Silas could barely keep his eyes open against the wind. As he tried, tears welled up in his eyes, which made it even harder to keep them open. He could make out the water below them and the reflection of the sinking sun on the horizon, but not much else between the gale and the glare.

Then he felt a sudden change in the wind around him. Had he stumbled across the path of some kind of current? Was it a pressure pocket? "Arael watch out for the gust here―AAH"

Before he could comprehend the situation, a strong tug down on his left wing sent him spiraling even faster toward the ground below. At this speed, it would barely matter if they were on track for a water landing. He struggled to try and right himself so that he could spread his wings and slow down. Too much force would break his wings trying, but too little force and he wouldn't be able to break the spiral.

With a miracle amount of luck, Silas managed to slow down enough that the water landing didn't kill him. He plunged into the deep blue waves just off the shore of the mouth of an enchanted river. The dim aura of magic and the shock from the sudden impact left his ears ringing. Dazed, he looked around and swam in a direction that was mostly upward, though it was hard to tell in the dark water. Everything hurt when he gasped for air at the surface. "Arael!" he called out with his first breath. "Arael? Arael are you there?!".


Mars pressed her lips together in a thin line of worry. "I understand," she said. Then she managed a weak smile. "If anyone can do it, it's you, my lady." Then she looked at her comrades. "Are you both alright to walk home?" She could carry them part of the way but would need to change plans if it were any farther than that.