image [https://i.imgur.com/hNnrMRj.png]
Marrak’s throat glowed and Aidan charged. As expected, Marrak’s barrier rose to meet him. But Aidan kept watch on the approaching spark. When he felt the air vibrate, he dashed to the side, slicing through the barrier and sliding behind debris just as the bolt of lightning sizzled overhead.
The bolt struck Marrak’s exposed flank and he howled as his stony hide splintered off. The remaining shards pulsed at his brow, and he roared at Syra as she darted past him.
“I’ve had enough of that!” The shards surged and red light lined his hand. “I’ll just have to make you listen.”
As Syra banked around the tower for a second shot, her outline glowed red.
Shit!
Her throat fizzled out as she diverted her mana to her skin, forcing her own barrier out against Marrak’s. Sparks flew in auroras as the two plasma fields pushed and ground against each other.
Come on! She returned to a straight glide and focused her concentration on boring into a few select points. If I can poke a few holes, maybe the whole thing will shatter.
But the weakened areas only gave Marrak’s hold more grip, and Syra’s back muscles screamed as her wings struggled to rise.
It’s so heavy.
Syra strained against the gravity of Marrak’s pull and her wings lost their lift. Marrak slammed his hand down and Syra fell with a force like an ocean wave behind her, crashing down onto the terrace.
She couldn’t tell which came first, the sound of shattering stone beneath her or the fracturing of bone, but the sound of her scream was certainly the loudest.
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Her head spun and she gasped back her breath in between screams of pain surging from her left wing. She forced her eyes open, squinting against the rain, and whimpered at the crumpled mass lying limp under her.
“Don’t worry, it’ll heal.”
Syra whipped her head around as Marrak’s blurry form came into focus. Cold shot through her body and she heaved herself to her feet, pulling her fractured wing close to her side. Her back spines raised and her frill stood on end. The pain in her wing dulled with each heavy step Marrak took towards her, shaking the stone beneath her and filling her nostrils with her own fearscent. Her whole body shook. It cowered. Like the rabbits she loved to hunt. Rabbits that ran.
I need to run. Her eyes darted from Marrak to the terrace edges. But where? The closest ledge is feet away–two steps and he’ll have me. And Aidan! Shit, where’s Ai–
“Run!” Dashing out from behind the debris, Aidan drew the glowing blade against Marrak’s unguarded side. Steam trailed behind him as the layers of stone raged red and peeled away from the blade. Finally, steel met flesh and Marrak shrieked.
“Go now!” Aidan called Syra out of her stupor.
Marrak’s gaze snapped to Aidan who bolted for the ledge opposite Syra.
Seeing Marrak distracted, Syra dashed for the ledge. She surged mana into her injured wing, urging it to heal as it slowly unfurled. She winced against the dulling ache but kept her gaze on the ledge.
Over and up.
Clambered over the guard wall, she dove off the side. Her wings caught the air and she swooped skyward. But her left wing quickly faltered from the strain, and she dipped left, rounding back towards the tower.
No, come on! I need you to work. She focused on the ache by her shoulder, then the throbbing down her wing, to the sharp pinch at the third digit. There it is. Using the pain to guide the mana flow, her wing gradually stiffened and she righted herself just in time to buzz the tower.
She scanned the terrace for Aidan, but saw no sign of him. Or Marrak.
Shit. Where’d he–
Searing light bore down on her as a wave of heat caught her right wing. She squealed and banked a hard left, craning her head upwards. Smoke stung Syra’s eyes and Marrak’s shadow dove. She barely glimpsed the hooked talons before they slammed the breath from her lungs.