From Storms to Thrones (Part 1)

Chapter 23: Between Life, Death, and Flames

Vhagar couldn't reach the Cannibal, but she could reach me. Panic surged through me, cold and all-consuming. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Let go!" I screamed at the Cannibal, my voice a raw, desperate plea.

Thank the gods, the Cannibal obeyed instantly, releasing his grip on Vhagar and pushing off with a powerful thrust of his feet against Vhagars body. We shot away just as Vhagar's flames erupted, a searing blast of heat that singed the side of my face. The pain was immediate and excruciating, a blistering burn on my neck as my skin feel like it was melting. The acrid smell of burnt hair filled my nostrils, making me gag.

The Cannibal tucked his wings tight against his body, sending us into a freefall, plummeting away from Vhagar as fast as gravity could take us. The wind howled in my ears, tearing at my clothes, as the ground rushed up to meet us at terrifying speed. Just when it seemed like we would smash into the earth, the Cannibal spread his wings wide, pulling up sharply. The sudden change in momentum was jarring, slamming me against his side with such force that I thought I might black out.

Then I heard it—a sharp, metallic " ping ." 

Time seemed to slow as I looked up, dread filling my veins like ice. The last buckle holding me in place snapped, the leather strap whipping away in the wind.

I screamed as I felt myself falling, the world tilting and spinning as I lost all sense of direction. My hands scrambled for anything to grab onto, clutching at empty air as I tumbled away. Panic surged through me, pure and unrelenting—I was going to fall to my death.

With one last, desperate effort, I reached out and caught hold of the last bit of the rope ladder, my fingers closing around it with a grip born of sheer terror. The sudden stop wrenched my arm so violently that I felt the joint dislocate with a sickening pop. Agony exploded in my shoulder, a blinding, white-hot pain that ripped a scream from my throat.

"Elizabeth!" The Cannibal's voice boomed in my mind, but his words barely registered through the searing pain.

I hung there, my body dangling precariously from the side of the Cannibal as he flew through the sky. My arm felt like it was on fire, every nerve screaming in protest as I struggled to hold on. The pain was overwhelming, a constant, burning agony that threatened to consume me. But I knew that if I let go, I would plummet to my death.

Suddenly, the Cannibal banked hard to the right, his massive body twisting in the air to avoid a bolt the size of my entire body—an arrow shot from a giant crossbow-like weapon far below. The force of his maneuver sent a fresh wave of agony through my dislocated shoulder. My grip on the rope ladder weakened, my fingers slipping as blackness crept into the edges of my vision. The pain was blinding, all-consuming, and I knew I couldn't hold on much longer.

"I am slipping!" I screamed, my voice raw with panic. "You have to land!"

The Cannibal growled in response, his mind reaching out to mine with a sense of urgency. "Hold on just a little longer, insolent one! We can't land here. It's too dangerous!"

The world around me spun, a blur of flames, smoke, and chaos. My fingers were slick with sweat, barely clinging to the rope. I felt the terrifying certainty that I was about to fall—there was no strength left in me, no way to fight the pull of gravity. The ground below seemed impossibly far, a lethal drop that would surely kill me if I let go.

"I can't!" I cried out, my voice trembling as tears blurred my vision. "Please, I can't hold on!"

The Cannibal roared, the sound echoing in my mind with a mix of anger and desperation. I felt him dive sharply, the ground rushing up to meet us. My grip finally gave way just as he landed, and I fell, tumbling to the ground with a resounding thump that knocked the wind from my lungs. The impact jolted through me, leaving me gasping for air, my chest heaving as I lay sprawled on my back.