Black Wing, Blue Wing

3 - Astrid

"Fly or fall, live or die. The Parapet is the first challenge of Basgiath. And for many cadets, it'll be their last." -The Rider's Codex

Scream. Shriek. Waving arms.

The lighting strikes at electrified rain.

And Kade falls.

Drops.

Plummets.

"Kade!" His name rips from my throat, tearing my mouth, my teeth, my tongue, into a bloody mess of flesh and steel.

Without thinking, I pivot and lunge.

Then I'm falling again, this time with a partner, locked in our deadly dance towards death.

My hand is outstretched, my fingers trying to meet Kade's, trying to pull him from the spiraling abyss below. His eyes flash with panic and fear, and everything a cadet's not supposed to feel, but he's seeing death, he's about to die.

Lighting strikes again, between us, slashing at our arms, swinging at our legs, a jagged rope to hook our arms to.

He's falling, I'm flying, he's flying, I'm falling.

We're going to die together.

Suddenly, my fingers lock with others, and I'm gripping onto Kade. My other hand scrapes against stone, then grasps onto the rough edge of the Parapet.

Gravity doesn't let go as my arm nearly snaps with the sudden yank downwards. Then we're dangling above an empty abyss, the only thing keeping us from falling being my hand on the edge of a small stone beam.

Kade glances down before meeting my eyes. His chest heaves, and I know what he's thinking. He knows he nearly died. And he knows he would've if I hadn't lunged.

"Pull yourself up!" He screams against the wind. "You first!"

I shake my head. "I'm going to swing you up! You grab on!"

Kade glances down once again and nods. I begin to swing us back and forth, back and forth, rocking with the wind.

With one more swing, Kade's hands lock onto the edge. He scrambles up like a mouse, leaping out of the way of death.

I'm up a moment later, teetering on the edge yet again. Kade reaches out, his hands brushing my waist, steadying me.

"You take a step, I take a step," he says. "And we'll make it across together."

"Alright," I whisper, my voice barely audible over the boom of roaring thunder.

I take a step, and then another, Kade right behind me. I can feel the burning of the Wingleaders' eyes on my back, searing into my spine.

We continue walking down the Parapet, and whenever one of us wobbles, the other's there to steady them. Once we're about twenty feet out from the end of the beam, walls close in around us.

I break into a run, Kade close behind me.

We burst onto solid ground, and I have to tap it a few times to make sure it's real. It can't give out. Not after we both nearly died.

Standing across from me is a red-haired cadet. Her hair is cut short right after her ears, and her eyes narrow as she looks at me. "Name?" She asks.

"Astrid Hofferson." I try my best to keep my legs from trembling.

The cadet nods once, before signaling me to move along. "Fourth Wing, Claw Section."

I move, but only a bit, still close enough to hear where she puts Kade.