I'm either the cat or the smart student, there's no in-between. Which one are you?
The skies are calmer on this side of the world, strong but gentle and easy to maneuver in. I wonder if any signs of the Darkening and its Thrawlers have touched these lands yet. Wonder if anyone or any city has been destroyed because of it. Between the parted clouds, Rima and I try to see if the grounds are scorched black with death. But we find tall, steel watch towers with ballista catapults instead. The raider cities we pass over are all untouched and thriving, their caged dragons and slaves leashed in chains.
It's difficult to tell what I feel. Wrong. To cage people, dragons -- any living thing is wrong and leaving them there as we did now... I understand it. Trying to free them would end up with us captured and I understood the raiders a little. This is their life, some may not have been given a choice in becoming raiders but they can't leave. Others may have been born into it and this world is all they know. It's wrong and immoral and dangerous, but it's their life and I understand that. In a strange way, it's my life too. I was sucked into the dragon rider world with frost in my veins and now being the half-breed is all I know.
Galeur banks around another split in the clouds and Rima follows, her scales hidden from sight as she flies on silent wings. Abraxis steers in the opposite direction, both of us flanking the back side of Galeur in a tight triangle formation. I would find it relieving to be behind Holland where there's no risk of having to look at him -- to meet his disappointed gaze, but as soon as we land I will have to face him -- apologize. Again. I avoid Easton's gaze all together and scan the once flat clouds that have now exploded like soap in a bubble bath.
The clouds grow more sparse as the morning wears on. To keep us out of the ballista's range, Galeur makes a quick and steady ascent where the clouds are more than a safe distance below from us. But we still weave around the holes, keeping our group hidden.
Clarika takes her hand off my hip, covering her mouth. I turn. My sister naturally has pale skin, like her frost has frozen her skin, but it's blanched of color now. I don't hide my cringe, earning a sharp look from her. She pushes my face forward while Rima shudders at the thought of Clarika vomiting on her.
It makes my hair stand and I push her through the bond. "Stop."
Rima grumbles, the sound vibrating against my thighs. "If she pukes, I'm throwing her off me. Harness or not."
The clouds break again, splitting Easton and I farther apart-
Metal rattles through the sky, our only warning before two metal chains shoot through the clouds. Rima barrels left as the chain ends explode. The pop rings my ears, even over Abraxis' roar. I barely get a chance to look as metal nets spring from the chains. They drape over the dragons entirely, forcing them into a hover and weighing on their wings.
"Down!" Clarika barks and I shove on the saddle, hugging Rima's neck. My sister hugs me in turn as Rima dives, her wings glued to her sides. A screech cuts through the air like the sharpest glass slicing flesh. Clarika puts an ear to my back.
We break through the clouds.
I only have a few seconds to scan the rust-colored ground and pick our target before Rima is too close to the ground to fire. Steel towers are scattered through the large city, nestled between wooden buildings to make them harder to hit. Gigantic metal crossbows aim up toward the clouds with three people manning the contraption. Fences made of barbed wire wind through the dirt streets where people sprint for their dragons. Then, Rima's nose is aimed at the sky. A tower crumbled behind us, bursting into black smoke and red flames.
We swoop around, Rima taking the chain that covers our friends in her jaws, and ascend vertically. We rise over Galeur, squinting through the sunlight and pull the metal net off and drop it.
Holland signs for us to free Abraxis.
We start another descent when a snow-white dragon bursts out of the clouds. He latches onto Abraxis' neck but I don't see blood, not like I did when Rima had done the same thing to Evan. The two drop back, their spines to the earth. Trying to weigh Abraxis down doesn't work and he hovers, spinning white around him like cotton candy. It's only when a second dragon latches on to him that they fall.
Galeur dives after them without a second's hesitation, only to have two different dragons slam into him from both sides.
Each tower is spread far from the others, preventing one dragon from wiping out more than one in a single stream of fire. Frustration eats at Rima as we blast another tower and race back up, taking Abraxis' chain with us. With no normal dragon's breath, Rima has to dive over and over again for each plasma blast. It's tedious work and with Abraxis spiraling for the ground, his jaws snapping and tearing out the white and purple scales, we can't afford to take out one tower per dive. Not when the towers outnumber our dragons.
Dragons from the ground take off in a variety of glistening colors. Some circle the clouds below, waiting for Galeur to fall through, while others rush through and up to meet the green dragon. A cluster of three rush for Abraxis as the purple dragon turns belly up and crashes into the city below.
With one hand still on my side, Clarika lashes out at the red dragon above. It screams and hisses, it's flesh ripped away by ice. As it falls past us on it's back, wings flailing and snout down, I catch sight of its rider impaled through and through.
Quickly, I turn away thinking it a mercy to be taken with your dragon. After hearing and seeing too much, how riders and dragons have been driven mad with the death of their partner... It is a mercy and one I would prefer if I could choose.
Clarika takes out the second dragon that is aiming for Abraxis just as she'd done with the first one. Rima blasts the third with a killing blow. We start to steer back for Abraxis to help with the white one but Rima jerks.
She pivots out of the way of Galeur as he tumbles and twists out of the clouds, two dragons pinning his wings back. Rage floods through the bond like a dam caving in and she dives after the three. Her shriek alone is enough to force the dragons to release but she doesn't stop and rakes her talons down the membrane of the blue's wings. He tilts enough for Galeur to lunge and rip out a chunk of its chest.
But the other dragon recovers quickly and lunges for one of Galeur's wings. As we hiss past Abraxis two more dragons drop, one snatching Easton from his dragon's back while the others push Abraxis to the ground.
Another tower crumbles, black smoke pummeling in our wake. As we spiral up, world spinning, chains shake on either side of us. Two miss their target while the other four wrap around Galeur and Abraxis. Clarika gags behind me but it's not from the violence. Rima levels immediately, cursing to the dragon goddess for my sister's weak stomach, but is more thankful that she doesn't vomit.
My heart hammers as Galeur and Abraxis fall toward the earth, the nets wrapped around them. We go after them, blasting plasma and ice at the herd of dragons surrounding the two. But for every dragon we kill two more take its place, coming from the clouds they hid in or flying up from the ground. I even use my bow, calling up electric arrows that fry the nerves of the dragon and their rider.
But it's not enough.
They crash in the center of the raider's landing zone, a patch of dirt big enough for an entire pack of dragons. The impact is hard enough that dust clouds around them. I freeze, wide-eyed, and stare at the two, waiting for any kind of movement. Dragons land around them and one prowls close to Galeur. The chains shake and Galeur's roar can be heard all the way up here.
Holland crawls out onto the ground, no more than a tiny black speck with a white top. Easton and Adam do the same and meet the raiders crowding around them. Though I can't see much from this height Rima lets me see through her eyes. To see the weapons both sides draw.
"Get me down there!" Clarika barks, right into my ear.
Then, we're aiming for the ground. The raiders flee, scattering over the dirt and into the nearest buildings when Rima shrieks. In the few seconds it takes to get to the ground, the men are already grouping together and trying to free Galeur. But instead of firing, Rima angles forward, flapping her wings as hard as she can to reverse her momentum.
Then she swoops down again, descending below the buildings to the ground. Adam lifts his head, taking a moment to find the brown saddle and the two people sitting on it. I catch his gaze, grabbing my bow and stringing an arrow. Clarika fuses with her harness, wasting our time. Though I can't see them, I time Rima's beating wings and release the arrow.
The wooden building behind them lined with archers taking aim on the balconies, explodes. Galeur looks at us from beneath the chains with the dragon riders knelt before him. Then Clarika jumps and we're gone.
Using Rima's eyes, we time our strikes. We wait until the raiders start rushing out from their buildings with their dragons and familiars and then dive. Most scatter but the ones that don't are frozen through-and-through by Clarika or pushed back by Adam's wind.
Some dragons remain in the sky, their riders searching for Rima or starting to descend right for our group. They level with a maneuver I've seen from normal dragons and glide for the center. Invisible hands of air slam down onto their backs, forcing them to crash into buildings and streets and towers. It makes less work for Rima, but there are still ones that slip past the air mage. A line of fire engulfs the landing zone and my heart only starts beating again when ice spears the dragon as it leaves. Then my team is moving again, regrouping near Galeur and Abraxis.
Rima and I circle, studying the battle below. Smoke, flames, ice, wind, and fire swirl around the patch of dirt field. Metal from the fallen rubble whines and screams as magnetrons chuck the metal like throwing spears. Fire mages contain the fires raging around them, using it to fuel their powers and create a wall of inferno to shield their people. With how fast and precise the raiders move, retreating and charging, and how they anticipated Galeur would go after Abraxis, it is obvious they know how to capture people. It's what they know and no matter how trained the group is on the ground, raiders still outnumber them.
"We need to do something," I say, glancing down at the surge of raiders. Galeur stands by his rider, his flames overpowered by fire mages and turned against him. He shields Holland with his wings until Adam lets the fire choke and die.
It barely takes me a moment to feel Rima's plan and then her scales are glistening under the sun, showing white down to the raiders and crimson red to anyone above. We dive lower, not low enough to reveal Rima's true nature but enough to hear the distant shouting of the riders in the sky.
Rima flashes the raider's different sides of her, never flapping her wings hard enough that they see the other end. It quickly becomes an illusion game as we race around in a circle, flashing them red and white, and white and red. She cloaks herself between sides, making it appear as though two dragons were flying around the raiders city instead of one. She even goes so far as to mimicking Thorn's roar. It's a perfect match or incredibly close to perfect.
We know our plan worked when the majority of the dragons below stop focusing on Holland and the others and start flying up -- towards us.
I draw my bow again, pulling the string back as an arrow forms between my fingers. I angle the bow in front of Rima's wings, timing her thrusts and noting the wind's direction and strength before releasing the arrow.
White-blue lightning races across the dragon's yellow scales. The dragon shrieks, its wings smoking and limp as it falls with its rider dead beside it. A dragon roars from behind us and Rima cloaks, barreling. As soon as we level, I fire another lightning arrow to its belly.
Below, earth splits and cracks down the middle of the group. Though I can't see more than dots of the humans, I see Abraxis' orange scales standing on the opposite side of Galeur and the field. Ice and water lash at each other like the ends of two whips. Then, it's only ice.
But the city is large enough to keep a steady pour of bodies toward the group. Rush after rush, dive after dive, the raiders return in a never-ending game.
I breathe in, steadying myself for what I know will happen and push down on the saddle. Holland only has two elementals to work with and the dragons' flames are only helping the enemies. I'm worth more down there than in the saddle where Rima does most of the work. Work she can keep up without me.
As we get closer, falling into a glide over the buildings, I scan the bodies scattered over the ground. Some are burnt and blown to pieces, other's are no more than a bad painting splattered red against brown. The dragons are no different but they're still remotely whole or impaled with ice. Very few are getting back up.
I take another breath, tucking my feet beneath me to spring. My fingers work fast to undo the harness as we fly over the field. Then, I jump.
For a moment, it's just me and the air and the freedom it provides. It's strangely alluring and sobering, even as I watch the ground rush up to meet me.
Clarika barks at Adam to catch me, moments before I hit the ground. His air softens my landing, not enough to keep my knees from humming but enough to prevent injuries. I roll across the ground, using my momentum to get into a run.
I sprint across the field, leaping over a crack in the earth and run under Galeur. Holland turns to me, his mouth opening with an order. But I sprint past and to Clarika who gathers all the ice around to thrust forward. I call to my ice, creating as much as I can as our abilities combine. Ice turns to water lapping at our feet before surging up and over everyone like a giant wave.
The first blast of fire pounds against the shield like a tidal wave. The dragon glides over and our water arcs and widens to follow its flames. Orange rolls over blue, in searing waves. It rumbles like thunder, echoing in our tunnel of water. Water drips from above, sliding down my cheeks and between my pinched brows.
Then the dragon's gone and our water still holds.
Clarika grits her teeth, nodding for me to follow. She drops her arms and our water splits down the middle to create walls on either side of us. I thrust my arms to one side with my sister taking the other. My abilities strain to keep control of the water. It curls like normal ocean waves, but there's nothing normal about how it slams down across the ground, sweeping everything and everyone into the flaming buildings around us. I tune out their screams.
Holland shouts for me to freeze the water but Clarika tells me to bring it back for her to control. I glance between the two, muscles taut as the water blocks every road and exit that the raiders try to use. Hydromages pry into my water with razor-sharp claws that sting my nerves, fighting to rip out my control. I call back the water, practically throwing it behind me so I can use my arms to build the walls Holland wanted.
The blockade buys us a moment of peace while another round of dragons start to circle over. Holland pants, his sword dripping ruby red liquid onto the dirt. Water spins around us, turning to ice as magnatrons hurl more steel beams at us.
We scatter and I release acidic arrows to melt through the metal. Holland calls for us to get on the dragons, to take off when the magnetrons pause in their hurling contest. Clarika raises more walls while Adam uses wind to throw off their directory. The earth shakes as we run, pieces of ground jutting out to trip us. Easton glances back at me to make sure I'm still there before turning to a nearby building, set in flames. He points to the three levels where archers have lined up on the semi-destroyed building.
"Rima." Is all he needs to say.
From her back, her scream burns my ears but there's a direction -- a pinpoint. On the ground, the sound comes from everywhere and nowhere all-at-once. It would be terrifying if I didn't know where she would hit, and now really really understand why everyone runs or shouts. They really have no idea what she's going to attack.
It explodes too close, the heat pulsing through the smoky air. Splinters thud on my head as a dragon roars above. Not Rima but Adam takes care of it. The dragon crashes through the city, taking a line of buildings and towers in its wake. It starts to get back up and takes off a few minutes later.
"We need to get into the air!" Easton's voice is almost drowned out from a dragon's roar. Across the field, Holland waves for us to gather so we run to stand behind him. Panting, we watch him and my sister scan the crumbled streets and buildings around us. Their eyes narrow, meeting each other's with a dark, knowing gaze.
Then I hear it.
Nothing.
The shouting's stopped and the raiders I can see hidden beneath half-standing buildings stare at us. Dragons circle above, one eye down on all of us. Familiars perch and stalk around.
"Get on the dragons." Holland breathes, finding the sight just as unsettling.
We listen without question, even Clarika, and start running. Our hands move and the sky darkens as snow swirls around us like a tornado. Wind whips my braids in every direction and my eyes water with the pain. Dimly, I wish I'd had time to take out my goggles and helmet from the saddle pouch. The one Squirm was in. I don't let myself think too much on it and start to scramble up Galeur's side.
Adam adds dark clouds to our storm, panting and just as tired as everyone else. My sister takes a spot behind me with Holland at the front. Easton and Adam go together, barely settling in before Galeur thrusts his wings down.
We take off and our storm dies just as Galeur goes limp. My stomach lurches with the descent, muscles taut as I squeeze Holland tighter. He shouts at his dragon just before we crash, his dragon sliding over the dirt. When Galeur starts to roll I'm the last person to jump, having to wait for the others squishing me to go.
My feet hit the ground, hard, when another crash sounds behind.
Abraxis lies on his stomach, eyes shut and wings spread across the ground. Easton's eyes are wide, matching Holland's pain. Clarika and I work to create more ice walls, we glance at each other right as Adam's eyes roll to the back of his head. He collapses. Easton rises from his knees, holding my gaze as he takes his bloodied sword. It's a look that promises death and vengeance.
No, not dead, I think, looking into the burning buildings. The way the raiders stopped attacking. It's because they didn't want to mix their vital signs with ours.
My breath rushes inward, as fast as my realization. Clarika whirls on me, her face a mix of cold stone and the general she's been forced to be. But there's panic -- fear as she shouts, "Bloodmage!"
I don't feel myself hit the ground.