‘They’re alone,’ Turos shouted.
‘Are we going to destroy it?’
‘Not worth the risk. We’ll keep an eye on them and if they are heading our way we’ll deal with them then.’
The words had just cleared his mouth when we heard a deep booming noise.
‘Break left,’ Turos yelled as he and Lance broke to the right.
Emerald dived to the side, slicking her wings back against her sides. A large metallic ball sailed through the air we had occupied only a few seconds before. So much for our stealthy departure.
I formed a shield beneath Emerald and flew toward where Turos and Lance were zig-zagging through the sky. Every few seconds I could hear pinging noises as projectiles bounced off the bottom of my shield.
I heard Lance roar his displeasure. The shards of metal were small, but put enough of them into a dragon and they were bound to get painful. Plus, if they tore through a major artery, things were going to get messy.
Tell Lance to head back towards us.
He says we would make too big a target.
Tell him I can’t shield him from all the way over there.
A few seconds later Turos and Lance’s veering path headed back towards us. We raced towards them and, as soon as I was able to, I expanded the flat plane of my shield to include them as well.
‘Are you okay?’ I yelled to Turos.
He nodded and held up his arm for me to see. Blood dribbled from his bicep down his forearm. ‘Lance wore the brunt of it. Can you heal him from there?’
I shook my head. ‘Not while maintaining the shield. Do I have your permission to destroy the ship?’
He flashed me a grin. ‘I think, given the circumstances, that that would be prudent.’
‘Do you want to stay here?’ I said.
‘Do I look like a mummy’s boy?’
‘Only when I break your nose.’
He let out a laugh.
‘Stay beside me,’ I said. ‘Otherwise it will be too hard to maintain the shield.’
I bent low over Emerald’s neck as she tucked her wings in to her sides. My shield extended around us like a dome and I could see metallic objects scattering off it like insects bouncing off a windshield.
As we got closer, the figures on the ship started to take on features. Their faces were turned up to the sky as they watched us come. Two of them, one on the front and one on the back, sighted us down long barrels while they peppered us with metal. We would have to take them out first, but I was going to have to drop the shield to do it.
‘Get ready,’ I yelled at Turos. ‘I’m going to drop the shield for a couple of seconds on the count of three.’
Emerald and Lance began to level out, dropping down and heading towards the front of the vessel so that only one weapon would have access to us at once. There was another gigantic boom, and I saw a piece of metal as big as a basketball soaring towards us. I let out a yelp as it smacked into my shield, the force driving me backwards in my seat.
‘One,’ I yelled. We levelled out just about the waterline and started to sprint towards the ship.
‘Two.’ Men pulled swords from their belts, their dark eyes burning with ferocity as they watched us come. The intensity of the attack on my shield increased as we got closer.
‘Three.’ I moved the angle of the shield from the front to beneath us when we were about thirty feet from the ship. I lifted a hand and, at the same time as Lance and Emerald roared their fiery displeasure, I hurled a lightning bolt straight at the man with the weapon.
Fire caught in the sails and masts as a hole exploded in the deck of the ship. We raced over them and I shifted the shield back to cover us from behind as we climbed away from them.
A look over my shoulder showed me I had been true with my aim. There was now only one of the weapons left on the deck.
‘Where did that ball come from?’ I yelled at Turos.
‘I saw a flash of light out of the side of the ship.’
I nodded my head to let him know I had heard him. ‘Ready?’
‘I was born ready.’
I flashed him a quick grin as Lance and Emerald banked in the sky. We came in the same way we had before, flying low over the water. This time I saw the flash of light that accompanied the huge boom. I reinforced the shield but it still struck with enough force to knock me backwards. My brain was going to be bruised if I went through that a few more times.
Instead of flying over the ship, we raced past it at water height. ‘Go,’ I shrieked as I shifted the shield.
I fired a bolt of lightning out of each hand into the side of the ship. They smashed into the wood at the waterline, huge splinters flying out in all directions. Water immediately began to pour in. Dragon’s fire curled over the whole side of the deck including the area where the weapon stood. Men lowered buckets to the water but they needn’t have bothered. By the time we had turned, readying ourselves for another attack, the ship was listing in the water. It wouldn’t be long before it sank.
We circled far above it as we waited for the inevitable to happen. It finally submitted, rolling onto its side and disappearing into the depths to its watery grave.
‘Let’s go,’ Turos said.
We didn’t speak on the way back. I’m not sure what he was thinking about but I was wondering how many more of those ships existed. They had already proven that without a shield, destroying them was costly.
I wasn’t going to be here for much longer. Santanas was coming and I was needed. I didn’t know how, but I would find a way back home.
But it seemed I might be needed here as well.
Is that what it would come to? A choice between two worlds, both standing on the brink of war?
Chagrin painted my mind with a guilt-tipped brush, for if push came to shove, I already knew which world I would save, and which I would doom to die.
***
‘The Prime Ministers have finally come to the table.’
It was the first bit of good news that Rako had given me. ‘What changed their minds?’
‘Vulpine attacks.’
I took a deep breath and rubbed my hands down the sides of my pants in an effort to stop them shaking. People were dying and there was nothing I could do about it. Not from where I was. ‘So they’ve arrived?’
‘Reports of Vulpine sightings started filtering through a few days ago. Then yesterday they began breaking through the veil and assaulting villages.’
‘Slash-and-dash technique,’ Aethan said. ‘And of course, there’s the fact that the army has started marching. We estimate they should be on Isilvitania in a couple of days.’
I met his eyes for a moment before looking away. I didn’t like seeing the despair in their depths.
‘Izzy.’ Wolfgang’s voice was patient. ‘How are you going?’
I shrugged a shoulder and scuffed at the dirt with a boot. ‘I may have had a bit of a breakthrough.’ I held a hand up. ‘But I’m not sure.’
‘What happened?’
‘I could feel the weight of the barrier on me. Like when we open the veil. But it was gone as quickly as I sensed it.’ I looked around the circle at the three of them. ‘I’ll keep trying.’
‘Try harder,’ Aethan said.
I could feel my mouth curl up with all the spiteful things I wanted to shoot back at him, but I held them all in. I knew he was under more pressure than I was. And he had a point. I did need to try harder.
‘I will.’ The words sounded as if I had strangled them.
He nodded the nod of a Royal to a subject and disappeared from view. That hurt far more than it should have.
‘You’ll work it out.’ Rako smiled at me. ‘You always do.’ He pulled a face. ‘But if you could hurry, well, that would be grand.’
He and Wolfgang also disappeared from view.
I was glad Wolfgang hadn’t lingered like he often did. I knew the temptation to ask about Ebony and Aethan would be too great. And it was none of my business. I had made it none of my
business. It was time to put on my big-girl pants and get over it.
I sighed and sank down onto the edge of a boulder. The problem was that every time I saw him, any progression I’d had in the ‘getting over it’ department, went out the window.
And I had all these confused emotions where Turos was involved: lust being the most prominent. But there probably weren’t many women in the whole of Millenia that didn’t lust after the seven-foot, muscle-bound, olive-skinned warrior. I’m sure his ice-blue eyes were able to crack through even the most prudent-of-maiden’s defences. And that mischievous smile?
I let out another sigh. Every time he smiled at me like that I wanted a repeat performance of what had passed between us down on the beach.
But he had also become a friend. And friends didn’t lead on friends. So, so far, even though Isla’s hints had become less-and-less subtle, I was managing to keep my hormones under control. I had already hurt one friend, and I didn’t want to do it to another.
I pushed my thoughts of Aethan aside and willed myself back to my room.
***
‘Oh goody, you’re awake.’
I let out a cry and Turos’s hand clamped down on my mouth. ‘Shhhhh. You’ll wake up the neighbourhood.’
I glared at him over the top of his hand while I tried not to think about the feel of his chest pressed against my side. If I could just get him to replace his hand with his mouth then…
Arghhhhhh. Where Turos was concerned my body and my mind were at total odds with each other.
‘What?’ I hissed when he finally removed his hand.
He lifted a lock of my hair off the pillow and waved it around as he spoke. ‘Isla wants to take Arthur for his first ride.’
I batted his hand away from my hair. ‘That’s great. But why are we whispering about it?’
‘Because the Dragon Masters don’t think he’s ready.’
‘Ahhhhh.’ The Dragon Masters had been trying to get Arthur to keep to a ‘normal’ time frame. But there was nothing normal about Arthur. He was already a third of the size of Emerald, and he was only two and a half months old. The rest of the hatchlings his age were still up in the cavern.
‘So we’re going to break their rules? Again?’
‘Of course.’ His mouth curled up in a slow smile. ‘Talking about breaking rules.’
He grabbed both my wrists and pulled my arms above my head. My breath left me as he rolled over on top of me. His eyes gazed into mine as he edged my knees apart with a leg.
‘Turos.’ I shook my head. ‘I’m not ready for this.’
‘You say that,’ he murmured as his nose brushed the side of my neck, ‘and yet your body tells me other things.’
I let out a little breath as his lips replaced his nose, moving slowly as they made their way to my throat.
‘Yes…well…,’ I managed to get out, ‘my body and I will be having quite the talk later.’
Dark Sky he felt wonderful. The weight of him pushing me down made me feel powerful and helpless at the same time. And his tongue was doing things to my skin that made me want to beg him to explore my whole body like that.
But I really didn’t know if I was ready for this. I didn’t want to commit to something only to…
His lips found my mouth and I surged upwards against him, my legs wrapping around him as my hormones took over. He released my wrists and I clawed at his back, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and wrenching it upwards. He broke the kiss so I could get it over his head, but a second later his lips were back on mine.
He shivered as I ran my nails down his bare skin, and then his hands found their way up under my nightshirt and it was my turn to shudder.
‘Are you two ready to…Oops.’ Isla said. ‘So sorry.’ I could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn’t sorry at all.
Turos stayed where he was as he looked over at Isla. ‘We’re ready. Well, I am anyway.’
Tension curled in my stomach. I wanted more of him. Now. I bit down on my lips as I realised which way my thoughts had taken me. I wanted all of him.
His eyes were serious as he stared down into mine. ‘Later my beauty,’ he whispered as he ran a hand down my cheek.
And for once, I found that I couldn’t argue with him.
He rolled over to the side of the bed and leapt to his feet, stretching both of his arms into the air above him. And then he scooped up his shirt and pulled it back over his head. I quelled my disappointment as his abdominal muscles disappeared from view.
Down hormones. Down!
Letting out a sigh, I crawled out of bed. I padded over to the dresser and dragged out my leather pants, a shirt, and one of the sturdy, leather vests the riders used. ‘You going to come?’ I said to Scruffy.
He opened one eye and looked at me from his position on the corner of the bed. Then he shut it, wiggled into the covers a little more, and let out a deep sigh. ‘I guess not,’ I said as I pushed past a grinning Isla to the bathroom.
I splashed some water on my fiery cheeks and pulled my hair back into a braid, and then I climbed into my clothes.
They were both waiting by the front door when I re-appeared.
‘Turos,’ I said, ‘we need to talk.’
He glanced towards me, a perplexed look on his face as he pressed his finger to his lips. ‘We need to be quiet.’
‘They’re coming,’ I said. ‘The goblins are almost on Isilvitania.’
Isla jerked her head towards me.
‘The Vulpines have been attacking our villages.’
He pressed his lips together as he stared down at me. ‘Okay,’ he whispered. ‘We’ll talk. But not now. Now we need to go.’
I met his gaze for a second, saw the truth in their depths. He was willing to listen to me. I nodded and gestured toward the door. We would fly first and negotiate second. And then? Then we would deal with his father.
We walked quickly down the corridors till we emerged from the castle onto the landing platform. It was still dark, but I could see the faintest tinge of light beginning to grace the horizon through a gap in the mountains.
Emerald, Lance and Arthur were already waiting for us. Arthur hopped from foot-to-foot, his tongue hanging out in a happy grin when he saw Isla. She pranced towards him, her steps matching his.
‘All right,’ Turos whispered. ‘No noise on take-off, and we’re not going far.’
Turos and I climbed up onto our mounts as we watched Isla gather up the reins and hop onto Arthur’s neck. She wiggled around till she was comfortable and then nodded her head at us. Arthur walked to the edge of the platform and braced himself while he waited for Lance and Turos to take off. Emerald and I would take up the rear.
I watched as Lance jumped lightly into the air. He flew out about two hundred feet and then turned, beating his wings to stay stationary as he waited for his son to take off.
Isla tightened her grip with her knees as Arthur leant over the edge. The little dragon opened his wings and with one little jump was gone.
Eeeeeeeeeek, I gasped into Emerald’s head as he plummeted from view.
Have faith.
I tried to have faith, but I was already envisioning the tongue-lashing we would get from the Dragon Masters if news of this got out. But instead of diving after him, Emerald flew out past Lance, and I could see what she already knew.
Arthur was below us, but he was flying. Isla leant over his neck as his wings worked to bring him back up to our height. He circled up past us and Lance took the lead, guiding him toward the mountains on the other side.
We crested their peaks as the sun winked over the horizon, its light sparkling along the top of the water in a golden path. And there, flickering in and out of the path of light, were a hundred ships under sail.
As the light of the dawn lit up the sky, chasing the shadows of the night away, more ships appeared. Their black bodies scarred the ocean for as far as the eye could see.
The horror I felt was mirrored on Turos’s and Isla’s faces. Emerald
let out a snarl and Lance bellowed his rage. But for all our anger, for all our defiance, we were helpless in the face of so many.
A forest of masts cast shadows. A plethora of men moved over the decks. A thousand ships told a story, for which there could be only one end.
9
Home, Sweet, Home
‘What do you mean you took Arthur out flying?’
I stared at King Bladimir. If only the man would shut up for long enough for Turos to tell him what we had seen.
Turos cut his hand through the air ‘Father. That is not the point.’
‘You know what the Dragon Masters have said. If you push him too far, too fast, his wings may be damaged.’
‘King Bladimir,’ I said.
‘This is none of your concern young lady.’
‘Actually, Sir,’ I said, ‘it is. You need to listen to what we saw when we were flying.’ I shook my head at Turos. I mean really, there had been no reason to even mention Arthur had been with us.
King Bladimir took a deep breath, his anger warring with reason. Reason finally won out. ‘Fine.’ He threw a hand up in the air. ‘What did you see?’
‘The enemy.’ Turos said. ‘They’re here.’
‘Well, we took down their ships before, we’ll do it again.’
Turos shook his head. ‘Their ships darken the waters. There are far too many for us. Even with….’ He stopped what he was going to say, for which I was grateful.
Bladimir let out a laugh and turned to look at me. ‘The witch will do anything to go home.’
‘What are you talking about?’ I put my hands on my hips.
He looked at Turos. ‘She’s obviously bewitched you; shown you your worst fear. And no doubt now she’ll tell us the only way we can be saved is to follow her back to her own land.’
‘It is the only way to be saved.’ I stomped my foot like a small child.
‘And then we will all help you save your own land.’ He nodded his head in time with his own words. ‘Clever. Very, very clever.’
I managed not to pull a face at his words. Well, almost managed. I could tell by the twitch of Turos’s lips that he had seen my struggle.
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