I tried to avoid them first. I want that noted.
"Back. Slowly."
We backed along the ledge one step at a time. The one ahead followed at exactly our pace, its claws clicking on the stone like somebody drumming their nails on a table. The one above us paced the overhang, and grit trickled down every time it shifted its weight. The one across the gap opened its wings, and the orange glow between its scales flared brighter.
Then it jumped the gap.
It landed on the path behind Bren hard enough to jolt the ledge. Now there was one in front, one behind, one overhead, and nowhere left to back into.
'Okay. We're not doing the running thing.'
I let out a long breath.
For weeks I had been fighting like a man with his pockets turned out. One chain here. One Feather Step there. Every point of essence counted twice before I dared spend it.
I checked the well. A little over three thousand left. Dragging three people through Feather Step on the way down had eaten more than I liked.
