As she stared at the snow-covered ground as it closed in beyond the point of Six’s scarred beak, Ezer thought …
Do it afraid.
And she did.
For herself, she did.
PART IV
THE ASSASSIN
36
The Expanse was harrowing from above.
Fitting, Ezer supposed, for a killing field.
She directed Six to the bottom of the cliff face. The towering black Snow Gates rippled with gold, the last remnants of the wards that surrounded Augaurde.
Six’s wings shot out from her sides at Ezer’s touch, and the drop became a bank, Six’s paws kicking up the snow as she just barely clipped the surface.
Climb, Six,Ezer thought, and the raphon’s wings fell into a glorious, steady rhythm as she caught the wind like it was an old, trusted friend. The wardlight rippled as they passed through.
And they were out.
Away from the Citadel, so fast she wondered why she’d feared this flight at all.
The sky was agloriousplace for a woman with wings.
‘Gods,’ Kinlear breathed as they rose steadily, away from the snow and the frozen chasms, away from the tracks of countless soldiers marching north. ‘That was …’
‘Incredible,’Ezer breathed.
And then she did something she thought she’d never do.
She threw her arms into the sky.
And screamed in delight.
Kinlear laughed behind her, the sound so joyful she knew he felt it, too.
Freedom.
The greatest gift they’d ever been given. Because of Six.
Hours ago, this very same sky was full of magic and shadows, darksouls and Sacred riders clashing. But in daylight, it was calm.
It felt like a reset, to know the daylight would not wane for three days.
It was as if the gods had chased night away.
It was almost quiet, were it not for the wind ruffling through Six’s feathers, a lovely sound she’d always appreciated from the incoming birds each time they landed in her tower.
Six dipped to the right as a gust of wind came through, offering them a glimpse of the view beneath her wings.
Ezer’s stomach flipped, but she held fast to Six’s feathers, trusting the raphon to hold steady. To never let her fall … or at least catch her if she did.
The frozen fog that covered the Expanse was lighter today, so Ezer could see the body collectors were already out as they soared over. Through the snow muddling her vision, she could see splashes of crimson and black, and large outlines that marked the fallen beasts.
