Leah's Hero - Miranda Martin Page 0,64

is slow, steady but it’s no longer bucking and fighting against my taking control. By the time we pass Leah again, it’s hardly fighting me at all.

I pull its head to the left and it shifts to glide that direction. I experiment, pulling one way then the other, and it responds to my commands. I pull up and we rise, push down and it dives. The fight is gone, I’ve broken its spirit.

No Zmaj has ever done such a thing. I shift around, dangling my legs around its long neck and letting the death grip of my tail and one arm go. I wait for it to react to my loosened control. Prepared to move if it fights or tries to buck me off, but nothing. It’s docile, or close enough.

I lift my fist in the air and roar in triumph.

Pushing down on its head, I guide it towards Leah, ready to rescue my love. When we emerge from the cloud bank, she sees, and her eyes widen while a smile spreads across her gorgeous face. She cheers, throwing her arms in the air and jumping up and down on the treacherous cliff.

I guide the anzilu next to her using my knees.

“JUMP!” I yell, holding out my hand as we drop past her.

She doesn’t hesitate, throwing herself off the cliff in an act of utter faith. I catch her with my good arm and swing her around behind. She settles herself, and we glide the rest of the way to the ground. The anzilu accepts my control and direction without fighting.

As the ground zooms closer, Leah tightens her grip and buries her face against my wing. The anzilu pulls back, extending its legs to land. Leah yelps as we’re leaned back then it touches down, running until it loses momentum.

It screeches, extending its neck and flapping its wings. Leah has a death grip around my middle, so I let go of the anzilu and slide down its back until I’m on my own two feet. She lowers herself off my back, but I keep myself between her and the creature.

I’m not sure what it’s going to do now that I’m not directly controlling it. It walks forward, an odd waddle that lacks any grace, wings wide as it turns around to me. I stand ready to fight if I must. It caws, not a full-on screech, raising its long beak high and snapping at the air.

Out of the corner of my eye I see the fallen warriors’ remains. I keep Leah behind me as I move toward the remains. The anzilu’s beady eyes track my movement. Once I’m beside the remains I point at it then down at the remains.

It caws and waddles over. I move us away, and then the anzilu feasts on the remains. It’s a noisy, nasty affair that Leah does not need to see. I turn my back on it and block her view with my body.

“Urukol,” she says my name, resting her head against my chest.

I wrap my arm around her and hold her tight, ignoring the sounds of the beast’s meal. We’re safe, for now. The Zmaj from the Order aren’t likely to try and reach us any longer. They’ve already lost too much to justify the attempt.

We need to get to my home. The others needs to know that the Order is close, and I want to know they’re safe as well. I cup Leah’s face and she looks up.

“Go,” I say, nodding my head behind us.

She nods understanding. The sounds of the anzilu’s feasting finish and it caws, but doesn’t fly away. I turn to face it and find it staring at me as if it’s waiting. There’s a cold intelligence to those eyes I never would have suspected.

“Go,” I point up and away.

It follows my pointing finger then looks back to me. It caws loudly, flapping its wings and puffing its chest out. I point again and order it to go. It caws and bobs its head three times, then backs up. It flaps its wings faster and faster until it lifts off the ground. It caws loudly, and I would swear it looks back as it flies away.

Strange.

I have no more time to give to such possibilities. It’s raining harder again, and the wind is increasing its force. Soon the fury of the storm will return, again. I stare up the cliff trying to make sure of my assumption that the Order will not risk it, but a thick cloud