Glimpses: an Anthology of 16 Short Fantasy Stories: An exclusive collection of fantasy fiction
Page 20
“I think I’ve got a problem,” she called out, but was too far away for Alexander to hear.
The wyverns flew closer together. “Looks like you’re enjoying yourself.” His grin pushed his mustache upwards. “Ready to do some loops?”
“Oh fuck… NO!” Sonja’s voice roared up through her throat. It hurt, but yelling seemed to be the only way to maintain this communication. Communication that was apparently so important. “I think this bloody sack is falling apart!”
“That’s just nerves.” His smile showed that he enjoyed torturing the frightened, beginner pilots. Or maybe he was just having fun messing with her? There’s no way he’d make her uncomfortable with her feet planted on solid ground. “Come on, admit it! You’re loving it!”
“NO!” Sonja yelled once more, but he ignored her and shouted more commands to Reizexus.
“Go?” Alexander called out. “You heard the lady Reizexus, don’t keep her waiting!”
“Grrrr…” Sonja growled, holding on tight, hoping the feeling of the sack tearing, was indeed, just her nerves.
The wyvern flew upwards once again, throwing its chest towards the cloud. Sonja released one hand from the handle, reaching out to touch the big fluffy formation in the sky. Gravity resumed control, forcing her hand back to the frame, knuckles turning white again in an instant. It dove for a moment, then with a single beat of its immense wings, levelled itself back out.
Sonja felt another tug, a tear. This time it was much more intense, confirming it was more than her nerves. She saw Reizexus going into another loop. “STOP! THE SACK IS TEAR—” every syllable felt like sandpaper wiping across her throat, until suddenly she couldn’t speak any longer. Not that it mattered, Alexander didn’t seem interested in listening to her anyway.
Raithia followed her mate into the loop. It played out the same as before, but Sonja didn’t dare take her hands off the frame. Falling back down, she prepared herself for the powerful beat of the wyvern’s wings. She held on with all the strength she had, but it wasn’t enough. She was strong, but her weight, under the powerful upward lift and pull of gravity was too much. The sack split in two, spilling fluffy, white bits of insulation, along with Sonja, into the sky.
She attempted to reach for that little ball on her pack, the one to summon that cloth wing that would magically take her to safety. But wildly spinning and flipping made finding the bloody thing impossible. She could barely differentiate between the snow on the ground and the clouds in the sky, or where the hell Alexander and the stupid wyverns were.
She began to chuckle in her tumble. That large wyvern had wanted her dead the moment it laid eyes on her. The bastard was probably going to succeed too, without a breath of flame, without a lash of a talon. Well played wyvern, well played. She was still trying to reach for the ball that released the cloth wing, but she couldn’t feel it for the life of her.
Her coarse laughter continued as she spun and flipped faster and faster. After all the near-death situations she had been in, this is how it was all going to end, over a minor communication issue. She didn’t feel too bright, agreeing to pilot one of these things to start with, but the irony of the whole situation made sure she would laugh her way into a deep snowy grave.
She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Suddenly the wild flailing of her body abruptly stopped. She opened her eyes and exhaled, watching her heated breath melt a patch of powdery snow beneath her face. To her amazement, she had stopped barely centimetres away from the ground.
The distance between her and the snow increased with the familiar beat of a pair of wings. She then felt the talons that were digging into her sides. “Raithia?” Sonja horsely questioned.
A deafening roar—forcing Sonja’s hands over her ears—was Raithia’s confirmation. Why couldn’t the wyvern be the one with the sore throat? They continued back up towards the sky, but not as fast as before, it was almost like the wyvern was concerned for her fallen passenger.
“Shit, Sonja,” Alexander swore as Reizexus flew closer. “I didn’t think that you genuinely had a problem!”
“My voice…” Sonja’s mouth opened, but the words she managed were incredibly quiet.
“What?” Alexander couldn’t hear her. “Speak up Sonja!”
Her hands were tightly wrapped around herself, gripping her shoulders. Realising they weren’t actually improving her stability, she released one hand and grabbed her throat, then stuck her tongue out.
“You want me to choke you?” Alexander sounded curious and intrigued at the same time.
Sonja shook her head, then made a fist, palm-side facing up. She slowly unclenched her middle finger, offering a salute, and a warrior’s smirk. Her eyes pierced into his, and it was now Alexander’s turn to feel uncomfortable.
He nervously laughed. “Let’s just get you back into the cavern, and we can forget this ever happened!”
Reizexus shot up along the volcano, then dove inside. Raithia was doing the same, just a lot slower, being much more careful with her movements. Sonja appreciated it, especially once they began descending into the volcano. She didn’t particularly enjoy falling so close to the snow, but didn’t believe the bubbling, volcanic magma would forgive such proximity.
All of a sudden, Sonja’s opinion of wyverns—flame wyverns at least—began to shift. She had encountered an alpha that sensed what she was, and it backed down for the greater good. Raithia though, diving to save her, that really touched her. She was a wyvern, but she had a sense of duty. Sonja wondered if they still suffered from an insatiable blood lust like their wild counterparts. To be honest, she was happy not to find out.
Gliding into the cavern, Raithia beat her wings, swinging her body around, and dropped Sonja as lightly as she could. It still wasn’t quite a soft landing, but Sonja had been thrown around much worse in the past.
“A-are you alright?” Tequidi rushed over to Sonja, doing her best to try to help her up.
Sonja stood tall, towering over the little girl. “Alexander!” She attempted to yell, but what she managed to summon sounded quiet, yet cold and rough. “Where is he?”
Tequidi was trembling, she didn’t say a word. Hesitantly, she lifted her arm, and pointed to his location.
“I need to have a word with you!” Sonja’s voice was quiet, but filled with intent. She stormed off in the gestured direction. “Ace,” she said, dragging out the single syllable for several seconds, sounding like a raspy snake.
He was hiding by their supplies, right near Sonja’s claymore. She reached for her weapon and strapped it back around her shoulders. “I’m sorry,” Alexander whimpered, “that’s never happened, I don’t know wha—”
“Listen Ace,” Sonja interrupted, her voice was barely present, but it was enough to get his attention. She spoke decisively while her eyes stared straight into his. “I am a slayer, and I kill things. I kill wyverns. When the Altkrugan flame wyverns over-populate, I’m the one that needs to clean up the mess.”
“I’m sorry.” The man’s eyes went watery, he was on the verge of tears.
“Don’t be sorry.” Sonja’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve shown me how beautiful these creatures can be.”
“They are…” Hs mouth flickered into a grin. “I’m glad I—”
“I don’t want to have to slay any more of them,” she croaked into a deep sigh. “I really don’t. If you truly are sorry for the incident that occurred, don’t let any more flame wyverns go astray.”
“I’m not in charge of breeding and colonies.” Every speck of Alexander’s charm had disappeared since the flight had finished. “But I’ll try my best to make sure the population doesn’t grow out of control.”
“You will keep it under control!” Sonja began to make her way out of the cavern. “Or I’ll come find you, Ace.”
“Yes, Sonja.” He was desperately nodding as she walked away, she couldn’t see it, but she knew his type—scared little men—all too well. “Thank you for flying with us today Sonja!”
; Sonja stretched her arms out, then released a croaky, roar-like yawn. “I think I could really go a spa and massage now.”
Read More
Cheers for reading Flight of Flame.
If you're craving more action-packed adventure with Sonja and Tequidi, be sure to check out The Holtur Curse (free to read for Kindle Unlimited subscribers): http://www.cameronwaynesmith.com/books/the-holtur-enigma/the-holtur-curse/
The Holtur Curse introduces a new enemy to Sonja. An enemy she doesn't feel comfortable slaying: man. Where does the line between humanity and monster lie? Sonja must figure out the answer swiftly, otherwise Holtur will be over-run by a monstrous breed of blood suckers. More than Holtur is at stake, for if this new breed rises, it will be the end of the world.
Alternatively, if you'd like to read more short stories click here: http://www.cameronwaynesmith.com/books/the-holtur-enigma/short-stories/
If you want to go back to the start and read the very first Holtur story, see if you can survive The Holtur Enigma (for free) here: http://www.cameronwaynesmith.com/books/the-holtur-enigma/
Lastly, if you'd like a free copy of the companion bestiary to my fantasy world, become a scholar of the Bristrunstium here: http://www.cameronwaynesmith.com/scholars-of-the-bristrunstium/join/
Cheers again for reading.
Happy suns,
Cameron Wayne Smith
Endnote
Thank you for reading Glimpses, I hope you enjoyed it. I especially hope you’ve found some new authors to follow and I encourage you to visit their websites to find out more about them and their writing.
Kev Partner
www.kevpartner.co.uk
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