The power emanating from Gilen was stronger than I remembered. In his short span as alpha, he’d fully grown into his magic, rising far above what his father,Alistar, could ever muster. In less time than it took to blink, he shifted into his roc.
“Gods above.” I gasped, swallowing heavily. “He’s bigger than Iremember.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Skylar Cathal
The golden gaze of the massive roc blazed with fury.
Gilen moved so fast I narrowly dodged being snapped in two, leaping to the right and rolling into a balanced crouched position near the tree line.My knee buckled underneath me, but I gritted my teeth, ignoring the sting of pain, willing it to stay in one piece.
Shit, where did I leave my bow?
I spun, trying to locate my weapon, but Gilen lashed out before I had time to find it. His deadly, sharpened beak cracked inches above my neck as I avoided another assault. My pulse raced as my animal surged within me, feeling the depth of Gilen’s power and fighting back against his will.
“Submit!” Gilen called out.
His command struck me like monstrous waves colliding against the sea cliffs. The force of it alone caused other shifters in the surrounding area to take a knee or drop their heads in a submissive stance.
He was trying to force me into submission, but it would never work.
Pivoting on the balls of my feet, I sprinted toward the safety of the forest at a hobbled run, heading toward acluster of thick brush along the eastern area of the training field.
I dove headfirst into the mass of vegetation, towering trees providing a layer of protection from overhead, using one of Gilen’s strengths to my advantage.
I heard his roc’s song of frustration skitter across the ferns and brush that encased me. The thick cottonwoods prevented him from scooping me up with his talons. He was too large to fit between the trees. I scurried through the shrubbery, trying to steal a second from his hunt to locate my bow on the training field.
I was a gods-damned moron for thinking it was a good idea to take it off in the first place.
A low vibration began creeping along my senses. The melody of drums… No, correction, it was the pounding of massive wings resonating overhead.
I peered into the sky, searching for Gilen. The thundering of his wingbeats physically took me aback, each powerful flap of golden feathers causing the surrounding foliage to bend to his presence.
I swallowed heavily as I tried to remain calm. Imagining the three-foot talons sharpened to dangerous points didnothelp. More lethal than a sword or the dagger that I had strapped to my side.
The robust branches overhead created a protective barrier, but I knew it wouldn’t be long until he found an opening. I had seconds, possibly minutes, to figure out a plan.
I needed to find my bow.
“Where the… Ah-ha!” I exclaimed, locating my prize in the clearing. “There you—”
My timeline was shorter than I thought.
Gilen utilized his speed from a free fall and the strength of his armored feathers to break through. The cracking sound of branches followed the body of a massive roc barreling through the treetops.
I was cornered.
Thankfully, two strong cottonwoods with a diameter wider than I was tall stood between us. Gilen reached his head through the barrier and screamed at me. His beak snapped at my heels as I began crawling through the brush.
“Gods,” I cursed with a groan. “Not devil’s club.”
Not only were the stems covered in noxious, irritating spines, but the large palm leaves were as well. Still, I pushed on, crawling to the northern end of the field where my bow lay in wait next to the alpha dagger.
I could hear Gilen crashing through the trees behind me. He was deadly and graceful in the skies in his roc form, but here on land and in the thick brush, he was at a disadvantage.
Seeing the clearing come into view, I surged onward.My exposed skin was irritated from the thorns, but thankfully, my stubbornness didn’t allow it to slow me down.
A rush of magic exploded behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I could no longer see the golden feathers of the roc buried within the trees.
