They flew without stopping until nightfall. The mountains stretched beneath them, endless, bristling with dark peaks and buried valleys. Kael maintained a powerful, steady rhythm, but he could feel his body hadn't yet regained all its endurance. The dream had left marks.
Kira, by contrast, seemed at ease. His grey wings beat with nervous precision, and he held effortlessly in Kael's wake.
"Should we land?" Kael called out.
"No need. I can keep going."
"You're not tired?"
"Not anymore. Flying wakes me up."
Kael nodded. They pressed on.
But as the night deepened, he noticed a shift. Kira slowed, then accelerated, then settled back to his level. He constantly adjusted his speed, held back his wings, as if he were burning his feathers.
"You want to go faster?" Kael asked.
"You set the pace."
"That's not what I asked."
Kira hesitated.
"I can go faster."
"Much faster?"
"Yes."
"Then go."
"I'm not leaving you behind."
"You're not leaving me behind. You're showing me."
Kira looked at him for a moment, surprised.
"Really?"
"Really. Go. Full speed."
Kira narrowed his eyes, as if searching for mockery. Then he almost smiled.
"Don't wait for me."
He folded his arms against his body, leaned his torso forward, and beat his wings once.
Once.
The crack tore through the sky.
Kael was struck by a dry shockwave, a detonation of air that threw him off balance. He beat his wings to stabilize, breath caught.
Kira had vanished.
He was no longer beside him. He was far ahead, a grey silhouette lost among the clouds, followed by a white wake that cut through the night like a blade.
Kael's eyes widened.
Kira wasn't flying. He was piercing the sky.
The half-demon wove through dives, climbs, tight turns. Each beat of his wings cracked like thunder. The shockwaves multiplied, bursting through clouds, making the air vibrate for hundreds of meters.
It took Kael a moment to react. Then he launched in pursuit.
He pushed his wings. His black feathers cleaved the air with their full span. He gained speed, but Kira remained out of reach, darting with an agility that seemed unreal.
"Kira!"
The half-demon slowed slightly, arcing back toward him in a perfect curve.
"All right?" he asked, barely winded.
"Where did you learn to fly like that?"
"In the northern passes. When you're being chased by griffins or wyverns, you learn fast."
"You create shockwaves."
"Yes. A side effect when I push too hard."
"You call that 'pushing too hard'?"
"For me, it's a sprint. For others, it's a miracle."
Kael stared at him.
"I didn't know you were that fast."
"You never asked."
"I should have."
"You had other concerns."
"Maybe. But this... this is something else."
Kira smiled again.
"Want to see more?"
"Yes."
"Then follow me."
He shot off again.
Kael launched after him. The wind lashed his face. Kira's wings cracked like whips, leaving luminous frost trails in their wake. The mountains blurred beneath them, unreal.
Kael pushed his wings to the limit. He felt the muscles in his back heat up, his feathers vibrate. He tore shreds from clouds, carved furrows through mist. But Kira remained ahead, elusive.
"How long can you keep this pace?" Kael shouted.
"Several hours, if the wind holds."
"You're joking."
"No. I trained."
"For what?"
"To flee. To survive. To cross storms without landing."
"And you learned that on your own?"
"Yes. Over time."
Kael accelerated again. The cold stung his face. His wings began to ache. But he didn't slow.
"Are we close?" he asked.
"A few more hours. We can land if you want."
"No. Keep going."
"You're sure?"
"Keep going."
They flew like this for part of the night. The sky lightened in the east, tinged with pink and grey. The mountain ranges lowered, giving way to plateaus, then distant plains.
Kira eventually slowed. He let himself be carried by an updraft, wings spread wide.
"The pass is behind that ridge," he said.
"We're almost there."
"Yes. Less than an hour."
Kael joined him, breathing heavy but controlled.
"You impressed me."
"That was the point."
"No. Not the way you think. You don't fly like a messenger or a scout. You fly like a predator."
"Thank you. I think."
"It's a compliment."
"Then thank you."
They landed on a rocky promontory overlooking an immense valley. In the distance, a road, fortifications, moving silhouettes.
"Drakk is there?" Kael asked.
"He should be. With an escort, probably."
"Good."
"Do you want to go down now?"
"No. We rest first. Then we go together."
"As you wish."
Kael folded his wings. They disappeared into his back. Kira did the same.
"You've changed, Kira," Kael said after a silence.
"You've already told me that."
"I know. But I'm realizing it again."
"That's normal. You were gone a long time."
"Yes. Too long."
They stood there, facing the valley, as the sun rose over the Veyne Pass.