~ 8 ~

Family Feud Across a Flying Dragon's Back

"It was your uncle, wasn't it? He seemed to be the only man you ever tolerated." The hero withdrew his sword to the side, striding forward, and I ignored the pain—somewhat. "It didn't matter to him that you were a girl. Not even that you were a princess. Anyone who wanted to learn how to swing their sword willy-nilly had his blessing."

Hero stopped and came to a stop accentuated by a shrug. "He's the one that taught you, wasn't he? He must have made for a terrific sparring opponent—to the enemy forces that captured him. Set to battle his brothers, all equipped with only a knife. Quite the story, that one."

Astria lost herself. His blood loss would mean nothing to her inability to focus on the bigger picture. I flapped us higher into the air during their talk, where the thinning oxygen would affect the hero first.

But if Astria lost her way...

"Quite the irony but, whoever won that fight and earned their freedom, would go on to become the shoreline king." Hero began forward with his blade held upward behind his back, ready for the optimal strike to appear. "Your uncle taught you how to swing your sword. It wasn't your father. He didn't dare lead such a lady on a path. So come at me! Show me the last proof of a failure's skills!"

I wanted to do something, but knew in all regards, I could do nothing.

Astria huffed. Swiping the hair out from her eyes, she charged forward, with a sword held over her left shoulder—thinking it would be powerful to smack down his upward attack. His snarl disagreed with that.

"Do the opposite of everything I say!"

I blinked in the second it took for me to comprehend that. The opposite of whatever she said? Why? What was even the point of that? I had not the time.

"Tilt left!"

There was no point in thinking, in figuring it out, as one had to do to be quick enough. I tilted to the right out of reflex, unsure if I had chosen right. The two came at each other at that exact moment. Hero had slashed upward from the left, but the princess had ducked, aided by the change of angle.

His blade went over her head, slicing a few of her hairs, while her sword carried downward, cutting across his chest. Finished with the cut, she twirled the blade in her hands, wanting to slice back up and across his other half. Hero snarled, with his sword still in the air, pointed at her back.

"Don't spin!"

I tucked my wings inward and spun a few times, unsure to trust her, but having no choice but to do so. Winds and kinetic force smacked into the two, breaking their mutual balancing. The two tumbled across my twirling back. Astria started into a spin, impaling the sword on the other side, buying herself purchase.

Hero smacked and slid across my back, drawing more daggers from his belt, raising and impaling them into my scales. He sliced several feet across my back before slowing to a stop. His left arm went limp and flew behind him, a spurt of blood vacuumed by the winds.

He loosely looked forward. "Clever girl."

I straightened myself again... but my burnt muscles were nearing their limits. I hadn't developed my stamina. Not built my strength. I faltered, everything inside me failing. I needed to keep myself going for the princess. To hang on for those extra few moments... so she could make it.

Find new reasons to persist. That is the secret.

My wings flared and flapped again, each flap weaker and smaller than the last but doing just enough to keep the plan intact. With my body straightened, the two returned to my back. As night approached, dark clouds surrounded us, and cold rain poured.

Astria freed her sword and rolled in the air. Her feet landed with a harder impact on my scales. Rising again, she hunched, starting to breathe heavier. Had I reached the limits these humans could breathe? Dickhead looked like he still had a few breaths in him.

"My uncle taught me more than just how to swing a sword."

"I... can tell..." Hero's chuckles were different from normal laughter. It seemed to empower him. To add fuel to his insanity. It was dangerous to let a man like that laugh. "But this blood loss... it only equals the fight. Your uncle taught you tricks. And those don't work when you're narrowed in the ring."

One of the four mountains of the island rose to my left, and I angled myself along with it, following its trajectory upward, knowing the woods behind it would be safe for us. The two resumed running to each other on my back. A voice shouted above the hail and the winds.

"Don't fly near that mountain!"

I followed the command at once. Even though it was silly, it actually made a lot of sense in hindsight. It would take Hero a second or so to reverse the logic inside of his head. So long as we acted right away, it bought us those extra seconds. More than that... I could see what Astria was trying to do.

I tilted myself left and flew nearly parallel with the mountain, the force of the turn uprooting the daggers in their footwear. Both bodies tumbled to the left, close to my wing. Hero had been the first to land before it—looking up to see Astria flying toward him with a cocked hand.

She flew into him with a twirl, doubling the force in her fist, which she unleashed like a gunshot across his face. The two tumbled down my wing—where the wind would swipe them in an instant. Curling into myself, I covered my left wing with my right, flying like a dumb object in the air.

The two slid down across the appendage as the rain assaulted them. The hero managed to stick his daggers before the bone of my wing, but Astria didn't slow her slide. He released his one hand to reach for the sword tucked against his lower back.

It was too late.

By the time his head rose, it had done so to see her up close, twirling as she neared him, sword tucked to her side, causing him to look at that, not seeing the dagger in her heel slashing across his face. His hand released the sword from the impact. I thought she would have impaled her feet into my wings to stop herself from sliding—but Astria forewent her own safety.

Instead, with the sword still tucked to her side, she unleashed the force upward, slicing across his chest, creating a bloody 'X' across it. She whirled the blade to the side, holding its handle the same, returning the use of a fist to her. Cocking it back, she waited until they neared the end of my wing.

Hero slid backward, bloodied and grasping at his belt, searching for more daggers to impale. Anything to halt his pace from going over my wing. He lurched upward in time to catch a final fist to his face. Astria channelled her falling momentum into that final punch, sending Hero flying from my wing—snagged by dense foliage spouting from the mountain.

And the princess nearly fell over after him.

My eyes widened as I twisted in the air, seeing my massive claw reach for her tiny shape, ruining my trajectory to catch her. My palm closed around her, and I brought her close to my chest, creating a dome for her there. I looked down to see the sprawling roof of foliage awaiting me below.

My wings refused to flap and, even if they could, they wouldn't have the power to cancel my momentum. All I could do was brace for contact. Cradling the princess close, I curled into myself and, closing my eyes, I awaited impact.