His grip was relentless, and his legs unfaltering, pulling her from the crew’s cabin. The Andreilian’s stumbled out of their way as Adara and Dominic ran to the forecastle deck. Something fluttered inside her stomach.
He looked back over his shoulder. “I already told you.Home.”
Adara couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face as she let him drag her to the railing.
And leaped right over the edge.
Together, they plummeted toward the sea, blinded underneath the gilding sunlight. Adara relished the fresh air that rippled through her clothes. A whoop full of gaiety bubbled past her lips, the glistening sea approaching fast. Before they could hit the water, Dominic caught the wind, taking flight. Adara sprouted her wings alongside him, gliding over the surface of the sea.
He glanced over at her, eyes so joyful and pure that she mirrored his expression. Mist sprayed in their wake as they soared through the air just above the water, leaving the ship behind, soaring straight for the island only a short distance away. Wind roared in her ears along with the steady beat of her scaled wings spread wide across her back. Adara veered right, gliding over and under Dominic, spiraling in circles as she tested her wings, grateful to not have to hide them anymore.
“Race you!” she shouted over the wind howling in their ears, and launched into the sky, speeding toward Andreilia.
She didn’t need to glance back to know he was following. The roaring crescendo of wind in her ears told her enough. Her wings flapped harder against Dominic’s raging gusts of magic that threatened to slow her down, gaining on her as they soared over the foliage.
The trees shone a vibrant green against the sun’s blazing rays that pierced through the thicket of limbs to illuminate the rich soil and vivid flowers beneath. Giant mushrooms, draped with threads of colorful glowing light, lit the underbrush, with vibrant creatures skittering underneath. The ocean glared brightly beneath them, their shadows dancing in the light’s reflection, rippling with the waves.
Adara couldn’t help but smile as she breathed in the fresh air.Home.
She wondered if her return to Blemythia—if she found a way back—would be just as blissful. Would she be overcome with nostalgia and excitement? Or would the weight of her memories and the prophecy crush her?
A strong gale whipped through the sky, sending Adara careening to the right, spiraling out of control. She let out a yelp, then flared her wings, setting herself right.
“Sorry, love,” Dominic shouted over the roaring wind as he flew past.
The intensity of his speed almost had her sprawling again. She raced after him. He rolled, flying with his back to the ground, hands resting behind his head as if he were casually lying in bed.
“I don’t lose,” he said with a smirk.
Adara scoffed and shot through the clear blue skies after him. Fire crackled between her fingers, a blazing orb growing in her palm. If he wanted to play with magic, she would be happy to oblige. Rearing her arm back, she launched the ball of fire into the air. It exploded into a mass of flames before him. Dominic reared back to avoid the inferno, halting abruptly. It gave her enough time to shoot past him.
He ducked below, a spray of water leaving his hands in his wake to put out the fire. Steam wafted in the air behind them. It didn’t take long for Dominic to sidle up to her again, still drifting through the air on his back.
She gave him a sly smirk, brow arched in amusement. “You’re not the only one with powers, remember?”
He tilted his head back, face aimed skyward with his eyes closed, and drew in a long, exaggerated breath. He breathed in the fresh air like he’d been deprived of it for centuries, like he’d never truly felt the cleanliness of it inside his lungs. Like he’d been living but had never truly feltaliveuntil now. Adara’s lips curled up as she admired him. His tan skin glowed beneath the sun’s gilding rays, casting shadows on the sharp angles of his face. The corners of his lips tilted upward, smirking, as if he knew—even with his eyes closed—that she was eyeing him.
He turned his head to her, features so relaxed, completely at ease with the air despite the fact that his magic could give out any second, given his recent circumstances. Adara was still unsure what had been going on with him, but she didn’t want to ruin such a glorious moment by asking.
Mirroring her cunning expression, Dominic responded, “But I’m the only one with the wind on my side.” He launchedforward, turning back over as he left her in the dust. He glanced back, a triumphant grin breaking out on his face. “See you at the finish line, Phoenix!” he shouted over the distance with a wink as he dove through an open space between the treetops.
Rolling her eyes, she flew after him. With his panoply of powers, she knew he’d beat her, but challenging him was too tempting. Even though she hated losing, a smile graced her features as she trailed behind him, wondering why she’d never seen this side of him before. Hoping it wouldn’t disappear as suddenly as it came.
Moments later, she stood in the middle of the clearing, wings folded neatly behind her as she landed.
“I clearly won,” Dominic stated.
“Obviously,” she admitted with a hand on her hip. “Now what?” She glanced around the empty clearing. Tiny orbs of sunlight bloomed from within the foliage, shining down on the shadows, sensing their presence and drifting throughout their little village in the trees. Even more of the bioluminescent plants had sprouted throughout the island, their azure glow illuminating the wooden walkways and huts in the trees. Bright butterflies and bees flittered around, perching happily on the vibrant flowers. Gods, Adara had missed the magical beauty that was Andreilia, the way the light bloomed in the darkest of shadows, an island overflowing with vibrant life in the middle of the sea of death.
“We wait for the others to anchor the ship and meet them at the beach,” Dominic said. One of those glass-looking spiders slowly descended from a single thread of its web, and Dominic reached a hand out to it.
Adara cringed away as he held it out to her. Its iridescent, bulbous body reflected the glow of vegetation around them, entrancing yet eerie as it took up the expanse of Dominic’s palm.
“It won't hurt you,” he said. Lifting his tunic, Dominic let the spider crawl over his abdomen, where the cut he’d gotten from the pirate attack was. He winced slightly as the spider sank its fangs into the wound. Adara’s eyes widened in awe as the wound started healing.
“Why didn’t you show me this before?” she asked, holding out a hand for the spider to crawl onto her. “We could have taken them with us! Used them to heal us before,” she said enthusiastically.
Its legs were featherlight as it skittered across her stomach, biting into the mottled skin where the lykren had sunk its teeth into her. A rush of magic flooded through her like a drug, making her feel invincible as the lingering pain disappeared.
