“It’s more ‘glide’ than ‘fly.’ And the trajectory will be downward.” Zera mimed their descent with wiggling fingers. “They’re designed for travel between closer-together, less sheer peaks. You know, places where civilized peoplewantto go.”
Kreya looked out the window at the mist below, too wide a span to cross without lift to keep them airborne. Swirling, the mist looked as if it wanted to swallow them whole. “Can we climb? How many steadiness talismans do you have?”
“Plenty at home. Not enough here.”
“That was stupid.”
“You’re lucky I brought any at all! I’d planned to save you from danger; I wasn’t anticipating a cross-country quest to defile remains.”
Kreya wasted no more time. Gathering up what she’d need, she secured it all in her pack. Beside her, Zera did the same. After that, it was a matter of waiting. And hoping.
“Come on,” Kreya whispered to the crawler as it lurched along. “Just a little farther.”
“Does talking to it help?”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
Leaning until her lips were almost pressed against the metal, Zera crooned, “That’s a good crawler. You can do it. I believe in you!”
She looked and sounded so ridiculous that Kreya laughed.
Zera broke off talking to the crawler. “You started it.”
“True. But I’ve been living like a hermit for the last twenty-five years, with only brief respites. I’m supposed to talk to all sorts of inanimate objects by now. You just look absurd.”
Spasming, the crawler jerked backward, and Zera shrieked.Her heart pounding, Kreya squeezed the talisman harder. The bone dug into her palm.Please, hold on a little longer,Kreya thought. She could see the end of the cliff in sight: trees and a walkable slope. If they could just reach it, then she could fix—
She heard the bone crack.
Such a little sound.
And then a cascade of pebbles down the rock face as the first leg broke away from the cliff. “Get outside,” Kreya said. “Now. If we’re separated, three sharp whistles.”
“Like the old days. Yay. You know, I didn’t miss the mortal danger part of knowing you.” Zera shoveled several more items into her pack and then tied it shut. She hoisted her pack onto her back.
Outside, a louder cascade, as the second leg lost its grip.
“Go,” Kreya ordered as she pushed Zera toward the door.
Zera climbed outside. The crawler shook as the weight shifted inside—and the third leg snapped off. Kreya grabbed the wall as the crawler jerked downward. She heard Zera scream.
“Status!” Kreya barked as she got her balance back. She gingerly inched toward the hatch, trying to avoid any sudden shifts that could dislodge the crawler.
“Not dead!”
“Then fly!”
“Not without you!” Zera shouted. “Get your ass out here!”
Kreya launched herself out the door as the fourth leg peeled off the cliff. She grabbed Zera’s extended hand as the crawler lost its grip—the other legs snapped off the rock, and the spider began to tumble. Kreya’s hand slipped out of Zera’s.
Out of instinct, she clutched one of the legs. The crawler somersaulted. She clung to the leg and saw the cliff, sky, mountain peaks, and mist all flash by as she spun. Her stomach lurchedinto her throat. But she steeled herself and brought the flight talisman to her lips. She held it tight in her hand as the crawler rolled.Not yet...If she released at the wrong time, she risked hitting her head on one of the many legs.One minute more...Sky, cliff, mist...
Now!
“Renari!”
She felt a lightness flood through her, as if the wind were within her, raising her up, and she released the crawler. It tumbled down the cliff below her as she glided above.
