Chapter 27
The Wings of the Descender

Seeing Podgy fly into the zoo, Sam brushed past Megan and out the door of the fort.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Megan dropped her thoughts and chased the Descender onto one of the rope bridges. Sam crossed the shaky planks and stepped onto a lookout platform on a distant tree. He stopped and turned to Megan, who halted so suddenly that the bridge swayed beneath her feet.

Megan stood in the sag of the rope bridge, a few feet lower than Sam. With his back to the moon, his face was masked in shadow. For a moment, Sam did nothing but stare down on her. Then he raised his arms over his head and brought them back down, striking the zippers on his wrists against the buckles on his hips. He swept up his arms, ripping open rows of metal teeth that crisscrossed his jacket. Silver feathers, freed from their leathery confines, fell from his arms and sprouted from his sides. Thin rods telescoped out from the ends of his sleeves, dropping feathers neatly into place across a wide wingspan.

The Descender stood on the platform, his arms raised, his feathers swaying in the wind, moonlight outlining his body. Each wing stretched at least five feet past his usual reach. As he swung one arm toward Megan, the group of feathers waved like a freakish flag. He curled his fingers toward himself, a gesture for her to approach.

Megan instinctively took a step back. The bridge rocked.

“Megan, we need to.”

The sound of her name carried by Sam’s voice helped to humanize him again. She took a step forward, but then stopped.

“C’mon—we don’t have time for this!” He waved her forward with his entire arm, his feathers fluttering and snapping.

She forced herself to cross the bridge. On the lookout platform, Sam towered above her like a thing from a daydream. He turned away, sweeping his arm over Megan, brushing his feathers along her body. With his back to her, he fell to one knee and leaned forward, dropping his wings.

“Get on.”

Megan hesitated. “But I don’t think—”

“Don’t think. Just do.”

She considered this and then leaned against Sam, wrapping her arms over his shoulders.

“Just don’t fall off, and I’ll do the rest.”

He squatted on the platform, gathering strength in his legs. Then he sprang up and away from the tree. His massive wings shot out and began to row through the air. He swerved toward the zoo, Megan’s body rolling and bucking as she lay across his silver feathers.

Megan peered over Sam’s shoulder and watched the concrete wall pass beneath them. Then she looked out across the neighborhood. In nearly all the houses, the lights were out. She could only hope that some sleepless mother wouldn’t glance out a window and spot her and Sam flying through the sky. Would the darkness and distance disguise them as a huge bird? Would the mother think her weary eyes were playing tricks on her? Megan could only hope for the best.

As they soared over the exhibits, animals stared up at them. Megan saw the stunned gazes of bears and wolverines. Even in the magical realm that the animals knew, Megan and Sam were a sight to behold.

Coasting now on his wide wingspan, Sam carried Megan deep into the zoo. Though they hadn’t discussed their purpose, it was obvious to Megan. They were hunting for the sasquatch that had escaped Creepy Critters. Megan’s intention was to capture, but she knew Sam’s was different.

Sam’s intention was to kill.