Winter Fire [ Book 1 ] ✔

Chapter Thirty Nine

Claire could feel the sting of the rope biting into her palm as the basket rocked and swayed violently around them, but she refused to let go.

"We can't avoid them!" Draz shouted over the wind roaring around them. He had tethered himself close by with a length of rope attached to the side of the basket. "There is no time to counter it either!"

"I know, I don't plan on trying," Alek yelled back, his voice nearly being swept away entirely from his perch on the seat.

"What is your plan then?" Draz countered, clearly concerned. "I don't suspect you have any parachutes pack somewhere?"

"I am going to get as close to the ground as possible before they hit us," Alek explained in a tone that was far too calm considering the direness of the situation they now found themselves in.

"That's what I was afraid of!" Draz yelled bitterly, shaking his head.

Alek reached for the lever on his seat again and yanked it upwards. It took a little longer than the last time, but just as before, everything came to an abrupt, shuddering stop. The sudden jerking halt caused everything in the basket, including its occupants, to slam into the sides. Overhead the balloon, which had been venting air into the atmosphere during the drop, had inflated again giving them enough buoyancy to stop their descent.

"Everyone alright?" Alek asked, turning to look at them all as he extracted himself from the seat.

"Yeah," Claire managed, her entire body shaking.

"I'll live," Draz grumbled.

"I'm going to get us as close to the trees as possible," Alek explained, pulling on another handle which caused them to descend again, only this time at a much more reasonable speed.

"And then?" Draz asked, voicing the question they were all thinking,

"We hold on," Alek replied, crouching down in the space beside Claire. He offered her a reassuring smile. "It's going to be fine, I promise."

"We have about thirty seconds until impact," he called out. "Whatever you do, stay in the basket as long as possible."

"I'm scared," Claire whispered, drawing Alek's gaze towards her.

"It's okay to be afraid, Claire," Alek replied, reaching out to cup her face. "Fear keeps us alive. You just need to learn how to control it, instead of letting it control you."

"I love you," Claire murmured, pulling him close just as the first of the explosions tore through the balloon in a spectacular display of bright reds and vivid blues. The impact sent the balloon veering off course and spiraling uncontrollably towards the dark trees below.

Alek leaned into her, using himself as a shield to protect her from the debris that began to rain down around them. "I love you too, Claire," he replied, his voice a whisper meant only for her ears.

A second explosion of light and heat engulfed them, what was left of the balloon was torn to shreds or vaporized entirely. The basket tumbled end over end in a free fall towards the earth.

The trees did little to slow the basket's descent towards the ground. Branches snapped beneath the force, some tore into the basket itself leaving gaping holes in the woven wicker siding. Everything moved by in a blur and Claire was aware only of her own, haggard breathing and the blood rushing past her ears in a dull roar.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the basket came to a stop, suspended some fifteen feet or so above the ground. The ropes and netting that had once secured the balloon in place had gotten tangled in the thick canopy overhead and ended their fall. As Claire carefully untangled herself from the cargo netting, she found the everything ached. Pain radiated from her head, which had struck the hard wooden railing, down to the tips of her fingers, which were rubbed raw from gripping the ropes so tightly.