The moment Ren was securely settled on his back, Altair rose to his feet.
Ren let out a breath, fully expecting the giant bird to simply hop over the few yards of wriggling pink worms and gently deposit her onto the dead crocodile waiting with Viper.
Instead, Altair snapped his massive golden wings completely open.
With one powerful, deafening downward thrust that sent the muddy swamp water rippling violently in all directions, Altair took off from the ground. He shot straight upward with rocketing speed.
"Wait! Altair!" Ren shrieked, her voice completely lost in the roaring rush of the wind.
She was violently thrown backward, forced to flatten her body against his spine and hold on for dear life. The cold night wind whipped aggressively against her face, almost biting right through the magical warmth of her emerald silk dress.
Ren squeezed her eyes shut, screaming into his feathers. When she finally dared to peek over his shoulder, she couldn't even see the ground anymore.
