‘No!’ I cried, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck. I barely caught Dagon before he slid from Hawthorne completely, but I couldn’t hold him long. Dagon was heavy, and my biceps burned with the effort it took to keep him upright.
Beside us, Shadow and Fae appeared. ‘What’s he doing?’ Fae demanded.
‘He fainted!’ I said, panicked. ‘I can’t hold him long!’
Shadow flew beneath us just in case I dropped Dagon. At least then his fall wouldn’t be from such a great height.
‘Hawthorne! We need to land! He’s out cold!’ I cried, hoping he would hear me over the rush of the wind.
Hawthorne dived, falling beneath the cloud bank within seconds. I watched as the earth below came to meet us at an alarming rate. A field came into view ahead of us; the perfect landing spot.
‘There!’ I yelled. ‘In the field!’
Hawthorne did as I commanded and headed for the grassy plains. His toes skimmed the top of the grass for a few moments before he landed as gently as possible. Just in time too; my muscles gave way, and I dropped Dagon, who slid from the Vulmessian’s back and into the long grass five feet below, apparently unharmed.
I jumped off Hawthorne and knelt by Dagon’s side at the same moment Shadow and Emilija landed a few yards away. I slapped Dagon across the face a few times, as if it might help him regain consciousness.
Fae dismounted and ran to our side at the same time Dagon seemed to be coming around.
‘What happened?’ asked Fae. ‘Did he fall very far?’
‘Only the few feet from Hawthorne’s back,’ I said.
‘Oh.’ She seemed disappointed.
‘What … what’s going on?’ said Dagon, groggily. He tried to sit up, but I stopped him.
‘You fainted,’ I explained.
‘No, I didn’t. I just closed my eyes for a second. Where are we?’
‘We’re on the ground,’ I said. ‘We had to land before you fell off.’
Dagon frowned. ‘No, I don’t faint. I never have.’
I smirked. ‘You fainted. Trust me. You were out cold for a good few minutes there.’
‘It felt like only a second or two.’ He frowned.
‘Well, there goes our plans of flying,’ Fae said, a nasty bite to her voice. ‘I knew he was going to be a burden!’
‘All right, all right,’ I said, holding up a hand to silence her. ‘There’s no time for arguing. Dagon, how do you feel?’
‘Better now I’m on land,’ he said, sitting up and looking around. ‘Hey, I know where we are. The fields a few miles from Port.’
‘Yes, well, we didn’t get very far, did we?’ snapped Fae.
‘We can still travel fast on the backs of the Vulmessian,’ I said. ‘Dagon can even ride Emilija, if she’ll allow it.’
‘Anythin’, Lass. Just don’t leave me behind.’
‘I won’t leave you,’ I promised. ‘But if you faint again, I’m going to kick your butt.’
‘Point taken,’ said Dagon.
~
The three Vulmessians carried us for the next four hours without stopping. They could tell the journey was important to us, so they carried on despite their aching legs. Finally, at sunset, I announced that we would make camp for the night. We stopped in a large, open field surrounded by shrubbery. It was rather magical, with the blanket of stars hanging above us. Dagon and I played a game, seeing who could spot the most bats flying overhead.
‘There!’ he said, pointing skywards as a small, black shape soared above us.
‘Whatever,’ I scoffed. ‘That wasn’t a bat.’
‘Okay … there!’ he said again.
‘Didn’t see it. Doesn’t count.’
‘Aw, c’mon!’
Laughing, Dagon and I continued our game while Fae walked the perimeter of the field. We hadn’t asked her to; she’d insisted upon it. She carried her bow in her hand, flinching at small noises.
Hawthorne, Emilija, and Shadow had gone hunting, looking for food for Willow and Rue, as well as their human companions.
‘We’re like a pack,’ said Dagon, lying back and watching the stars. He stretched and placed his hands behind his head. ‘And you’re the alpha female, Avalon.’
I snorted, resting my head on my rucksack. ‘And who’s the alpha male?’ I asked.
‘I reckon that big one, what’s his name? Shadow? He looks pretty scary.’
‘He and Fae are a good match,’ I smirked. ‘Actually, Hawthorne is Shadow’s father. I think he’d be the alpha male. But we’re all equals here. Each of us are outsiders.’
Dagon fell into thoughtful silence at the same time Fae rejoined us.
‘Shouldn’t we get a fire started?’ she asked.
I sat up. ‘I’ll collect some wood.’ I made to get up, but Dagon held up a hand to stop me.
‘Let me take care of it, Lass. It’s the least I can do after our little … erm … problem today.’
Shrugging, I lay back down in the grass and watched Dagon scour the field and shrubbery for wood and kindling.
Sitting next to me, Fae wrapped her arms around her knees, bringing them to her chest. ‘He is trying to impress you,’ she said, disapprovingly.
‘Stop being so negative,’ I scolded. ‘He wants to help us.’
‘I don’t trust him-’