The Far Wild

36 - Ode To A Lost Boot

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Senesio

“I’m glad you enjoyed my boot, assholes,” I said, frowning at terror birds gathered below me. “Do you have any idea how much it cost?”

“Skyship approaching!” someone shouted from nearby and I whipped my eyes to the horizon.

“Well, yup.”

Normally, I’d have been ecstatic at the sight—unlike the Stormcrow and Panagia, this ship was in one piece—but the soldiers on deck were drawing bows and readying ballistae.

Thunk.

An arrow slammed into the other side of the beam.

“Son of a swindler!” I cursed, yanking my hand away. Even as I did, I could see more crew on board the skyship taking aim. Combined with the terror bird flock below, that was just patently unfair.

Far from ideal circumstances. Nonetheless, an idea was forming in my mind as I scanned the terrain below. Admittedly, though, it was a pretty bad idea.

Thunk. Thunk. Thud.

A rain of arrows fell this time, several hitting the beam while the rest thudded to the ground, falling among the terror birds. None of the predators got hit, but the attack did catch their attention. For the slightest of moments, they pulled their eyes from me and glared toward the source of the arrows.

That was all the distraction I needed. Probably. There wasn’t time to second guess myself. I loosened my grip and began to slide down the beam.

My shirt caught on a splinter and the tearing of fabric caught the flock’s attention. Several of them turned back toward me.

I loosened my grip further, picking up speed as I descended. The birds below moved in closer, beaks snapping in anticipation. When I was just inside of their jumping range, however, I kicked the beam with both feet and flung myself off.

I flew over the heads of the flock, then did my best to tuck into a roll as the ground rose to meet me. The world shook abruptly and lights flashed as my head banged against the earth, but good form and momentum carried me forward. Almost without intending to, I rose into a stumbling run, feet working to catch my balance as much as carry me forward.

The birds broke into motion as well, squawking and screeching, but there wasn’t time to look behind, only ahead. Ahead, ten or so paces, to the center of the outpost, where Clearwater Spring bubbled to the surface.

I sprinted forward, arms pumping and head down.

Eight paces to go.

The ground shook beneath my feet from the pounding pursuit of the birds.

Six paces.

A shadow loomed in my peripherals.

Four paces.

“Gah!”

A weight slammed into me. Outstretched talons closed on my shoulder, tearing into flesh. I was tackled to the ground as a bird screeched in my ear. I hit chest first, sliding on my stomach through ash and dirt. The talons scraped over the bone of my shoulder as they fought to hold on, then broke free, trailing blood. A ball of feathers and fury tumbled forward and off of me.

Acting on instinct, I used the momentum of my slide to kick into a barrel roll.

The world spun. One moment my face was in the dirt, then the next I was staring into the eyes of the flock, then the sky, then dirt again. I slammed an elbow into the ground once to keep the roll going, then again. Dirt turned to mud, then mud turned to water, and I plunged into the spring.

A crashing surge of whitewater followed as one of the birds plunged in. Its head shot down toward me, beak snapping. I kicked away, swimming backwards and down as fast as I could. The bird snapped at my flailing feet, but pulled back when a kick caught it in the eye. It flapped its wings, churning the water, then backed up toward shore.

I only swam deeper, blood from my shredded shoulder coloring the water red.

My lungs burned—there hadn’t been time to take a proper breath—but I tuned out the pain. Somehow, being torn apart by terror birds seemed a more pressing issue.

A pace above, the birds were waiting around the edge of the spring. A pace below, the crystal-clear water grew progressively darker as it disappeared into the shadows of an overhang, the source of the spring hidden somewhere in the underwater cave below.

Neither option was good. I righted myself, stroking with long, slow movements to hold in place once I was right side up. Above, the birds. Below, an endless darkness with no air to be found.

But those weren’t the only two options.

I spun as my eyes followed the course of the spring. I couldn’t see too far through the water, but I knew the spring ran through the center of the outpost, before emptying under the palisade and into the Evergrass. The only question was, did I have enough air to make it that far?

There was only one way to find out.