Free Ominous Odyssey (Overworld Chronicles Book 13) by John Corwin Page A

during our crash landing?"
    I ran my fingers up and down the polished wood, but found no cracks. I took out the aether battery and verified it still had most of its charge left. "It's doing the same thing yours did. Everything looks fine, but it doesn't work."
    Elyssa checked the time. "We're down to twenty-five minutes."
    "We'll never make it in time."
    "Not if you try to fix the brooms." She grabbed a ledge and pulled herself up. Bracing a foot on an outcrop, she leapt five feet and gripped another ledge, holding on by her fingers. Hanging fifteen feet above me, she looked down and said, "Do as I do. It's only a hundred feet."
    I gulped and put the brooms back over my shoulders. "I should've made you carry these."
    "Want me to come back down and take them?"
    I shook my head and girded my loins. "Nah, I got this." Time to man up, you little wimp. I gripped the first ledge and felt the rough stone bite into my fingers. My muscles were already warmed up, and my supernatural strength hadn't been affected by my magic strain, so I easily pulled myself into position.
    Elyssa had already climbed another ten feet. I saw the path she'd taken and leapt up. I overshot the intended ledge and barely grasped a crag before falling back to earth. Holding on with both hands, I braced my feet on the rough surface and took a deep breath before resuming the climb.
    I took a more conservative approach from then on, careful to gauge my jumps if needed, while Elyssa clambered onward like a monkey girl. She reached the top a good ten minutes ahead of me, breathing heavily, face flushed, and a big grin on her face.
    "It's been too long." Elyssa set her hands on her hips and stared down at me. "Isn't this fun?"
    Heart racing from the thought of the long fall, I looked at her like she was crazy. "It's terrifying!" I scrambled for the next grip and refused to look down. Elyssa grasped my hand and pulled me up and over the lip.
    "Templar basic training involves base jumping, skydiving, and bouldering." She rubbed her hands in the blue grass to remove the clay. "It was my favorite part of boot camp."
    I rolled onto my back, grateful to be back on solid ground. "I prefer having a broom between my legs."
    She laughed and kissed my forehead. "Up and at-em, sunshine. We're running low on time."
    "I know, I know." I got up and looked at the slope. The summit lay several hundred yards away, but Ulladon—thank the heavens—was small for a mountain. We set off at a jog and made good time, despite a couple of areas with loose soil and prickly bushes that forced us to circumnavigate their thorns.
    Ten minutes overdue, red-faced and sweating, we crested the summit and found Arturo standing outside the white meeting tent. His forehead creased when he saw us, confusion and maybe a little worry drawing deep lines in his youthful face. I spotted Thomas's carpet on the ground nearby and strode over to Arturo as if everything was copasetic.
    "Where's Commander Borathen?" I asked.
    "He's inside explaining why you're late." Some of Arturo's imperious attitude crept into his demeanor. "You're filthy, and you were supposed to come alone."
    I wasn't sure what Thomas had told him, so I kept it vague. "Circumstances forced me to do otherwise." I motioned toward the tent. "Shall we?"
    Arturo considered Elyssa for a long moment and nodded. "Proceed."
    I unslung the brooms and set them on the ground. When Elyssa and I walked toward the tent Arturo made no move to follow us, remaining instead with the squad of archangels standing at attention outside.
    "You coming?" I asked.
    His lips tightened into a line. "Only if the Empress wills it."
    Cold chills ran from my nipples all the way down to my belly-button, forming an arctic triangle of heebie-jeebies. "Empress?" I hadn't expected him to bring their new ruler along.
    "Yes. She decided to attend this matter personally." He jabbed a finger toward the opening. "She awaits you. Enter."
    I pulled back the flap of the tent, and saw