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“Keep going!” I shout, still searching through the bag.
Then my fingers brush against the thick, worn parchment of the map. I yank it out and straighten, then bite down on it, keeping both hands free.
It seems like a lifetime passes before we reach the plains. My palms grow damp. I pull in a breath and blow it out, trying to calm my pulse. No good will come from letting my nerves get to me and fumbling around.
The horses double their speed once we reach flat ground. Minutes pass as I wait for Cassius to stop, but we continue at the punishing pace. The horse’s breathing is labored and sweat slicks its neck. I squeeze Cassius.
“Are you sure?” he calls out.
“Trust me,” I say around the map, and hope my hunch is correct.
Cassius urges the horse faster. I’m about to protest when he jerks us to a sudden stop.
I slide down, pulling the flint from my pocket, and kneel on the hard ground. Using my knees to hold the map, I strike the flint. A small spark flies but doesn’t catch.
“What in the Otherworld are you two doing?” Lawrence yells circling his horse around us. “Are you insane?”
Cassius jumps down behind me, holding the horse as it dances and skitters in place, wanting to run from the swarm descending on us.
“Gather moss and anything flammable!” Cassius orders.
Beads of sweat trickle down my spine as I try again. A breeze picks up. I twist and curl my body around the map.
“Whatever you’re doing, you better hurry,” Lawrence growls.
The first creature swoops past, scraping my cheek with the tip of a wing. It stings. I ignore the trickle of blood trailing down my face. Two more scream, angling toward me. Cassius reaches my side and swats the first away, then the other as its talons rake through my hair. He stays at my side, protecting me as more and more catch up to us.
My fingers fumble with the flint, and I nearly drop it.
Slow down, Clara. Stay calm…
I take a deep breath then try again. A pile of twigs and dried debris drop at my side. I snatch up a chunk of moss and stuff it into the center of the rolled map. Then I strike the flint again.
“We are going to die,” Della says. The note of her voice filled with disbelief and surprise rather than horror.
A spark catches on the map and lights. I quickly wrap a handful of twigs around it with a fistful of moss in the center. Cassius grabs my elbow, helping me stand.
Raising my arm, the swarm changes directions. The flames swoosh and sway with the wind of their beating wings. I step around Cassius and shove the makeshift torch into their path. They scatter to avoid the fire.
Understanding, the two men take the sticks at my feet and hold them into my flame until they catch.
I arc my arm through the air, extending the radius as much as possible.
We circle in front of Della, struggling to keep the horses from bolting as the swarm catches up. Wings slice my arms and legs with each pass.
This won’t last.I grit my teeth as the fire inches lower. Doubt invades my thoughts, conquering the thin shred of hope I had.
The fire burns closer and closer to my hand, singeing my skin. Leathery wings beat the air with sharp edges, slicing and cutting our flesh when one manages to slip through our defenses.
I hold on, releasing the map at the last second. The skin on the top of my hand is raw and blistered.
A hand grabs the back of my neck, forcing me to my knees. The swarm continues to thin out until only a few remain. Cassius waves his torch of sticks wildly in the air, then lets it drop, cursing, as it runs out.
Drawing the dagger, I ignore the pain from my burned hand brushing against my sleeve. I jump to my feet and sliced across the body of a bird beast soaring over my head toward Cassius’s blind spot. It collides, skidding and tumbling across the ground.
Beams of light stretch across the plains through the clear morning sky just as Lawrence’s torch runs out.
Screeching fills the air, then the thunder of wings beating wildly. The remaining beasts retreat back toward the mountains.
