Shit, Gilen shifted back into his human form.
In a heightened state of urgency, I broke through the final layers of undergrowth and burst into the open field. I dove, somersaulting forward as I tried to regain my balance. Righting myself, I located my bow and quiver lying in the tall grass.
“Skylar!” Shaw’s voice rang out in warning.
Gilen was right behind me, retaking his roc form once he cleared the forest.I pushed onto my feet, my boots digging into the dirt as I sprinted for my life.
How fast was Gilen able to shift?
I didn’t have to ponder that question for long because, in my next step, I felt a wave of his magic build behind me as he shifted once again.
Gods above, he was powerful. If I weren’t running for my life in a challenge for alpha, I would’ve paused to admire the speed at which he could transition between his two forms. Gilen’s control over his magic was impressive, but then again, so was mine.
I was only three strides away from my silver bow, three lengths from a weapon I knew I could use to win this. Three steps away from—
A massive shadow blocked the moonlight, like something had reached up and extracted the luminous idol from the sky. The deep pounding of golden wings echoed across the field, ringing in my ears like claps of thunder from above, drowning out the rest of the world.
I was so close.
Bending to lean forward, I extended my hand to curl my fingers around the bow and quiver. Just as my hand slid into place, coiling around my salvation in this fight, something else also found its prize.
The wind was knocked out of me as Gilen’s talons clutched me around my middle. The sharp talons encased me in a vice-like grip as he shot upward into the skies, with me in tow. The pressure of his hold dug into my chest, squeezing me tightly as the ground drifted away, my bow and quiver dangling in my outstretched hand.
As Gilen soared into the sky, I watched in horror as the arrows tumbled out of the quiver, skittering across the earth below.
“No!” I rasped as Gilen’s talons attempted to penetrate my chest.
Gilen squawked in protest, hovering as his head tilted down to investigate. With one hand, I held a death grip on my bow as I reached for a dagger with my other.
The honey-colored stare of my childhood best friend was foreign to me. I could see in his eyes that he would not hesitate in this fight. He was ready and willing to kill me. Understanding this, I readied myself and struck true, my blade slicing deep within the golden stare I thought I knew so well.
Gilen roared in pain. The high-pitched howl shattered my eardrums, and I was… Oh Gods, I was falling.
“Ahhh!” I screamed, free-falling through the open sky.
Gods, I wished I had Daxton’s teleporting magic.
This was goingto hurt.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Skylar Cathal
In a panic, I dropped my weapons, desperate to try and slow my descent as I crashed through the canopy.
I reached out to grasp the branches, but I couldn’t manage a firm enough hold to slow me down. A thick branch slammed into my chest, and I was able to grab hold to slow my descent. Still, I tumbled through the treetops, landing with a firm thud on the forest floor.
I lay on the ground for a moment, groaning as I assessed my injuries. Thankfully, the armor of Aegis saved my ass from dying,again. Rolling onto my back, I searched the skies for any sign of golden feathers.
None.
Thank the Gods, I might have bought myself a minute.
Sitting up, I found my bow and dagger lying near the trunk of a large tree off to the side. Favoring my uninjured knee, I crawled across the forest floor, and by the grace of the Gods, my bow appeared to be in pristine condition.
“Lucky break,” I rasped. “Now to find an arrow.”
I knew they likely tumbled into the clearing when Gilen first grabbed me, so I crept to the training field, myeyes searching the area when an ear-shattering scream echoed above.
