“We go as the Silverback spins into action,” Conrad says, rotating his neck slowly. “Fine ice bullets aimed at its throat … enough to stun but not seriously wound … no unnecessary cruelty.”
With that, we prepare to take flight once more, knowing our timing has to be precise to counter the Riadek’s roaring approach.
“Now,” I say, signalling a co-ordinated return to action, flying low towards a stranded Odin who hovers in mid-air, courtesy of a flight charm which has turned out to be a poor choice. It limits his movements, placing him in a no-man’s-land beneath the threat in the sky and potential danger below. It seems he’s better at taming than fighting, so we move in to do our duty: the protection of comrades at all costs.
“A sheet of ice above Odin, protecting him from the Riadek’s wings,” Conrad instructs, “then ice bullets at the Silverback’s throat to quell the danger.”
We’re in position seconds later ... a line of colour about to decorate the taming range with sheets of ice. A gentle whisper releases the first sheet of ice, stretching across the triangular space hidden in the mountains … reaching Odin’s stranded figure just in time. The enormous. armoured wings lashing out only to smash into the ice which shatters on impact.
It’s enough to reset the Silverback, causing it to spin away with a roar of fury. As it turns, the second phase of the plan begins — ice bullets to the only vulnerable part of its body: the throat. Bullets fly through the air, arcing and looping towards their target … some striking the armour to cause the necessary distraction while others hit home … causing the Riadek to tilt in pain … the spikes of steel decorating its wings closing in the first sign of weakness.
“Now, Guppy,” Lucy says, gesturing towards Odin who’s now struggling to control the vampiric birds he’s released.
The Zombul controls whatever you release, but you have to keep control which is hard to do when you’re suspended in the sky by a flight charm. The propellor-motion of the flower attached to Odin’s hand is slowing — only a few petals remaining as a consequence of the Riadek’s attack.
I stay low on Laieya as my trusted, powder-blue Williynx spins through shattered ice that flies in every direction. Odin is the target now, hanging onto the disintegrating flower as the vampiric Ameedis begin to turn on him, realising they’re no longer under his control.
Thankfully, I get some help from the crowds looking on from above — streaks of multi-coloured light followed by a cry of ‘DISINERIS’, the disintegration charm exploding the Ameedis out of existence.
Now, it’s just Odin to rescue before he falls to the earth. He’s injured, probably from the vampiric birds he lost control of, meaning he’s going to struggle to break his fall which starts seconds later. I pat Laieya into action, my feathered friend accelerating towards the grey soil … in pursuit of a questionable comrade whose battle scars have darkened his spirit.
As Conrad, Noah and Lucy keep the injured Silverback occupied, using a Promesiun charm to restrict its flight, I feel the cold wind on my face as I reach out to grab Odin’s flailing arm. He resists initially, turning to look at me as he’s falling, the grimace a sign of his ingrained bitterness.
Whatever his issues, he’s still a Society soldier so I do what’s necessary, using the Fixilia charm to limit his ability to move: a charm causing terrible pain once you’re frozen to the spot. He’s even angrier now but I’m not interested in his bruised ego; he’s close to smashing in to the ground so I spin underneath him, whipping out strings of light that wrap around his restricted figure.
The topaz-blue light of the Promesiun charm attaches him to my Williynx inches from the ground. We rise again … Odin in front of me so I can keep an eye on him, the emotionless soldier of the Domitus clan grimacing every time he moves.
He’s been humbled in public view — his bitter spirit exposed in the ‘accidental’ release of the Silverback he was supposed to be taming. The ‘accident’ was aimed at us, meaning Odin’s time in Drandok is about to come to an end.
With Conrad, Noah and Lucy offering their own version of creature taming — bringing the injured Riadek to a submissive pause on the grey soil of the taming range — I rise towards Orgev who’s clapping with the rest of the crowd, offering me a smile as I reach him. A final spin turns Odin over to Orgev: the concluding touch to an eventful evening.
As night falls, we sit in a circle around an array of food that’s handed around the group. I initially wonder why we’re sitting on the floor but decide not to ask. After all, Drandok is an unusual place in a lot of ways, not least because of the creatures resting in the cells below us. A rough guess places us in the centre of the mountain hollow: a communal space where all are welcome.
From the numbers sat around the circle, I guess that less than half the residents are here — the other half deciding to stay in the small space they call home, still struggling with troubling visions. Noah’s never shy when it comes to food but receives a glare as he reaches for a bowl.
Lucy explains the ritual of waiting for the food to be handed to you, rolling her eyes at me afterwards. I still can’t work out if Lucy’s into Noah. She isn’t the easiest person to read: an enigma wrapped in a small frame.
“So, what happens to Odin now?” Conrad asks, handing a bowl to me.
I’m not sure what’s in the bowl, guessing it’s seaweed. It doesn’t look particularly appealing, but I run the risk of offending the Domitus if
