The first kite came out of the sun.
Its shadow crossed Elian’s paper. He looked up, one hand lifting instinctively to protect his eyes. Iven saw the long gray wings, the hooked feet and the open beak, then the bird dropped behind the ruined lookout above them.
“Packs down,” Safa said.
No one argued. They had reached a narrow saddle, with a low wall on one side and the lookout’s broken shell on the other. Ahead, the path passed beneath the ruin before descending toward Bellwether Shelf. Behind them lay nearly a kilometer of bare ridge.
Safa pointed to the wall.
“People behind that. Animals against the stone, heads covered.”
The second kite struck the load on the rear mule.
Claws tore through the outer canvas. The animal screamed and kicked. Vela caught its rein while Rennit pulled the covering blanket over its eyes. The kite beat upward with a strip of cloth caught in one foot, then swung around above the saddle.
