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“I know we have only known each other a short time. I am sorry for scaring you and bringing you here against your will. I hope you don’t hold it against me. It may not be the case for you, but getting to know you has been one of the joys of my life. You asked me before about a mate and… in case I do not get a chance to say this again… the only person I could imagine being my mate is you.”
I had never heard Naaro speak like that about anyone before. Frankly it had gotten to the point where I wondered if he was even interested in women, but I suppose there had been something about this girl that had intrigued him from the moment we had seen her. She was beautiful, and certainly courageous. I supposed she would not make a bad mate for anyone; it was just a shame she could not shift into a lion.
Emilia had been stunned into silence and Naaro shifted into a lion before she had a chance to respond to his words. I held the bow and arrow in my hands. Naaro nodded towards me and I began firing. I drew the bowstring taut and let the arrows fly, watching them soar through the air towards Ganang. I fired rapidly, pushing through the pain. The aim was erratic. Some of them struck the mighty beast, while others soared harmlessly past, but it did manage to enrage the beast and get its attention. While it swatted some of the arrows away, it headed straight towards us again, its eyes enraged.
I glanced towards Naaro, hoping with all my might that this plan wasn’t going to end the way he thought it was.
Chapter Fifteen
Naaro
I breathed deeply as I stared at Ganang. I tried not to look around at either Divad or Emilia because I knew that if I did emotion would overwhelm me. They both represented different things to me. Divad was my duty, for although he said that I was a better man we both knew that he was the one who could lead the pride, and that his survival was more important than my own. Emilia had made me think about another way to live. She was the life that I would never be able to have. I did not want to hear her tell me that she was not interested in me, so I turned away from her as soon as I said my piece. I was just glad that I was able to tell her how I felt.
I had no illusions about what I was going to do. Taking on Ganang like this was risky, but it was the only way to give Divad and Emilia the chance of escaping. I saw it turn its head towards us and then its long body came rushing forward. I flexed my claws and primed myself to jump, knowing that I was going to have to time it perfectly if I was going to be able to get it away from the mountain.
I had read all the stories about the hunters who had killed Ganang before. They had all snuck up the mountain to the eyrie and fought on solid ground. None of them had dared fight it in the air, none of those who had survived, anyway. I had never expected my life to last such a short amount of time. I always imagined myself growing old, but the needs of the pack came first.
Divad ran back to be with Emilia. I surged forward and mustered all my strength into my hind legs, waiting for the moment to leap. In the hunt adrenaline could surge through and blood rushed to the head. It was always tempting to go that little bit early, so I held on and on, and only when Ganang was upon us did I leap. I stretched out my limbs and soared through the air, and then I landed on Ganang. My claws dug into its thick feathers as I caught a grip, while it twisted and jerked, trying to throw me off. I held on with all my might as it flapped its wings. The feathers whipped around me and it started to fly back, rising through the air.
I roared, which was my message to Divad to go now. I looked back and saw him leading Emilia by the hand away from the cavern. It was perhaps the last time I was ever going to see them. I turned away and focused all my attention on Ganang.
Ganang ascended through the air. The temperature dropped and my mane was pinned back against my neck as we rose and rose in a straight line, right up to pierce the heavens. Ganang squawked and cawed. It flailed its talons towards me, until it realized that it couldn’t reach. I clung to its neck, still digging all my claws into its body. I scratched and scraped and slashed, hoping that I would do enough damage to make it think twice about flying so high. I knew I was in a race against time though. The bird’s body was giant and it didn’t seem as though I was having any effect on it. I whirled against it, and soon enough my claws were stained with blood and its feathers were tarred with the thick dark liquid. If Ganang felt any signs of weakness though, it was keeping them well hidden. It was as though my blows had no effect at all.
The air whipped around my face and my vision blurred as liquid filled my eyes. The air was thin as well, and I struggled to breathe. I had already exerted myself so arduously against Zizan, and now I was fighting this creature. Even if I had spent days preparing for the conflict and crept into the eyrie the odds would have been against me, but here in the realm where Ganang was king it was almost a foregone conclusion that I was going to die.
But at least we were getting farther and farther away from the mountain. The longer we spent up here, the more time Divad and Emilia had to get away from view. I kept digging my claws into Ganang’s body, tearing feathers away to make a nuisance as I climbed around its back. Its beak tried to snap at me and pluck my head from my shoulders, but it couldn’t quite twist its head around enough. Its wide eyes were like orbs and they reflected the light of the sky. We broke through the upper atmosphere and now I was really struggling to breathe. The world was like a marble below us, and the sky stretched out like a great canvas. For a moment I thought that we were going to bounce off it and return to Orestes.
I could feel the strength fading from my limbs. I had to focus to cling on. The thoughts in my mind were erratic and hazy. I blinked to keep myself awake, knowing that if I fell asleep then Ganang could just swoop down and kill Divad and Emilia, and then all my hard work would have been for nothing. I wasn’t going to sacrifice myself for nothing.
I clawed my way up and stretched my arms around, groaning and whimpering as Ganang held itself vertical, before descending back down. My body was buffeted and I almost lost my grip before I dug my claws into its throat. The noise it made curdled my blood, but I held on, pushing my claws deeper and deeper into its flesh. The warmth of the blood was a stark contrast to the chill of the air. I could see the light in its eyes fading. I knew that as long as I kept my hands stuck to this blood that I would kill Ganang, and yes, I would die in the process, but at least Divad and Emilia would be safe.
The air rushed around me and the world tumbled. I became disorientated, but I did not waver from my task. I would do my duty until my last. Nobody was ever going to take that away from me.
Chapter Sixteen
Emilia
I strained as I climbed down from the cave. I looked up to see Ganang soaring above with Naaro attached, ready to give his life. My mind was still reeling from what he had told me. There had been a connection between us from the very beginning, but his mate? I was floored. And I have to be honest, a part of me didn’t hate it.
But he was a lion and this was not my world. I had a boyfriend who wanted to marry me. I had a life back on earth… a life that seemed so dull compared to this.
Divad struggled as we descended. I stood near him and helped him down between the ledges.
“I’ve never felt like this before. Whatever Zizan did to me… I hate him for it,” he said.
“Well, he got the worst of it,” I replied dryly. Divad had wiped the crimson mask from his face, but blood continued to pour from the wound on his forehead. His hands shook, but he managed to compose himself for long enough to remain in control of his movements.
Although I made sure that I was putting my feet on steady ground, I kept glancing upwards to see how Naaro was getting on. I wanted him to do the impossible and return alive, but the way he had been speaking… it did not seem likely. The fact that he would do this for Divad and me was just incredible. I had never known a man to risk so much for others. It was really impressive, and I wished that I would have a chance to thank him in person.
“So do you think there’s any chance of him coming back?” I asked when we had a moment to speak.
“As much as I’d like to believe so… I’m not sure. Nobody hunts Ganang in the sky. They all go up to the eyrie. Everything is against Naaro… but then again if there’s one man who could survive this then it’s him. He could do anything. I’ve never appreciated him enough.”
“He did tell me a little bit about your relationship. He said that you’re both different.”
Divad smirked at this. “That’s putting it mildly. Naaro’s first thought has always been to duty, and not the duty that he’s been told to follow, but the duty that exists in his heart. He’s always had a firm sense of what’s right and wrong, and he follows that no matter what. I keep telling him that he needs to lighten up, but he never does. I guess he never will now,” Divad sighed and looked sullen.
We reached a part of the mountain where the ledges were wide, so it was a little easier for us to move.
