Page 55 of Wild Bond

At the same time, I could feel Skye checking on me in the bond. She was currently fighting a few griffins of her own, but at my sudden rush of fear and horror at what I had just witnessed, she temporarily focused her attention on me.

I was unable to reassure her I was fine, because it was at that moment that the griffin dropped the rest of the remains and flew at me.

I dove to the side and rolled, just managing to avoid the animal’s outstretched talons.

The griffin screeched in outrage as it rose back into the sky.

I dashed a few yards to my left where the small outcropping of rocks created a jagged sort of overhang. I took shelter underneath, measly though it was. But at least it provided some protection from anything attacking from above.

I peeked upward but saw no griffins in my immediate vicinity. I clutched the dagger I still held, having lost the sword somewhere while trying to dodge the griffin. There were several of our now dead attackers scattered across the ground. Many more than the three I had dealt with—at least a dozen. My respect for Zade’s abilities grew as I surveyed the damage he had wrought. I knew he was obviously not a pushover since he was a trained dragon rider, but his teasing and easy-going manner made me forget that he was just as deadly as Rake or Dembe.

Zade was now standing in front of Valla, defending his dragon from several attackers. Valla now lay partially on her stomach, snarling and snapping at any of the men who came too near, but she was still too severely injured to do much else. Her sides rose and fell rapidly like a large bellows, as if even the small amount of energy she was expending cost her.

We had to remove that bolt as soon as possible and set her wing so that she could start to heal.

But first things first.

Zade was dealing with the four remaining attackers—of the human variety anyway. I darted out into the open to help him, just as a pair of griffins flew down, one aiming for the group of fighting humans and one for the downed dragon.

Zade bent low, his opponents hit the ground, and the griffin missed them by a few feet. When the griffin swept by overhead, Zade rose and swung his sword upward in an incredibly fast move, slicing deep into one of the griffin’s back legs. The creature screamed and immediately began to retreat, rising higher in the sky.

The second griffin was now hovering over Valla’s wounded side, and I watched as it clamped its massive beak on Valla’s broken wing.

A dragon’s hide was nearly impenetrable and obviously fireproof, which was why dragon riders made their armor from dragonscales, but it could be penetrated by some things, like long range metal projectiles. I worried the sharp beak and talons of a griffin were on that list as well. A dragon’s wings were more pliable and therefore more vulnerable, and that was why the griffin went for it.

Valla roared in pain and lurched to the side, trying to dislodge the griffin but with no success.

Zade looked back at the sound and almost got himself decapitated when he nearly failed to block a sword strike in time. Zade fought valiantly but was unable to help Valla, pinned down as he was with his injured dragon at his back.

Almost without thought, I changed course and found myself charging towards Valla and the griffin rather than Zade. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do, but I had to help Valla.

An insane idea formed in my head as I ran.

I reached Valla and barely even slowed my pace as I ran up her tail. It created a sort of ramp up toward where the griffin still held on to her wing.

I nearly lost my footing as Valla wrestled with the griffin, but I remained focused on my goal and managed to stay upright.

Only a few more feet.

Skye protested violently in the bond as she realized what I intended, but I pushed it to the back of my mind.

“Rin, what are you—”

I didn’t hear the rest of what Zade shouted as I leapt off the dragon and threw myself at the griffin.

I tackled it in midair, my arms going around its neck and my blade sinking deep into its feathered flesh.

The griffin’s beak tore free from Valla as it screeched in pained surprise. We dipped wildly, nearly colliding with the ground before the griffin flapped its wings and we launched skyward.

My intention had been to drop to the ground after dislodging the griffin from Valla, but the animal was tossing me about so violently I feared I would be impaled by the beast’s razor-sharp talons if I let go now.

As its wings continued to beat, and we rose higher and higher into the sky, I glanced down from where I hung preciously at the griffin’s side. My arms were still clutched for dear life around its neck, the stuck blade creating a handle for me to grasp onto as the griffin thrashed sharply, trying to buck me off.

The ground and Zade’s shocked face rapidly grew farther and farther away. In seconds we had already risen well past the tops of the trees.

The stench of wild animal and coppery blood hit me as I realized that letting go was no longer an option. If I fell from this height, even with my increased healing abilities, I would not survive.

The force of gravity from the griffin’s upward flight pressed down on me and made it hard to do anything but hold on.

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