The Dragon Bond

Chapter 25

Ariana's senses were overwhelmed as everything happened so fast. The sound of horns blared, signaling for war, the opposing dragon screeched once again, rearing back on its hind legs, the sound of battle cries echoed throughout the field, and the ache of fear stung in Ariana's stomach. She turned to glance one last time at Alan before she would lose sight of him. He was looking right back at her, assuring her with his eyes that everything would be fine.

Despite his attempt to reassure her, she could see the fear in his eyes, even from the distance between them. He was just as nervous as she was and, somehow, that calmed her a bit. She looked forward as the men around her began running to meet the enemy.

Fuego immediately hopped into the air, taking charge during Ariana's momentary lapse. At least he knew what to do, she thought.

As they soared higher, the reality of it all became too much. She was really fighting in a war. Today she would kill people, people she knew nothing about, men who had families...

Her thoughts were cut short as she ducked a flaming arrow. She looked down to see men shooting at her. If she died, so would Fuego.

"Keep sharp," Fuego warned, "They're shooting from all sides."

Realizing it was time to focus, she racked her brain for what to do next. Who should she target? That was when the answer hit her, literally. The dragon from the enemy lines collided with Fuego, almost knocking Ariana off from her saddle.

"You okay?" Fuego asked as he flew quickly, away from the other dragon. "He came out of nowhere!"

"I'm fine," She replied. "We should find Alan. The other dragon should be our priority."

Fuego flew over to where Luna was engaged in battle. The pure dragon was spitting fire at the enemy, burning them alive. The stink of burning flesh made Ariana gag as she realized this was what war really was. War was vicious and brutal and if she didn't focus harder, she could risk killing both herself and her dragon.

"Alan, we need to take out that other dragon."

Alan turned in his saddle and looked back at her. "You're right, let's go."

Luna immediately ceased her engagement and joined Fuego as they flew to the other dragon. The sounds of men screaming, burning, and dying were too much for Ariana as she tried to think of how to defeat the other dragon.

Luckily, Alan already knew what to do. "Have Fuego take the left, we'll flank the dragon from both sides and do as much damage as we can."

Ariana relayed the message to Fuego and together the two dragons managed to flank the enemy dragon. On cue, Fuego and Luna rammed into the dragon while Alan and Ariana did their best to hit the rider. It was easier said than done.

The rider was prepared and used his magic to block their arrows. Meanwhile, Luna took a nasty bite at the dragon, ripping off bits of metal until the scales were more exposed. Fuego clawed at the dragon, trying to expose the soft tissue of its belly.

Arrow after arrow Ariana shot at the rider, finally managing to sink one into his shoulder, through his armor. Angry, the dragon cried out, forcing Ariana to cover her ears from the pitch. The rider took the chance to fire his own arrow at Ariana. She blocked it, causing it to spiral in place right in front of her right eye. He almost blinded her!

Shaken up, she faltered in a counterattack. The three dragons were flying with incredible speed whilst taking slashes at each other. The enemy dragon alternated from slashing at Luna then to Fuego.

Meanwhile, Ariana was also dodging arrows from the Nieblans below. She was constantly looking back and forth, keeping her senses sharp. Then, with a quick idea, she struggled to remember the spell for wind. As soon as she remembered, she shouted it, sending the Nieblan rider a gust of wind. He lost balance and swayed to the right, giving Alan the advantage. The prince took his opportunity and used his own spell to knock the rider completely off the dragon.