Burning Tharic Zamarien.
What a barbarian.
I didn’t let myself think about the females. About how he’d surely tossed them over like a bag of feathers. All I could do was run or else the next one he’d toss over the side of this bridge would be me.
Chapter 4
“You willnotmake it into the temple, little prey.”
I ignored him, racing like a pegasus across the bridge.
“You Zamariens don’t know when to shut up, do you?”
Tharic’s sandals sounded closer. No matter how hard I tried, the distance between us kept narrowing. One moment. I just needed one moment to see how close he was.
I chanced it, whipping my head back. The instant our eyes connected, I regretted my decision. Pure hatred colored his eyes like flaming fire. Tharic snarled, throwing sunbolts at my back.
I whipped around. Drawing on my starfire, I created a shield. It glittered like a million stars. I pounded across the brick needing to catch my breath. I was still tired from the swim. Tharic on the other hand was running like the swim up the waterfall was a warm up.
“Just give in, little prey. I’ll keep it short.”
“Is that what you tell every female knowing you can’t make it longer even if you tried?”
Tharic cursed. I leapt forward, landing hard on a brick just as he whipped out a wing to jab at my spine.
The bridge rumbled. Swayed.
The bricks shifted beneath my feet.
I yelped, tumbling to the ground, rolling with the bridge. To my utter embarrassment, Tharic was still on his two feet bracing himself with his arms spread out. I drew up my knees. Through the cloudy fog, an enormous slide sprang out of the bridge, slidingdowninto the clouds.
I had a choice. Take the slide or let Tharic kill me. I chose the slide.
Without caution, I shot for the edge of the bridge, pushed off the end, and slid.
The slide was carved entirely of gold, looping down into a curl that encircled three times before swirling into a rise that disappeared beyond the clouds. The moment I slid down, my hearts leapt into my throat.
A headiness overwhelmed me. I was utterly mesmerized, and terrified, all at the same time. I couldn’t breathe for excitement. For fear. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. Thankfully my flight robes had an under legging component that kept me covered. The further down I slid, the faster I went.
Tharic dove after me.
I silently screamed at his tenacity.
Looking down, I jerked all my wings forward and yanked on the sides of the slide. An instant rush of speed sent me flying down. I curved with the bend, letting the momentum propel me forward. Tucking in my arms, my body rushed through the loop, soaring overhead as I spun upside down, rushed through the loop and was sent racing down the next leg of the slide.
For a moment, it felt as if it was just me and the clouds. This far out, I couldn’t even see the Goldstone Bridge. Couldn’t see the other Ascendants running for their lives. I could barely even make out Tharic on the slide through the thickness of the clouds.
I felt weightless. Free. In control.
Then the slide swirled into a zigzagging pattern that sent my body reeling from side to side. I rammed to one side, then I was tossed to the other, before being shot once again into the air.
Except this time, the slide had no end. I blinked.
Stars.
I was going to have to jump.
Hearts thrumming, I squinted through the press of billowy clouds, desperately searching for any inkling of where the bridge was.
