She would not falter. She couldn’t let herself, clenching her teeth and screamed with the effort of holding on. She dug her fingers in as hard as she could. Just when she didn’t have anything else to give, Alex tore through the darkness and up into fluffy white clouds. A cry of horror boomed from underneath her, and it was then She knew she was seconds away from salvation. With all the love and strength she possessed, she lifted the tendrils in her grip and twisted her body in mid-air, her throat ached from screaming with the effort to fling the tendrils, and the beast attached to them, up through the clouds and in the direct path of its one weakness, light, and the best and strongest source of it. The sun.
Upon contact with open, clean air, the tendrils evaporated, dispersing in the light as if melting. The more the tendrils disappeared, the quicker the rest of the darkness followed, being sucked up into the sky, helpless before the power of the sun, the thing it had blocked for so long.
Within minutes, it was over. Alex dared to look down from where she was and saw only storm clouds hovering over Sydney just like she was. It was a beautiful, if overcast day. It was over. She’d done it.
Chapter Thirty-Three
I’m Coming Home
Nick punched the coordinates into the navigation system. The feeling they were going to be ok getting stronger with every second. All systems seemed normal. It was only when the plane had reached enough height to see the bright flecks of stars that Nick sat back and let out a breath. They were on track and safe, flying over the coast of Australia where it was very early morning. It would be a long flight but they would get there. The sky was lightening too, the early morning sun wasn’t far away.
“So tell me, what’s so special about this bird? Why have ya got your balls all tight for her? She just a great root?”
“Why would I go through all this trouble for a ‘great root’?
“Ah! Young pups know fuck all. Lemme enlighten you. In all my years I have never and will never find anything as powerful as pussy. Yet, most of the time, it means fuck all. If you’re a great fuck you can get pussy when you want. It speaks all languages, no translation needed. It’s cherished, worshipped and hunted. Worth more than money. Greater than any wonder of the world. When you know what you’re doing and that sweet lil’ darlin’ reveals that pearl for you, those rivers gush and the temple opens, you close your eyes just for a minute…and you know why you were put on this earth. The feeling of it gripping your cock, the way her face tenses with every move you make, that there, right there her mind is blank. She can’t breathe, she can’t think, she can’t speak because of you. But if you’re lucky m’boy, there comes a rare time when you find a true treasure. Someone you don’t give a shit about fuckin’ on Friday. She’s what you want to roll over and see Saturday more. So…what is this chick?”
“She’s everything to me.”
Nick gave him a sidelong glance and saw a big smile spread across his face. “Fuck yes, Fido! Fuck yes! Lead on with that big wolf cock and get ya honey.” He whipped his belt across the instruments like he was mushing dogs. “On cunt! On!”
“Why is this so important to you? What is that favour?”
As a reply, not looking at him, Nightingale whipped the instruments again. “On!”
And that was the last he spoke. Nick scrunched his eyes as the sun flared into the cockpit. When he could adjust his vision, Nick looked over at Nightingale who had slumped in his chair: unconscious.
*
Alex descended back into the cave to find Masonian in the same spot. A satisfied smile adorned his face.
As her feet touched the ground her wings disappeared and formed the strips of material. She removed her helmet and held it against her side. “I did it! Right? Oh my God that was amazing. Intense as fuckety. How did I do?”
“As good as I could’ve ever hoped.”
Alex gave a mini bounce on her feet, exhilaration running through her. “What happens now?”
“That is entirely up to you. No one will know what you’ve done, but the city survived because of you. Don’t ever forget that.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.”
“Perhaps not now, but it will at times. You will feel hard done by for the lack of thanks you will get. And you will feel guilty, frustrated, overjoyed at the things you can do. Heartbroken by the people you cannot help. No matter how strong, no matter how fast, you cannot help everyone that needs it, and you must prepare for that. Also, you cannot be at the mercy of people twenty-four hours a day. That’s why my strongest advice is to keep your abilities hidden. Save your interventions for truly devastating situations of peril. But that will be up to yours to judge.”
Alex looked down at herself. “Keeping hidden is going to be a bit hard, don’t you think?”
“Thankfully for you, this is an age where people walk with their heads down, looking at their phones, not upwards looking towards the possibilities and mysteries of the sky. I always had faith that humans were a good, decent people. They only lacked a light to lead them. So be that light, Alexandra. Now, I hope you’ll forgive me, but I will have to make it look like you fell. When she does find you, I would think carefully about what you tell Ms. Davidson. She knows more than most about your situation, and I believe she can be trusted. However, every
