Then, the young man did something entirely unexpected. He stretched his muscles, his knees bending deeply, and with a shout that Leo couldn't hear but could certainly see, he launched himself toward the sky.
It was a jump that would have been impressive for an Olympic athlete, perhaps even breaking a few world records.
For a split second, the young man hung in the air, his hand outstretched toward the ship that was high above the villa.
Unfortunately, he didn't even get close to the ship.
The upward momentum died instantly. For a heartbeat, he stalled at the apex of his arc, fingers clutching at nothing but thin air. Then, gravity reclaimed its debt. He plummeted downwards.
He crashed back onto the snow before the villa. Fortunately, he didn't look like he had broken any bones, despite the high fall.
He lay there for a moment, gasping for air, the wind clearly knocked out of him.
