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“I see the end,” he said. “And I will fly us there.”
“It’s a long stretch.” Miles, actually. I snuggled Tumbles closer, grateful he hadn’t struggled to get down. “I don’t doubt your will to do it, however.”
Adone quirked one side of his brow ridge my way, and a smile teased across his lips. “By the time I reach the other side, I will be such a good flier, I will be able to carry us all the way to the event we must complete to finish this part of the Game.”
I could believe that. He’d proven he could do it already. “When you’re ready, then.”
He lifted me while I kept Tumbles secure in my arms, then stepped right up to the edge of the spire. A jump, and he was winging his way across the rest of the cavern.
When a gust of wind hit us from above, his trajectory barely shifted.
“You’re getting better at this,” I said.
“I . . . am trying.”
“Nope, Adone. You’re doing.”
He chuckled. “You are correct. I am doing.” I swore his wing flaps felt lighter, as if he shed some of his emotional baggage.
It was a long flight, however, and from his heavy breathing, I could tell he was tiring.
“Not far now,” I said to encourage him. I was so freakin’ proud of him. He’d tried something he was sure he’d fail at, and he was succeeding.
“Almost there,” he panted.
When he drew close to the end of the valley, I spied cliffs in the side of the cliff face and pointed. “Should we spend the night in one of those?”
“I wish I knew how much farther we have to travel to reach the rest of our task. If you don’t mind, I will keep flying, even at night.”
“Only as far as you’re able. Don’t overdo it. I need you.”
He groaned, but it was a sound of happiness, not dismay. His arms tightened around me, and his wings flapped harder, taking us up the side of the cliff. “When you say things like that, I feel as if I can keep going forever.” A gust of wind hit us, but he rode it out, tempering our balance with his wings. When the wind died, he soared toward the top of the cliff. A broad, flat plain stretched ahead of us, covered with dusty blue sand much like the area where we’d originally landed.
As he flew, my stress eased. The rhythmic flap of his wings lulled me, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I dozed, as did Tumbles. Adone kept flying.
“You’re amazing,” I mumbled sometime later. The sun had set while I slept, and two moons shone pale blue light across the sky. The lighter blue created shadows on the plain that would be pretty if the setting wasn’t part of a dangerous game.
“I will stop soon,” he said, and his voice came out utterly exhausted. Creases filled his face. I hated that flying was wearing him out before we reached the place where we were expected to finish this part of the game.
“Let’s land. We can walk.” Hell, I’d carry him piggyback for a while so he could rest. “You’re tired. You need to sleep.”
“I am tired.” The flaps of his wings slowed, and he coasted a few feet above the desert. “I hoped to find a safe place to land, but the sand goes on forever.”
“Have you seen any scorpions?”
“Not so far, but we’ll tread lightly after we land. I believe they’re drawn to the vibration of our feet.”
He touched down and tucked his wings in tight.
I slid from his arms and carefully placed Tumbles on the sand. He shook himself, and his branch-like fur spiked out, reminding me of Sonic. After studying us, he rolled away, perhaps to hunt.
“Rest,” I told Adone. “I’ll watch out for scorpions.” I spied a rock and grabbed it. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
Adone proved how exhausted he was by not protesting even a bit. He dropped down to his knees, then lay on his side. His sigh slipped out as he tucked up his knees. “I will close my eyes for only a few ticks.”
Within seconds, his soft breathing rang out.
A few ticks? Nope. He was going to get a solid block of rest. We didn’t have a lot of time, but I couldn’t bear to see him so worn out.
