Kal had no fear of heights. As a kid he took great joy in climbing the highest of trees; his father had even given him the nickname of “Monkey-Boy,” at least for a short time. As he grew the fearlessness remained, but had been put to more practical uses, like patching holes in the barn roof or replacing aging shingles on the main house.

Dangling in the air as a blood-soaked and bruised god clumsily flew him higher and higher towards the sky, though, was something altogether different. Looking down, it took all of his will not to cry out in absolute terror.

But Lilly, who was tucked away far more comfortably under the Godknight’s other arm, wasn’t screaming. And there was no way he was going to let her show him up.

Their haphazard plan had been a success, though, which offered him some small solace. The Godknight’s condition was clearly dire, but he was alive, thanks to the three of them.

The three of them. Obviously, the Godknight had only two hands and could only carry two of them at a time. If he were at full strength, Kal guessed he could do it without hands at all; he would simply will them to a new spot, and there they would be. He didn’t know why the Godknight had chosen him and Lilly and not Jaina. Perhaps because she was farther behind than they were. Though he’d been concerned for her safety, Kal had charged headfirst and without thinking towards the cages. He had never looked back, only forward.

Now he questioned that. He looked down at the soldiers—now giving chase—and saw no sign of Jaina. That was okay, though. After the Godknight dropped them off, he’d go back and get her.

The Godknight flew a short distance longer before dipping sharply towards the ground. For a split second, Kal thought the Godknight had lost his battle with consciousness—staying alive?—and they were all going to crash in a pile. But, in what seemed almost like a miracle, the Godknight managed to stay aloft, continuing to fly north.

They passed over Mirthsong Playhouse, and Kal saw no sign of the High Elder or Windham. Good. Despite his reservations about Windham, he was grateful they had escaped.

They flew for about thirty seconds longer, Kal never really getting comfortable with the way he was being carried. Then Lilly cried out.

“Look!”

Kal looked down to see Windham and the High Elder, jumping up and down and waving their arms wildly. The Godknight spotted them too, and swooped in low. The High Elder and Windham scrambled out of the way, just as the Godknight unceremoniously dropped Kal and Lilly both.

Lilly landed hard with a dull thud, and the High Elder and Windham immediately ran to check on her. Kal had a chance to land on his feet… but failed, stumbling. He managed to tuck his head in, though, and executed a painful little somersault that thankfully prevented any injury.

He quickly got to his feet and scanned the area for the Godknight, fully expecting him to be turning around and heading back in to retrieve Jaina. Instead, the Godknight rose back high into the air, and under noticeable strain, continued in the direction he had been flying before dropping them. He should have been heading south, back into City Center. Instead, he was heading north. Away from Safehaven. Away from Jaina.

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“Hey!” Kal called after him. “What are you doing? What about Jaina!”

It was like calling after a soaring eagle, one that was oblivious to anything or anyone who was bound to the earth beneath their feet. The Godknight just... kept flying.

“Hey! Heeeeey!” Kal screamed, jumping up and down, waving his hands, giving chase. “You have to go back for her! You can’t just leave her there!”

The Godknight got smaller and smaller as he got farther and farther away.

“Son of a bitch!” Kal screamed. “You damned son of a bitch!”

“Kal…” a voice from behind him said softly.

“She saved you!” Kal went on. “Don’t you understand that! She fucking saved your pathetic ass!”

“Kal, the soldiers are coming.” It was Lilly, speaking in whispered urgency. “We have to hurry.”

Kal whirled around on her. Lilly took a surprised step backwards.

“Hey!” Windham said, but didn’t move towards Kal. “Watch it, buster!”

Kal ignored him. “What are you saying, Lilly? We should just leave her? Like the Godknight did? Abandon her?”

“Kal, we have no choice,” the High Elder interjected, moving alongside Lilly. He sounded as desperate as his daughter, but had managed to regain some of his aura of authority. “We’re barely a minute ahead of the soldiers. Listen. Can’t you hear them coming?”

“No!” Kal screamed. “I don’t care! We can’t just leave her. We can’t!”

“There’s no time, Kal,” Lilly said, and began moving at a brisk walk away from him. North, the direction the Godknight had retreated to.

“Ah, let ‘em stay,” Windham said, moving quickly to catch up to Lilly. “We don’t need him.”

Kal’s jaw hung open in shock. Was this really happening? Were they really about to abandon Jaina, who had been utterly broken by the invasion and the death of her fiance, yet had still summoned the courage to risk her life to save the Godknight?

Lilly, the High Elder, and Windham were running now. For once, Lilly was not in the lead, instead staring over her shoulder as she ran, shouting after Kal.

There was no time. It was that simple. There was no time and he was too weak. One, maybe two soldiers, he could handle. But this was an army. Dozens bearing down on him, hundreds not far behind. It would do no good to get captured or killed. No good to him, no good to Jaina.

He started to run, fighting the same sense of shame and failure he had felt when he had allowed himself to be branded in order to save his own life. He was doing it again, sacrificing his ideals, what he believed to be right, to save himself. Whether it made practical sense or not, it still hurt. Still felt wrong. And felt as far away from being a “hero” as could be.

Kal ran, silently vowing to himself that he would not abandon Jaina forever. One way or another, he would return, and find some way to rescue her.

But it would be a very, very long time before Kal saw Jaina again.