Breath fills my lungs again when I realize what’s happening.
I’m beingsaved.
Spreading its talons, my savior drops me on stable ground at the top of the gorge, and I land on my back with a grunt. Finally able to get a good look at the creature, I see it’s an oversize hawk with brown feathers and a sharp yellow beak. It circles above, cawing loudly, before landing near me.
It squawks again, only this time it sounds pained. Skin squelches and bones crunch like they’re being worked through a grinder. I can’t look away as the bird transforms, wings shifting into arms, beak diminishing to form a mouth and nose. It’s turning into a familiar man with a full head of hair and the eyes of a lion.
Naked, Kelrean writhes on the ground with roars that sound as deep and ferocious as the king of the beasts. He’s in pure agony, his claws digging into the dirt, bones cracking even more until, finally, the cries stop, and he settles on his stomach.
“Kelrean,” I whisper, crawling to him.
He struggles to open his eyes. “Zaira. My favorite mortal.”
A weak smile spreads across my lips as I reach for his hand. “You saved me.”
He smiles, too. “Don’t mention it.”
I help him stand up.
Algar hobbles toward us while pulling a robe out of his bag. “Good grief! Put that thing away!” He tosses the robe to Kelrean.
Kelrean catches it right before it can slip out of his fingers. “Did you steal this from the castle?” he asks through labored breaths.
“Of course not,” Algar says.
Kelrean points to the emblem engraved on the chest with his lips pressed together.
“Okay, fine! I did. There were three more in the wardrobe! You all can spare at least one.”
I can’t stop myself from looking at the “thing” Algar’s talking about as Kelrean slips into the robe. The prince is… Well, let’s just say I understand why he’s so confident in who he is. There is absolutelynothinglacking in size there.
I turn away, giving him some privacy.
Zephra flaps above Algar as he moves toward me. “Zaira, are you okay?” he asks.
“I’m okay. Where are Thane and Rynthea?”
Algar looks at me, then at Kelrean, who is busy tying the robe at his waist. We bolt toward the cliff. As we approach, I spot a dark figure below. Thane clings to a ridge at the bottom of the gorge, barely hanging on. Water splashes over his head, trying to drag him down. Rynthea is only a few feet higher than him on the same ledge she fell on, still unconscious.
I look to my left at the vines clinging to the boulders before running to pry some off. Algar assists me until we have several in hand.
“Help me knot these,” I say hurriedly, tying the vines together with my blistered, bloody hands. It hurts so much, but it has to be done.
Thane is going to fall. I can see his grip slipping.
All the other assassins are gone, likely taken by the rapids or dead on the opposite side. And just as I suspected, Thane hollers before being pulled underwater.
“This way!” I run along the edge of the cliff as fast as I can, watching Thane get dragged through the rapids. I hoped this would be my only concern, but of course my life is never that easy. The rapids end at a waterfall.
A steep,steepwaterfall.
His body slams into boulders and sharp edges of the gorge. I see his head hit one of the rocks before lolling a bit, but he remains conscious, using every bit of energy to stay above the surface. Miraculously, he catches onto a slim stone outcropping in the water. He sputters, wiping his eyes before looking up at me. I slide down one of the ridges, keeping myself steady on a ledge.
I hold up the vine in both my hands, hoping he’ll understand what I’m trying to say. As if he does, he nods, and I toss the vine in his direction. A gold hoop wraps around the end of the vine like a lasso and tugs me forward an inch. I pull backward against it, digging my heels into the ground.
“Algar! Help me pull!” I call.
Algar joins me on the ledge and tugs. The strain is enough to hurt my shoulders, and my palms are so raw and burning, but I keep pulling, finding relief the closer Thane comes to the gorge wall.
