Alex cursed under his breath as the barrier fell apart, and the walls of the cliff face above began to come crashing down around him. I can't catch a break, he thought. Win a fight with a rampaging beast, get crushed to death by a rockslide. It seemed deeply unfair.
He knew he had to think fast. He had thought he would be able to scale the walls to get out once the barrier between this place and his world opened, but finding handholds in the shifting rock would be impossible until the slide was over. After looking around, he squeezed his body against an outcropping, hoping it would shield him from smaller rocks and debris. Reaching for his inner power, he surrounded himself with a shield of energy.
His first instinct had been to try to run from the falling rock, but ruts and fissures caused by the beast's thrashing during their fight had made the terrain too uneven to risk it. Some of them looked to be at least ten feet deep. Falling into one could be just as fatal as getting crushed from above. He needed to get his bearings if he was going to get out of here.
Safe for the moment, he closed his eyes and made himself breathe slowly and deeply. He entered a light meditative state and opened his senses to the flow of energies around him. He was surprised to feel a growing power close by, like something awakening from a long sleep. Without opening his eyes, he knew it was coming from the carcass of the beast he had just killed.
Alex fought off a jolt of fear. What is that thing? he wondered. Some kind of demon? Or was it guarding this place? One thing he knew for certain was that he might not survive a second fight. If the beast was healing itself somehow to gear up for another round, then Alex might as well sit under one of the last falling boulders. It would be less messy than letting the beast eat him.
He forced himself to concentrate on the immediate danger of the rockslide. He was pinned down by the erratic collapse of the canyon's walls. The larger rocks and sheets of stone were easy enough to avoid, but there were hundreds of smaller, jagged daggers of rock thudding down around him. He was safe for the moment, but he was still trapped. He was also out of ideas.
There was nothing he could do until the rockslide was over, and that left him completely vulnerable. He forced himself to take another deep breath and let go of his fear. He had taken two more breaths when he realized that he couldn't feel the impact of falling stone on his shield anymore. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see a bright golden light over his head. It lit up the darkness of the canyon like a ray of dazzling sunlight.
What's happening? he thought, frowning. He could feel warmth behind him, and he turned to face what had been the body of the beast but was now shifting into something new. It had become a huge eagle, glowing with golden light.
Startled, Alex took a step back and nearly fell into a deep pit. His arms flailing, he began to lose his balance when the eagle shrieked and flapped its wings. A rush of wind raced toward him, fast and low, and kept him from falling until he could regain his footing. He felt the brush of powerful spiritual energy from the wind that had saved him, and he knew that it could have destroyed him just as easily. He wasn't falling to his death, but he was face to face with a magical golden bird with a very, very sharp beak.
He had a moment to reflect on how ridiculous it was that he might get eaten by a gigantic bird before he realized that it was not attacking him. Instead, it leaned down in front of him, positioning its neck for Alex to climb onto its back.
"Are you offering me a ride?" he asked, incredulous. To his relief, the giant raptor either could not or did not answer. I've seen some weird stuff, but I don't know if I could handle a talking eagle, he thought. What is it with me and birds, though?
Cautiously, Alex scrambled onto its back and wondered what he was supposed to do next. He sensed it might not be wise to treat it like a horse. He could feel it pulse with raw power, so he didn't want to offend it. Then, with another shriek, the eagle interrupted his train of thought as it leaped into the air with a powerful stroke of its wings. Before Alex could wonder if he had made the right decision, he was lifted into the sky with a rush of exhilaration.
**
At the edge of the cliff, Linden stood with the venerable master and looked into the inky darkness. His clothes were in tatters, and his nerves were not far behind. The master's eyes glowed with a bright light as he gazed into the abyss, and Linden stiffened when he turned those glowing eyes on him.
"He's coming back," the master said, his expression solemn.
Linden's eyes widened. "There's no way someone could survive that fall," he said without thinking. "Are you sure?"
"Are you questioning me?" The master's tone was calm, but Linden felt his stomach curdle with fear. He knew the venerable master could end his existence with a mere thought.
"Of course not, master," he said. "I would never doubt you." He kept his eyes on the master's boots.
The master closed his eyes. "Not only did he survive the fall, but he's also stronger than he was when I threw him down there. You need to be careful."
Linden watched the darkness with mounting dread. "He's stronger?"