Dragon

Chapter 11

Maay clung to the rock, huddling against the wind's attempts to dig in its icy claws and pluck her free of the ledge. Jaimin. Her gaze scoured the land below. She'd heard him yell. Had seen him fall. Where are you? Buffeted about, first by the very air then by his arrival, her sight had been full of little but sky, rock and a flash of fur.

"Jaimin!" she screamed, her cry fast thrown back in her face by the breeze.

The valley, both its sky and the forest below, looked deathly still. Treetops swayed with each gust funnelling through from the narrow opening leading out to the misty gorge. There seemed to be little sign of the wind letting up.

She'd already been given a harsh lesson on trying to fly in it. Dare she try leaving the safety of the ledge at all? What if Jaimin was hurt? Who'd know where to find them?

Just below her grew a few scraggly bushes, huddled in the ledge's shelter. Crouching low, she relinquished her dragon form. The bitter wind seemed unfazed at the smaller target and proceeded to tug at her skirts. Maay shuffled closer to the edge. The drop to the forest floor suddenly looked a lot further than it had a second ago. Surely trying to navigate the slope headfirst would send her tumbling.

She dropped a stone over the edge, her gaze following its trail as it rolled down the slope, disturbing others in its wake. Her heart fluttered at the sight. What if that was her? She could end up buried by the ensuing avalanche. And dying up here is any better?

Returning to the mountainside, she inched down to the patch of foliage. The area scarcely big enough to hold her. Rocks shifted under her feet, sending a small avalanche before her.

She stretched for the leafless branches of the nearest shrubs. A finger-thin twig scratched across her palm. It tipped the last of her balance, rolling her into the mass of spiky brushwood.

Branches snapped under her weight, scraping across the tough corset panels and tearing at her skirts. Levering herself up, pulling her hair free as it snagged, she found herself sliding down the steep incline. Nothing but rocks, pebbles and dust barred her way.

She clung to the twigs, crying out as they cut into her skin. The fall would strip her raw long before she reached the bottom. Her dragon form would serve better. Could her handhold carry the extra weight?

Focus! she bellowed. She couldn't stay here. Her grip wouldn't last forever. She could already feel the wood splintering. "Jaimin!" Maay held her breath, straining to hear his reply over the wind and the heavy thudding of her heart. It wasn't until her burning lungs forced the next breath that she knew he couldn't hear her and would not be coming to her rescue.

Resuming her dragon form, she let go of the branch. Far better to face those rocks clad in scales than fragile skin. The gravel shifted under her, letting her claws sink into its crumbly mass. Steeling herself for the sudden lurch downwards, she slammed her eyes shut.

There was no change in the wind. Her footing felt no less secure. Maay blinked at her feet. The delicate array of stones had taken her full weight.

She half-lifted a forefoot. The stones beneath trembled and her heart leapt to mimic its quivering tempo. Be brave, Maay. The trees should break up the wind's ferocity. She just had to make it down into the calmer air and then –

The ground slid out from under her feet. Rocks bowled down the slope before her, kicking up dust. The gritty clouds billowed around her, stinging her eyes and sending her into a fit of coughing. She fought the downhill pull, stumbling as a foot became partially buried then uncovered again. Chips of stone flicked into her face, forcing her eyes shut.