Soar

Chapter 23

Runedan landed beside me as my hand landed on the ax shaft. "They need our help. They cannot manage alone."

I straightened, avoiding Runedan's eye. "It's too dangerous."

"Azadryn!"

"We cannot do that, Runedan! You know we can't."

"Even if it means the lives of your friends?"

Hedyr was shouting for Tryven to move. Vedis's claws ripped at a dragon's back leg and it responded with a blast of fiery breath in her face. Runedan bent for me to climb on. "We can help."

We had to try, I knew. Before I could think, I launched onto his shoulders. "Go."

We went for the dragon harassing Hatesa and Hedyr. It looked up too late as Runedan rammed his shoulder into its side. It fell away. Runedan swiped at its wing with a back claw but missed.

"Tryven, no!" Hedyr cried.

Runedan swept around, preparing to make another pass, and I saw Tryven pull himself across Vedis's back as she swept by. We caught up to the dragon Runedan had attacked. It roared. Runedan barely dodged the fire.

Lotorea and the lead dragon had come back. She was behind, shooting blasts of flame after the escaping attacker. Runedan charged to cut it off while the dragon he had hit turned to face Vedis. A dragon squealed in rage and Runedan darted up at the leader. It turned sharply and he struggled to follow.

Some force smashed into Runedan's body, throwing him to the side. I had no chance to grab onto him. I was thrown from his back.

As my body tumbled through the air, I saw the enemy dragon reach for Runedan's neck. The next thing I saw was the ground.

Another jolt. I blinked the spots from my vision. Something was clamped around my waist and I swung above the earth. In the corner of my eye I saw stone-gray scales. Fire erupted below me. A dragon rasped a warning.

My stomach flipped and then the sun was flashing in my eyes. I felt warmth and rough scales against my back. Lotorea had me in her front claws. One of our attackers pitched toward us and Lotorea drove it back with a blast of flame. She rolled again and angled toward the ground. Without slowing, she dropped me from her claws. I landed hard on my hands and tumbled onto my back.

A flash of blood-streaked scales crossed my vision. Somewhere a horse whinnied and a bow twanged.

And then it was over. Lotorea loosed one final stream of fire at the retreating enemy before turning back. A horse was trotting toward me: Hedyr's horse. Instinctively I curled up.

Boots hit earth. "Get up, Azadryn." His gloved hand caught my arm and hauled me to my feet. His blue eyes were dark as they swept over me, searching for injuries. A bruised colored his cheek and the edge of his short cape smoldered.

"Where did that horse go?" Hedyr shouted over my head. I brought my shoulders up, trying to make myself small. My legs were weak and my feet tangled themselves, but Hedyr's grip was iron. He led me across the uneven ground.

"It bolted," Hatesa gasped. "I do not think it went far."

My shoulder knocked against horseflesh. "Get on," Hedyr said in a low, even tone.

Hands and feet scrambling about the saddle, I managed to pull myself onto the horse. Hedyr swung up behind me and reached around me to collect the trailing reins. He handled the horse as calmly as ever, guiding it around.

Beside us, Hatesa stood by her horse and was digging through her saddlebags. Vedis landed behind her, followed closely by Lotorea. Tryven was hunched over his dragon's back, eyeing Aridon, who said something I could not hear as he jumped from Lotorea's back. Vedis held one wing away from her body. Her head hung.