was her kind of chaos.

She and Atia crashed through the underbrush on purpose, making a racket loud enough to wake the Ancients. Leaves snapped, branches whipped past their faces, and still, they ran, never letting the eagles fall too far behind. They stayed just ahead, hidden enough to stay unseen, loud enough to be heard — leading them on like bait on a hook. If they played it right, the birds would never realise Yoa and Nova were already long gone.

Atia bumped into her playfully, grinning like the troublemaker he was, his energy crackling to match hers. It wasn’t every day they were the ones being chased, and if they were anything less than apex predators, maybe it would have been terrifying.

No, this felt like their cubhood all over again — tearing through the jungle, sneaking into places they shouldn’t, leaving chaos in their wake. Aiyana had always caught more flak for it, thanks to who her father was in the tribe. Yoa’s parents were not far behind, especially with the weight of his fate still hanging over him back then.

And then there was Atia. He was ’punished’ with nothing more than a scolding and his hair messed up. To him, that was the ultimate crime.

It had been a wildly unpredictable day, unusual to their usual day-to-day. They’d continued their hunt for Vulcan and Nova, which finally led them back to Silver Feather lands at first light. There had been many obstacles between them and snatching Nova back in the early hours of the morning. It took a lot of effort to hold Yoa back from tackling the women who had bathed Nova so viciously.

Their plans kept being derailed at every turn. Once or twice, Vulcan had almost caught sight of them from afar, beyond his patrolling warriors, watching Nova eat or brought to the central tree they called Skyhold.

They’d snuck back into their lands, fought and distracted Vulcan’s ’best’ warriors, then escaped with Nova after Yoa almost crippled their newly crowned leader—and rightly so. Neither of them complained, even if they were to blame for all of this in the first place.

Atia and Aiyana fell back into the same old game. He teased her, and her exasperation was either followed by scrimmaging or something more subtle like an eye roll, depending on Aiyana’s mood.

Wind combed through their hair as they tore past startled monkeys and flustered birds, laughter exploding from them like wildfire. The two jaguars ran wild, enjoying themselves a little too much, forgetting once or twice their initial goal of leading the eagles astray.

Those lower on the food chain scattered in confusion, unsure what to do with the two predators sprinting loud and proud, not even pretending to hide.

For once, they weren’t the hunters. They were bait and loved every second of it.

"Guess we’ve got a real talent for being bait," Atia grinned, eyes dancing in amusement as he glanced at Aiyana’s scowl. Still, that didn’t sour his mood. This was the most fun they’d had in ages. Aiyana was always too slick and poised for her own good, which made watching her tear through the jungle like a wildcat even better.

"This is not something I want to keep up," she huffed, acting a little haughty.

"Says the girl who’s been grinning and laughing her head off..." Atia bumped into her shoulder playfully, smirking. "I think you like it." He winked. "Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me."

Aiyana arched a brow at him, completely unfazed. "Oh, pleaaaase don’t tell anyone I know how to smile," she replied sarcastically, and he snorted.

"Nah, that secret’s always been safe with me, princess. I’m talking about the part where you’ve enjoyed acting like a lunatic with me." He grinned.

Aiyana shook her head and glanced over her shoulder at the furious capuchins screeching from the canopy, their cries rising in pitch like the jungle’s alarms. They bared their teeth, hurled rotten fruit, and leapt through the branches in a panicked scatter, like tiny jungle warriors torn between battle cries and retreating.

"Guess they didn’t appreciate surprise eagle guests," Atia added with that ever-present grin, clearly enjoying the chaos.

Aiyana snorted, her lips curling at the sides of his commentary.

They’d led the harpy eagles through Tomaq’s tribe in the hopes of distracting them further. Only two of the giant chicken wings dropped back to hunt. The others were still focused on catching them.

Even if they did catch them, did they really think they could take on two of the best warriors in the Oncari tribe? They’d already shown how formidable they were earlier, surrounded by at least twenty men and escaping mostly unscathed.

Aiyana was the only one to leave that scrap with nothing more than a slight limp. One of the eagles managed a surprise attack while she had fought two others, and it tore through the flesh at the back of her knee with its talons, hoping to cripple her long enough to drag her into the air and finish her. But Aiyana had roared, twisted mid-fall, and driven her staff straight into its side, sending it crashing into a branch with a screech.

Pain splintered across the back of her leg and along her spine, but it didn’t stop her. The rush of adrenaline kept her going, and maybe she had gone a little louca. But Aiyana knew that if she stopped, she wouldn’t be able to continue or continue at the same pace.

"There’s a split in the trees at Soluma," Atia grunted after swiping a low-hanging branch out of his path with one of his blades.

Aiyana’s eyes narrowed. "They might try and trap us."

"Or see that there are only two of us," Atia added, his eyes fixed on the river that had yet to come into view. "Then retreat."

"Do you think we have given them enough time?" Aiyana asked, leaping over a rock instead of filing in behind Atia as the path narrowed, the forest growing denser around them momentarily.

Whether they liked it or not, time seemed to be up. The sounds of the eagle’s wings beating powerfully began to fade as the birds retreated. Through a narrow break in the trees, Aiyana caught sight of a few eagles soaring higher while others peeled off in different directions, each with clear intent before the canopy swallowed the sky once more.

Aiyana and Atia exchanged a glance, a silent message passing between them. The eagles were going to try and trap them. They both picked up the pace, but it still felt too slow.

"Can you move quicker?" Atia glanced at her leg, which had dried and fresh blood running down the back of her calf, no doubt leaving a trail of blood. "I can carry you-"

Aiyana whizzed past him, urgency burning her veins along with the need to prove she was still capable, even while injured. She wasn’t weak, and she would never ask him for help unless it was absolutely necessary. Atia knew this about her, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips as they raced ahead to Soluma.

A ribbon of silver and blue water cut between the earth, the soothing hush drawing louder the closer they got to it. Smooth, dark stones emerged through the stream, slick and gleaming, disrupting the stream.

They weren’t there.

Aiyana’s head snapped up, scanning the tiny gaps between the leaves far above them for any sign of the feathered beasts, but she couldn’t spot them. They’d sprinted ahead to reach this point first, so maybe the eagles were still lagging behind... or worse, they’d realised they’d been chasing a false lead and had fallen back.

But just as their feet touched the edge, a shadow dropped like a spear from the sky. Wings outstretched, talons flexing mid-air, a harpy eagle slammed down in front of them, the impact sending a rush of wind into their faces. A beat later, more shadows fell. Harpy eagles hovered just above the river, wings stirring leaves into the air, sharp eyes locked onto the pair like they were prey.

Atia glanced over his shoulder, already calculating a new plan, his fingers twitching with the restless need to plait his hair, but there was no time. His plan disintegrated as two more eagles landed behind them with bone-shaking thuds, folding their massive wings and blocking any hope of retreat.

They were surrounded.

And the eagles could clearly see it was just Atia and Aiyana. Any orders about capturing Nova whispered off into the wind. Now, the air thrummed with their anger coiling through the clearing. They had no intention of backing down now.

The Oncari had humiliated them, led them in circles, and made them look like fools chasing shadows through the jungle.

Now, it was their turn to make them pay.