Page 108 of Terragnata and the Heir of the Earth

I had seconds, or less, to break the fall or to risk the in-between of the portal.

Terror rippled through me, and I wondered if the impact would be enough to break my Fae body. If Cas would splatter on the rocks.

Green scales appeared beneath me and I had but a moment to register the relief. I parted my legs, and the impact was brutal, reverberating through the fractures of my collarbone. I cried out in triumph and pain as the Dragon swept us forward and up, absorbing our fall to the best of his ability. My palms graspedfamiliar spinal spikes, and we were flying, away from the lost palace.

As we left the chaos behind, I sent a slip of my remaining magic toward that place—for the Fae I’d left there, the Fae to whom I owed my escape.

For Xinlan.

The Dragon dipped his head,making a steep descent to the ocean. As he did, the ship came into focus.

It was only a mile from the coast, but far away enough that the Drakkarian armies would not notice the small, unassuming—and from the smell that began to fill my nostrils—fishing vessel that left the city. The sight of it confirmed what I’d hoped; Ezren had found where Sanah and the crew had been hiding by the docks. From the way the Dragon flew with precision, I could tell Dane spelled him, as he had many times before on reconnaissance missions. A nervous feeling of anticipation swelled in my gut. Upon landing I would find out if they’d located Gia. If Leiya had made it out of the palace.

“How will we land?” I yelled as we neared the vessel at an impressive speed. The cat on my back meowed in distress. I visualized the portal, but it sputtered and pulsed—clarity evading me even more than in the tower. “Shit,” I muttered, gritting my teeth.

“Jump!” a voice on the ship called out.

I prepared to protest, but when I looked down, I saw someone had fastened a fishing net to the masts in a way that one could, conceivably, jump and safely be caught. I shook my head, grumbling, reminding myself to throttle whoever’s idea this was.

The Dragon tilted his wings, and I knew what he meant to do. I reached behind me and swung the Feline to my front, cradling him to my chest with one hand, holding onto the Dragon’s spine with the other. He tilted until he flew with his wings almost fully vertical, cornering around the ship. He got me close enough, and I launched myself out and to the side, turning my body mid-air so that I would land on my back. Seconds later, I hit the fish-scented net and bounced up, Cas nearly flying from my grasp.

A strong-armed Leuffen caught me before I catapulted off the side of the boat and set me on the ground. A small cry left my mouth, and I swung the cat behind me, pulling myself up to the Fae, pressing my head into his chest.

“Terra,” he breathed into my hair, squeezing me back. “Yer alright.”

I looked up at him, beaming. “And you’re alive! Can he land?” I asked, searching the sky for Ezren.

Leuffen winked at me. “Dinna worry, lass. Dane’s spellen’ ‘em.”

The Dragon turned vertical once more, getting even closer to the net than he did before. He shifted mid-air, his warrior body hitting the net with grace. He launched up and landed in a crouch on the deck, as if he’d performed the stunt numerous times.

Leuffen dropped his arms from my sides, and I turned to face the fierce Dragon. He looked straight at me. Even now, the blaze of green eyes sent a pulse through my body.

“Purgo,” Dane cast from across the ship, breathless from the exertion. Ezren stumbled as if struck, and the slits in his eyes subsided.

“Ezren,” I whispered as he strode towards me. “You came ba?—”

He cut me off, wrapping me in his arms, ignoring the passenger slung over my shoulder.

I crumpled into him, exhaling, the gravity of everything that had happened hitting me like a brick I’d dodged for too long. He squeezed me once, and then again so tightly I had the impression he thought I might slip from his arms. “You’re safe,” he breathed.

A moment later, the weight on my back shifted and I heard the sound of claws piercing fabric. The cat plopped onto the ship deck and promptly turned. I detached myself from Ezren to face a sopping, bloody Cas.

“Hello Ezren,” he said coolly, brushing stray debris from his jacket lapel. “Thanks for the ride.”

Ezren tipped his head back at Cas in acknowledgment, and the two of them proceeded to stare at each other in loaded silence.

“Well, I see ye’ve already managed te start a’ cat fight,” Leiya snickered, approaching the deck. “Thes well make fer one helluva’ journey.”

My chest tightened in relief at hearing her voice. Cas glared at Leiya but said nothing.

Gia appeared at Leiya’s side, and my chest tightened further. “You’re alright,” I exhaled, pulling her into me gently, minding the bump that still swelled from her midsection.

Gia gave me a gentle squeeze. “I’m here, Terra.”

A small sense of ease washed over me, clearing my mind. “What journey?” I asked, turning back towards Leiya.

She looked at me with a seriousness that I had not yet seen from her. “Well, Terra, ets time ye get answers, fer all our sakes, and fer the sake a’ Viribrum. Lassie, we are headed te Nebbiolo.”

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