In the storm-choked skies, Alex and Zahra sat atop a great beast that loomed like a vast shadow beneath the sky.
Ricin's long, sinuous neck curved with an unnatural grace, while two pairs of vast wings beat steadily at his back, their motion stirring the damp, salty air around them.
His form seemed caught between flesh and spirit. Feathers shifted from pitch-dark to ghostly white, their edges glimmering like oil across water.
Some held weight and shape, while others drifted like mist, giving the impression that his body existed halfway between the material and the immaterial.
After learning of the battle site of the three kings, Alex and Zahra had left the Blue Stalion shipbehind, choosing Ricin as their transport toward the southern side of Rage Island.
"Don't you think we should inform someone like Vasticus and have him accompany us?" Alex asked, his words nearly drowned by the wind.
