Noel didn't look back. He grabbed Eleanor by the arm and lifted her as though she weighed absolutely nothing, his movements careless and almost rough with indifference.
She barely had time to understand what was happening before he swung his arm and released her, and her body launched through the air like she was nothing more than a loose object he'd decided to set aside.
"HEY—!"
The scream tore out of her throat before she could stop it, raw and panicked, as the wind rushed hard against her face and the ground below her became a blur.
Elderic saw it happen and didn't hesitate. He shoved through the pain that had been grinding at him for the past several minutes and threw himself forward, and he caught her just before she could hit anything solid.
The momentum forced him backward, his boots scraping against the cracked earth, but his arms locked around her and held on. For a moment, neither of them moved or spoke. They both stared at the same thing.
