When I glance over my shoulder, I see the creature is much closer. Its massive wings beat rapidly, cutting through the storm as if it were nothing. When it mirrors me—tucking its wings and diving straight for us—I realize we’ve run out of time.
Thunder rolls across the sky.
I snarl. “Not bloody helpful.”
Jerking back, she eyes me. “What?”
“Sorry, not you.” Then I demand, “Tell me where it is.”
“To your left—” she says, her fingernails biting into my shoulders.
“Hold on.”
I bank hard, wings pulling tight to my body as I drop several feet in a controlled fall before snapping them open again to catch the descent. The maneuver buys us a sliver of distance—but not enough.
The creature shrieks.
A caw. Avian in nature.
We break through the tree line, skimming the canopy. Branches spear upward as if pleading with the sky for nourishment that never came. I’m forced to navigate with care as I weave through narrow openings, angling between skeletal limbs, using the forest to hide us and slow it down.
Another enraged shriek—closer now. Branches snap behind us.
I fold one wing slightly and pitch us downward and to the left, committing to the descent. The opening in the trees rushes up to meet us.
We drop hard and fast.
Another piercing caw—this one of a predator not used to being denied its intended meal.
Behind us, the creature follows—reckless now, driven.
Through the trees, I get my first glimpse—more bird than man. A hooked beak. Scarred, charcoal skin. Sparse, matted feathers cling to its skull. Eyes—yellow-white, glowing through rain and gloom.
Another screech splits the air—excitement and revelry given voice prior to the kill.
Rot and wet decay slam into my back, the creature hitting with full force. Its claws punch through armor, tearing into flesh beneath with a sickening, dragging grip. Pain explodes across my shoulders.
My wings falter.
My grip breaks.
She slips.
Our hands reunite and then part, the slickness of skin to blame.
“Eri!” Her name was ripped from me without consent.
For one breathless second, she’s falling—screaming my name in return as she desperately grasps at the empty air for purchase.
I throw my power and my ability to shield—what I’ve managed to build up since healing her behind me. The demon is torn from me. Its claws are shredding muscle and skin as it disengages.
Then I dive.
I catch her.
My hand snaps down, fingers locking around her arm in a tight grip before she can drop further. The jolt nearly tears my shoulder, but I haul her back against me, clutching her tight as the creature reengages.
It screeches again, beak snapping near my neck. Its claws stretch open as it reaches for both of us.
