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ADONE
If there was ever a time I needed to fly, it was now. I flapped my wings harder, but lack of use and inexperience meant my body darted in one direction, then another. The wind didn’t help, shooting gusts in an attempt to drive us closer to the ground.
Summer buried her face in my chest and clung. My arms remained tight around her. My wings may fail, but I would protect her with my body until I took my last breath.
When had love crept up on me? I’d held myself back from everyone except my brothers, not daring to take a chance on losing someone I cared for.
But Summer had shown me that life was richer when you spent it with someone else. Even a terrifying game was better when you could face it with your mate by your side.
Neither of us would be considered brave by others, but we stepped up for each other.
A herd of enormous dusty blue creatures raced below us, their hooves thundering on the ground. They stirred up dust that formed a thick cloud behind them.
The monitors, sensing how hard I struggled, zoomed in on our faces. They’d follow us to the ground if I could no longer fly, then watch as the creatures stomped over us.
Summer coughed, and it was very easy to flap my wings harder to take us higher. I’d never been able to fly for Vunne, and I could see I hadn’t done so for myself, preferring to flounder and hit the ground than give him what he wanted.
But I could fly for Summer. And maybe, a bit for myself. For protection. And to show the universe that despite being experimented on, despite being forced to accept body parts I wasn’t born with, I wasn’t a complete failure.
“You’re doing it, Adone,” Summer breathed. She peered at the ground. “We’re pretty far off the ground.”
It was a struggle to speak and direct my wings. Would it ever become seamless? For the first time since Vunne mounted them on my spine, I hoped it would. “I don’t wish the creatures to harm us, so I will remain far above them.”
“They’re amazing from up here. I wouldn’t want to be down there facing them, however. They look a little bit like dinosaurs, which are extinct creatures on Earth.”
“Why extinct?” Distractions were welcome; they kept me from thinking about the fact that I was flying, that my shoulders and spine burned, and that my wings ached already. I couldn’t touch down. The spindly trees wouldn’t support our weight, and the tick we were within reach, the beasts would attack.
“They say a meteor hit the planet, and it caused a cataclysmic event. All the dinosaurs died.” Her hand not holding Tumbles tightened on my shoulder. “But here we are, flying over creatures that remind me of those from Earth. I guess planets can evolve in a similar manner.”
“That is what we believe too.”
“How are you doing?”
“I am tiring.” I hated to admit it, to share that I was failing already. I loved Summer. Desperate to protect her, I should be able to draw on that strength to sustain me, but I was mortal like everyone else.
She peered around and pointed. “Can you make it to there?”
Ahead, I spied a particularly tall spire. This section of the enormous cavern was littered with them, some solid, others crumbling, and in varying heights.
“I . . . Yes.” I pushed for more energy, making my exhausted wings keep flapping. If I wanted to rest while we decided what to do next, I needed to land on one of the spires that wasn’t falling apart but also high enough to evade the creatures.
Summer watched my face, hers reflecting complete confidence. What would it be like to feel this way about myself? I loved that she believed in me. It gave me a boost. But this reminded me I’d flounder without her. There was no guarantee we’d both make it out of this Game alive. I needed to find a way to boost myself. It was never good to rely on others, a lesson I’d learned when I was three and stolen from my parents.
Flapping my wings harder, I fought the wind gusts, determined to reach the tallest, strongest-appearing spike. I was too low and flying too fast. I could see that already. Ironic that I was flying too fast when I’d essentially never flown before.
“You can do it,” she said. “And if that one’s too high, aim for a lower one.”
“I will do it.” I gritted my teeth and drew on the anger I’d felt for Vunne for most of my life. I let it feed my strength. While I couldn’t kill him since Tetryx had done so already, the injustice done against me still festered. It was a wound that may never heal.
My wings ached, but my hearts burned with inner fire. It would be enough. I would be enough.
When my anger at Vunne began to fade—nothing could be sustained forever—we started dropping toward the ground. My guts seized, and panic flooded my veins.
I drew from my irritation with the ever-present monitors that were much too eager to film our expressions while we were being tortured.
The creatures chasing us slowed, but they picked up speed when I couldn’t maintain much height and they saw we might soon be within reach. Their hooves thundered as they drew closer, and their sharp bellows rang through the air.
That’s when I drew on the strength I’d gained from Summer’s affection. It was sweet and pure, and it didn’t make my body tremble with rage. No, it fed me like the most wonderful meal. A swim in cool water. And the wonderful joy of claiming her body.
I added my love for myself to that. If I couldn’t care for me, who else would? I was worthy. I was a good person. I deserved the good things life still had to offer.
Like magic, I soared upward, higher than I ever had before. And when we drifted over the spire, I circled around and landed. My touchdown jarred my bones, and I plunged forward, landing hard on my knees. Summer slipped in my arms, but I tightened my grip and held true.
As I tucked my trembling wings against my body, I shouted out my victory.
