His wings snapped out from his back with a popping sound. Dark, sleek bone struts spread wide as the thin, indestructible membrane stretched tight between them, humming with deep abyssal energy. They caught the wind and held him steady in the air.
The soldiers nearest to him stopped firing and stared.
Renna's jaw dropped. "He can FLY? Since when can he FLY?! Did everyone know he could fly?! Emric, did you know he could fly?!"
"I was not aware of this capability."
"HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW?!"
Holden stepped off the wall.
He didn't fall. The wings beat once, then twice, and he shot upward. The acceleration was violent, displacing enough air to send a shockwave across the wall and knock dust and loose equipment sideways.
whoooosh.
He climbed fast, straight up, cutting through the smoke layer like a blade. The black air swallowed him, and for a moment he was in absolute darkness. Then he broke through the top of the smoke.
