The wind howled, carrying the metallic scent of blood and ozone from the valley below, but Yuna could smell nothing but the overwhelming, musky scent of the predator looming over her.
One moment, they were in the stifling heat of the command tent. The next, the world had expanded into an endless horizon of grey sky and jagged rock.
Tianlong stood at the very edge of the cliff, his black robe whipping violently around his legs.
He held Yuna against his side with one arm, his grip firm and grounding as she blinked, her brain struggling to catch up with the sudden shift in reality.
She looked down.
Far below, the battlefield was chaotic.
"P-Professor..."
Realization hit her like a physical blow. They had just left. He had just kidnapped her—no, saved her? Taken her?—right from under her mother's nose.
Her legs gave out.
She slumped, but he didn't let her fall completely, lowering her until her knees hit the rocky ground.
