The Prince's Angel

Chapter Seven - A Flight to Remember

Two more of the colossal cryovons lighted on the edge. Alemeth stepped forward, running his hands over their hides, to calm them, Stefan supposed. The hulking man was whispering to the animals, soothing them. Or convincing them.

After a few moments, Alemeth strode toward Atara, a strange look in his eyes. Stefan instinctively moved in front of her, but Alemeth bent down to his level. "I'm on your side, little prince."

He guided Atara to the nearest cryovon, which he called Fawnstep, grabbed Atara's waist, and lifted her onto Fawnstep's back. The female cryovon made a sound that Stefan would not have equated with lions, a low keen in the back of her throat that could have meant anything from displeasure to happiness.

Before Stefan knew it, Alemeth had seized him and Torin, one in each arm, and positioned them on a cocoa-colored cryovon named Romulus, within full reach of those gigantic wings. Stefan dared to poke them, and was shocked to find that the feathers, layered on top of each other like eagle's wings, were actually solid metal.

Rat-face had mounted behind Atara on Fawnstep, yanking her arms behind her and tying her wrists even tighter, without Alemeth seeing. Atara did not protest. The five thugs clambered on wherever there was room, grumbling about who would control the animal.

"No one controls a cryovon," Alemeth said sternly. "They listen only to themselves and their instincts."

Rat-face scowled, an ugly expression that made Stefan think he'd smelled raw sewage. "You'd better not double-cross me, you filthy Tisidon. Or I'll slit her throat." He jerked Atara's braid, making her gasp.

"You'll get what we agreed on." Alemeth's voice was level and calm.

He pulled himself up on Romulus behind the boys and yelled, a cawing cry that made the creatures begin beating their wings.

Soon, they were airborne. In all his life, Stefan would never do anything so wondrous. Flying was simply magical. He almost forgot they were captives, as they glided on the wind currents over the ocean. Fresh, salty air blew in his face. 

 In front of him, Torin covered his eyes and whimpered. "Is it over?" Torin hated heights.

Stefan suddenly realized that the sky had grown overcast. It was no longer a cheery blue, but gray and foreboding. In the west, the building clouds showed remains of a pink and gold sunset. Dusk was falling.

"We've been gone for hours," Stefan said over the loud wind. "Where are we going?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be taking you all to a slave auction in the Roben Islands. They're slave traders, you know." Alemeth sounded surprised that he didn't know this.

"But you can't do that!"

Alemeth squeezed Stefan's arm, hard enough to make him say "Ouch!" Fawnstep flew directly off of Romulus's left wingtip. Rat-face was glaring over at them, perhaps suspecting something.

"What do you think I'm trying to do, little prince?" Alemeth asked in a barely audible tone.

In the next breath, thunder rumbled, much closer than Stefan would have preferred.

"We're heading into a storm," Alemeth said worriedly, but Stefan saw him wink. He leaned over in Rat-face's vicinity, still gripping the boys. "We'll land on that ship down there that's bearing southwest. I chartered it to be at this spot before I left Tisidon."

Rat-face made a cut-throat gesture. Stefan didn't have to be a mind-reader to know what it meant.

The three cryovons and their riders swooped lower to the sea, making Stefan's head spin with the pressure. The closer they got to the ship, the more Stefan could make out the design. Interestingly, it looked like an Erestorian warship. It even had the royal sails on it, rich purple with a silver sun.

Wait a minute... Stefan knew that ship.

Suddenly, Rat-face yelled, "It's a trap!"

Before the puny ringleader even had time to whip out his dagger, Atara deliberately loosened her hold on Fawnstep. Her hands were still wrenched painfully behind her back. The next second, all Stefan could see was her body hurtling toward the angry water.

Sorry about the wait, I had trouble getting back to writing after the holidays ended, and then Wattpad started giving me fits :P

What did you guys think of Chapter Seven? Drop a vote if you liked it and share your comments... I'd love to hear from you!

Chapter Eight will go up on Saturday, January 27th :) Thanks so much for reading!