Thanks to all the flying beasts being closer to sea level, I knew that the darting shadow plummeting down the center of the sun belonged to the dragon. The narrow silhouette expanded thirty fold as its wings spread open. I and the total sum of the fighting force watched as the dragon flew with haste toward my circle. The blur cleared up to become the dark blue dragon I saw in the Advent attack. He aimed right for the big clipper, using a puff of flame to promptly combust half the sails on the ship.
The dragon then swerved back around and flew right over my ship’s bow. A human figure dropped on to the deck as the dragon continued on its way, leaving behind a gust of wind. Everyone else was still, but I ran past the statues to get to the new member of my crew. I didn’t think it was Mercer when I spotted him. His hair was wilder and his shoulders looked bulkier, but as his head turned to follow Aranath’s path, I confirmed his identity.
After our eyes locked, he said, “Ah, good. I chose the right ship.”
“I see you no longer care about hiding who you are.”
He shrugged. “There are bigger concerns. This mess, for instance.”
“Thank you for coming, dragon knight, but I fear this battle has been pretty much won.”
“Congratulations, princess, but I’m not here to help you win a battle. I’m here to win you the war.”
Flight of the Dragon Knight Page 27
