How do you know that?
Bray, his thunderbird, speaks to me.
I glanced across at Garrit in the distance to our right.So what now?
Enjoy the ride, Leela.
I could do that. He dipped, and I let out a whoop as we cut through the clouds only to find more clouds below. We were so high up that the earth was hidden beneath layers of atmosphere. Garrit was gone, left behind above us.
I relaxed, enjoying the freedom of being airborne. The breaks in the clouds below allowed me glimpses of the earth. A lush forest. A winding river. A field swaying with long grasses.
Sudden movement to my left had my head whipping around.
Garrit’s thunderbird swooped right at us.
Pakshiraj banked right sharply, his body angling at ninety degrees. I lost grip with my thighs and swung free of my perch. My shocked cry was torn away by the wind. I managed to keep hold of his golden feathers, arms straining as I scrambled to find my seat again.
Pakshiraj leveled off, and I managed to settle into the ridge behind his neck and flop forward, my chest pressed to his feathers, heart fit to burst from my chest.
You’re all right, child. You’re safe. But let this be a lesson. Never relax completely when riding.
You knew he was going to do that?
Yes. Not exactly when, but yes…
I’d failed this test, but I’d learned a valuable lesson. I would not let my guard down in the air again.Okay, I get it. No relaxing when riding. Check. Next time I’ll?—
Pakshiraj let out a shrill shriek, suddenly tipping upward at a hundred and eighty-degree angle.
I bit back a cry and flattened myself against his back, clinging on for dear life.
Hold on!He banked left suddenly.
Is this another test?
No. We are being attacked.
Attacked by what?I wanted to sit up and look, but I couldn’t risk it.Pakshiraj, who is attacking us?
Ilara.His tone was low, filled with sorrow.Araz’s mount.
What? Why?
I do not know. Hold.He banked right then dipped.
My stomach dropped, and I held on, blood thundering in my head. Why would Araz’s thunderbird attack me?
Pakshiraj leveled out.It is done. She has been apprehended by the sentinel.
I sat up slowly and looked over my shoulder to where Ilara flew, flanked by two other birds. A third soared above her and a fourth below. A vivid blue shimmer stretched between them, surrounding her.
What is that blue stuff?
The sentinel have activated a Grasp, a powerful shield that can only be cast by unified will.
He swerved left, and a moment later, Garrit appeared parallel to us.
Lesson is over. We go back to roost.
