“Nollie,” Hael said slowly. “You already rode on her back.”
“What—no I didn’t.” I knew for certain I was in her claw when we rode back to Elion’s castle. Jaxs’ warning alone was proof of it, that we should have taken the tunnel instead.
He shook his head. “You were in her claw going back in case anyone saw us, but going into MonClem I held you on her back.”
“Why—”
“You were unconscious after the brothel.” His eyes searched mine like that was answer enough. Maybe I shouldn’t have been this scared considering I lived with Dahes. Maybe I was being irrational. “She didn’t kill you then,” he said, “and I promise she won’t now.”
“Okay,” I breathed, uncertainty still rattling me. But I didn’t have a choice.
Slowly, he guided me toward his dragon. Her neon eyes flicked to me, but they didn’t narrow and she didn’t bare her teeth, so I kept telling myself that was a good sign.
My breath was in my throat as Hael motioned for me to climb her. She was at an angle, her body twisting to make a slope, her hind leg curving into a semi-ramp.
Breathe. One. Two. Three. Four. Exhale.
My hands flexed over her scales and I nearly pulled them back when I felt how smooth and warm she was. I expected her to be rough.
My fingers easily slipped between the grooves of her layered scales, allowing me enough grip to pull myself up her leg.
Breathe. One. Two. Three. Four. Exhale.
We were past her hind leg now, all that was left was a straight incline before we reached the spikes down her spine, and my stupid foot slipped. Hael’s hand wrapped around my hip, bracing my fall.
“You good?”
I swallowed, nodded, then pulled myself straight again. If I fell there was a fifty percent chance my Token would manifest and I’d be transparent to brace the fall. At least that’s what I was telling myself.
I highly doubted I’d die from this height. Severely injure my leg, yeah…
I could feel Hael against my back. His breaths were slow and steady while mine were borderline ragged. His hand hadn’t moved from my hip, like he was waiting for me to move again.
Right. That was exactly what he was doing, yet I couldn’t bring myself to move my foot.
I’d been proud of myself for climbing the Senith, but now, trying and failing to scale a dragon—who wasn’t nearly a fraction of the height—any self praise I had was nonexistent.
I felt like a baby learning to crawl.
“I’m not going to let you fall,” he said from behind me, and the next second I could feel it.
Air tightened around me, pushing around my feet. He was using his Vinculum magic to steady me.
I did one more round of breaths, then forced myself to keep moving.
By the time I reached Aura’s spikes, I was panting, and despite the slight breeze, sweat was dripping down my temple.
I crouched onto my knees, holding onto one of the spikes like my life depended on it as I tried to catch my breath.
Hael stood over me. “Are you okay?”
“How do you do that so fast?” Whenever I watched him scale herbefore, he made it look so easy. It took seconds, not minutes, and he definitely wasn’t fighting to breathe afterward.
“Practice.” He shrugged. “And air control.” He gestured to the spikes between her neck. “We have to go higher.” They were slightly smaller than the one I was currently clutching and packed more closely together.
I nodded, shifting to face the other direction, before forcing myself to stand.
Suns and Moons, do not let me fall right now.
