Page 107 of Wings of Ash & Flame
“Bank left!” Alaire shouted. Solflara veered sharply, dodging the first barrage. Alaire pressed low into her feathers, the sudden drop making her head spin and muscles quake.
She pumped a fist in the air. “Try and keep up, you fowl-bladed contraptions!”
The constructs split into two groups, closing in from either side.Oh, they’re learning. Fantastic.
Solflara’s plumage flared as her body ignited in a brilliant blaze. She unleashed a current of fire at both groups.
Blinding light forced them to scatter, their metal spears melting midair and clattering to the ground below.
“You want a piece of this?” Alaire taunted. “Come and get it! Plenty more where that came from.”
Being burned to a crisp didn’t deter them. The constructs regrouped into a single swarm, their high-frequency buzzing piercing Alaire’s ears. Then their eyes glowed crimson as they split into four smaller squadrons. She’d never seen a simulation adapt like this.
Alaire leaned forward like a jockey. Solflara, catching her intent, launched upward in a tight corkscrew. Daring a glance back, Alaire saw the constructs faltering against the rapid ascent but still in pursuit.
Her stomach clenched as she pressed closer to Solflara, focusing on the rhythm of her wings and the flames trailing each beat. From the ground, they’d look like a butterfly with wings of fire.
Solflara dove into a bank of clouds and hovered, minimizing movement. Alaire tucked her face into the crook of her arms, the condensation freezing against her chafed skin. When the mist thinned, the constructs had flown ahead, searching for them.
“Crafty,Solf.”
“Insulted that you think my capabilities are limited to what your plain professors have taught,” Solflara said, her voice dripping with mock offense down the bond. “Watch and learn.”
Two clicks away, another checkpoint flag marked the mouth of a silver-stone canyon.Pleasetell me we don’t have to fly through that.
Solflara banked sharply and dove.
“Persistent little bastards,” Alaire muttered. She couldn’t see them, but the faint buzz closed in from every direction.
The phoenix’s flames illuminated the canyon as they wove through its tight twists and turns, every bit of their trainingput to the test. Alaire was suddenly grateful for all those early mornings Solflara had dragged her from bed.
But the canyon narrowed, stone walls pressing closer until barely enough space remained for Solflara’s wingspan. Muscles trembled beneath Alaire’s grip as her phoenix strained to maintain speed. Solflara squawked, drawing her attention forward.
The exit was a keyhole—no more than a sliver between two ridges of silver rock.
Lovely.
Solflara’s neck stiffened. Alaire’s breath came shallow and ragged; she couldn’t reach the breathbind reliquary, not in this position. Feathers scraped stone, leaving blackened scorch marks.
“Hang on tight,” Solflara commanded, voice taut.
Time slowed. The phoenix rotated smoothly onto her side, feathers slicing rock. The stone sizzled and dripped like molten lava. Alaire pushed forward, clinging to Solflara’s neck as one wing cut skyward, the other angled toward the abyss below.
With a powerful thrust, Solflara rolled free of the canyon and into open air.
Alaire fumbled for her breathbind reliquary and took a deep inhale, relief flooding her chest—followed quickly by mortification. She was supposed to be Solflara’s rider, yet here she was, useless.Absolutely fucking useless when she needs me most.She dragged a hand down her face.What if this costs us the trial?
“Are you alright?”
“Thanks to you.I shouldn’t have…my body couldn’t…”
“There is no need to explain.I chose you,knowing exactly who you are,Alaire.We lift each other up in times of hardship.”
Alaire bit her lip but managed a nod. “I’m not good at feeling so helpless.”
“True strength is not about never faltering.It’s about rising again when you do.You are a Vallorian.We rise.”
Alaire sent a wave of gratitude down their bond.
