“No, please, I’m faster than a griffin! Let me help!” Lief pleads, tugging on my ear. “There’s no point to me sitting here if Aurelio dies before we even get there!”
I pause, panting, to glance at the little fairy. “You’d risk your life?”
“Of course I would!” Lief answers, throwing his hands in the air.
“Fae aren’t known to take such a liking to humans. But you bound yourself to the Autumnspell household a long time ago, and here you are risking your life for your master.” I give him a small smile. “You’re a strange little fairy, you know that?”
“I don’t care if it’s strange! Aurelio is the only Autumnspell I’ve ever truly loved!” Lief protests.
“Well, why are you asking permission, then? Go get him!”
Lief doesn’t hesitate to fly straight up toward the griffin. I hear his shrill voice yelling insults at the griffin, and before I know it, he’s shrieking in terror as he’s flying away, the winged monster on his tail. Lief leads the griffin away from the nest and further over the mountains, far out of sight of the nest.
Incredible. Even the fae love you, Aurelio.
I suddenly climb a little faster. My heart beats harder, and sweat pours down my back, but I refuse to slow down. Aurelio is up there, the man who’s become an ally, a dear friend, and now my one and only lover. He’s shown me what true kindness can be, proven beyond a doubt that people can change for the better, and given me hope for learning to love myself. I won’t rest until he’s safely back in my arms. I don’t care if I have to burn down entire kingdoms to save him. No matter what kind of trouble he gets himself into, I would rather burn the world than fail to rescue him.
I look down, trying to gather my bearings. The ground is so far below that the height is dizzying. Shaking my head, I look up instead, finding that the griffin’s nest is still straight above. I keep climbing, one hand after the other, one foot after the other, making steady progress as fast as my body will let me.
I’m coming, Aurelio.
The sun beats down on my back. The incline shifts to a full sheer cliff, and my body protests under the weight of gravity. My limbs tremble, my muscles attempting to give out, but every time I’m close to falling, I grit my teeth and push a little harder. Adrenaline pours through me like a deadly drug. My hands and feet bleed despite my magic’s assistance, but I let the blood trickle down my arms and onto the rocky outcrop. My husband is up there. I will bleed myself dry before I let him die.
My eyes locked on the nest above, I finally latch onto the cliff side where Aurelio is. This outcrop is less supported than the rest of the mountain, and I feel it shake with every one of my movements. Pebbles crumble and fall far below. I have to choose my handholds and footholds carefully; one wrong move, and I’ll be joining the dead.
Keep going…one more step…one more inch…
My whole body is trembling violently. My shoulders ache and crack like they’re about to dislocate. The chilling sensation of tingling numbness races from my head to my toes again, and I nearly miss my next handhold because of it. I try to push a little harder, to grip a little tighter, but my bleeding hands are making everything slippery. I’m running out of magic to keep my handhold on this cliff.
I feel my foot slip, and my stomach drops as I hang there by a single handhold. Clapping my free hand to my mouth, I nearly pass out seeing the ground nearly one hundred feet below me. I’ve never been afraid of heights, but seeing a sheer drop-off right beneath my feet is a different thing entirely.
Don’t look at it. Don’t look at it! KEEP GOING!
I remember how that griffin took off with Aurelio, and all of a sudden, that adrenaline is pumping harder than ever before. With a mighty roar, I crash my hands and feet back into the mountainside, take the first few steps, and climb again, moving faster than ever before. My lungs threaten to give out, and I can barely even feel my body moving now, but I push on. Muscle memory and a dash of courage are all I need to get to the top of this cliff. It’s only twenty feet away…now fifteen…and then ten…five now…
At long last, my hand slams onto the surface of the clifftop, and I haul myself over the edge. I flop onto my back there, panting so heavily, I’m seeing black dots dance before my eyes. I’m wheezing for the first time in my life.
Right, I made it. Now, time to rescue Aurelio.
I shakily rise to my feet, barely able to stand upright, but I manage to stumble across the cliff face to where I see a slightly bloodied heap only fifteen feet away from me. There’s no mistaking the messy brown hair, the sun-kissed skin, or the athletic build: it’s Aurelio, passed out from the shock of his unexpected flight.
“Aurelio!” I call.
He doesn’t stir. I stumble toward him again, only to fall to my knees. Grunting, I decide to crawl toward him instead, seeing as my legs won’t allow me to stand upright. When I finally make it to his side, I roll him over, finding him still breathing and mostly unharmed.
“Thank the gods,” I breathe.
Just then, there’s a shrill scream from behind me. I turn around, expecting to see Lief coming toward me, but instead, I’m greeted with the sight of a livid griffin. My heart leaps into my throat.
“ALESSIA, LOOK OUT!” Lief shrieks.
I manage to duck and roll just in time to avoid being skewered by griffin talons. The heavy body of the monster lands only ten feet away from me. It doesn’t charge right away, but backs up against the corner where the cliff face meets the wall of the mountain. It lets out an eagle’s scream, then growls as it raises its talons toward me.
“Shit! Lief, what do I do?” I ask.
“Fight it!”
“I can’t stand!”
