55 – Fly, You Fools

“What is it?” asked Jonny.

“Another Inquisitor,” said Igrette. “They’re close. They just fought something down near the old camp site. I sensed them strike it.”

“How do you know it’s an inquisitor?”

“That was the mana of a blade, not a claw. The only thing using a blade this far out would be an Inquisitor. Leave me here. You need to run. You promised you would.”

Jonny gritted his teeth. He had promised, but he didn’t want to run. He had finally gotten her to safety. He finally was able to save her, and now this?

“Is there really nothing we can do? Is he as strong as the other one?”

“They didn’t feel as powerful,” said Igrette. “But it doesn’t matter. I may be able to defeat them, but not without costing me my life… And if they are this close, it is already too late to run. If you run, I can stall for time. And if I have to, I will fight them to keep them from following you.”

Jonny sat still for a while, then punched the ground. He had made a promise. He had to keep it. But he didn’t want to leave her behind. There had to be a way. There had to be something he could do. But they couldn’t run, and if Igrette fought, she would die. And despite his victory over the goat, he was not delusional enough to think he could defeat an inquisitor.

He needed a way to stop them. To stall them long enough to escape, or even kill them, but how could he do that as limited as he was.

Maybe I could lure some magic beasts over as a distraction? he thought. And then the storm can cover our tracks, and–

“Jonny,” said Igrette sternly. “You gave me your word. Are you going back on it right now?”

“No,” he said. “It’s just– There has to be a way. Like maybe–”

“Jonny, I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to accept it. I wish it didn’t have to be this way. I– I love you. Now, just–”

“Wait!” said Jonny as an idea flashed across his mind. “I have an idea.”

“Jonny–”

“Please, just hear me out. Down the mountain, near where we camped, there’s that other mana well. The really powerful one underground with the really powerful magic beast inside. If we head back there, maybe we can lure it out and get it to attack the inquisitor, and then escape while he’s busy.”

“Jonny–”

“Please!” he said. “There’s a storm right now. We can circle around without him noticing, and then use that magic beast to stall him. If that doesn’t work, I swear I’ll run. I’ll run faster than I ever have, and I won’t look back. But please, don’t give up now!”

Igrette pursed her lips.

“Don’t give up while there’s still hope,” said Jonny. “Sometimes the moment your opponent is most likely to win is the exact moment they lose. Coach said that all the time. I won my first ever fight because of that. My opponent was stronger, but I never gave up, even when I could barely see. Just because it looks bad doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. We can do it!”

“Alright,” said Igrette. “Fine. We can try. Get the pelt ready.”

Jonny didn’t need to be told twice. He stood up, pushing the pelt upward. The ice around the edge broke, and the pelt suddenly flipped straight up, tossed by the wind. Jonny leapt out of the shelter and chased after it. Fortunately, the wind had been blowing down the slope, rather than over the cliff, so he was able to grab it again after just a few seconds.

The whole pelt was frozen stiff with all the snow they had packed onto it, but the forelegs were just flexible enough for it to still be usable. He dragged it back up to the shelter, squinting to keep the snow out of his eyes. The wind buffeted him and threatened to knock him over with every step, but he increased his gravity slightly, allowing him to keep his balance.

A minute later, Igrette was on the pelt, along with her severed arm. They left all the meat, but Igrette had grabbed a pair of glass deer antlers, and was clutching them with her good arm. Jonny knew exactly why, and was half-tempted to tell her to leave them. If things turned to the worst, he knew she would give them to him and tell him to run. The antlers would fund his life in Oleira, but that life would be without Igrette, and he didn’t even want to think of that possibility.

They didn’t have time for an argument, though, so he just turned away, grabbing the forelegs of the pelt and starting to pull.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The first part of the journey was easy. They were going downhill with the wind at their back, and with the ice on the skin-side of the pelt, it made dragging Igrette along much easier. But when they got to the bottom of that initial slope, things got more complicated. They couldn’t go back the way they came, because the inquisitor would be there. They had to make a detour, which meant traveling unfamiliar ground, and with the storm so bad he could barely see more than ten feet in front of him, that was hazardous.