King of Beasts by Scarlett Kol & J.A. Armitage

Author:Scarlett Kol & J.A. Armitage [Armitage, J.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Enchanted Quill Press
Published: 2020-05-20T05:00:00+00:00

5

24th May

The stars hung big and bright in front of us as we soared past the moon through the mountains. I dared to reach my hand over my head and tried to grab a fistful of starlight as it slipped between my fingers, but I didn’t care if I caught it, just the simple thought that I could try seemed amazing. I’d never been this high before, never flown through the clouds one wrong move away from plummeting to the ground, and as much as my stomach twisted with fear I’d also never felt this joy of weightless freedom.

Alizeh glided east and a small rocky peak came into view. She circled, bringing us closer and slowed until she touched down on the cliff edge with a jolt. I jerked backward and yanked on Alizeh’s feathers to keep upright. She let out a loud caw but leaned down to help me regain balance.

Veda slid off of Alizeh’s back and patted the bird’s side before looking back at me. “Looks like you made it, Your Highness.”

I swung my right leg over and jumped down to the ground.

Whoa. My knees wavered and buckled being back on steady ground and squeezing my thighs so hard to hang on during the ride. I fell forward.

Veda grabbed my arm and slid herself under my shoulder. “Don’t worry, you get used to that after a while.”

“I hope so because I definitely want to do that again.”

She laughed, the notes echoing through the bottomless ravines around us. “Good. Cause I think Alizeh likes you.”

I looked up at the giant bird and she stared back, then blinked.

Veda walked forward, easing me back to holding my own weight until I stood straight again.

“There you go. Now I’ll go make some tea, can you give Ali a snack? I’ll meet you inside.”

“What?” I watched Alizeh’s enormous beak and gulped. “Are you kidding?”

“Of course not. Carrying both of us must have been exhausting for her.” She ran toward the cottage before I could protest any more. When she needed the door, her arm swung out to the left. “There’s some fish in the bin over there.”

Veda disappeared into the cottage and lights illuminated the windows. I stood under the dark, starry sky and watched her move around the kitchen.

“I guess it’s just the two of us now, Alizeh.”

The bird clucked and scratched at the ground.

I walked over to a large wooden bin near the lone umbrella-shaped tree in the small yard. If it could be considered a yard. The cottage sat in the middle surrounded by patches of wild grasses until the ground just fell away on all sides into nothing. In early morning darkness, I couldn’t see far, but once the sun rose the precarious location of this place would probably hit me hard.

Pulling back the lid, I threw my arm over my nose as the briny stench of the pile of dead fish blasted at my face. I lurched forward then thrust my hand in, pulling out the first fish I could find and slamming the lid closed.

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