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“Thanks.”

The single word was all she could force out past the lump in her throat. She knew her grandfather had been feeling poorly lately. He wasn’t that old, barely sixty-five winters, but life as a human was often cut short.

Memories of her little brother rose in her mind. Robert hadn’t even lived to see his fourth celebration of life. It would take more than both of her hands to count the members of their clan who had perished because of accidents or illnesses.

She had tried to harden her heart. She was lucky. Both of her grandparents on her father’s side, and her parents, were still alive. That was more than most of her clan could say.

She strode across the cavern to the spot where her grandparents slept. She and her father had set up the thin woven barrier to give them some privacy and to help keep the warmth in during the night when they filled the buckets with hot ashes from the fires. Slowing to a stop, she paused on the other side of the curtain and listened as Thomas, the clan’s healer, spoke with her grandmother and parents.

“He has pneumonia. I’m afraid there isn’t much I can do,” Thomas was saying.

“What about the shifters? Do you think they would have medicine that could heal him?” her grandmother asked.

“It’s possible. I don’t know what type of medicines they have. I imagine it’s better than the few herbal ones we use,” Thomas said.

“Elaina, he’s not strong enough to hike out of here. Rand can ask if they can bring their doctor here,” her mother said.

Jayden pulled back the curtain. Her grandfather was lying on the pallet with his eyes closed. His breathing was labored and his coloring was pale. She swore she could see a tinge of blue around his lips.

“They have a flying machine. They could take him off the mountain in it,” she stated, looking at the group when they turned.

“What will they do with him? I don’t want them to take him away. What if I—?” her grandmother’s voice faltered before emotion overcame her and she looked away.

The fear in her grandmother’s eyes tore at Jayden. She walked forward, cupped her grandfather’s hand, and knelt next to the bed. He didn’t open his eyes.

“I won’t let you die,” she murmured, staring at his pale face.

Lifting his hand to her lips, she kissed the back of it. The sound of someone on the other side of the screen clearing their throat had her rising and turning. Thomas pulled back the curtain. A shifter stood on the other side with an apologetic expression on his face that changed when he saw Cyrus.

“Hello, my name is Conan. I’m a medic with the SBSI. I was told that someone might be having a medical emergency. I’d like to help… if you’ll allow me,” Conan said.

“Please, can you help him?” her grandmother begged.

Conan’s eyes softened with compassion at the tears glittering in her grandmother’s eyes. He smiled and nodded. Jayden reluctantly released her grandfather’s hand and stepped to the side when Conan stepped forward.

She watched as he examined her grandfather. Several minutes later, Conan murmured into a black box. Her mother and father held the curtain back as two other men in black came forward carrying a basket.

“What are you going to do?” she asked, watching as the men wrapped her grandfather up before placing him in the basket.

Conan smiled reassuringly at her. “Your grandfather needs to be transferred to a hospital. They can give him the care he needs that I can’t give him here. There are also doctors with more experience there.”

“I want to go. So does my grandmother. You will take us with him to this hospital,” she stated, lifting her chin.

Conan spoke into his mic. Jayden didn’t understand the words he was saying. It sounded like some type of coded language. Conan replied to whoever he was speaking to before he gave her and her grandmother another reassuring smile.

“Come on. The medic helicopter will be here any minute. They have room,” he said.

“Rand—” Elaina said, turning to her son.

“Go with him. Jayden will be there. Mallory and I will go with the others and help them settle in,” Rand said.

Elaina nodded. “I need my cloak. It will be cold if we are to fly like a bird through the sky,” she fretted.

Jayden helped her mother pack a light bag for her grandmother while her father helped Elaina with her cloak. She fingered the spear she was holding before she held it out to her father. Her father reached out and took the spear.

“I don’t think they will let me take this. Keep it safe for me,” she requested, fingering the woven rope near the end.

“Take care of your grandparents for your mom and me.”