Leah's Hero - Miranda Martin Page 0,62
Ever. Do. That. Again.”
He may not understand my words, but the meaning gets through to him. He grins and shakes his head very slightly. His tail hooks under my ass giving me support to help claw my way back up to his neck.
I can’t see our pursuers any longer, nor can I see what lies below us. We’re hanging in a gray nothingness. My heart slows and my breathing comes to something resembling normal. Once I’m wrapped around him with arms and legs, he swings his tail and resumes trying to get to the wall.
Four attempts later, we’re perched against it and he works us down. It’s impossible to measure time or distance. The fog grows thicker the lower we go, until even the sounds of the world are muted and distant.
All the world that was is fading as we pass into this nether realm. A world that consists of only the two of us and no others. It’s crazy knowing that we’re literally hanging by his one hand, but I’m calm. Almost… serene.
He’s got this. He’s got me. I’m safe because I’m with him, and no matter what the world throws at us, we’ll face and overcome it together.
He continues working us down the cliff face. One motion at a time as he grunts with effort, but never once does he falter. There’s no hint of the exhaustion he has to be feeling. I rest my face against the rough scars where the top of his wing should be and do my best to not make this harder than it is.
There’s no sign of an end. Maybe this cliff goes on forever. It feels like it does, but then what else is there? With no points of orientation, nothing to measure anything against, the only choice is to keep going.
A Zmaj voice yells something from above us. Urukol pauses, clinging to the cliff and catching his breath. The voice yells again, more words. The only thing I catch is ‘female’ out of it, but that’s enough for me to guess the rest of the sentence.
They’re telling him they only want me. They’ll let him go if he turns me over. He shakes his head, but I don’t need even that sign. He’ll never give me up. I’m his and he’s mine. He grunts and resumes the climb down.
“AHHHH!” a scream muffled by the thick fog comes from above, and then rocks pelt us.
I duck my head and Urukol does the same, as the pebbles and dirt bounce off us. The scream continues, coming closer. I open my eyes as a large form falls past, arms, legs and tail grasping at the empty air.
One of the Zmaj fell, which is a sobering fact. That man, with two good arms and no extra human clinging to him, fell.
We got this. We got this. I’m fine. He’s fine.
Urukol grunts as the other warrior screams his way past and unperturbed continues our descent. The fog thins until at last I see ground. We’re so close! Maybe thirty or forty feet more to go. He glances down and nods as if to himself.
SCREECH!
“Oh shit,” I curse.
That bird-thing is back for seconds. I look in all directions trying to spot it first. Please go after the other guys, please go after them.
Urukol doesn’t wait though. He kicks off of the cliff face and we’re swinging through the air freely. I tighten my grip on his neck as we arc out and around. We come to a stop on a small ledge. He presses me against it right as the creature dives out of the clouds over our head. Its clawed feet are extended, ready to snatch him away.
I drop to the cliff, pressing myself against the face as much as possible. He pulls the knife from his waist and shifts around to face the creature. He slashes at the thing as it extends those wicked claws. The knife makes a small slice and the monster pulls its claws back, beating its wings as it reverses directions, pulling up.
Urukol widens his stance and shifts so that he’s covering me with his body. He scans the sky above, knife held ready.
The screech comes again, and I cover my ears but force my eyes to stay open. I want to see what’s happening. The thing dives, beak first, then whips its wings open at the last instant, trying to snatch him.
He twists so that the claws go on either side and stabs at the body. He misses, but