Ashes And Spirit (Book 3)

by A. D. Trosper

  Loki held tight to the saddle and both of his weaves when Merru twisted in the air. To those outside the weave, it would look like a part of Ranit’s wing disappeared as the edge of the weave passed over it before Merru sank his teeth through the dark membrane and yanked with all of his strength. He slung the Shadow Dragon around and let go, sending her crashing to the ground. It didn’t take long for her to recover and launch herself back into the air. By then Merru was already well out of her way.

  Almost as fast as Keta, he made a sharp flip and grabbed the top of her neck just behind her head. Ranit screeched and thrashed, her greater strength able to shake him loose. Dark scales, ripped free by Merru’s teeth, flew through the air.

  A weave hit Loki. He clenched his jaw against the searing pain as the oily shadows burrowed beneath the skin of his shoulder and another, thin tendril climbed up the side of his face. His shield weave around the village faltered and dropped, and the light-bending weave flickered.

  Merru roared, twisted, and shot a mouthful of flame straight at the black and her rider. The shadow weave dropped as Sadira screamed, flailing at the flames eating at her clothes and hair. Ranit shot a return of green flame that scored the underside of Merru’s wing before she Jumped.

  Loki cast a worried look at Merru’s smoking wing and reached out to him when the gold’s flight faltered. “Are you all right?”

  “No,” came the strained return. “My wing is severely damaged. We need to Slide.”

  Regret flowed through the dragon bond. Loki understood. He didn’t want to leave his friends to battle on their own either, but Merru’s safety came first and everyone would understand. “Slide then and hurry.”

  A Slide spun open and tugged them in.

  Kirynn turned at the sound of Merru’s roar. Smoke rolled of the gold’s wing as green flames ate at it. The shield around the town dropped and Merru disappeared into a Slide. That left only herself, Marcaius, and Nira for the moment. Kojen and mages closed on Welan. She held tight to the saddle while Syrakynn dodged shadow fire then engaged the dragon that had spat it at her. More Slides opened as Vaddoc, Sumara, Nolan, Jocelynn, and Varnen arrived to help.

  While Syrakynn concentrated on fighting the Shadow Dragons, Kirynn hurled fireballs at their riders in-between releasing arrows from her bow. Satisfaction washed through her when they struck home. Flames sprang up on the ground as Sumara’s Keta unleashed wide swaths of fire into the ranks of Kojen and dark mages.

  It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

  “Kirynn, the village!” came Syrakynn’s anxious sending.

  Kirynn twisted in the saddle. Flames engulfed the entire village as Kojen cut through the remainder of Welan’s population. Her blood ran like ice when Lenya’s mother was cut down, the little boy in her arms dying with her. Lenya’s older sister, Tenyi, armed with her zahri fought with everything she had. Even with several months of practice, she wasn’t ready to engage in actual battle with multiple opponents.

  “Syrakynn—”

  “I know.” The red banked sharply and dove for the ground. Tenyi fell with a soundless scream under the heavy blows of the Kojen, her blood spraying across the hard-packed dirt of the street. Syrakynn put more power into her flight, racing to get to Lenya before the Kojen that bore down on the screaming child.

  There wasn’t time to land, and Lenya was so small it would be dangerous for Syrakynn to grab her with her claws. Kirynn let her bow drop from her hands. Picking up on her thoughts the red sent, “Are you sure about this?”

  “No.” She ripped the safety straps across her thighs loose. “But I’m going to do it anyway. The flames won’t hurt me.”

  As Syrakynn shot in low over the town like a red arrow, Kirynn sent a brief prayer to the Fates and leaped from the saddle. Pain wrenched up her leg when she hit the end of the catcher strap. Fire whipped around her as she swung through it. The dragon held her just above striking range of the Kojen until the last moment.

  Stretching her arms out, she reached for Lenya and grabbed her. The whoosh of a Kojen’s sword split the air where the child had just been. “I’ve got her!”

  Syrakynn flew higher to avoid the buildings while Kirynn smothered the flames licking up Lenya’s dress. Two Shadow Dragons dove toward them as Syrakynn soared over the river. It was impossible for Kirynn to climb up the strap to the saddle with Lenya in her arms, and no way the red could fight the Shadow Dragons with the two of them swinging at the end of it.

  She held Lenya’s limp body tighter. “Syrakynn, I hope we live through this. If not, I’ll see you on the other side.”

  “Good luck, my rider.” The red reached back with a front claw and severed the catcher strap.

  Kirynn curled her body around Lenya’s as they plunged through the air toward the churning water of the flooded river.

  Nydara came through the Slide to the southwest of the volcano. A massive column of smoke and ash still rose from the crater as the restless mountain continued to roar its displeasure at being forcefully awakened. Hot embers drifted through the air, lighting forest fires further away from the summit.

  A strong wind blew the noxious cloud south and east, away from Maleena and Nydara. To the north of where they flew, Maleena could make out Tellnox’s form. Shryden and Kellinar covered the area between them as they all searched the mountainside for the lost red and her rider. The sun crawled slowly toward the western horizon while they made long, low sweeps over the rocky terrain.

  “We’re going to have to fly closer to the ash cloud,” Nydara sent.

  “Do what has to be done.”

  The silver acknowledged by altering course ever closer to the suffocating rain of ash and embers. Below, pieces of broken and devastated forest poked through the gray dust like fingers trying to claw their way to safety. The ominous cloud hung above them, obscuring the sky as it continued to dump its destructive load over the entire southern and eastern slope, and further away, the remains of Calladar.

  Falling ash quickly coated Maleena and gathered on the dragon’s wings. Nydara made a sharp dive for the ground. “I think I’ve found her.”

  Maleena pressed her scarf tighter over her mouth and nose in an attempt to keep out the ash stirred up by the dragon’s wings. She squinted through the swirl of gray, trying to see what caught Nydara’s attention.

  The silver touched down, and Maleena released the straps to slide from the saddle. The ground shuddered without pause, accompanying the deafening roar of the volcano. She sank into the ash that reached well above her knees. Her breath puffed through the scarf as she slogged her way through it, doing her best to maintain her balance on the ever-moving surface. Nydara, her legs braced well apart to steady herself, reached her nose out and blew heavily. The action cleared away more of the ash and revealed the gray-coated head of Farynn.

  Maleena stumbled forward until she reached the fallen dragon, sweat dripping down her face. The heat of the ash burned her skin as she used her hands to push more of it away. In her mind, she heard Nydara’s frantic calls to her daughter.

  Maleena reached under her cloak and pulled out her small water bag. Uncorking it, she poured some over the scales on Farynn’s face. At first, the gray coating just turned to mud. It took several tries, along with wiping the ash away with her scarf, to see the color underneath.

  Red. She bowed her head, a sigh of relief shuddering through her. For now, the pair was alive, unless Farynn had died before Belynn. Maleena reached for Nydara, “Call Tellnox and Shryden in, we have to see if we can get Farynn out of here.”

  While Nydara relayed the message and they waited for the others to arrive, Maleena floundered to where the saddle would be and dug through the thick ash with her hands. Belynn had to be somewhere close. But when she reached the saddle, all she found were broken safety straps.

  Heedless of the burns developing on her arms and face, Maleena practically buried herself as she slid her hand along the catcher strap. It was pinned beneath the side of the dragon. She grabbed ho
ld of the saddle and twisted around, struggling to get out of the hole she’d made as the hot ash collapsed in on her.

  Strong hands gripped her wrists and pulled her up. Mckale’s gray-coated face greeted her in the murky light. Maleena clenched her teeth against the pain and twisted to sweep her gaze through the falling ash.

  Mckale yelled something, but she couldn’t hear it over the mountain. How long would it continue to erupt? It had to quit sometime. She read the question in his mind and nodded that she was all right.

  Together, Tellnox and Nydara managed to rouse the injured red. Maleena reached for Farynn, “Do you know where Belynn is?”

  The red blinked slowly, confusion and pain rolling off her. Finally after several long moments, the return came, “Yes, she’s with me.”

  The gray covering the dragon shifted as she lifted her wing. The crumpled form of Belynn lay close to the red’s side where she’d been protected from the falling ash. Maleena waded toward her fallen friend with Mckale and Kellinar beside her. They clung to each other for support against the constant shaking beneath their feet.

  Under the shelter of Farynn’s wing, Mckale tilted Maleena’s chin and looked directly at her. She reached out and read the thoughts so clear in the front of his mind. Tellnox had already called for Miya and Serena.

  Maleena sagged with relief and dropped to her knees next to Belynn. Ignoring the throbbing pain from the burns that covered her exposed skin, she reached out and brushed the gray-coated blonde strands from Belynn’s face. A gasp escaped Maleena’s lips. The entire side of Belynn’s face was covered in burns and blisters. Maleena pressed her fingers against Belynn’s throat and found a faint pulse. She needed Serena—now.

  As if answering her unspoken thoughts, Serena stumbled through the ash and dropped to the shaking ground beside them. She placed her hands on Belynn and closed her eyes. Maleena watched the healing weave sink into Belynn. Time crawled while they waited to see if their friend could be saved.

  The deafening roar of the volcano continued, grinding into Maleena’s ears and vibrating her insides. It felt like weeks since she’d walked the wall with Raylah instead of a few hours. Had Raylah survived? Had her husband, or any of the others on the Council of Nine?

  Finally, Serena settled back on her heels, her chest heaving in a visible sigh. Unable to communicate, she simply nodded her head. Maleena sent a prayer of thanks to the Fates. Now they just had to get the deeply sleeping Belynn and her exhausted Farynn out of there.

  Serena stood and laid her hands on the red and began healing the injuries to the dragon. Maleena glanced down at Belynn. By the small amount of scarring left on her face and hands, some of the burns came from shadow fire.

  When Serena was finished with Farynn, Mckale lifted Belynn from the ground and they moved to give the red some space. The dragon pulled herself to her feet and flexed her wings, raining showers of ash down.

  Maleena glanced toward the western horizon. The setting sun hung under the edge of the cloud. Its red light bled through the thick, falling ash but barely made a dent in the gloomy darkness. The sun had barely moved although it felt as if they had been there forever.

  Kellinar took Belynn long enough for Mckale to secure himself on Tellnox then lifted her up. Maleena slogged back to Nydara and climbed into the saddle, swallowing a cry of pain when her legs touched the leather. She glanced down. Red, blistered skin showed through large holes burned through her pants. Wincing with the pain, she thought of Galdrilene. They would be there soon. It helped her focus through the agony of the burns.

  When everyone was ready, Nydara, Tellnox, Miya, and Shryden lifted off. Farynn was slow getting off the ground, her fatigue obvious in the sluggish beats of her wings. Tellnox opened a Slide large enough to accommodate both the red and himself. Shryden too disappeared through a Slide and then Nydara was opening one.

  They came out over Galdrilene. The clean, fresh air was a relief to her lungs and the clear early evening sky seemed bright after the gloom of the ash cloud. Only Tellnox and Mckale were with her. Kellinar and Serena had went back to Markene. Nydara landed in a shower of accumulated ash. Marda was there with Emmaleen asleep against her chest, directing the moving of Belynn from Mckale’s arms to the rider’s lair.

  Farynn tried to join her rider in their lair but fell back, too exhausted to make the short flight to the ledge. Instead, she curled up right where she was and fell into a deep slumber while Toren and Liora removed the saddles from the dragons.

  Tellnox watched over Farynn while Nydara took an overdue bath in the lake to wash away the blood and ash. As soon as the silver was clean again, she took the green’s place while he took his turn in the lake.

  “You know you don’t have to stand guard over her. She’s safe here,” Maleena sent to Nydara.

  “I know,” came the return though the dragon remained where she was, watching over her grown offspring.

  Mckale brushed Maleena’s braid over her shoulder. “You need to be healed and then get your own bath.”

  She nodded and glanced at the healers around Nydara, taking care of the wounds she’d suffered in the battle over Calladar. Had it only been less than three hours ago? It felt like a lifetime. “When they have finished with her.”

  It wasn’t long before the healers went to work on Maleena. She breathed a long sigh of relief when the pain faded and the burns healed.

  “I know you need the rest, Fates know I do, but there is a distress call from Syrakynn.”

  Maleena turned toward Nydara. “What happened?”

  The silver replayed the events seen through the eyes of Syrakynn of a massive battle raging in Shadereen and a falling Kirynn. A bath and rest would have to wait. Mckale was already striding toward Tellnox with the saddle in his arms. Maleena jogged to the equipment cave and grabbed Nydara’s saddle. It didn’t take long to have it secured on the silver, then she heaved her tired body up and fastened the straps. “What of Farynn?”

  Nydara looked down at her daughter as her younger children gathered close. “Toren, Liora, Nordhas and their dragons will watch over her.” The silver moved away from the sleeping Farynn then leaped into the air and brought her wings down in a strong rush.

  Kirynn smacked into the icy, raging water—the force knocking her breath away as they sank deep below the surface. Something stabbed her side, and a waterlogged branch slammed into her head sending them rolling. She focused through the pain, and tightened one arm around Lenya while throwing the other out. Kicking furiously with her legs, she attempted to reach the surface of the churning water. The thick, muddy mess was almost impossible to swim through. It clung to their clothes and skin, weighting them down. Finally, she managed to get both of their heads into the air.

  Lenya coughed and sputtered as Kirynn grabbed for a limb sticking out of what had once been a massive tree. Her hand caught then slipped, raking a layer of skin off her palm. Breathing in controlled pants around the fiery agony in her side, she grabbed for it again and held tight despite the sharp sting. After taking a few more short gasps of air, she kicked her legs to get closer to the branch and locked her arm around it.

  “You’re injured,” came Syrakynn’s worried sending.

  “I’ll live. If you come for me now the Shadow Dragons will use your distraction to attack you. Fight for both of us.”

  It took everything Kirynn had to hang onto the branch and Lenya while keeping their heads above water as the turbulent river carried them downstream faster than a galloping horse. The debris in the water turned deadly. Other logs slammed into her, trying to knock her hold loose. Branches from other trees grabbed and tore at them leaving lacerations that bled into the muddy water.

  Another log shot through the river like an arrow, careening into the tree that Kirynn desperately clung to. Rocking wildly, the tree rolled and bucked in the water, dunking them under the surface. The world disappeared in a swirl of sloshing brown. The force of the current sent something sweeping into her leg. The loud crack of bone rev
erberated through the water, sending her scream bubbling out. Pure agony assaulted her and nearly loosened her hold on the tree. Her lungs, depleted of air, burned even as she tried to reassure Syrakynn everything was fine. Then the tree wobbled, rotated again, and pulled their heads above the surface.

  Kirynn sucked in air, her teeth clenched against the pain, and focused on keeping one arm securely around Lenya and the other around the tree. Her muscles burned and her vision tunneled from shock, and still she refused to give in.

  An eternity passed before a strong eddy grabbed the tree and wedged it against the freshly eroded bank. Kirynn’s foot found the bottom and shoved them into shallower water. With one hand and one leg, she dragged them onto the muddy bank until they were well above the river’s edge before she collapsed beneath a scraggly bush. Her vision faded in and out as she reached for Syrakynn. “I need you…” was all she managed before darkness rolled over and carried her away into sweet oblivion.

  “Fall back!” Vaddoc shouted over the roar of the battle. Varnen, flying close by, repeated the order with a weave of air, amplifying his voice. Below, the ground forces stopped trying to hold their fracturing line and fell back to the river’s edge. The ground given throughout the battle now lay well behind enemy lines, awash in blood and fire.

  Mages on both sides continued to exchange weaves, though those pressed against the flooded river worked defensive weaves more often than not now. Vaddoc tried to keep a close eye on the battle raging on the ground while at the same time throwing spears of light at Shadow Riders in an effort to aid Namir in the aerial fight. He lost sight of the ground briefly when the gold jerked violently in the air as a shadow slammed into them.