In order to save the world from eternal night, Red must find a way to unlock the dormant power of the Sun Goddess running through her veins without killing herself and everyone she loves.
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Rana's freshly healed wings snapped out like a sail, catching the northern wind and yanking us back from the wall. I did that! I thought, glowing with pride as my thighs clenched down on her sides. I tried to lean into the momentum instead of being carried away by it, but I would have slipped off altogether if it wasn't for Sebastian's arm wrapped around my waist, stronger than any rope.
He reeled me back in, anchoring me against the hard planes of his chest, but I was still wise enough to wrap both hands around the spike in front of me. I had no idea how Gretchen was managing on her own two spikes ahead, right where Rana's shoulders joined with her serpentine neck. The Witch of the East hadn't thought to braid her hair and now it snapped at her shoulders, whipping them raw.
The wind changed, pulling us back towards the wall. Rana cried out as her wing wrenched backwards, the tearing sound making my organs wince. Her flapping faltered and we spun out of control, careening into the rock.
Crunch. The impact rocked my very world as rock crunched under bone and bone crunched under rock. My foot was pinned against the wall, but it wasn't until Rana pushed off that the pain set in, ramping up with every second. I gritted my teeth and clenched the spike even harder as black started to close in from the corners of my vision. My knuckles went white and my breath sawed in and out of my lungs, but there was no time for pain, because we were spinning again, a frail kite caught in a whirlwind of rain and ice and rock —
"Jump!" Gretchen shouted, her voice snatched away by the wind and the rain.
The best I could manage was to swing my leg over Rana's side, almost passing out from the pain of my crushed foot. Sebastian pulled me the rest of the way, legs bunching and then propelling us off Rana's back, just as she slammed into the wall again.
This time she didn't fight for air. The wyvern slid down the wall and out of sight, leaving a bloody smear behind. Gretchen's scream echoed through the canyon, so shrill that my eardrums ached.
Sebastian and I reached the arc of our momentum, the ruby facets of his eyes catching the lightning and holding it prisoner. His hair became a silver halo streaked with the faintest hint of blue, wreathing his head in pearlescent mist. For an instant I was transported back to a flowery grave, confronted by the Orchid Mantis's vision of my perfect match, but this was so much more. The crooked bridge of his nose, broken one too many times; the fierce and wily arch of his brows, lending a mocking air to his every expression; the silver freckles that almost eluded notice, only rewarding those who were brave enough to get close. His canines were a little too sharp, his expression a little too mean, his body always primed for fight or flight, but I savoured the contrast of his wild demeanour with the sensitive side he saved only for me.
