22. Willow #2
Nyx pauses mid-air, his eyes widening in shock as he catches sight of the gaping mouth heading right for him.
Just before he’s snapped up, Nyx pulls his wings tight to his body, dropping like a stone in the same way Rhune had moments ago.
He halts his descent just before he touches the ground, his turquoise wings beautiful and defiant as they beat the air, holding him aloft in the face of the terrifying ice wyrm.
“Over here, ugly!” His expression twists in concentration as he holds his hands palm-out toward the creature, sending an invisible blast of magical energy directly at its fleshy underbelly.
The ice wyrm screams, its body writhing in pain while it swings its head around wildly, desperate to deliver some kind of blow. The scream pouring from the creature’s throat is heartbreaking, and I have to remind myself that it would have devoured Nyx if he did not attack it.
“Take Willow!” Nyx roars, sending another blast of magic at the wyrm. “I’m right behind you!”
Not needing to be told twice, Rhune tightens his grip and flies us into the mouth of the tunnel. Wings beating fast, we travel the natural curve toward the surface, Rhune’s heart beating rapidly against my ear.
We breach the surface, shooting skyward. I turn back, taking in the distinct figures of Nyx and a Kevin-wrangling Dravik following close at our heels, and I can finally take a breath.
I do have to close my eyes, though. Even with the raging storm, the light from the silver sun is far too jarring, and as much as I want, I can’t keep them open.
Suddenly, Rhune stops his ascent, his powerful wings holding him aloft high above any potential danger.
Dravik glides through the air toward me and Rhune, Kevin clutched tightly in his arms. Kevin’s alpaca shirt is tattered in places, but it looks like both Dravik and Kevin are mostly unharmed—and that’s all that matters.
The same can thankfully be said for Nyx, who only has a small gash on his wing from his battle with the ice wyrm.
“Anyone see Cin?” Dravik asks, looking at each of his brothers.
“You were the last one out. I didn’t see anyone ahead of me,” Rhune says, his face twisting with worry.
With my heart in my throat, I turn my gaze downward. From this distance, I’m just able to make out the mouth of the tunnel through the violent flurries, and my stomach lurches as I watch the exit caving in on all sides.
Just before the tunnel collapses, there’s a deep roar from under the ice, and a powerful blast of magic blows the ground wide open, sending chunks of ice-rock exploding in all directions.
Through the dust and wreckage, a gray figure shoots skyward, his wings curled tight around his body as he sails toward the sun like a bullet.
Cin…
Suddenly, he stops his ascent, hovering in one place as he releases a terrifying roar into the heavens. His wings beat the air once, twice, and he takes off in the direction of the frozen forest in the distance.
“Well… that can’t be good,” Nyx says, his voice barely audible over the raging storm. He stares at the disappearing gray speck with a troubled expression, shoulders tense and wings spread in preparation. “Should we go after him?”
Dravik looks toward the caved-in tunnel, to Cin, and then at the shivering human in Rhune’s arms. “Willow won’t survive long out here. We need to find her shelter.”
Another ice wyrm roars underground, and they all instinctively flinch, muscles tensing in preparation for another fight. When no more skyscraper-sized worms try to attack us, the demons relax slightly, though they never take their eyes off the collapsed tunnel.
“You need to find her shelter,” Dravik orders, pointing toward a grouping of tall white cliffs in the distance. “The caves should be good enough until we can find a more permanent place. I’ll go after Cin.”
“Are you sure you can handle him yourself?” Nyx asks. “He didn’t seem very friendly.”
Dravik grunts, his jaw setting in a glare. “I’ll be fine. Plus, I need you to carry Kevin. Bastard has gotten way too heavy.”
Dravik hands Kevin off to Nyx, then turns his gaze toward the frozen forest—where Cin is heading. “You’ll keep her safe?” he asks, not looking back.
“You know we will,” Nyx says.
Dravik nods, casting a fleeting look back at me before tearing off in the direction of the forest. Then with one last glance at our ruined home, the three of us head toward the cliffs.
I shiver, pressing deeper against Rhune in a desperate attempt to steal some of his warmth. The sun might be bright, but it doesn’t do anything to fend off the bone-chilling cold.
“Just hold on a little longer, Willow. We’re almost to safety.”
Another shiver wracks my body, and I press my face deep into Rhune’s chest, trying my best to focus on warm thoughts.
When I sense us floating to the ground, I’m brave enough to open my eyes. We’re standing in a darkened cave, and though the wind chill is gone, it’s still frigid.
“A-are w-we s-safe h-here?” I ask, my breath puffing out in a thick cloud of vapor.
“We should be,” Rhune says. “At least, until we find a better spot. Somewhere you can truly be warm.” His wings curl around my body protectively, and to my great satisfaction, it stops some of my body heat from escaping.
“Mm. That’s nice.” I lean my head back against his chest, suddenly finding it hard to keep my eyes open. Not now. It is so not the time for a nap.
“Willow? Are you okay?”
“Hm? Yes. Yes, of course.” I blink hard, focusing on Rhune’s concerned expression. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Your eyes…” He shakes his head, forcing his mouth into a smile. “I just like looking at you. What’s so wrong with that?”
Before I can question him further, a fluttering sound above pulls my attention away. Nyx soars through the mouth of the cave, his mouth pressed in a thin line as he lowers his body to the ground.
“Willow. Are you okay?” After placing Kevin on the ground, he rushes over, taking my face in his large palms and turning my head side to side as he checks for injuries. “Your skin is frigid.”
“It’s not so bad. Rhune is keeping me warm.”
He shakes his head softly. “We need to get you to a better shelter. As soon as Dravik comes back with Cin, we’ll go looking for one.”
“Sounds fantastic,” I murmur.
We move to the back of the cave, and Rhune and Nyx curl around me, trying their best to keep me off the ground and as warm as possible. Meanwhile Kevin curls up in my lap, his dense fur acting like a kind of thermal blanket.
“Better?” Rhune asks, running his warm palm up and down my back.
“A little,” I admit, snuggling deeper into his side. “You’re nice and warm.”
“Take all of the warmth you need, lovely,” Nyx says, wrapping his wing tighter around me and Rhune. “Take all of it and then some.”
I nod, struggling to keep my eyes open now that I’m not actively freezing to death. Then again, doesn’t hypothermia make you sleepy? Still, a nap sounds so good…
As I drift off, I have a strange dream about Rhune and Nyx, and I don’t know what to make of it.
“What do you think it means?” Rhune asks.
“I don’t know… it’s troubling. The wyrms haven’t come to the surface since…”
“Since this world was created.”
“Yes,” Nyx whispers. “That’s what bothers me.”
Rhune’s body trembles slightly. “Do you think it has something to do with… her? All of this strange stuff only started happening when I brought her here…”
“Maybe… but I think that’s just a coincidence. She’s just a human, after all.”
Rhune whines. “But, we were able to bond. She can’t be a human.”
“I don’t know what she is if she’s not human. I haven’t seen a single sign that she possesses even a morsel of demon blood.”
“Then… What is she?”
“I’m afraid to say, Rhune. I really am.”
As the last syllable falls from his lips, I can’t hold on any longer. I slip into nothingness.