Cassia watched the battle play out from the command tent, which was set up high on a hill. 

"We've lost to many in the east." Anna said. She was watching a map, where small figurines marked troupers positions and the soldiers.

"Its fine." Scott said. He looked rather angry, which made Alena, sitting across, frown.

"The eagles are doing all we can!" Alena said.

"Its not enough." Scott murmured.

"Woah. Calm down, you too." Anna said, putting her hands on both of their shoulders.

"We have more important things to think about." Cassia agreed.

"Like what." Muttered Scott. Cassia rolled her eyes. "Seriously."

Alena frowned. "Like that." She pointed out of one of the tent windows, at a lone helicopter flew, painted white with red stripes and a tiger painted on it. 

"Thats..." Cassia said, mouth hanging open slightly.

"Carmen Jon!?" Alena said, standing up. "It has his mark. Thats his private helicopter!"

"What! How" The tent exploded in conversation. Scott stood up and yelled "HUSH!"

"Ash squad! Intercept the helicopter." Scott said, nodding towards a group of men and woman who were standing just outside the tent.

"What can we do now..." Murmured Anna. Alena smiled at her.

"I guess our only hope now..." Scott began.

"Is Sorrel and Sarin."

***

Sarin looked around the corner, looking up and down.

"I can't see any traps. Looks clear." Sorrel nodded and crept up the corridor, watching out for hidden  tripwires or the like. Sarin walked along aside her, his head turning. Also probably scanning for traps. The thought made Sorrel smile slightly. The hallway was rather well-lit, with windows high up on one side, and the cells on the other. Most were empty, but a few had sleeping prisoners, and in one, a person shouted at them.

"Were getting close." Sarin said, stopping to look at one of the numbers on the cell. "Yes, this is 848."

"We need to get to 841, right?" Sorrel asked. Sarin nodded.

"If my theory is correct, yes. Otherwise..."

"We're walking right into a trap." Sorrel responded.

"A very well made trap, but yes, a trap." Sarin said. Sorrel smiled. Something caught at the corner of her eye, and she held out her hand.

"Tripwire." She said, pointing at an almost invisible thread lying on the ground.

"Thanks." Sarin stepped over it, and continued walking.

Sorrel continued walking, stepping or ducking traps, and then Sarin stopped, checked the cell number, and then sighed.

"The next one is 841." He looked extremely nervous.

"Lets do it." They walked up to the prison, where a small a thin eagle sat, sleeping.

"Door?" Asked Sorrel. Sarin nodded and tapped the pin pad by the door, opening it. The eagle inside opened one eye, and then both. He got off his perch, and then transformed into a human man with dark blue eyes and dark brown hair.

"Sarin? Why are you here?" He asked.

"To rescue you, father." Zanier's eyes widened.

"Really?" He asked.

"Ye-" Suddenly an alarm blared, and ten or so men ran down the hall to them.

"RUN!!!" Yelled Zanier, and Sorrel and Sarin grabbed him, helping him run down the hallway, trying to avoid as many traps as possible. As soon as they had a reasonable distance, Sarin nodded at Sorrel, and they transformed into small songbirds, flying up to the windows and gliding out. Zanier was inbetween the two, as he seemed to be suffering from exhaustion and lack of food.

"Where will we go!?" Asked Sorrel over the howling wind. As much as she liked flying, she felt they got away a little too easily. Her fears were confirmed as a nearby helicopter flew twords them, trying to cut them off. 

"Or kill us." Thought Sorrel. Below the lands spread into rolling hills, small woodlands, and of course, battling people. Sorel noticed the command tent, situated on a hill, but everything else was mostly just a blur.

"Cassia's command tent!" Yelled Sarin, and they glided over, landing outside the tent. As soon as they were all back in human form (Zanier leaning heavily on Sarin), they entered the tent.

"SORREL!" Yelled Cassia, and she ran over to Sorrel, and hugged her. Sorrel hugged her back, smiling.

A little ways over, Alena was helping Zanier into a chair.

"Cassia, I'm fine." Sorrel said. Then she spotted Astra, roosting in a corner.

Sorrel let go of Cassia and walked over to Astra.

"Can you please find Feather and tell her to come here? She's around that building."

"Of course!" Astra chirped, and she took off, flying out of the tent.

The next bit was all a blur. Strategies were planned, but parts seemed inconsistent and not failsafe. As they were trying to decide where to put some reinforcements, a young boy ran into the tent.

"Sir's! Ash squad has successfully captured Carmen Jon, but something's wrong. He's... Mad." Cassia looked up from a map.

"Whats going on?" Sorrel asked. She was dozing slightly, exhausted from the past few days. But happy. Happy that maybe this fight could end.

Sarin felt it before Sorrel. A ripple in the air, a blanket of heat. A sudden sense of... Sorrel didn't know.

"Get down!" Sarin yelled, and suddenly the tent was awash in flames. Sorrel stretched out her thoughts, and blocked part of the fire, but more kept coming. And then Sorrel tried to make out where the flames were weakest, but it was a solid wall a flame. They were all going to die. There was no way to stop it...

And then Sorrel just thought. She just felt. She had to protect. She pushed her energy outward, And a glowing green shield suddenly surrounded the group, protecting them from the raging flames and the force of a blow.

Sorrel held the shield for as long as she could, and then everything went black.

Dreams shifted in and out. A young woman said "Possibilities." The same dream she had had so many years ago, except that now it was raining fire.

***

"The energy you used... Incredible." Sarin said, sitting by her bed. They had all suffered major burns, but they had been saved from the worst of it. Sarin had managed to escape nearly burn-free. Apparently after she'd passed out, he'd added his energy to hers, creating a second skin of shield. Pain flared through Sorrel as she remembered the fire. Most of the burns would heal with time, but a small area had been burned too badly. Feather and Astra had survived, barely. They had been high enough that the bomb had only singed there feathers.

"And Carmen Jon's dead..." Sarin continued. He liked to keep her updated on the news.

"And you'll become king." Sorrel said in a small whisper. Zanier had died. Sorrel's shield had come too late to save the already weakened king. Sarin seemed to know what she was thinking.

"It will be alright." And then he smiled.

"Do you want to go on a hike sometime? You are technically free to go. I'd like to explore what's left of the wild sea. With all that fire..." He shook his head. Sorrel smiled at him

"I'd love to."

***

One more chapter coming!