Luka skystorm's Arc

Chapter 3 of 9

The falcon carried Luka over the treetops. Jaxon drifted beside him, the small cat's hooded cape snapping in the wind. Behind them, the grand mansion shrank against the trees. But the poisoned sword still burned green in Luka's fist, and its light left a faint trail in the air. Jaxon noticed it first. "Look down," the cat said. "You're leaking a path." Luka looked. Below, a thin green mist bled from the blade and hung in the air behind them. It marked their route like footprints in snow. "Greg's guard tracks by scent," Jaxon said. His green eyes narrowed. "That poison stinks louder than a scream. Drop the sword." Luka's grip tightened. "I took it from a hunter. It's the only weapon I have." "It's the only reason we're still being hunted," Jaxon snapped. "Choose." A roar rolled up from the forest. Luka twisted in the saddle. Far below, the spiked gorilla crashed through the trees, its metal tail high, following the green mist straight toward them. The guard had never stopped chasing. Luka's arm shook. The sword was safety. The sword was death. He watched the gorilla close the distance and knew the cat was right. He steered the falcon low over a wide black pond. The water sat still between the trees. Luka held the blade out and opened his hand. The poisoned sword fell, spinning, and struck the surface. It sank without a splash. The green glow died under the water. The trail broke. The mist behind them thinned and vanished. Below, the gorilla reached the pond's edge. It stopped. Its head swung left, then right. It sniffed the air and found nothing. The metal tail lowered. After a long moment, the guard turned and lumbered back toward the mansion. Luka let out a breath. His hand felt empty and light. "Smart," Jaxon said. He circled once, sniffing where the sword had been. "No trail. No guard. You can breathe now." "I gave up my only blade," Luka said. "You bought your life." Jaxon drifted closer, and his voice dropped. "Now I keep my word. You want the truth about your feet. About the curse." Luka turned to him. The wind pulled at both their capes. "Tell me." "Not here. The one who cast it still lives, and Greg pays him." Jaxon looked back at the shrinking mansion. "The curse came from inside that house. The night it took my paws and your feet, it took more than us. I felt others break." Luka's heart pounded. For years he had chased a shadow. Now the shadow had a place. "You mean I could have fled the answer," Luka said, "if I'd flown any farther." "Then it's good you didn't," Jaxon said. "But going back means facing what threw us out." He climbed into the wind. "Follow me. There's someone you need to see before we return." Luka gripped the empty saddle straps and flew after the cat.