The wind screamed past Kai's ears as the wyvern soared above the clouds, its wings slicing through the sky like blades. Kleo clung tightly to his waist, her arms trembling from more than just a simple fear of heights. The scale of what they'd just done hadn't fully caught up to her, but it was crashing down fast on Kai.
Even with the adrenaline still pumping through him, he could feel it: the gaze.
Not a mortal stare, but something far greater. Something eternal. Like that of Demeris or Cladeus, but magnified tenfold.
It felt like he stepped somewhere forbidden, and the world paused to acknowledge his mistake.
A divine glance.
And it brushed across him.
'They noticed. Of course they did.'
They crossed the distance between the grotto and the citadel in just under two hours. Kai pushed the wyvern to its limit without it giving so much as a groan of protest. If it were living, it may have failed its task. Kai rubbed its scaled neck once they descended, silently grateful.
