By the third day, Estelle was sore and exhausted. They were making good progress and had passed the treeline and cloud level already. The summit of the mountain was in view, but Estelle couldn't see the Fountain of Dawn.
The nights before they had passed the clouds were cold and wet. They faced freezing rain and some snow. They froze what meat they could in between rains and made camp in relatively dry areas. They took turns hunting and building fires. Both of them built and repaired weapons.
Thankfully, they hadn't run into any animals yet. Estelle had scented a bear one day though, and wolves howled beyond the mouth of a cave they slept in another night. They took turns keeping watch at night. One lay awake while the other was asleep, both using each other for warmth.
No one had reached out to Estelle yet. At this point, she doubted they would. She was somewhat grateful for that fact. She had enough to worry about already without listening to her mother chew her ear off about the dangers of what she was doing.
Mikael's determination grew with each passing day. He woke her at dawn and set a hard pace, stopping only when they had to. Between walking and a minuscule amount of flying, they made better progress than Estelle had expected. She knew they wouldn't beat the eight day record it had taken previous warriors, though. The rain and snow wouldn't allow that.
Estelle gasped as her foot slipped against a loose stone. Mikael grabbed her wrist, pulling her up beside him. "You all right?" He asked.
She nodded. "I was just lost in thought. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing."
"Stay focused." Mikael released her and kept climbing up the steep mountainside.
Estelle pursed her lips in annoyance. As Mikael's determination grew, so did his impatience. He gave her very short answers when she asked questions or spoke to him. He was mostly silent when they stopped for breaks. He kept himself shielded from the Bond. She wasn't sure what was going on with him. It both worried and frustrated her.
Estelle gritted her teeth, digging her fingers into a sturdy lump of stone. She dragged herself up higher and managed to find a foothold. She closed her eyes briefly, the ground spinning beneath her. She knew she could catch herself if she fell. Her wings wouldn't fail her.
It didn't ease the surge of primal instincts she felt when she stared at the ledge dozens of feet below her. At least when she was flying, she felt in control. Here, clinging to a cliffside, she was vulnerable. A strong breeze could blow her into oblivion.
"Batsy," Mikael called, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Keep up."
"Slow down," Estelle retorted. "Some of us aren't expert rock climbers, Feathers."
"No? You've spent enough time in mountainous terrain that you should be."
"I didn't usually spend my time dangling from the side of a cliff." Estelle climbed a little higher. Her foot slipped again, but she steadied herself. Her heart was racing regardless. She sucked in a steadying breath, trying to ease the churning of her stomach.
Mikael looked down, brown eyes simmering with exasperation. "You have wings, for Cauldron's sake. Don't tell me you're afraid of heights."
"I don't have a problem with heights. I have a problem with gravity," she spat. "And I know I have wings, but you can't honestly tell me that you don't feel nervous when you look down and see how high we are."
"I grew up in a palace built on the summit of a mountain only slightly smaller than this one."
"Well, I didn't."
"Clearly." Mikael kept climbing. Estelle forced herself to follow. "You chose to come along. I said you could stay behind."
"You're my mate. I couldn't let you face this alone."
"Maybe I wanted to be alone!"
"If you wanted to be alone, you should have said so."
"Would you have listened?"
"No," she grunted, "but I would have asked why." Mikael didn't answer. Estelle measured her breaths, forcing herself to look up instead of down. "Why did you want to do this alone?"
"It doesn't matter. You're here now and I can't persuade you to turn back. Just keep climbing and stop distracting me."
"I thought you said you were glad to be a distraction for me."
"I am, but right now, it's you who is being a distraction to me."
Estelle didn't reply. She had paused again and screwed her eyes shut. Her head was spinning as a breeze buffeted her wings. I can catch myself, she said. I can catch myself. If only she knew she'd be able to use the shadows to transport herself to safety as well. That might have eased her anxiety further. I can catch myself. If I fall, I can catch myself.
Panic clutched her heart. She could catch herself...unless she was paralyzed by fear. That had happened to Lysander once. He'd fallen while learning to fly and had, quite literally, frozen in fear. He couldn't move his wings to catch himself. Azriel managed to grab him before he would have splattered on the ground at the base of the ten thousand steps leading up to the House of Wind.
"Estelle, let's go!" Mikael hollered.
She pried her eyes open. I can do this, Estelle told herself. The shadows wrapped around her arms, squeezing comfortingly. I won't fall. She managed to lift her leg and wedged her foot into another hole. Estelle raised herself on trembling arms. I've never fallen off of anything in my 124 years of life, she thought. I won't fall. I've never frozen. I won't freeze now.
I won't. I won't. I won't. She dug her nails into the rock, almost until they broke. Panic fogged her mind and flooded the Bond. She heard Mikael pause overhead.
"Batsy," he called, his voice gentler now. "I'm sorry. We'll go slower. Are you all right?"
Estelle couldn't answer. There was a lump in her throat, forbidding her to speak. Mikael stroked the Bond. She tried to focus on that soothing sensation, even as her limbs trembled. Her palms were cold with sweat, making it hard to grip the stone beneath. A frightened whimper escaped her lips before she could catch it.
"I'm coming back down," Mikael said. "Just stay there."
Just stay there. Don't let go. Don't lose your grip. Just stay there. Don't let go. Don't let go. Don't let go. The thoughts pounded through her temples. Was her grip loosening, or was that an illusion caused by the terror that snagged her mind?
"I'm going to fall," she gasped. "Mikael!"
"You're not going to fall. Just hold on. I'm almost there. Extend your wings. That might help you feel a little safer."
Estelle tried to obey. She tried to extend her wings. The muscles in her shoulder blades cramped. She couldn't. She couldn't move her wings! She was scared enough that they were frozen in place.
"I can't!" Panicked tears blurred her vision. Her hands were slipping. The ground was shaking. "Mikael!"
"I'm coming." She heard the wind rustle in his feathers as he snapped his own wings open, preparing to fly down to her.
Her breath came in short gasps. Her chest was tight and her head ached from fear and lack of air. The ground was quaking even harder. Estelle blinked her tears away. Her features shifted in horror as she realized what was happening.
"Mikael!" She screamed. He flung himself off the side of the mountain and dove towards her. The rocks broke beneath her fingertips and Estelle plummeted, boulders and mud flying all around her. "Mikael!" She tried to move her wings. She tried to summon the shadows. "Mikael!" Her voice was drowned out by the thundering of the landslide.
◦═══✦═══◦
Mikael lost sight of Estelle amidst the debris. Rocks and mud splattered against his wings, but he ignored the uncomfortable feeling. He jerked on the Bond and she returned the gesture. Her panic was overwhelming.
"Estelle!" Mikael roared. Umbra yanked on his arm and he let the shadow lead.
He tucked his wings in close, diving through an opening in the debris. Mikael partially extended his wings, keeping them curved as he shot through the boulders. Estelle appeared up ahead. She was unconscious and a thin trickle of blood ran down the side of her face.
He gave a thrust with his wings, then cried out as a large boulder struck him. Mikael was knocked off course and rocks began pelting him from all angles. He reached for his magic, but it fizzled out before he could grasp it, thanks to the spells placed on the mountain.
Mikael flipped himself upright again and flew, ignoring the pain in his wings. Estelle reappeared. Her eyes fluttered open and she lurched awake. Her wings spread, but she yelped in pain. She caught sight of him a moment later.
Mikael rammed into her, snagging her by the waist and flinging both of them out of the landslide. They crashed onto a ledge and lay there, panting for breath. The boulders tumbled past, landing with a thud far below them.
Mikael rolled onto his stomach and peered off the ledge, his heart pounding with fear. He shifted back and crawled over to Estelle. She stared at the sky, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. Several bloody scrapes were visible on her face and arms. His own limbs stung with scratches and grit.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Mikael whispered, leaning over Estelle. He pulled her into a tight embrace and she shuddered with relief. "I'm sorry, Estelle."
Estelle sobbed, burying her face against his dusty neck. "I'm sorry," he murmured, stroking her hair. "I should've listened to you. I shouldn't have snapped. I'm sorry. I should've listened to you. I'm sorry, Love. I'm sorry."
Estelle didn't stop crying. Her sobs grew louder, despite being muffled by his neck and shoulder. Mikael kissed her forehead and held her, whispering apologies again and again. Inwardly, he was raging at himself for not listening to her.
She trembled against him, hugging him harder still. "How far back did I set us?" Estelle whispered.
"It doesn't matter. You didn't set us back." Mikael smoothed stray curls from her damp forehead and kissed her cheek. "It doesn't matter." He ran his hands down her arms, feeling for any large injuries. "Are your wings all right?"
Estelle shifted them, wincing. "Yes. They're just scratched from the rocks. I'll be all right, but sore. I...I froze. I couldn't fly."
"It's all right." Mikael stretched his own wings gingerly. The left one ached where the rock had struck it. He didn't seem to be missing a large number of feathers though. "It's all right. I'm sorry, Estelle." He hugged her again.
Several minutes passed while they regained their breath and held one another. "What's that sound?" Estelle asked quietly.
Mikael strained his ears, listening. He could hear a distant roar, almost like wind or... "Water," he realized. "It's a waterfall."
They stood on shaky limbs, gripping each other's arms for support. Mikael shielded his eyes from the setting sun. Clouds swirled up ahead, but they were already past the cloud level, weren't they? His eyes widened.
"It's the Fountain of Dawn," Estelle said. "We must be close. Those clouds..."
Mikael made a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob. "You didn't set us back, Estelle. You got us knocked closer to the Fountain!"
"But how? The landslide was pushing us down," Estelle protested.
"The path we were on must've been off course. We fell, but burst out of the landslide right below where we needed to be." Mikael studied the mountainside they faced. "Can you make that climb?"
Estelle closed her eyes, gulping down deep breaths. When she met his gaze, resolution hung in her amber depths. She nodded and approached the wall. Mikael held her by the waist as she began to climb. When she was out of reach, he dug his feet into the rock and scaled the cliff below her.
The sun was sinking steadily. If they managed to reach the pool after nightfall, Mikael had only to wait until dawn to climb up to the Fountain. They were nearly there!
◦═══✦═══◦
For an additional short story featuring Azriel and Lysander, please see the part titled "Individual Paces" in my bonus book, "Beyond the Books".