Chapter 31: Fallen Feathers
Even though Zayne had already been stabbed, Vel'Lucranis wasn't done.
With a calculated flick of his wings, he used the momentum to hurl Zayne even farther, slamming him through the air like a broken spear.
Zayne tried to regain control mid-air, his arms flailing, but his body wouldn't respond. Blood trickled from his mouth as his lungs fought to breathe.
The impact had knocked something loose inside him, something vital. He could taste iron on his tongue.
They were nearing a towering mountain range, craggy and ominous. Without mercy, Vel'Lucranis unsheathed his blade, flapped once with his falcon-like wings, and closed the distance in an instant.
He launched a brutal kick, and Zayne's body smashed into the rocky face of the mountain.
The collision triggered a violent explosion of stone and dust, blanketing the area in thick, choking smoke.
Vel'Lucranis hovered above the wreckage. His blade shimmered in the low light, blood glinting on its edge.
He calmly wiped it clean—using the soft feathers of his wings—and then retracted them, the appendages folding back into his body.
He believed the battle was over. That Zayne had finally succumbed to his injuries.
But before he could drift away, a shadow burst through the smoke with unrelenting speed.