Chapter 20
Calypsta
Somewhere in the Jungle
The narrow trail sloped sharply downward, zigzagging through rocky terrain that required careful navigation around jagged stones and uneven outcrops. The canopy thinned, revealing wide patches of azure-blue sky and hazy clouds.
A loud shriek pierced the air. Kendra shielded her eyes from the blinding sunlight and saw several of those menacing winged creatures circling high in the sky. “Oh no. They are back.”
"They have been following us for a while."
Well, that was not comforting. Not at all. Quite the exact opposite, in fact. She glanced at the raptor-ish creatures and felt a wave of trepidation slither down her spine.
The trail reached a blind curve. The ground was so rocky and uneven, Kendra was forced to focus on her steps to avoid twisting her ankle.
When she finally looked up, it was just in time for her nose to smash into the brick wall of Reyne’s back. Why had he stopped? The question died on her tongue when she realized what halted him dead in his tracks.
Kendra almost dropped to her knees, gasping in horror at the sight.
A suspended footbridge, its center sagging under its own weight, spanned a deep gorge blanketed with lush vegetation clinging to the rocky walls on both sides.
The bridge was secured by two tall stone pillars anchoring each end, their vine-covered surfaces bearing silent witness to the structure's considerable age.
A gurgling melody echoed through the gorge, but the river below was shrouded in a hazy mist that concealed its depth.
Although the bridge had weathered centuries, it appeared rather sturdy. The thick metal cables that were anchored to the pillars appeared strong. Thinner cables were woven between the upper and lower ones to support the deck. Only a couple of planks were missing.
Finally able to tear her gaze from the horrifying sight, Kendra noticed what appeared to be a sign hidden behind creeping vines and years of grime. “Reyne, look.” Kendra pointed towards the pillar. “It’s a sign or maybe a message?”
After swiping the sweat from his brow with his forearm, Reyne ripped away vines clinging to the stone, revealing words written in an ancient Calysptian. “I can speak the ancient language, but I can't read it. Can you?”
She nodded, although she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know what it said. She brushed away more dirt, her fingers skimming across the ancient text.
Uwa?aj na jastrz?bie.
It took a moment to translate the words. She swallowed a lump that lodged in her throat. “Beware the gryphons.”
“Gryphons? Are you certain you have the correct translation?”
“Of course, I’m certain.” She shot him a look of annoyance and pointed at the sign. Beneath the dire warning was the unmistakable image of a raptor in flight. “And those…” Her gaze shifted to the sky, her chin pointing towards a pair of massive raptors circling above. “Are the gryphons.”
As if on cue, one let out a fierce screech just before a frenzied commotion broke out in the sky above them. Two gryphons were engaged in a mid-air skirmish over something furry clutched in razor sharp talons. Several more frantic screeches sounded in rapid succession.
A beat later, a carcass fell from the sky and thumped the ground with a splat directly in front of them.
They stood, side by side, in shocked silence.
Kendra's eyes widened at the half-eaten fur-covered animal. One limb was completely gone, torn from its body by the root. One eye had been plucked out, leaving a gaping hole, the other dangling from the end of a slimy tendon. Bloody entrails spewed from a gaping slash across its furry belly.
It was the most grotesque thing she had ever seen.
“Well, if you are tired of jerky, we can…you know…” He left the statement open for interpretation while he nudged the half-eaten carcass with the tip of his boot. It jiggled.
She gagged and threw a hand over her mouth. “Ewe. Stop now, or I will retch. And I promise if I do, it will be on your boots.”
Reyne laughed. After a swift kick, the mangled carcass disappeared into the ravine. A circling gryphon tucked its wings and dove straight into the mist below the bridge to retrieve an easy meal. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
Kendra shot Reyne a look that suggested he was crazy. “I’m not crossing that bridge.” She backed away, then stumbled on a protruding root and fell on her backside. She sat there on the ground and shook her head.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have much of a choice.” Reyne offered her his hand.
Kendra dug her nails into the soil, letting her fingers clutch the exposed root. If he dared reach for her, his shin would feel the brunt of her heel. She wasn’t crossing that bridge.
No. Fucking. Way.
He regarded her intently for a moment. His pack fell to the ground with a dull thud. He yanked the dagger from his boot and thrust it into the earth beside her thigh.
She jumped, startled.
“If something happens to me,” he explained. “You will need this to protect yourself.”
She glanced first at the hilt protruding from the earth and back to his serious expression. “Reyne, what are you doing?”
“Putting your fears to rest.” He strode between the pillars and stepped onto the foot-bridge.
“Reyne, no.” Kendra sprinted to the pillar, leaning her forearms against it for support. She watched in mute horror as he kept moving forward. When he reached the dipping center, Reyne jumped several times.
The foot-bridge swayed beneath him, but he didn’t fall to his death. Nor did he get attacked by the hovering gryphons. Kendra released her breath and stepped away from the pillar.
“See. It’s perfectly safe.” Reyne returned to her side. “Nothing to fear. Nothing at all.”
Another gryphon let loose a fierce shriek.
“It’s not just the bridge I fear,” she attempted to explain as a nervous tremor ran through her body. “It’s also those creatures...the gryphons. What if they attack us?”
Reyne shrugged into the backpack and slid his dagger into his boot. He yanked a pistol from the holster under his arm, cocked it into firing position, then slid it back home. “We have weapons.”
They had weapons. Great. Kendra still refused to budge. Even if they didn't get attacked as she feared, the mere thought of crossing that bridge made her feet tingle and her pulse race.
“There is no shame in being afraid of heights.” His hand reached for her palm, his lean fingers entwining with hers. She felt a warm, reassuring squeeze. “It’s going to be alright. I promise.”
Her heart leapt at his unexpected gesture.
She wasn’t expecting that from him. Force?
Yes. Comfort? Hell no. But for the first time since her abduction, Kendra didn’t flinch or try to yank away from his touch.
For some unfathomable reason, the feel of Reyne’s strong hand gripping hers lent her courage.
With a deep, steadying breath, she acquiesced.
“Alright. Let’s do this quickly. Before I change my mind. ”
He nodded and led her between the stone pillars.
She grasped both cords on either side of the bridge. Her heartbeat ramped up the moment her feet encountered the first plank. Nauseousness crept up her throat and she had to fight the instinctive urge to turn around.
“You can do this, dragostea mea.” His soft whisper caressed her nape, his voice calm and soothing. A pair of strong palms settled heavy on her hip bones. “Take it one step at a time. Keep looking forward, focus on a pillar, and whatever you do, don’t look down.”
A humorless laugh escaped her. Only a fool would look down. Clutching the metal cords with sweaty palms, she took another tentative step, and then another. Doing her best to ignore the jarring movement beneath her feet, she continued her gradual pace toward the dip in the center.
Focus on the pillars and the safety they offer.
“There is a missing plank coming up,” Reyne cautioned. “You need to take a large step forward.”
She inhaled and took a long step. When the bridge began to sway a bit more, a tingle zipped up her leg, to her thigh. A wave of dizziness made her sway. She grasped the cords so tight her knuckles turned white.
“You are doing great,” Reyne reassured her as he gave her waist a supportive squeeze. “Almost halfway.”
“Why are you not afraid?” She asked, wondering how he could remain so calm, so in control when fear threatened to choke her.
“Who says I’m not?”
Her lips almost tugged into a smile—almost. The wretch was teasing, his tone subtly amused. “This isn’t the time for your misplaced humor.”
“Ah, but I disagree, Princess," he chuckled. "This is the perfect time for misplaced humor.”
A salty retort died on her tongue when she realized that her fears had begun to subside. His mirth was helping.
A vicious shriek split the air.
She froze. The gryphon seemed close. Or was it more than one?
Focus on the pillars and the safety they offer.
Kendra screamed in terror as a gryphon landed on her point of focus, its razor-sharp talons gripping the stone for support. With its head tilted and curved dark beak open, the creature spread its massive, blue-tinged wings wide while tracking them with glowing golden-yellow eyes.
The terrifying winged creature blocked their only escape. A second gryphon swooped towards them, then stalled mid-flight while flapping above them with powerful beats.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
Reyne knocked her forward.
She fell onto the planks so hard that the breath left her lungs with a whoosh. His body covered her like a protective shield. Lying face down on the bridge, Kendra could see through the space where a plank should have been.
She looked down.
An instant mistake.
Another scream rent the air as she watched a gryphon spread it wings and soar beneath the bridge with graceful ease.
Gryphons were everywhere. How many now, she didn’t know.
“When I say go, go. I need you to get to safety as fast as you can.” Reyne commanded with a sharp bark. “Run. Crawl. Whatever it takes.”
Despite the surge of fear-fueled adrenaline, Kendra felt paralyzed and doubted she could move, let alone crawl. Running seemed impossible. Reyne moved away and she heard several pistol shots. The creature on the pillar jolted from a direct hit to its wing.
The menacing creature leapt from its perch with an injured-sounding screech and dove into the mist-shrouded ravine.
Kendra’s brief relief faded as she heard the beat of flapping wings, and a wispy breeze brushed her skin.
She glanced back, a scream trapped in her throat as the predator swooped toward Reyne, wings cutting through the air and talons poised like shining blades.
She watched in mute horror as razor sharp claws pierced Reyne’s flesh with ease, holding his shoulder in a vice-like embrace. Reyne managed to anchor himself to the cords and held tight, despite the winged creature’s fierce determination.
“Watch your arm.” Kendra's blaring warning echoed throughout the deep gorge. If the creature’s talon moved further left, he could die. Would die.
Reyne aimed the pistol at the raptor’s breast and then let loose a savage curse when the weapon failed to fire.
“Fuck.” He tossed the useless gun into the ravine and yanked the dagger from his boot.
Wielding the blade with skillful ease, he slashed the edge across the bird's scaly leg.
The raptor released its deadly grip with an ear-splitting screech and flew into the sky.
"Kendra, go. Now."
Fear for Reyne provided all the incentive she needed. Panting hard, she crawled her way to the safety of solid ground. Using a stone pillar for support, Kendra hoisted herself to her feet. Turning, she expected Reyne to be close behind.
To her horror, he was still on the bridge.
Another gryphon hovered mid-air, its talons outstretched. The creature dove with deadly intent, grazing his backpack and slamming him into support cords. The bridge jolted and his legs slipped through a gap.
Reyne clung to the cords with his elbow while his legs dangled beneath the swaying bridge, like scissors hell bent of destroying material. Kendra's nails dug into the stone as she watched him struggle to climb back onto the bridge only to slide even further after a failed attempt.
Her trembling hand covered her mouth. Tears burned her eyes.
With each frantic attempt to pull himself back up, Reyne’s feet scrambled for purchase. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he managed to get his knee on the planks and hauled himself to safety.
Another gryphon dove on him, but at the last moment Reyne fell to his knees, barely avoiding being toppled again. When the creature returned to the air, he leapt to his feet and made a mad dash toward her.
Sobbing in relief, Kendra launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Reyne, I thought you were going to die." She buried her head into his heaving chest, letting tears of relief spill onto her cheeks.
Reyne urged her backwards down the path and into the cover of the dense canopy.
Realizing she was clinging to him, she released her hold. Her palm came away sticky, and it wasn’t just from sweat. “Reyne, you’re bleeding.” She gasped, searching for the source. His sleeve was torn and bloody where talons impaled his shoulder on both sides.
“I’ll be fine,” he said even though his breathing was heavy from exertion. “Now let’s get as far from that damn bridge as we can.”
"At last," Kendra remarked with a trembling laugh. "Something we can both agree on."
Reyne seized her hand, kissed her knuckles, and without releasing his grip, led them deeper into the forest.