“Wait.” The bat lowered himself onto his wing claws and followed her. As she took another step, he cocked his head and rocked his body forwards, ever so slightly. Time for us to go home.” Areion didn’t move a muscle. “We’re off,” Jinx spoke, stepping backward towards the gate. He’d stayed with her and Kniff, that glitter in his eyes, his wings neatly folded, even when Jinx had called forth a flaming Tower gate. He hadn’t taken flight when the bats of his colony had left their cavern, flapping and screeching at each other in alarm, hissing at the flames and smoke rising from their jungle. Areion was very much a mount after his rider, almost frighteningly so. The events of the day made her only that much more grateful to have her own mount by her side now, alive and well, fully healed from his wild adventure above the valley, and despite the horrors of said adventure, with eyes still shining bright – or perhaps that was because of those horrors. She knew all too well what it was to lose a mount and beloved companion. It didn’t seem like she’d be coming down anytime soon.

There’d been no stopping her, and Jinx hadn’t tried to as soon as the flood of Ravea’s acid had dried up on the mountainside, the blonde elf had climbed the slope towards the higher ridges and the peak itself. Chapter 23 – Bakith Sora had left her side.