“I must be dead.”

“Is this what death feels like?”

“Why is it cold? Why...?”

He slowly opened one eye. Then another. A blurry, blue haze eventually revealed a crisp, bright sky. The top of several trees came into view. He watched as the trees continued on their way.

“Am I moving?” Aiden’s eyes widen. Damp grass slid through his grasp. “I am moving.”

He sat up on his elbows and raised his head. “It’s him! The Ahrman!”

He was the last person Aiden wanted to see. But there he was, dragging him by the leg to who knows where. “Where are you taking me? Let me go!”

“This would be so much easier for me if you’d stay dead,” the Ahrman sighed, stopping in his tracks.

Without another word, he flung Aiden forward. Aiden rolled upon impact and came to a stop near a riverbank. As he picked himself Aiden noticed the rush of the river. His gaze followed the water to where the river ended. “A waterfall...”

Aiden staggered backward to the ground, as he sought to avoid falling into the river. He clutched his chest in a vain attempt to slow his rapidly beating heart. Then he noticed it; there was a ragged hole in his shirt. It was much larger than his fist and even bloodier. “Blood...”

Aiden spun around. “You tried to kill me!”

“You were like that when I found you,” the Ahrman scoffed. “I was hoping you would stay dead. But since you can’t ( or won’t, whichever it may be ), I have to take you back with me.”

“I’m...not going anywhere with you.”

“You act like you have a choice,” the Ahrman said as he lifted Aiden off the ground by his collar. “I was hired to do a simple job. But you had to turn out to be an Afreet, which means we have to go all the way back to Ahrmana. I should get paid a lot more for bringing you in.”

“No!” Aiden’s protests are ignored by the Ahrman who turned his attention skyward. An approaching winged silhouette has caught his eye. The light of the sun fully unveils the Ophidia as it approaches. The flying serpent coils through the air as it descends near the mouth of the river.

“It’s huge!” Aiden watched as the serpent lowered its extensive neck. “You were behind it then. The attack on the chariot...”

“How could I when I was restrained the whole time?” the Ahrman replied. Dragging Aiden by the collar, the Ahrman approached the Ophidia. Mounting the great serpent was as simple as mounting an equinae. But that’s where the similarities ended. There was no rein or saddle to hold on to. The Ahrman wasn’t bothered by the lack of either. Aiden, on the other hand, gripped the tough scales for dear life as the Ophidia swiftly ascended.

********

It was big enough to be seen miles away. There was no mistaking it. It was an ophidia, leaving the forest at a steady speed. Through the lens of her field glasses, Farah could see them; Aiden and the Ahrman. The serpent was too high for her to dare leaping on to; too far away to catch. In a matter of moments she would lose sight of it; of Aiden. “No!”

She darted through the clearing, sparks danced through her fingers. She wasn’t certain if she was close enough. She wasn’t sure if Aiden would survive. She was certain that she couldn’t let them get away.

Farah stopped at the edge of a cliff. The flying serpent was barely in sight. She raised her arms and released a blast of pulsating light. It flashed through the sky, hitting its target with shocking precision. She could tell if it was dead or merely stunned as the flying serpent fell from the sky. A huge wave of water obscured its body as it hit the river.

With her breath in her chest, Farah scanned the waters for any signs of Aiden. The serpent’s body flowed rapidly with the currents, but neither Aiden or the Ahrman were anywhere to be seen. “What have I done?”

“Hold on, Aiden!” Farah shouted. She rushed down the cliff and towards the river. “I’m coming!”