Thirty-six
I screamed as I tumbled through the air with the wind loud in my ears. I had nothing left. My mother’s magic had gone into killing the beast.
I tried drawing magic from the ring once again but found it powerless. The ground drew nearer, so close I saw the monsters’ and pixies’ bodies heaped in piles of gray dust.
Arms encircled me. I opened my eyes to see Uli’s broad grin dance in my vision.
“Uli!” I gasped.
We flew up so fast the world became a blend of bright colors. I wasn’t dead, I reminded myself.
“You save me. I save you. This is the way of things,” she said with pride in her voice.
I slumped in her arms, feeling spent. The wind brushed past my face. I remembered thinking how good it felt to be alive right before I blacked out.