Read Online Ominous Odyssey (Overworld Chronicles Book 13) by John Corwin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: John Corwin
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pulled us toward our doom. A storm of snow followed us over the cliff, blotting out the sky and the Daskar.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on my shoulder blades, imagining the itch that meant I was doing it right. My magical muscles were exhausted from the strain of channeling the snowboard through all the high-velocity maneuvers and for panicked instant, I didn't think I'd be able to manifest my wings.
"Uh, Justin?" Elyssa's voice sounded on the verge of panic. "Wings, please?"
Gritting my teeth, I dug deep and pulled on my reserves. First an itch, then knifing pain as flaming wings sliced through my skin. Blazing white energy shimmered on my right, and ultraviolet to my left. I quickly folded them against my body.
"Yes!" I would have pumped a fist, but I needed to hold onto Elyssa.
"Why aren't you spreading them?" Elyssa said as we continued to fall at terminal velocity.
"The Daskar need to think we're dead, and I don't want the snow to catch up with us." I let the edges of the wings catch just enough air to angle us to the right and the edge of the snowstorm on our heels. If I spread my wings all the way, we'd be buried in snow and forced to the ground.
The fringe of the avalanche reached us. Powder and ice stung my face. Wind whipped my hair and did its best to blind me with tears. The air thundered with cracking rock and the chafe and grind of tons of snow. A massive boulder streaked past, narrowly missing us. We were a thousand feet from the ground, and a few hundred yards from the edge of the storm. I risked a little more wing to sharpen our angle, but it was too much and the main body of the avalanche nearly engulfed us. I quickly retracted my wings, but we'd lost too much speed.
Elyssa looked up. "Watch out!"
Another boulder nearly took off my head. A crazy idea smacked me in the noggin and I risked it. Flinging out a strand of Murk, I caught the boulder and let its heavier mass pull us after it and out of the lighter snow. Back in relatively clear air, I released the boulder and angled once again for the edge of the avalanche.
A hundred yards. Fifty. Thirty. Ten. We cleared the fringe with a few hundred feet to spare before the ground claimed us. I spread my wings and held Elyssa tighter. My shoulders ached and Elyssa seemed to gain a hundred pounds as we fought gravity and glided in for a graceful landing on the ground.
By graceful, I meant we smacked into a giant sunflower and tumbled head over ass until we came to rest in a patch of scrubby grass. Thunder echoed through the valley as the avalanche crashed into the ground, sending up a bank of mist for hundreds of yards in all directions.
Now that we were out of the snow zone, the temperature climbed from frigid to balmy, but my limbs were still shaking, and my face felt numb.
I couldn't see the Daskar, which likely meant they couldn't see us. Groaning, I staggered to my feet and found Elyssa woozily shaking her head a few feet away beneath a sunflower nearly ten feet tall.
A forest of the giant flowers stretched in all directions, their heads catching the sun and beaming multicolored rays back into the sky. I touched one of the golden stalks and felt warmth emanating from it. "Brings a whole new meaning to the word sunflower."
"No time to sightsee." Elyssa grabbed my hand and pulled me along. "We need to reach Mount Ulladon."
"Where is it?" I turned in a circle.
"Over there." Elyssa grabbed my chin and angled my peepers right. About five miles away Mount Ulladon rose from the middle of the valley. She grimaced. "You have frozen snot all over your nose."
"Really?" I rubbed my nose with a finger and felt the crusty grossness. "Ugh!"
"Hold on." Elyssa reached into her ninja fanny pack, took out a wet wipe, and applied it to my icky spots. A moment later she grunted in satisfaction. "You're presentable now."
"Wouldn't want to negotiate peace with boogers hanging out of my nose."
She laughed. "It'd be funny though."
I massaged my temples. "God,
I closed my eyes and concentrated on my shoulder blades, imagining the itch that meant I was doing it right. My magical muscles were exhausted from the strain of channeling the snowboard through all the high-velocity maneuvers and for panicked instant, I didn't think I'd be able to manifest my wings.
"Uh, Justin?" Elyssa's voice sounded on the verge of panic. "Wings, please?"
Gritting my teeth, I dug deep and pulled on my reserves. First an itch, then knifing pain as flaming wings sliced through my skin. Blazing white energy shimmered on my right, and ultraviolet to my left. I quickly folded them against my body.
"Yes!" I would have pumped a fist, but I needed to hold onto Elyssa.
"Why aren't you spreading them?" Elyssa said as we continued to fall at terminal velocity.
"The Daskar need to think we're dead, and I don't want the snow to catch up with us." I let the edges of the wings catch just enough air to angle us to the right and the edge of the snowstorm on our heels. If I spread my wings all the way, we'd be buried in snow and forced to the ground.
The fringe of the avalanche reached us. Powder and ice stung my face. Wind whipped my hair and did its best to blind me with tears. The air thundered with cracking rock and the chafe and grind of tons of snow. A massive boulder streaked past, narrowly missing us. We were a thousand feet from the ground, and a few hundred yards from the edge of the storm. I risked a little more wing to sharpen our angle, but it was too much and the main body of the avalanche nearly engulfed us. I quickly retracted my wings, but we'd lost too much speed.
Elyssa looked up. "Watch out!"
Another boulder nearly took off my head. A crazy idea smacked me in the noggin and I risked it. Flinging out a strand of Murk, I caught the boulder and let its heavier mass pull us after it and out of the lighter snow. Back in relatively clear air, I released the boulder and angled once again for the edge of the avalanche.
A hundred yards. Fifty. Thirty. Ten. We cleared the fringe with a few hundred feet to spare before the ground claimed us. I spread my wings and held Elyssa tighter. My shoulders ached and Elyssa seemed to gain a hundred pounds as we fought gravity and glided in for a graceful landing on the ground.
By graceful, I meant we smacked into a giant sunflower and tumbled head over ass until we came to rest in a patch of scrubby grass. Thunder echoed through the valley as the avalanche crashed into the ground, sending up a bank of mist for hundreds of yards in all directions.
Now that we were out of the snow zone, the temperature climbed from frigid to balmy, but my limbs were still shaking, and my face felt numb.
I couldn't see the Daskar, which likely meant they couldn't see us. Groaning, I staggered to my feet and found Elyssa woozily shaking her head a few feet away beneath a sunflower nearly ten feet tall.
A forest of the giant flowers stretched in all directions, their heads catching the sun and beaming multicolored rays back into the sky. I touched one of the golden stalks and felt warmth emanating from it. "Brings a whole new meaning to the word sunflower."
"No time to sightsee." Elyssa grabbed my hand and pulled me along. "We need to reach Mount Ulladon."
"Where is it?" I turned in a circle.
"Over there." Elyssa grabbed my chin and angled my peepers right. About five miles away Mount Ulladon rose from the middle of the valley. She grimaced. "You have frozen snot all over your nose."
"Really?" I rubbed my nose with a finger and felt the crusty grossness. "Ugh!"
"Hold on." Elyssa reached into her ninja fanny pack, took out a wet wipe, and applied it to my icky spots. A moment later she grunted in satisfaction. "You're presentable now."
"Wouldn't want to negotiate peace with boogers hanging out of my nose."
She laughed. "It'd be funny though."
I massaged my temples. "God,
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