The taste of copper filled my mouth. Every muscle in my body tensed, straining to lift me up. Deafening stomps of the beast encroaching forced me to focus on the pounding inside my head. As I began to scramble to my feet, shoes whistling against the slick grass, Solaire had turned back around. He was coming back for me, staring down a monster for the sake of a stranger.
A large shadow consumed my own, its stench invading my nostrils. The smell of ashes was so strong I felt as though it was suffocating me. I turned to face the creature. As I raised my arm to use my powers, the rattling of chains filled my ears. Thick steel links sprouted from the ground like worms, slithering and wrapping around the girthy body of the dragon. It tugged and pulled against them, ripping up the earth in an attempt to be freed. Solaire grabbed me by the arm again, yanking me out of its stomping range. I noticed Catherine standing atop the hill with her gaze fixated on the captain's pet.
Solaire kept an iron grip on me the entire time we ran. Eventually, he pulled me behind one of the large boulders and crouched us down.
"I guess we're even, now," I said, trying to steady my heartbeat. With how hard it was thumping my chest, Solaire probably thought it was close to exploding. My mind was nothing but static and passing ideas. I could barely put two thoughts together in the haze that clouded me.
He didn't respond to me, too fixated on watching the battlefield to listen. The chaos of applicants either running for their lives or fighting became a little less disorienting now that we weren't a part of it. Thankfully, the headache I'd developed was subsiding within the small window of peace. The tip of my tongue began to sting inside my mouth, reminding me I'd bitten it. While the ballooning pulse softened in my head, I looked over the rock to see what the chains did to the dragon. Much to my dismay, the creature was freeing itself from the restraints. It's not like I could've expected much from them, especially with how large the target was.
"It didn't do much, but that magic bought us time to escape. We should try to find an easier target. Preferably someone who can't summon something larger than a house," Solaire said to me, watching the captain as he helped free the ear of the monster from the links, "We can't sit here for too long. Let's keep moving."
I nodded in agreement, trusting his instincts more than my own. He was so calm and level-headed, even in the face of what would be certain death under any other circumstances. I wondered why. Why would someone risk their neck for a stranger like that? Sure, I saved him from another instructor, but he was also in considerably less danger. If it weren't for whatever Catherine did, we would've been goners. I owed her.
Solaire ducked back down behind the rock and brought his hand to his mouth. A grimace covered my face when his teeth dug until the skin ripped, drawing blood. He didn't seem too phased by it. His thumb lightly spread the crimson fluid on his palm, holding his arm straight out and closing his eyes.
"Come to me, Hunter," He murmured. I wasn't sure what he was doing or who he was talking to, so I watched quietly and waited. The blood on his hand audibly sizzled, and a shimmering substance fired out. Something lumpy shot out with it, landing in the puddle with a splash. Once the stream stopped, Solaire opened his eyes and perked up a little. The lump shifted, then started to rise. Almost certain another monster had been spawned in front of me, I pulled my legs into myself and watched with minor disgust. Tiny ears sprouted from the lump and two beady eyes opened, locked directly onto us. It blinked its eyes like it was waking up, four limbs came out. The creature got on all fours and shook itself clean of the substance, revealing slick, red fur. It was slightly bigger than a house cat and strangely adorable.
"This is Hunter, my catling. Well, he's more like my best friend but formalities and such..." He clapped his hands and beckoned the animal. It hastily scurried toward us, looking up at Solaire expectantly. Up close I noticed how scrawny the catling was; its body seemed to lift a little with each breath. Its body was also secreting a clear mucus that matted its fur down smoothly... it grossed me out.
"What can it do?"
"Well, he can fit into almost anything and he's really smart. Hunter can survive just about anything, so he's going to guide me to success," Solaire praised Hunter, tickling his little chin with his finger, "And with your magic, I'm sure it'll be a bit easier." His faith in me was comforting. Unlike myself, he was confident I could help secure a good score. It made the idea of giving up more painful. I would be fine with going back home, but that couldn't be the case for everyone. If I were the reason Solaire failed, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. The memory of his heartbreak would follow me to the grave.
Hunter leaped onto the rock, erratically shaking his head and looking over the area. After a second of doing that, the catling bounded from its new spot and took off sprinting toward the back of the wall. His summoner followed quickly behind, waving for me to join them. As we chased the animal around the field, it picked up some objects and inspected them. After swallowing a small stone and gathering two thick twigs, we followed him further into the field. The path we took led us to a clearing before the hill, narrowly avoiding the instructors close by. Hunter stood on his hind legs and sped up, leaving Solaire and me in the dust.
A blur zipped past me and rammed into Solaire. The faint whistle of the wind was all that alerted me, as I barely caught a glimpse of whatever was responsible. He flipped and tumbled to the ground, his feet sweeping from beneath him. My slick shoes made stopping hard, and I nearly tripped trying to swivel on my toes.
"Are you okay?!" I asked, rushing to his aid.
"Behind you!" As I was bending down, I felt something shove me hard. My limbs flailed in the air, crashing to the ground with a thud. Grass and dirt stuck to my face and snuck into my mouth, leaving a mold of my surprise in the earth. The sound of swift footsteps came from behind me.
"That's such a cheap shot," Solaire growled at the assailant, an instructor with shiny brown hair and energetic blue eyes. He had a soft smirk on his face and was tapping his foot at a rapid pace.
"It's my specia-AHH! What the hell?" Hunter had jumped onto the instructor and gripped the hairs on his neck. Suddenly, they sped off in a streak of colors. The swift streak whizzed around the clearing erratically, making it clear the small creature was holding on incredibly tight. I pushed myself to my feet, wiping my face on my sleeve and turning to Solaire. He had mud all over his back, but he was too focused on the high-speed panic attack to care.
"That should keep him busy. When Hunter latches onto something, nothing can pry those little paws off but my command," Solaire glanced at me, looking down to my shirt, "You've got a little something on your shirt."
"Yeah, I noticed. It must've rained recently," I sighed, "We don't have a plan. Luck and convenience can only carry us so far. What are we doing?"
"Goin' up." A random voice from our left drew Solaire and I's attention. I felt my feet lift from the ground as the sensation of falling settled into my stomach, and suddenly we were ascending higher and higher with every second.
The feeling of plummeting face-first into the sky was both baffling and nauseating, and I was honestly too terrified by it to move. Solaire managed to flip himself upside down before we reached a medium. The sensation left me as I suddenly halted several feet in the air. Opposing forces on my body kept me perfectly still, trapped between two currents of gravity. Solaire stood as though he was on the ground, neck craned to look down at the instructor responsible. He had on the same poncho as the others aside from the captain, white with black claw markings on the shoulders. This particular instructor wore a netted cap and was covered in freckles from head to toe. His large face greeted me with a satisfied smile, revealing he was missing some teeth. "I've gotta admit, y'all sure got Danny!" He seemed amused by the whole situation, watching the still panicking speedster run around us.
"Hunter!" Solaire exclaimed, crossing his arms and leering at the man. From the blur, Hunter sprang out in a leap toward the second instructor. Mid-jump, he was also caught in the strange field that reversed the pull of gravity for them. It began to convulse and heave as a lump moved up its throat slowly. Now regurgitated, the creature reared its tiny limb back and chucked the slick stone at him. Miraculously, it was thrown hard enough to bonk him on the forehead. The field dropped suddenly and all three of us began to fall back to the ground. My stomach flipped an Olympic routine from the freefalling, and my fingers and toes began to tingle violently with the anticipation of pain. Teeth grinding together, I clenched my fists and closed my eyes expectantly. The reversing force returned tenfold, rocketing us back up so quickly my face sagged against the wind. Solaire and I flew out of the bounds of the field, flying up like we were thrown from a trebuchet. My whole body tense as I tried to not soil myself.
In my launch I managed to look down, noticing the instructor came up with us. He was struggling to pry Hunter from his face, the skin on his cheeks stretching like melted cheese. The catling's ability to keep its grip was astonishing. Its body rocked and jiggled from being hit and clawed at, but its arms were locked firmly in place. As chaotic as the scene looked, the creature was unnaturally composed while being thrashed about; it was fixated on holding the face for dear life. I came to realize Solaire was behaving similarly, with a level of calm unnatural for the circumstance. Then there was me, flying about like a rag doll. I had no way to get any leverage. My uselessness exclaimed itself to me again.
He grabbed my arms, Solaire, and pulled me closer to him. Soon, our falls were in sync. My nerves settled slightly from that, and his firm grip held me steady enough to focus on his face. Once it was all I could focus on, I couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. A strong jaw and tight curls shaped his features smoothly, blemishless skin canvassing his taupe lips and brown eyes. It was like getting slapped in the face.
"Can you hear me?" He asked, looking over me with worry. I nodded, my face reddening when I realized how close we were. Chest to chest, stomach to stomach, thigh to thigh. His body heat was driving mine higher. "Good. We're in a bit of a pickle, so I need you to do what I say and we'll be on the ground in no time." He was so good at taking charge. Did I enjoy being bossed around? No. Did I go with it? You bet your ass I did. I was a bit worried about Hunter's safety, though. Solaire assured me he could handle it, so I reluctantly trusted him.
The instructor began to panic, screaming frantically below us as he tried to get on the ground. The other instructor was standing a short distance away from us. He was firmly on the ground, so he was beyond the range of whatever kind of magic his friend was using. I took a deep breath and focused on what was under me, concentration on the instructor. A rushing sensation shot through my arm. Waves of force fired from my hands toward them. I should've held back a bit, though, because Solaire and I fired back into the normal pull of gravity and flipped upside down. A low boom erupted beneath us as we went into a free fall. In my fear, I wrapped my arms around Solaire and hugged him tightly.
"This is gonna kill us..." I squeaked out weakly. One of his arms wrapped around me. His heartbeat was pounding against my ear, and I could hear he was just as scared as I was. I could feel he was just as scared as I was. We plummeted toward the ground from several feet in the air.
Solaire called for Hunter, staring death in the face with his arms out. My eyes closed for impact and I heard a swift snap. He screamed in pain, but we kept falling for a few more seconds. We kept falling into a hole he made. Suddenly, something caught us. I gasped as I slid down his body a few inches, tightening my arms around his waist and looking up to see what happened.
Hunter was holding Solaire's arm by the skin, and I noticed his hand was totally limp. He snapped his wrist to save us. Both horrifying and genius, I buried my face in his stomach to look away from it.
"You're insane..." I choked out. His belly bounced as he chuckled and we slowly began to be pulled up.
"I'm tenacious," He said.
Hunter pulled us from the hole and it filled instantly. Solaire shuddered in pain, releasing me to nurse his hand to his chest. Thinking about the pain he must've been experiencing left a sour taste in my mouth. I pushed myself to my feet and gave Hunter a pat on the head, thankful to the small creature. If it weren't for them, I'd most certainly be down for the count. The whole experience of crashing to the ground was rattling, but it was better to be shaking than aching. Well, I could only speak for myself.
"You're not in any condition to keep going. You need a doctor," I turned to him, watching him curl into himself a bit.
"Winston, I'm fine. It's just a little sprain." Solaire strained to mask the pain in his voice, but the slight squeak and subtle shiver of his tone made it clear he was lying. He was determined to have a stubborn attitude about being injured. Nothing I said got through to him. After a few moments, he sat himself up and slowly rose to his feet.
The instructor was wheezing breathlessly on his back, staring up at the sky. His hat was blown off, revealing the ginger mullet he sported beneath. From the way he was lying down, getting up looked difficult. Most of his torso was burrowed into the dirt and mud-covered him like chunky paint. I stood over him, taking in his battered condition. My powers were more devastating than I realized.
"You... ya little shits got me...," He rasped out, lifting his head to free it from the ground only to collapse back down, "Knocked the wind outta me."
Solaire winced as he tried to close his lax hand, looking down to the instructor with a slight smile. The plan he came up with, as if by some miracle, actually worked. Part of me wondered if he was just as shocked as I was. He was truly incredible, and most of all he saved me from what was most certainly a painful death. Even with a snapped wrist, he was radiating positive energy that felt contagious. Perhaps the pride he felt from reaping the benefits of his sacrifice was what drowned out the desire to curl up on the ground and cry, or maybe it was just how he was. Either way, I felt a sense of calm overtake me for a short moment. A sliver of serenity amongst the chaos of the examination.
A faint rattling sound drew our attention behind us to the swift instructor. Several thin chains wrapped around his limbs and grounded him. His feet vibrated as he tried to escape them, being bound by the restraints to a small range of motion. Muck sputtered and splashed about as he thrashed angrily against them. The links rattled and began to grind against one another as they tightened around his body, squeezing his figure.
"I don't know who's doing this, but I must thank them." Solaire chuckled as he watched the instructor. My gaze drifted toward the hill where Catherine stood. She was facing us again, crouching to the ground with her palms in the grass. It must have been her controlling the chains. That would explain the chains that appeared when I faced the captain.
"I might have an idea of who's doing it," I said. Solaire glanced to the hill when I nodded toward it, gently wiggling his limp hand in a wave. She stood and brushed the grass from her palms before returning the gesture. Her person suddenly stiffened, even the skirt she wore froze contrary to the wind. Another instructor stepped on top of the hill, revealing themself to be responsible for it.
Solaire and I watched in slight awe, scared for her. Catherine was like a statue, not even blinking as the person moved past her. They noticed the downed instructor beside us and turned our way, pointing a finger.
"You there! Are you the one responsible for downing Stephen?" She asked me, staring me down. Before I could even answer, she came sprinting down the hill. Solaire stepped in front of me protectively, but I pushed past him and faced the instructor. If he saved me one more time, I wouldn't know how to thank him. The least I could do was handle the newest threat.
"Yes, I am!" I declared, mustering up all the confidence I could. Still, I was too frightened to move from where I stood. She slid to a halt just short of me and reached out to me. Thrusting forward, I focused my attention on her hands. Seeing what she did to Catherine made me wary of being too close, so I let my powers flow once more. This time, I clenched my palms in an effort to control the output. I could feel the energy crash and nullify as our palms repelled each other. The instructor hummed, intrigued, and reached out again. Countering her once more, I felt sweat slide down the bridge of my nose. Nervous, fearful, anxious-- all could describe how I felt. However, something else resided beneath the layers of discomfort that drove me to keep pushing. I couldn't quite describe it, but the feeling was there.
The instructor quickly grew irritated, swinging her arms at me faster. My fingertips suddenly went numb from our clash, making it difficult to move them. I couldn't tell if they were numb or not. Eventually, my hands stiffened, followed by my elbows. Soon, my articulation left my arms entirely and I felt like I was encased in stone. It felt like fighting with two mannequin limbs. She quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me toward her. Her hand slammed into my stomach, pushing me backward. My back stiffened, and suddenly I couldn't balance myself enough to prevent the fall.
"Got you," She taunted me, turning to Solaire. I saw a small pebble collide with her forehead before I hit the ground, groaning lowly as my head sank into the mud. Hitting the ground hurt, but what hurt more was not being able to laugh at her. Honestly, whatever she did to me was making it hard to even breathe properly. Fortunately, I could move my neck if I really tried. Solaire and Hunter charged the instructor, and the catling sprang at her with primitive fury. I heard a loud slap, then a crash followed by a yell. In the distance, I noticed another instructor was rushing to the scene. A soft sigh left me as I accepted our fate.
Solaire wrestled with the instructor, injured wrist and all. Of course, I didn't expect him to fare very well against a grown woman in near pristine condition. Even with Hunter, I had a feeling she could hold her own against them. The incoming instructor eventually arrived at the scene and it seemed as though Solaire was going to be double-teamed. Hunter was caught in the palms of their aggressor, body stiff in her grasp. She tossed him to the side and wiped her hand off on her colleague. Imagine my surprise when he decked her in the temple.
She hit the ground and the man looked down between me and Solaire, his skin beginning to crawl and tear. His face lightened and hair shortened to reveal he was Dean Grumpy. Somehow, he made himself look like an instructor. He even managed to trick the real deal.
"I'm surprised you made it this far, tiny," He said to me, standing beside me. Dean kicked my arm, and when he did I felt the pressure on my body lift completely. My joints popped and whined as I wrung my wrists around and sat up.
"Thanks." It was all I could manage to say. Saving me was a far cry from threatening me before. I didn't particularly like Dean, but that was because he didn't seem to like me.
"Get up. The captain and his dragon are making their way around here," Dean warned, stepping over to Solaire and giving him a kick in the leg. I made my way over to Hunter, giving the little guy a slight nudge. He sprang to life like a lightbulb, sitting up and staring at me with those tiny eyes.
Dean looked off into the distance, watching something for a moment before his features morphed and shifted back to what they were prior. He looked over to the chained-up instructor, who had stopped struggling and was leering at us. "You didn't see anything," He said to the man, stepping over the downed instructors and jogging off into the field once more to blend in.
"Yeah, but I did though!" The man shouted after him, huffing angrily and redirecting his attention to us, "He's right. You two better go if you don't want to get squashed." He nodded his head toward the hill. All the fighting he did must have tired him out because he was sitting and leaning forward as if unable to hold himself upright.
Solaire and I took off for the hill. I carried Hunter on my shoulder to let Solaire focus on keeping his hand steady while we ran. Catherine was still standing at the top of the hill exactly how she had been frozen. The expression of shock and terror was captured flawlessly on her visage, with a twinkle of relief in her eyes once we entered her line of sight. I gave her a light tap on the shoulder. She sighed in relief, lowering her arm. "Thank you," She smiled weakly at me.
"We should be thanking you," Solaire replied. Her face twisted in mild disgust as she looked at his hand. Admittedly, it did look rather painful. I tried my best not to look as well.
"The captain's coming," I tried to redirect her gaze, "We need to figure out our next move. This whole time I feel like I've just been stumbling through this and I hate it."
"Uhm... okay, he broke my chains after you guys got away. Those were the biggest ones I could muster, and it took a lot out of me. Our choices are either run or fight, and we have about twenty minutes left." Catherine looked to me, then back to the field where she spotted the dragon. Feathers were surrounding its body, firing into it like darts. Even so, it was quickly overwhelming the person fighting.
"Do we know how many instructors there are?" Solaire asked, "I know we've encountered five so far."
"There's six." She answered. I raked my memory, counting the instructors I'd seen thus far. There was the captain and his dragon, the stretchy instructor I blew away, the fast instructor, the gravity instructor, and the instructor that petrified us. There wasn't any sign of the sixth instructor on the field. Come to think of it, the stretchy instructor hadn't shown his face since then either. Perhaps it was good that we didn't bump into the last one. For all we knew, they could've been the most overwhelming of them all.
"A lot of the applicants went down with the captain's attack. It's unlikely we'll go much longer without being seen. I'm not sure if either of you is prepared to go toe-to-toe with him, but I'm not." Solaire chewed his lip. His eyes lowered to the ground as if searching for the answer to our problem.
"Our pass criteria was vague, and I'm unsure we've really reached it. I think, to gather points, we may need to face him. If there's one thing I've realized today, it's that teamwork is our best bet. Together, I think we have a much better chance at fighting than running," Catherine rambled to herself, sorting through her thoughts aloud.
"Let's stand here and watch each other's backs. No one sneaks up on us and we'll all be able to work together." I suggested. Solaire liked the idea. Catherine was indifferent but out of options. The three of us turned our backs to one another and watched over sections of the field. Even Hunter's little head was twisting and turning, scanning the area quietly.
Nearly fifteen minutes went by without any instructors coming our way. I kept my eyes locked on the dragon, watching its every move. It might have been sheer luck, but I was more than content just standing there and running out the clock. We could get Solaire to an infirmary and the nightmare of an exam would come to an end. I still couldn't believe we were doing this. Someone punching a teacher was the mildest form of violence I'd seen this whole time, and that was immediate expulsion at my previous school. Not having to go through it completely alone made it better, though. I suppose I got lucky meeting the two of them. Otherwise, I'd certainly be unconscious somewhere in the field.
The dragon turned our direction, and for a moment I hoped it had poor vision. Sadly, I knew the captain would see us regardless. It reared on its hind legs and roared loudly, alerting everyone of its presence once more.
"I think he sees us," I muttered back to them. Catherine turned around and frowned slightly at the sight of the dragon. None of us were too keen on fighting him; it was literally the worst-case scenario. My luck really had a way of flipping itself on me.
We faced him together, watching the massive creature span its wings open. Powerful flaps lifted its body into the air steadily, and with each one, my confidence wavered drastically. It should have been obvious before, but I really didn't think it could fly. Honestly, the captain was going a bit overboard. So far, he's crushed everyone in his path without being airborne. The real salt on the wound was the fact that we were in the final stretch. He just needed to be occupied for five more minutes.
Solaire put a hand on my shoulder, and the nerves tingling in my hands stopped a little. Catherine took a deep breath and looked up to the sky. It was bright but gray and cloudy. We basked in our last few moments of peace.
Hunter dashed down the hill with haste. I, unable to do anything from where we stood, started to run down after him. The catling raced ahead of me into the field, picking up rocks and sticks as he scampered along swiftly. The captain and his dragon dove toward us from the air with zero hesitation. I could see the manic look in his eyes from the ground; it matched the intensity of his pet perfectly. Wild green hues pierced into me like jagged daggers, and he sported a smile wide enough to pull his skin against his teeth. Though, that could just as easily have been from diving down at us so quickly. Nevertheless, Hunter chucked one of the stones at the dragon as it came toward us, but that did little to deter it. In one swift slam, they landed directly on top of the small creature. My heart skipped a beat when I heard a shrill squeak emit from him.
I thrust a blast toward the dragon once I was close enough, aiming for the face to get its attention. The beast stumbled back slightly and lifted its claw from Hunter's body. Almost instantly, the catling scurried up its arm. Relief washed over me as I watched it move further and further. The captain was still hanging onto the dragon's head and looking down on me like an ant.
"That wasn't a bad hit! Now, it's my turn," He shouted at me from his perch. A rumbling growl warned me as the dragon swiped its large claw at me. Something hard wrapped around my waist and yanked me backward, but the nail of the beast scratched my ankle anyway. The mild sting radiated through my foot soon afterward. I tried not to think about what would've been if Catherine hadn't saved me. "Try not to die from this, okay?" I... what?
The dragon swung again, this time being stopped directly by a chain wrapping around the arm. Link after link was rooted from the ground until eventually, the chain snapped. By then, I had taken another step back to evade the attack. My chain yanked me into the air to avoid the next attack. I gripped the chain and tried to bear with the movement but the pain in my gut and ribs was too foreign to completely ignore. The chain hugged me so tightly I thought it would snap me in half, but it was also secure.
Hunter climbed up the dragon's body and jumped for the captain on top, but he caught the creature by the neck. His little eyes nearly popped out of his skull from the force. For a moment, I was scared he was going to pop the poor animal like a balloon. I was so focused on the captain I didn't realize the dragon was swinging at me yet again. It stepped on the chain violently, pulling me from the sky and slamming me to the ground. A cluster of the chain stabbed into my back on the impact. Like a jab to the spine, I felt numbness shoot throughout me and suddenly pins and needles were all I could feel.
"Winston!" I heard someone scream in the distance. Footsteps crunched closer and closer to me until the captain stepped directly over me. His dark cloak was decorated with faded scratch marks and blue clawings, matching the subtle yet wild energy he gave off. Green eyes, calculating and dangerous, raked over me with the same look a child got when their parents bought them a new toy. The pure excitement that dwelled within him only made being trapped by him even more unsettling.
"Look at you, not dying and shit... Not thriving, but certainly not dead." He grinned down at me with a gap big enough to stick a coin through. I was more or less forced to maintain eye contact in my position. The faint scent of pine filled my nostrils when he got closer to my face, slowly calming me enough to focus on what he was saying. The captain's mania left almost entirely, and his wild eyes became less horrifying to stare into.
"I... tried my best..." I muttered shakily to him. His face brightened a bit at my answer.
"That's great," He stood up straight and stepped over me, "Now try your best with this one." The chain pulled below me, and I looked down to see the dragon gripping the links. Before I could protest, the behemoth yanked the chain-- and with it, me. All I could do was scream. Scream out of fear. Scream out of pain. Scream out for help.
The dragon sat back and swung the chain over its head. I gritted my teeth to get through the pain of being slung in a circle, but the nausea was a different story. My stomach started to feel strange and the only thing that stopped me from projectile vomiting was my teeth. Stomach acid and small chunks of food took the only other route it could-- from my nose. That made it difficult to breathe. I even choked on it a little, coughing up the spew I managed to contain. He was swinging me around so fast it sprayed on my cheek.
The chain suddenly disappeared entirely and I went spiraling like a football toward the ground. I couldn't hope to control the flight, so I did my best to keep my limbs in and brace for impact. Hitting the ground from such a height was less painful than I remembered, but luckily this time there wasn't a chain to stab me. Still, it hurt like hell. I tumbled across the ground for a little while before sliding to a halt on my stomach. A weak whimper escaped me.
I lied there for a moment to gather myself. My head was starting to spin from the incoming dizziness and I was certain I wouldn't be able to push myself further; the pain was way too much to push through. I'm not that strong. Solaire was chugging it with a broken wrist and all it took to down me was a few falls. Realistically, I should've been patting myself on the back for making it as far as I did, but all I felt was embarrassment and shame.
'I feel so gross,' I thought to myself as I slowly sat up. Everything felt bad.
Solaire raced to me, anxiously reaching his good hand out for me. The dragon was chasing closely after him, closing their distance greatly with each bound. Fear swelled rapidly in the pit of my stomach for the both of us. My body reacted before I did. I pushed myself to my feet with all of my strength to grab his hand. Something pulsed within me and enveloped my body in a buzzing sensation. All I could think about was getting the dragon away from us and rescuing the boy who carried me through this entire thing.
"Stop!" I exclaimed as loud as my chest could handle, and thrust my shaking arm with what was left of my might. A violent wave of power exploded from the tips of my fingers and all I could hear was a loud bang. Immense pain shot through my arm like a bullet and Solaire and I were blown back.
Everything went in slow motion for a second. Part of me was worried for Solaire and Catherine. The other part of me agonized over how I did and if I passed. Another part of me was mortified by my mangled arm limply wiggling in the wind. When my head collided with the ground, my vision went black.