A Mirage Of Milk And Honey

Chapter 16 - Past Lives and Leaps of Faith

For a second, Zemira was sure she was going to die.

The impact of the Edge Cutters tail sent her sailing through the air with such force that the harness holding her up dug into her hips and thighs painfully. One second, she was flying through the air, and the next the rope that supported her caught her weight and left her dangling a fair distance lower than the nook she'd fallen from. 

She let out a groan as she shifted, attempting to right her position, when she felt the most earth shattering sensation.

The rope secured to the right side of Zemira's harness popped, and with it she felt a jolt, before she steadied out.

Fear so potent it made Zemira feel weightless spread from her stomach all through her body, numbing her limbs with ice, freezing her fingertips and halting her breathing.

There was another pop, and Zemira's eyes darted up at the nook she'd been thrown from. She could see the second Edge Cutter was throwing a fit, having noticed Aedis. It's V shaped tail swished back and forth, its wings flapping in big strides that kicked up dust.

Aedis was backed against the wall, his eyes focused on the bird before him.

Then he noticed Zemira. His eyes widened at what it was he saw on her face—terror. The kind of terror he'd never seen on Zemira.

They held eye contact for a split second that seemed to last a lifetime.

Help.

The rope snapped.

Zemira's body was weightless for a second. A second where she gasped a breath of air. A second where she closed her eyes. A second where Aedis screamed her name.

Then that second was over, and Zemira was plummeting down, only to have the rope on her left pull taught and sent her swinging. She slammed into the cliff face, her breath knocked out of her from the impact of the jagged stones.

Her body seemed limp, hanging at an awkward angle, and to make matters worse the Edge Cutter in front of Aedis was uncontrollable. The berries were kicking in and it's wings were becoming heavy and it was toppling backwards, and Aedis was reaching out as though to catch it and Zemira was dangling from a thin rope directly below.

It fell in slow motion, its body plummeting to the ground with a cry, a wing knocking Zemira in the process. The impact caused the one rope holding her up to fray, right in front of him.

Aedis had already jumped forwards, hand clutched around the rappel clip as he plummeted down.

Zemira's rope snapped.

Aedis crashed into her, gripping her by the leather strap that ran down her spine, connecting the breastplate to her harness. The two of them went plummeting to the ground, and it wasn't until they were scarily close to impact that Aedis released the rappel clip.

Their fast descent was just as quickly stopped, and the ropes holding the two of them split.

*

"Are you sure that this is the right way?" Honey asked from where she followed Chip.

"No." He replied boredly, but the air up here is less musty so that must count for something."

Honey inhaled.

The air was less musty.

"How do you notice these things?" She asked, impressed. "You're always pointing out small things that have slipped the rest of our notice."

"I'm quiet because I'm observant. Zemira has many good qualities—she's one of my closest friends—but she can't add levity to a dire situation and observe every little thing." He replied, "As for Aedis, he's got a lot on his mind. A lot of responsibilities and a tendency to get caught stuck in the past.