Page 60 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

Up ahead, the two women have reached the halfway point of the bridge. Both of them are now crawling on their hands and knees to avoid getting blown away by the howling winds. The halfway point marks the place where the drop goes from being painful to being lethal. If we fall during the first half, it will hurt. And it will break any glass egg that a person is carrying. But if we fall during the second half of the bridge, it might kill us.

Anxiousness twists inside me. I need to get this done before we reach the second half.

My instincts are screaming at me to move slowly, but I need to close the distance between me and Jeb, so I walk as quickly as I can. Keeping my eyes fixed on Jeb’s back, I avoid looking down while I also spread my arms wide for better balance.

Blood pounds in my ears as I hurry forward and hope that it will be enough.

Lightning strikes up ahead.

One of the girls lets out a shriek.

I flick a quick glance towards them and find that they have almost reached the open window now. My heart slams against my ribs. I can’t make my move too close to the ground. But I also can’t wait too long in case it doesn’t work as quickly as I want it to.

Winds snatch at my clothes and hair as I move closer to Jeb. The cold rain stings my cheeks and makes the stones beneath my feet slippery.

A gasp rips from my lungs as a burst of wind rips across the bridge.

But that was exactly what I had been waiting for.

Ahead of me, Jeb sucks in a sharp breath as well and sways to the side. Flailing his arms, he tries to get his balance back.

I immediately channel my magic and shove at the bone white spark of fear in his chest. Just as I had hoped, I find one already burning there from his almost fall. I feed it with my magic.

Jeb sways again.

Rain whips against my face as the winds keep churning around us. Loose strands that have escaped my hair tie blow into my face and stick to my wet skin, but I don’t dare to push them away. I can only focus on two things right now. Not falling off the bridge. And making Jeb fall off the bridge.

I keep feeding his fear. But not too much. Not so much that he will curl into a ball and refuse to move. Just enough to make his moves frantic and clumsy.

Draven swoops down over us and lets out a roar.

It startles Jeb enough that he jerks back.

I push with my magic.

His foot slips.

And he falls off the bridge.

Extinguishing my magic, I throw myself the final distance forward and grab his wrist right before he can plummet to the ground. I drop down so that I’m straddling the narrow bridge, my thighs on either side of it, while I grip the edge with my free hand.

Pain pulses through my shoulder, and I let out a cry, as Jeb’s body comes to an abrupt halt with a yank that tears at my arm. The force of his entire body weight pulling downwards is almost too much for me to handle, and I clench my jaw against the strain.

“Grab the side of the bridge,” I grind out between gritted teeth.

My hair whips through the air as winds howl around us.

Jeb throws his other hand up, desperately reaching for the edge. My fingers are slick with rain, and my grip on his wrist is starting to slip. The fall won’t kill him, but it will break his glass egg. And then my plan will be ruined. I try to heave him a little higher upwards.

“Hurry,” I snap.

His hand finally finds the wet stones.

I let out a gasp of relief as half of his body weight is transferred to his other arm. With my hand still around his wrist, I lean sideways and begin pulling the rest of his body up towards the bridge.

He hauls himself up with his other arm too, which decreases the strain on my muscles. Once I no longer need to hold on with my free hand, I press my thighs hard against the sides of the narrow bridge to keep myself in place and instead reach down to grab his belt.

With our combined strength, we manage to get him up and over the edge of the bridge. I release his wrist, and then quickly reach into my pocket.

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