A Court of Wings and Fate

54. Crushing Debris

By the third day, Estelle was sore and exhausted. They were making good progress and had passed the treeline and cloud level already. The summit of the mountain was in view, but Estelle couldn't see the Fountain of Dawn.

The nights before they had passed the clouds were cold and wet. They faced freezing rain and some snow. They froze what meat they could in between rains and made camp in relatively dry areas. They took turns hunting and building fires. Both of them built and repaired weapons.

Thankfully, they hadn't run into any animals yet. Estelle had scented a bear one day though, and wolves howled beyond the mouth of a cave they slept in another night. They took turns keeping watch at night. One lay awake while the other was asleep, both using each other for warmth.

No one had reached out to Estelle yet. At this point, she doubted they would. She was somewhat grateful for that fact. She had enough to worry about already without listening to her mother chew her ear off about the dangers of what she was doing.

Mikael's determination grew with each passing day. He woke her at dawn and set a hard pace, stopping only when they had to. Between walking and a minuscule amount of flying, they made better progress than Estelle had expected. She knew they wouldn't beat the eight day record it had taken previous warriors, though. The rain and snow wouldn't allow that.

Estelle gasped as her foot slipped against a loose stone. Mikael grabbed her wrist, pulling her up beside him. "You all right?" He asked.

She nodded. "I was just lost in thought. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing."

"Stay focused." Mikael released her and kept climbing up the steep mountainside.

Estelle pursed her lips in annoyance. As Mikael's determination grew, so did his impatience. He gave her very short answers when she asked questions or spoke to him. He was mostly silent when they stopped for breaks. He kept himself shielded from the Bond. She wasn't sure what was going on with him. It both worried and frustrated her.

Estelle gritted her teeth, digging her fingers into a sturdy lump of stone. She dragged herself up higher and managed to find a foothold. She closed her eyes briefly, the ground spinning beneath her. She knew she could catch herself if she fell. Her wings wouldn't fail her.

It didn't ease the surge of primal instincts she felt when she stared at the ledge dozens of feet below her. At least when she was flying, she felt in control. Here, clinging to a cliffside, she was vulnerable. A strong breeze could blow her into oblivion.

"Batsy," Mikael called, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Keep up."

"Slow down," Estelle retorted. "Some of us aren't expert rock climbers, Feathers."

"No? You've spent enough time in mountainous terrain that you should be."

"I didn't usually spend my time dangling from the side of a cliff." Estelle climbed a little higher. Her foot slipped again, but she steadied herself. Her heart was racing regardless. She sucked in a steadying breath, trying to ease the churning of her stomach.

Mikael looked down, brown eyes simmering with exasperation. "You have wings, for Cauldron's sake. Don't tell me you're afraid of heights."

"I don't have a problem with heights. I have a problem with gravity," she spat. "And I know I have wings, but you can't honestly tell me that you don't feel nervous when you look down and see how high we are."

"I grew up in a palace built on the summit of a mountain only slightly smaller than this one."

"Well, I didn't."