Page 56 of Fire in Stone

He flapped his wings, taking off into the air.

Amber dashed through the trees. Her goal clearly was to get away from the armed men. But where was she running? There was nothing for her but more trees, then an open field beyond, with nowhere to hide.

“Amber, stop!” yelled a man in a leather jacket, then ordered sharply, “Get her.”

Two men separated from the group, wading into the creek to cross it.

What would happen to Amber once he left this world?

He had no answer and no time to think of one.

With a swing of a wing, he turned sharply, then dove to the ground, weaving between the trees.

Snatching the running woman off the ground, he swerved up and back toward the disappearing portal.

“Elex, no!” Amber gripped his arms, kicking her feet in the air.

He held her tightly, flying through the shower of bullets and flames shot at them by the humans below.

“Hold your breath!” he shouted.

Wrapping his wings around the woman in his arms, he dove into the pink shimmering mist.

Sixteen

ELEX

Once again, he was plunged into the River of Mists. Only this time, he felt every single sensation of it.

The fresh water of the creek washed over them, but only for a moment or two. Then the soft caress of the mythical mists replaced it. They were suspended in the soft pink glow, carried across from one world to another.

He drew in a breath.

“Hold on, Amber. Hold on to me as tight as you can.”

“Oh God, Elex… Oh, God…” She clung to him, her heart beating wildly against his chest, her voice came in a stutter. She sounded lost and delirious.

Would she ever forgive him for what he’d done?

There was no time to ask for forgiveness, though.

Chill brushed by his skin. The crisp smell of home reached him through the milky current of the River.

“Hold your breath,” he instructed.

The balmy stream of the River of Mists was gone, replaced by a freezing and a far more turbulent current. The thunder of rushing water sounded in his ears. The current churned and twisted, tossing him violently against sharp rocks.

Something jammed into his elbow. Then a sharp edge split his thigh open. Agony laced through his wings, and he jerked them back, hiding them in his body.

Air rushed out of his lungs. He raked his hands through the water, kicking his legs in a desperate search for the surface.

His head broke through. He gasped, sucking in the numbing, cold air in hungry gulps. Steel-gray water churned all around him, foaming with glass-like lace on its surface. The stream fought its way through the high banks on each side. The black rocks were glazed with ice along the water’s edge. Sharp peaks of them jolted out from the turbulent rapids.

Amber!

She was not in his arms.

Panic shot through him. He dove under, searching the stream for her. The freezing cold water numbed his limbs, and he forced the fire in his veins to burn brighter to keep his muscles moving.

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