by Mark Robson
Overhead the night dragons were having a terrible time. Many were spiralling out of control towards the ground with great smoking holes in their wings. Jack’s tactics appeared to be working exactly as he had said they would. There were a few night dragons grappling with day dragons, but in the main, the day dragons were using their fire to make effective hit-and-run attacks. By aiming their attacks at the one weak point of the night dragons – their wings – the day dragons were causing havoc, sending them spiralling to the ground in large numbers.
It had been Elian’s idea to use Aurora and Shimmer to blind the night dragons and their riders. Jack had talked about keeping the sun at their back to make it difficult for the night dragons to see, but Elian had pointed out that this would not be possible when approaching from the west, as they were. The surprise factor of having two sources of incredibly bright light in the form of the dawn dragons was even better.
In a matter of two or three heartbeats, the two dawn dragons had rendered almost the entire host of night dragons and their riders temporarily blind and totally helpless. They could not see where the attacks were coming from. Many collided with each other in the chaotic scramble to avoid the day dragon fire that was suddenly raining down on them.
The pairs of dusk dragons attacked the flanks, causing more mayhem. The outer edges of the host were forced in on one another by their random strikes. As the night dragons bunched ever more closely together, so they became easier targets for the fire of the day dragons, and more accidental collisions occurred.
Pell’s mission was to keep Segun and Widewing out of the fight. He was determined to keep them too angry to notice what was going on. Without their leader to rally them, the night dragon attack was less likely to regain cohesion.
‘We’ve got their attention, Shadow!’ Pell noted, as the gigantic black dragon pounded after them with fearsome power. ‘Now would be a good time to fly like the wind. And don’t look back!’
‘We’re getting close,’ Kira said over her shoulder to Elian as they rode together on her dragon. ‘Fang says he can sense at least half a dozen night dragons still in position around the Oracle’s cave and possibly more inside. We’re going to hold here while our wing riders try to draw them away from the cave. Fang won’t stand much chance if it comes down to a straight fight. The night dragons are too big and powerful.’
‘Thanks for the update,’ Elian replied, projecting his voice into the wind.
Even with the day dragons distracting most of the night dragon enclave, the odds of getting past the remaining dragons were not great, but Elian knew Kira and Fang would do everything in their power to reach the Oracle.
Fang entered a turn over the meadow where the dragonhunters had attacked them when they had been preparing to first set out on the quest. It was hard to believe that only six weeks had passed since Kasau had brought his men to kill their dragons. It felt like a lifetime ago that Shadow had eaten the strange dragonhunter. They had travelled so far and seen so much since that fateful evening.
Elian waited patiently. As he did so, he became aware of the orb in his backpack radiating its amazing power through the leather. He knew it would not be easy to drop it into the dark well of the Oracle. If he kept it, the orb could be used to help so many, but if he did not relinquish it then the Oracle would die.
His first contact with the final orb had been an experience he would never forget. The shock of its power had filled his body: healing, revitalising, re-energising. It was akin to the healing flame of Firestorm, but infinitely more potent. His eyesight had returned to normal in an instant, as had his hearing. The scar on his leg from the blast wound had disappeared and the muscles had regenerated. There was no longer so much as a hint of pain. His body had not reversed in age, but he felt fresh and clean, as if he had been made anew.
Elian had taken the orb out of the hatching chamber and through the caves to the space where Aurora and Longfang were waiting. Kira had followed, not sure what he was going to do, but sensing something momentous was about to happen. Elian had lifted the orb and touched it against the side of Longfang’s head. In the brief instant between one heartbeat and the next, the orb’s power had surged through Longfang and miraculously regenerated his missing eye. Kira had cried out with shock and delight, before running to embrace first Elian and then her dragon, tears streaming down her cheeks.
It was easy to imagine how the power of this amazing orb could spark the rebirth of the Oracle. The choice between using the orb’s power to help others, and sacrificing it to see the Oracle reborn, had been the hardest decision of his life. He was still not sure he had made the right decision, but his personal choice might become irrelevant if they could not get past Segun’s henchmen.
‘Mikhael and his dusk dragon, Spirit, have successfully drawn away all the dragons guarding the outside of the cave,’ Kira called over her shoulder. ‘Flicker and Ines are going to draw out as many as they can from inside.’
‘That’s great!’ Elian enthused. ‘Perhaps we should follow and lurk above the entrance ready to make a dive for it when Flicker and Ines have done what they can.’
‘Fang thinks that’s a good idea,’ Kira told him. ‘Hang on. We’ll follow above and behind them.’
Rolling out towards the familiar entrance to the narrow valley, Fang began to climb. It was hard to make out Ines. She had deliberately worn grey leather to try to blend in with the rock and her choice of colour had been a good one. Her dragon, Flicker, was as invisible as Fang.
Currents of air bumped and buffeted them as they entered the narrow valley with its steep rocky sides. The wind was not strong, but it was brisk enough to cause significant turbulence. The valley opened out slightly near the Oracle’s cave, Elian remembered. This was good, for there was not enough space here in the valley for even a relatively small dragon like Fang to circle safely. They bumped and bounced in the choppy air, but the lumps and bumps of the turbulence no longer sparked any fear in Elian. He was more concerned about what awaited them inside the Oracle’s cave.
They wended their way along the valley until the dark hole in the cliff face became visible. Using the widest point, Fang entered a steep turn to hold his position while below and ahead of them, Flicker swept down to land on the ridge at the cave mouth. Elian could just make out Ines lying flat on her dragon’s back as he entered the cave. They were not inside long before Elian and Kira heard the sound of distant roars.
Elian did not see Flicker emerge, but there was no missing the two night dragons that raced out and launched from the ledge with mighty leaps. They were quick to turn away from the area in which Fang was circling. Flicker was deliberately leading them away.
Fang wheeled around until he was flying straight towards the Oracle’s cave and entered a shallow dive. The wind rush increased as they accelerated towards the black hole in the rock, and as the grey rock wall began to swell towards them with ever increasing speed, so Elian began to wonder if Fang had quite got used to having both his eyes again. It felt as if they were going too fast to land safely, and Elian’s heart rate accelerated. Fang dipped the rear end of his body like a giant airbrake. Altering his wing angle sharply, Fang gave three mighty back wing flaps to complete the braking action and landed with barely a bump on the ledge outside the cave.
‘Quick! Dismount,’ Kira ordered. ‘Fang will lead the way in. If there are any more dragons inside, he will do his best to deal with them while we deliver the orbs.’
Elian did not hesitate. He was sliding down Fang’s side and up against the rock wall of the cliff face before she had finished her sentence. Kira landed lightly beside him, and Elian heard the faint clicking of Fang’s talons on the rock as he moved away to enter the cave.
Kira looked him in the eye, her expression holding a challenge as she drew two knives from her belt – one for each hand. ‘Best to be prepared for the worst,’ she said.
Elian reached back over his left shoulder and drew his dragonbone sword with his right hand. ‘Right,�
� he agreed softly. ‘Do you want me to lead?’
‘No, I’ll go first,’ she whispered. ‘No offence, but I move more quietly than you do. Be ready to back me up if I run into trouble.’
‘I’ll be right behind you,’ he assured her. ‘Let’s go.’
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sacrifice
‘They’re gaining on us, Shadow!’ Pell yelled urgently. ‘They’re right on your tail!’
‘Hang on!’ she replied. ‘I can’t go any faster. We’re going to have to turn and fight.’
The first line of mountains loomed not far ahead. They had run a long way from the main battle in a remarkably short space of time. A turn would become inevitable shortly anyway, as there were no convenient passes ahead. Great rock-strewn slopes with sparse patches of green towered in front and the textured blend of forest greens spread immediately below them.
Shadow had avoided turns to prevent Widewing from cutting corners to catch them. Now she was left with no choice. The mountainside was rearing up in front of them. They would not be able to outclimb Segun’s dragon, and Widewing was so close she was likely to catch them the moment they entered the turn. As a result, Shadow was hesitant, not wanting to commit one way or the other.
Dipping her wing in a quick feint to the left, she tried to trick Widewing into committing to the turn, but before her direction had begun to change, she reversed rapidly to the right. To Pell’s horror, Segun’s dragon was not fooled. The enormous night dragon struck at Shadow’s rear right quarter, its teeth scoring a painful tearing wound through her scales. Before Shadow could recover, Widewing grabbed her tail, slewing her around so abruptly that even with his strong grip on the straps, Pell had to fight to stay in the saddle.
He was terrified. An explosion of fury and pain suddenly blocked his link to Shadow’s mind. Shadow rolled under him, twisting to strike back at Widewing and the two dragons began to tumble in a grappling, spinning spiral once again. Occasional flapping by either dragon slowed their fall in lurches, but the decelerations were never more than momentary and their momentum was still carrying them towards the mountainside.
The rocky mountain slope was so close that, as they fell, it felt to Pell as if the entire mountain was sliding sideways towards him. He began to yell warnings, but Shadow was so focused on her grappling fight with Widewing that she did not appear to hear him.
In the instant before they crashed into the slope, two words blasted through the bond.
‘JUMP CLEAR!’
Pell barely had a moment to prepare. Unwinding his wrists from the straps and kicking his feet clear of the stirrups, he freed himself from everything that could prevent him from leaving her back. There was the briefest moment of anticipation before . . . crunch! The impact was terrible. Both Shadow and Widewing hit the steep scree slope together and immediately began to roll, still biting and clawing in the midst of an avalanche of loose shingle and rock.
In the last few heartbeats before they struck the ground, Pell flattened himself against his dragon to spread the expected impact across as much of his body as he could. At the instant they struck the mountainside, Shadow gave a sudden arch of her back that catapulted him into the air. Already winded by the first bone-crunching collision, Pell’s second landing felt even harder. He smacked down onto the scree slope, and immediately beginning to slide. For a brief moment he thought he was slipping across the surface of the steep field of small stones and rubble, but to his horror he realised something much worse was happening.
The rolling fight of the two dragons had not stopped on impact. Already accelerating away down the mountainside in a cloud of dust and falling stones, the two dragons remained locked in combat. But their passage had triggered a secondary effect. The entire upper portion of the slope had been set in motion. Although most of the stones that were moving were barely more than gravel, the sheer mass involved meant bigger stones and rocks were being swept into the fall as well. Pell was riding the wave of an avalanche.
Initially he slid sideways, but managed to turn until he was riding feet first down the slope. He dug his heels in hard with the intention of slowing his progress, but it made no difference. The entire surface layer was in motion. All he could do was ride it out and shield his head as best he could from anything travelling faster than he was.
A rush of adrenalin masked any pain he might have felt from cuts and abrasions on his back, bottom and legs. His heart thumped and his breath came in ragged gasps as he tumbled down the mountainside in a storm of stone. Several larger boulders bounded past on either side of him and one bounced directly over his body, only to continue gambolling down the slope, shedding smaller fragments of rock with almost every impact.
Miraculously, as the avalanche slowed, he remained relatively unharmed. He was scratched and bruised all over, but nothing worse. Once he had come to a stop, it appeared he might be buried alive under a sea of the smaller stones. They continued to trickle down around him for some time, along with occasional bigger ones. Wriggling and squirming to stay on top of them, he finally found enough purchase to stand.
Shadow and Widewing were no longer in sight, but he could hear their roars and see the treetops thrashing around where they were still fighting. The two dragons had smashed into the treeline and been swallowed by the forest some distance below. The whereabouts of Segun had not crossed his mind until a sudden rattling crunch to his right caught his attention.
The leader of the night dragons looked terrible and terrifying. He was bleeding from numerous cuts across his face and hands. One of his eyes was already blackening and swelling, and he was limping. His shoulders were hunched with murderous intent and his eyes burned with a fury unlike anything Pell had ever seen before. If the look in Segun’s eyes and the set of his shoulders were not enough, the blade clenched in his right hand made his intentions more than clear.
Pell backed away slowly, feeling for his belt knife. His hand found an empty sheath. His blade was gone, no doubt buried somewhere under the rubble. He was unarmed. Quick as a striking viper, he stooped and picked up a stone that fitted comfortably into his palm. Segun did not so much as pause. He kept coming forward, his lips curling into an expression that was half smile, half snarl. His knife hand came up into the classic ready stance as he steadily closed the gap between them.
It was hard enough to walk across the steep field of loose stones, but to do it backwards proved impossible. Despite his attempted care, Pell lost his balance and toppled back. Segun immediately surged forward. Pell’s instinct was to throw the stone. Segun twisted his upper body to the left allowing the stone to whistle past. By doing so his right arm was thrust forward leaving him momentarily in a weaker stance. Even as he was falling, Pell saw the opening and swept his right foot around in a crescent kick that caught Segun’s knife hand hard. The blade flew from his grasp, spinning away down the mountainside until it skittered to a clinking halt amongst the scree some distance away.
Segun hesitated, his head automatically turning to follow the flight of the blade. The brief distraction gave Pell just enough time to leap back to his feet and adopt a fighting stance. Segun did not look impressed. The older man was taller and heavier, with a longer reach. He adopted his own fighting stance and Pell could see from the easy way Segun set his balance that the man was no stranger to unarmed combat.
‘What’s the matter, boy?’ Segun taunted. ‘Afraid of an old man?’
‘Not afraid, Segun,’ Pell replied, keeping his focus on the centre of his opponent’s chest. ‘Not of you.’
‘Well, you should be!’
Segun’s attack was fast and powerful. His hands were incredibly quick, but Pell had already identified the man’s weak spot. He was clearly favouring his left leg. Segun was doing a good job of masking his limp, but it was an obvious target for Pell to focus on and he was quick to exploit it. The older man was attacking purely with his hands. He was quick, but so was Pell. With a rapid sequence of blocks and deflections, Pell prevented Segun from
landing any heavy blows before, dropping underneath an inward knife-hand strike, he swept a low turning kick to Segun’s right knee.
The kick did not connect hard, but it must have hit the right spot because the older dragonrider folded over the injured knee and lost his balance. Toppling down the slope, he slid some distance before he came to a stop. Taking care not to trigger a further slide, Pell descended the slope step by cautious step towards the leader of the night dragon enclave. Segun remained face down and still as Pell approached, but his ruse was transparent. Pell stopped well short, determined not to play into the older man’s trap.
Seeing that Pell was not going to be fooled, Segun struggled to his feet, making a deliberate play of the weakness in his right leg. Again, Pell could see what was happening, so he held back, keeping his distance and the advantage of higher ground. When Segun did settle his balance, Pell realised his judgement had been better than he realised. There, in Segun’s right hand, was the deadly knife again. If he had moved in close, Pell had no doubt that he would have felt the sting of the nasty-looking blade.
‘Come on then, boy,’ Segun said, his voice still taunting. ‘Come and try that move again.’
A movement in the sky behind the leader of the night dragons caused Pell to glance up.
‘NO!’ he called out, as he realised what was about to happen. ‘No, Jack! Don’t!’
But it was too late. Wiseheart had broken away from the main fight and glided down on silent wings towards them. A sudden ‘CRACK’ reverberated across the mountainside and a blossom of red exploded from Segun’s chest. He looked down at the gaping hole and his jaw dropped in a stunned look of amazement that Pell would never forget. With painful slowness, the leader of the night dragon enclave dropped his knife and lifted his hands to his chest. With his face still set with a look of shock rather than pain, he sank to his knees and then toppled forward – dead.
