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"Ready?" Alastor's voice cut through the dimness.
“Good to go,” said Sariel and I swear to God my heart stopped beating as she turned and stepped off the ledge with no warning.
“Fuck,” said Theo, his eyes wide.
“Yeah, me too,” said Alastor dryly.
Silence fell, the tension heavy as we waited for her to reemerge, and it felt like an age until Sariel reappeared, swooping upwards, her beautiful white wings stretched out in full as she glided gracefully over the columns. I watched her, mesmerised by the smooth arcs she traced in the air. It wasn't just her wings or the way she moved—it was her presence. Even in this oppressive darkness, Sariel shone. Still, my nerves felt a little better when she finally landed lightly on one of the columns.
"Show-off," Theo murmured from beside me, though there was a hint of admiration in his tone that echoed my own thoughts.
"Jealous?" I asked, trying to keep the mood light despite the churning in my gut.
"Maybe just a bit," he conceded with a chuckle, his gaze still fixed on Sariel's form. Her wings were pulled in tightly now, allowing her more room to move as she worked on drilling into the rock, securing the bolts for the ropes we needed to make it across to where she was standing. It didn’t take long before she was rising into the air again, wings beating this time to lift her from standing, a steady rhythm against the silence of the cavern. She turned towards us, gliding downward, until suddenly she pulled up short, and turned, hovering in the air, her gaze scanning the unseen corners of the abyss.
"Hey, you good?" Theo's voice echoed through the vast chamber.
Sariel waited a moment, then turned slowly and flew down to where we stood, touching down on the ledge. Her wings folded away behind her, and she nodded at Theo.
“I’m ok, I thought I heard something, but I must have been wrong.”
Theo frowned. “I didn’t hear anything.”
She nodded. “Then I must have been wrong. I might be a badass angel, but I haven’t got wolf hearing.” She smiled up at him, and he grinned back at her compliment. Jealousy sparked again, and I looked at Alastor instead. He was also watching Sariel, but then he leaned down and picked up the rope, giving it a few sharp tugs.
Alastor nodded. “Seems secure.” He wrapped his fingers round it, tightening his grip, and pulled, leaning back and using his whole weight to test it. It didn’t move, and he nodded his approval once again. “Good job, Sariel. Ok, I’ll go across first.Ash, if you come across next and then Carlisle, and then Theo… oh - I was thinking you could bring the end of the rope with you, but Sariel, you could just fly back and detach it, couldn’t you?”
He looked over at her and she nodded. “I was thinking though, the equipment we’re carrying is going to knock you off your balance. Why don’t you leave it here, and I can fly back and forth with it once you’re all on the other side?”
Alastor glanced over into the darkness, as if he was going to say no, but then he looked back at her and nodded. “Yes, good idea. Stack your tanks and bags over there everyone, away from the edge, obviously.”
We did as he said, and there was a twinge of relief at not having to jump those gaps with a heavy weight on my back and my front. As much as he was a good leader, sometimes Alastor didn’t always remember the restrictions of being human, and for me, I was always having to remind myself that I wasn’t supernatural and would always fall short on things like this. It didn’t mean I was weak. I had other skills, which was why I was here. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes I still felt useless. Right now, it was the second. Fuck, I hated heights.
I eyed the gaping chasm, my heart pounding a rhythm of trepidation. The darkness below was like an open mouth, waiting to swallow us whole. Heights had never been my thing, and this...this was a whole new level of fear.
Alastor attached his harness and gave it a few tugs, before letting Theo check it.
“Ok, wait for my signal,” he told Ash. "Don't follow until I've reached the other side."
“Copy that,” Ash replied. I blinked. I think this was the first I’d heard the man speak since he joined up with us. Alastor could be silent and damn did that man like to brood, but Ash was taking silence to a whole new level.
Sariel took off again, lifting gracefully into the air, but this time staying close. We all went quiet, as Alastor moved back a few steps, and then ran forward, launching himself over that dizzying drop before landing heavily on the first column. He landed with a thud that had my heart lurching to my throat, momentum nearly carrying him over the edge. For a breath-stealing moment, he teetered, then leaned back. He’d overshot, his toes hanging over the far edge, and his arms wheeled for a moment, helping him regain his balance so he didn’t fall forward. I closed my eyes. Shit.
"Knock-knock," Theo nudged my arm.
"Who's there?" I muttered, opening my eyes. Alastor was already on the second column, this time landing perfectly.
"Owl," Theo said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Owl who?" I asked, despite knowing better.
"Owl we gonna cross this thing without freaking out?" He burst out laughing, and even in the direness of our situation, I couldn't help but join in.
"Seriously, Theo?" I shook my head, but I felt a bit better as we watched Alastor start moving again, leaping from one ancient column to the next.
"Think Sariel is enjoying her flight?" Theo asked, a smile on his face as he shone his torch upwards.
I glanced up at the delicate figure circling above us. Her wings caught stray beams of light from our torches, turning them ethereal. Beautiful, unattainable, untouchable. Deciding my thoughts were far better focused on my fear than on her, I looked back towards Alastor.
