Chapter 5: That Sucked.
Kael didn’t scream. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink.
The wind howled past his ears as the Fallen dragged him through the sky like a ragdoll clutched by a child with no concept of mercy.
Its claws were buried into his torso like a jealous lover refusing to let go, and each gust of wind lashed across his face like knives.
The valley floor below rushed toward them like a bloody painting. And at its center—glowing red, pulsing like a heartbeat—was the blood formation.
The trap they had laid. The trap that was never meant to include him.
Yet Kael’s face was calm. Cold. Not because he wasn’t afraid, but because he couldn’t afford to be.
Inside his skull, his thoughts were racing like a gambler calculating odds at a rigged table. No one was coming to save him.
Helga was still screaming his name from somewhere behind, the fury in her voice slicing through the air like a blade, but her boots were too far away from the battlefield, and her war cry wouldn’t outrun gravity.
Which meant Kael had to save himself.
He shifted his weight ever so slightly, elbow cracking against the Fallen’s throat. It didn’t care. Didn’t flinch. Its grip tightened, almost affectionate.
Bam!