"Save the Founder! I've got Aiden!" he yells, strain evident in his voice.
I glance over to him tugging and pushing against Aiden's vise grip, and I think he has it. I believe him. I trust his strength. After all, it was Lukas who used to run the Ocelots, not Aiden. I give him a compelling nod before racing to the Founder. She dangles from the ledge, her free arm flailing for a better handhold. I dive to the ground to offer her one.
Her armour is heavy, but with adrenaline coursing through my veins, I lift her up to solid ground. She shuffles forward, putting distance between her and the endless sky, and I'm right there to steady her if need be.
"You alright?" I pant, one second away from pulling out my sword to help Lukas (only, I wait to make sure the Founder doesn't go over again).
"Yeah, I– I'll be fine," she replies, breathless. An ordeal like that ought to stun even the strongest of people. I turn my attention to where I last saw my friend, but before I can settle my gaze on the fighting figures, something blurs three feet to the right of my face. A grey body and a streak of blond. Blond hair. It's all I can do to whip my head around, tracking its progress its feet sail into open air.
My heart drops.
"Lukas!" I scream. Time seems to slow down. He arcs into the void slowly yet absolutely. All the while, his blue eyes are wide, wider than the full moon. I race to the edge, but I can't consciously reach out in favour of keeping my balance. I watch as Lukas drops.
I raise my hand over my shoulder to grasp the hilt of my sword. Just as I close my fingers around its leather bound, a boot plants itself in my back. My arms pinwheel to no avail. The next second, I am dropping to the endless sky.
I hear a kerfuffle as I go, and a high-pitched grunt – instinctively recognising it as the Founder – before the wind strips all hearing from my ears. And I plummet in silence.
All which fills my mind now is spiralling panic, Lukas, and the probability of a hard landing.
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