Warning: Some language
"Abraxos!"
Dorian grunted as he tried to hold on to the roots of a large redwood tree that was on the side of the cliff's edge, blinking out the water falling on his eyes as he tried to gauge how far down they were from the top. Manon's screaming was drowned out by the thunder overhead and the King didn't want to look down to see what had happened to the soft-hearted wyvern after they were shot down from the sky.
Only the burst of his magic had saved them from suffering the same fate, but it had tired him fully and only his mortal strength kept them from falling now. His ears caught the crack of the root he was holding on and panic settled in, deep and unforgiving. "Manon!"
But she wasn't paying attention to him, her hand going slack in his. "No! Don't let go, Manon!"
She was sobbing, he could hear it over the rain, crying for the wyvern whose crumbled body lay on the rocks below. Dorian spared it only a glance, his heart hurting for her and for Abraxos. His grip on her wrist was tight as he breathed out, opening his mouth to let out a yell, swallowing his ragged breathing.
With a roar he pulled Manon up. "Grab unto me!"
But she wasn't looking at him, didn't seem to care that they were going to die. He felt her grip loosen and the shock made what little magic was left in his system seize up. "Manon! Don't do it! Don't you dare fucking let go!Abraxos didn't want this!"
The witches' response was to grab on and Dorian groaned in relief. "Come on," he muttered as he once again lifted her up, feeling as her hand came up to wrap around his neck, her breathing matching his, ragged and torn against his ear. She didn't weigh much, but his hand was cramping already.
A second crack from the root.
But before his hand slipped, Manon had grabbed another root, this one closer to the cliff, holding his wrist still, their hands stiff as they held each other tightly. She didn't have to say anything for him to let go and be the one dangling now. The King couldn't help but to look at the wet ground, as the lightning illuminated the broken body below, how the blood flowed down the rocks and mixed with the rainwater.
Dorian wiped away the dirt and blood on his face, the tears mixing in with the rain as he was lifted and soon they were on more solid ground, a top the roots of the tree, far below the cliff's edge, but safe enough for now.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as they both breathed heavily. "I'm so sorry."
Manon's face was hard, droplets rolling down her face as if compensating for her tears. As if the whole world was crying too. She just shook her head, once, twice…and then lowered it unto the muddy ground into her hands. Bowing for a mount she'd never see again. Who had sacrificed his life in order to ensure their lives.
Dorian dropped down unto his behind, his back against the bark of the tree, not caring that he was soaked through or of how cold it was or how the much stuck to him.
He had promised himself that he wouldn't cry again, not after all that had happened, not until this war was done.
But the tears escaped anyway, especially as Manon raised her head once more, her gold eyes narrowed as her expression carried with it insurmountable pain. The King of Adarlan cried…as the witch's scream tore through the heavens.
I've been neglecting this series so I decided to post a couple of chapters at the same time.
Spirit - Thanks for the request! I have some ideas for a second child fic.
I hope you enjoyed!