May Races 2022

Sonnet should’ve expected things to get worse. A lot worse.

No, the Deities couldn’t simply opt to make things tamer for the next leg of the May Races.

As soon as the last of the tornadoes had vanished, whether because Aelin did her ‘mystic thing’ or if the Deities had decided to take pity on them, Sonnet had decided to flop in the grass and relax.

Aelin had stared at him while he did so, amusement evident in her expression.

His moment of relaxation hadn’t lasted very long though.

The ground started shifting with a loud rumble.

Sonnet silently shouted at every single one of the Greater Deities as the ground started shaking, and he was forced to spring to his hooves.

He unfurled his wings with record speed, feathers snapping out into the air with a burst of magic. Beside him, Aelin had unfurled her wings as well.

Sonnet felt magic crackle in the air around him, and drew in a deep breath as he attempted to pull his magic back in. No, he really didn’t need to set himself on fire in the middle of an earthquake.

“What was that?” Sonnet shouted in Aelin’s direction, finally having found his bearings in the air.

Aelin gave her best impression of a shrug, her wings flapping in the air as well. “No clue!”

“I really wasn’t planning for a magical earthquake today!” Sonnet continued to shout. He could both hear and feel the magic humming in the air –his magic, Aelin’s magic, and the magic pouring out of the large rifts in the land beneath them.

“Neither was I,” Aelin responded.

Sonnet wondered how she could remain so cheerful while the ground was moving underneath them. At least both he and Aelin could fly, or Sonnet would have seriously considered jousting one of the Greater Deities.

Thankfully, the rumbling of the earth quickly stopped, and Sonnet was able to place all four hooves on solid, unmoving ground again.

“Do you notice anything weird?” Aelin asked, tilting her head slightly as she scanned the horizon.

“Beyond the strange magic in the air and the giant rifts in the ground?” Sonnet shook his head. “No, nothing besides that. Please don’t tell me there’s another tornado now.”

“Well, it’s not a tornado?” Aelin replied, “It’s just there’s creatures coming out from the rifts…”

“Not dragons,” Sonnet grumbled, dearly hoping the creatures weren’t giant, angry dragons.

“I don’t think they’re dragons…!”

Sonnet squinted, trying to figure out what the rapidly approaching object was. Leathery wings, but a body covered in what looked like soft fur or feathers. Add in two eyes, two legs, and a beak.

“Seriously, more flying chickens?” Sonnet groused. One flying chicken was enough for him. He really didn’t need more flying chickens following him around.

He turned to look at Aelin, before noticing that the mare had already approached the flying chicken. Sonnet followed the mare with uncertain hoofsteps.

“It’s cute!” Aelin exclaimed, looking at the closest flying chicken. “Dinosaurs, who would have thought?”