by Mark Robson
‘I think you should know that Firestorm and Aurora are above us.’ Fang’s voice in her head startled her from her thoughts. How long had passed? Judging by how far the moons had progressed across the sky it had been quite a while. ‘They will be alongside us shortly. Now that we are all together again, I have shown each of the other dragons an image of where we are going. If for any reason we do get separated, then we will aim to meet up at the Valley of the Griffins.’
Kira experienced a flash of irritation that Fang had not asked her opinion before deciding to share such important information with the others. She could not fault the dragon’s logic, but it was hard not to dwell on the fact that Fang had let their biggest bargaining asset go unused. Had Fang done this deliberately to test her? Her dragon was perceptive and clever. She felt sure he already knew her better than her parents had ever done. Was Fang manipulating her just as she intended to manipulate Pell? She laughed aloud at that thought.
‘What a group we are!’ she muttered through her chuckling.
‘What’s happened?’ Nolita asked, leaning forwards. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Nothing, Nolita,’ Kira replied over her shoulder. ‘Nothing at all.’
A sudden movement to their right drew her eyes. Firestorm and Aurora were descending into formation alongside them, their colours not distinguishable in the darkness, but their black outlines clearly different from those of night dragons.
Kira’s back ached, and her eyes felt hot and gritty with tiredness. They needed to get as far from the night dragon enclave as possible under cover of darkness. If they were going to rest it would be better to do it during the daytime. But she was so exhausted that she felt it could be dangerous to continue flying. One thing was sure – no matter when they stopped, Pell would argue the case for pressing on longer.
Fang was also weary. The rhythm of his wing-beats was faster than usual as he strained to keep up with the much larger night dragon. Shadow was setting a wicked pace.
‘Yet more bravado, no doubt,’ Kira sighed. ‘Time for you to start planting those ideas in Shadow’s mind, Fang,’ she told him. ‘We need to rest. Pell’s probably feeling great after Firestorm’s healing earlier, and Shadow had a day’s rest before setting out tonight. The rest of us are beat. We need to stop, if only for a short while. Do you think we’re being followed?’
There was a pause before Fang answered. ‘No,’ he said. ‘At least, if there are any dragons following, they are too far behind for me to sense. I rather suspect they have given up and gone back. A break would be good. I shall see what I can do.’
A few minutes passed in silence.
‘Kira, Shadow has just asked if any of we three “smaller” dragons, or our riders, require a rest,’ Fang eventually told her. ‘How would you like me to respond?’
Kira made a rude noise.
‘I shall interpret that as “Yes, thank you, Shadow. That would be much appreciated,”’ Fang responded, his tone deadpan.
Kira could feel his amusement through the bond. ‘You’re just loving this, aren’t you?’ she accused.
‘I do find it entertaining, yes,’ he admitted. ‘Firestorm also had the good sense to brush off Shadow’s insult. Aurora, on the other wing, is rather less pleased. Her response to Shadow’s phrasing was so cold I’ll be surprised if our night dragon friend is not suffering frostbite! Tell Nolita to hold on. We are going down.’
Although the first hint of the approaching dawn was already beginning to lighten the sky to the east, it was still effectively full night. Of the dragons, Fang had by far the best night vision. For all her posturing, Shadow was sensible enough to accept this, so it was Fang who directed them down to a landing point next to a small stand of trees in the middle of a huge open field, where the land was flat in all directions.
Once safely on the ground, the riders were quick to dismount. The trees were spaced widely enough for the dragons to move underneath the leafy canopy. Camouflaging the dragons on the ground was key to avoid capture, Kira realised. It was easy enough here, but as they moved further northwards into the open tundra they would be less likely to find such convenient cover.
‘Let’s have a brief fire and get some hot food and drink inside us,’ Kira suggested.
‘A fire!’ Pell challenged immediately. ‘Are you mad? It’ll draw the night dragons like moths.’
Kira sighed. ‘You’re welcome to eat cold food if you wish, Pell,’ she told him. ‘But I’m going to cook, whether you like it or not. It’s been a challenging day and we need to eat properly. It’s not a short journey to the Valley of the Griffins. We’re going to need all our strength. Let’s try to gather some wood.’
Elian and Nolita were quick to join Kira in her search, but Pell remained still for some moments before reluctantly making a token effort. Soon they had gathered a good pile of wood, but kindling was impossible to find.
‘Nolita, can Firestorm light it for us?’ Kira asked. ‘It would save a lot of time and I don’t want to have the fire alight any longer than necessary. We’re not going to be here long enough to worry about building shelters. Our dragons can cover us with their wings while we sleep.’
Nolita looked horrified. Even in the darkness, Kira could tell that the colour had drained from the girl’s face at Kira’s suggestion of sleeping close to the dragons, and she looked close to tears. But somehow Nolita held herself together. Her eyes went blank for an instant as she communicated Kira’s request. ‘He says he will,’ she replied.
‘Good. Thank you, Nolita. Stand back, everyone.’
Firestorm curled his head around on his long neck until it was close to where the riders had piled the wood. The young people moved well back. Kira held her breath as the dragon inhaled. An image flashed into her mind of Firestorm’s flaming breath destroying the trees in the other world. She winced, but she need not have worried. When Fire breathed out, the flame that spewed from his mouth was small and controlled, but very hot.
The gathered branches and sticks were not altogether dry. They spluttered and popped at the blaze of heat, and smoke billowed into clouds that fingered their way through the branches and leaves, curling and reaching up as if feeling for the open sky. Firestorm continued to breathe out and out, his fiery breath seemingly neverending.
‘That should be enough, thank you, Nolita,’ Kira said, stepping forwards.
A heartbeat later Firestorm stopped his flame and drew his head away to allow more space around the fire. Kira held her hands out towards the dancing orange tongues, enjoying the warmth and friendly light they cast. The others moved forwards to join her. Now that it was up to temperature, the smoke from the fire had reduced to little more than a haze, but the smell of it lingered under the trees for some time.
Within a very short time Kira had a pan of water heating, whilst simultaneously frying up a meaty concoction that smelled heavenly to the tired riders. Considering his reluctance to help build a fire, Pell was quick enough to dig in to his portion of the food. He ate so fast that Kira was left wondering exactly what he had been fed during his short spell in the night dragon cell. Not a lot by the look of it, she thought, a wicked little smile twisting her lips as the words ‘Serves him right’ crossed her mind.
‘That’s not very charitable, Kira,’ Fang teased, keeping his tone as serious as ever.
‘I’ve just fed him, haven’t I?’ she snapped. ‘After his lack of appreciation for the risks we faced to get him out of that cell, and his objection to the fire, I’d say that’s pretty charitable. I can’t help it if he’s a self-centred, arrogant little—’
‘I hardly think you could describe him as little,’ Fang interrupted, clearly amused by her vitriolic response. ‘He is bigger than you are.’
‘There’s little and there’s little,’ she responded.
Fang did not understand, but he did not need to. Kira’s tone said it all.
‘Just remember that you are supposed to be letting him think he is leading,’ Fang said. ‘You forced hi
s hand tonight with the fire. If you keep doing that sort of thing, he will become very difficult. Try to let him get his way every now and then. Perhaps you could practise. Why not thank him for suggesting the rest stop?’
‘Why not?’ she replied, her mental voice thick with sarcasm. ‘If I choke on the words, though, would you have Elian and Nolita throw my body on the fire? I always fancied cremation over burial.’
‘Just do it, Kira!’
She took a deep breath and schooled her expression before looking across at Pell, who was already finishing the last of his food.
‘Thanks, Pell,’ she said. The words sounded strained to her ears, but there was no sign of Pell having noticed.
‘What for, Kira?’ he asked, the suspicion in his voice undisguised.
‘For suggesting a stop,’ she replied. ‘I’m exhausted.’
‘Me too,’ Elian added. ‘I was falling asleep towards the end there. I couldn’t have gone much further.’
Pell’s face brightened slightly. ‘No problem,’ he said. ‘We’ve all got to rest some time. The question is – how long do we rest for? It’ll be light soon. I’m not sure that travelling by day is such a good idea.’
‘I agree,’ Kira said, trying her best to make the two words sound genuine. ‘But we may have no choice. Let’s face facts. It’s summer. The nights are short and the days are long. We’ve got to try to get to the Valley of the Griffins before Segun. I’m betting he and his lieutenants are going to push hard to get there quickly. That means we’re going to have to push even harder. As we go further north the nights will get progressively shorter. I can’t be certain, but it’s possible that there will be no night at all that far north.’
‘Really?’ Elian asked. ‘Why’s that?’
‘Fang mentioned it to me some time ago, but I couldn’t follow his explanation,’ Kira admitted. ‘Try asking Ra. And if you understand her answer, you can explain it to me. The point is we’re going to have to travel by day or accept that Segun is going to get to the valley before us. How long do you think Segun will fly each day, Pell?’
‘Widewing has a reputation for being a strong dragon,’ he replied thoughtfully. ‘Segun likes to further that reputation. He’s likely to push his followers to their limits for the amusement of seeing them struggle. There is one thing in our favour, though. He isn’t expecting us to be following him, so there’s no real need for him to rush. I wouldn’t be surprised if he pushed hard for a couple of days, but then eased off the pace when he had made his point to the others.’
‘So what do you suggest?’ Kira asked the question through gritted teeth.
‘I’m not sure,’ he replied. ‘I’d like to talk it over with Shadow. Let’s grab a couple of hours’ sleep and then press on. A lot will depend on the riders from the enclave – if they come looking for us, and in what sort of numbers.’
Kira considered his answer and, to her surprise, was forced to concede Pell was talking good sense.
‘See? That wasn’t so hard,’ Fang said, amused by her admission.
‘Don’t push it!’ she warned. ‘If he winds me up enough, I’ll kill him. That will leave you to face Shadow. How do you fancy your chances, Fang? Could you take her on? At the moment we need Pell to get the night orb. Once that part of the quest is over, however . . .’
Kira left the sentence hanging. Fang said nothing, his amusement dying to a cold silence. If he thought she was joking, he would laugh. But Fang could see her thoughts. He knew she was deadly serious.
Chapter Seventeen
A Tricky Confrontation
‘Night dragons inbound! Wake up, Pell!’
Shadow’s voice shredded Pell’s dreams as effectively as her teeth would rip through a deer. For the briefest moment he was confused. Dappled light danced around him. He squinted as he cracked his eyelids open. It was morning. They were sheltering under trees. Suddenly the events of the previous evening flooded back. He had no idea how long he had slept, but it felt as if he had barely closed his eyes.
A mere instant later he was in motion, but he discovered to his chagrin that Kira was already ahead of him. The girl was scrambling onto Fang’s back and the dusk dragon was moving before Pell had even begun to climb up Shadow’s side. Shaking off the remnants of sleep, Pell leaped up Shadow’s foreleg and swung into the saddle.
‘How many, Shadow?’ he asked.
‘Three,’ she replied. ‘They’re closing fast from the southeast. I cannot be certain, but I believe they have sensed our presence.’
‘We need to get airborne then,’ Pell said, his mind racing. ‘If we can all get into the air before they reach us, we’ll have the advantage of numbers.’
A quick glance around revealed Elian settling into his saddle and Nolita scrambling up Firestorm’s side. Neither would be far behind Shadow, so Pell urged his dragon forwards after Fang, who had now employed his camouflage. When Shadow emerged from under the trees there was no sign of the dusk dragon.
‘Where’s Fang going?’ Pell asked aloud. He could faintly hear the dusk dragon’s retreating wingbeats, but couldn’t work out the direction from which the sound was coming.
‘I’m not sure, Pell,’ Shadow replied, sounding equally confused. ‘Like you, I can hear that he is airborne, but I don’t know where he is going, or what he intends.’
‘Can you tell him to come back?’ Pell asked. ‘It’s going to be hard to put on a show of strength without him.’
There was a pause.
‘Fang says he’ll join us shortly,’ Shadow reported. ‘I think he’s planning something clever, but I’m not sure what.’
‘Something clever!’ Pell snorted, shaking his head. ‘It had better be.’
Aurora emerged from the trees beside them. Firestorm was directly behind her. Pell could see Nolita’s face, white with fear, and he grimaced. But at least she had good reason to be scared this time. Three night dragons were a formidable force to contend with.
‘Let’s go, Shadow,’ he urged.
Shadow needed little encouragement. She leaped forwards and launched into the air, taking no more than a few quick bounds and a mighty first down-stroke of her wings. As soon as Pell had settled his balance into her urgent rhythm, he glanced back to check on the others. Both Aurora and Firestorm were also airborne and climbing, though Shadow was accelerating away from them.
‘Don’t get too far ahead of the others, Shadow,’ Pell told her. ‘We don’t want to get too spread out. Where are the night dragons? Can you see them yet?’
The rapidly increasing wind dried his eyes and tugged at his hair. He squinted, scanning the sky for signs of the hostile dragons.
‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘If you look over your right shoulder, you will see them in our rear quarter. They are up at about five hundred spans.’
‘I’ve got them.’
The three black dragons were descending towards them in a menacing V formation. They were still some distance away, but had the advantage of height and speed and would soon catch up. Would they attack without negotiation? Having been declared outlaws, he and Shadow were fair targets, but what about Firestorm and Aurora? Would the night dragons attack them too? He did not see how the night dragons could justify such an act of unprovoked violence. They would be jeopardising relations with not one, but two of the other three enclaves.
‘In their eyes it is not unprovoked,’ Shadow told him. ‘The night dragons will justify their actions with our outlaw status. By flying with us, Firestorm and Aurora are viewed as outlaws too. Relations between the day and night dragon enclaves have always been strained, and the dawn dragon enclave is so small it is considered unimportant.’
‘Great!’ Pell muttered. ‘No help there, then. Where the blazes are Fang and Kira? If we had the advantage of numbers, they might think twice.’
Shadow did not answer. Pell could feel her reaching out with her mind, but if she received any response from Fang she did not say anything.
They were well above the ground now, and cli
mbing fast. Judging by the height of the sun above the horizon, Pell estimated it must be a couple of hours after dawn. They had slept for about four hours. Not long enough to feel totally rested, but enough to stave off the effects of severe fatigue. Despite the adrenalin burning through his body, his mind still felt fogged with the remnants of sleep.
They could not outrun the hostile night dragons. The few wispy clouds were not solid enough to offer cover and landing was out of the question. No matter how hard he tried, he could not see a way of avoiding a potentially lethal conflict.
‘The lead night dragon is telling us to land, or fight,’ Shadow said suddenly. ‘What shall I tell him?’
Pell tried to think.
‘My instinct is to tell him to go to hell, but what do the other dragons say?’ he said eventually.
‘They express similar sentiments.’
He looked left and right. Since Shadow had slowed to allow the others to catch up, Aurora had moved up into formation to their right, and Firestorm to their left. Elian gave him a hand signal that he interpreted as ‘Go ahead’.
‘Let’s do it then,’ Pell growled. ‘Tell them. We’ll turn and meet them head to head.’
‘Wait a moment!’ Shadow’s voice sounded suddenly excited.
‘What is it? What’s going on?’
‘It’s Fang,’ she said. ‘He’s asked me to stall them. He says he’s not quite in position yet. I have no idea what he’s planning, but he was taking a lot of care to make sure his message was not overheard.’
‘All right, but they’re closing fast,’ Pell replied, glancing over his shoulder again. ‘Even if we try to run, it won’t delay a fight for long.’
‘If I got Fang’s message right, we won’t need to hold them off for long.’
Pell’s mind flashed through possible options. What in blue blazes are you doing, Kira? he wondered. If they turned now, they would at least have a reasonable chance of facing off against the night dragons. Delaying more than a few seconds would leave them unable to turn in time and vulnerable to attack from above and behind. To continue running felt like madness, but he could feel Shadow’s trust and respect for Fang through the bond. Much as he hated to admit it, if he had to rely on any of his companions to get them out of a situation like this, Kira would be his natural choice. She had a cool head under pressure and nothing appeared to rattle her confidence.
