“He isn’t wrong.” I glance towards the chosen, all eight of them here. Dryden is still on his knees, coughing.
But as I go to walk towards my horse, the ground beneath us begins to tremble. My heart falls to my feet and I know, the dragons know we are here.
I shouldn't have stopped. I put us in danger.
The ground beneath us rolls like waves while dirt and rocks fling into the air. I inhale, tasting the grit of the sand particles that are now mixed in with the air. They are here.
They are surrounding us.
We have no escape.
What the hell did I do?
The horses buck, their heads swaying around, and the rumbles of their snorts are hushed by the whistling of the wind. But also, the grumbling of the ground. The dragon's scales and spikes glisten like snakes that swivel along the ground. They rise and fall in the sand, diving deep. Into the unknown.
My hands fall to my sides, steadying my balance as the sand dragons make circles around us. Some have spikes that stick out from the sand, higher than the horses. My stomach drops, turning and twisting in pure fear.
I don’t know how to fight a dragon. I’m unsure if the horses can help against them. We have eight horses, eight of us. The dragons… completely clueless on how many there are. The sand makes it seem as if hundreds are under us, waiting to feast. But with the night sky, it makes us vulnerable.
“Ren…” Theon’s voice trembles, his hands stretching wide to avoid falling. “What do we do?”
“Shit, I don't know!” I stutter, watching the dragons' bodies roll as if they are a part of the world.
“Can your dragons help?” Kaine shouts, holding onto his and Theon’s horses.
My eyes widen, focusing on the horses’ wings that stretch and fold repeatedly.
“Get on the horses!” I cough, shielding my face from the sand storm the dragons have now created. “All of you, get on them and fly away!”
“What about you!” Theon grips my shoulder. “We can’t leave you!”
I glance towards my Fireninze and the Ice horses. “I can’t leave her. Or the others.”
Without hesitation, Dryden is already trying to climb one of the Lasyius, making my lips roll together, trying not to laugh at his multiple failed attempts.
“How the hell do I get on one!” He raises his arms.
“Go help him! Help the rest of the chosen to leave.” I nod towards Theon, who scuffs as he slams his hands against his legs.
“Damn it Ren, I can’t leave you!” Theon exhales, rubbing his hands frantically through his hair. “Kaine, get the others on our horses. We have three that can fly, get those who want to leave out of here!”
“You two better not die!” Kaine shouts, hustling over to Dryden to help him up on Theon’s horse, as well as Death. Pyreon climbs up on his horse, he is bonded with the Lasyius. His silver-blue hair, shaved on the sides and twisted along his scalp, catches in the breeze. He helps Hyroe up, who begins to hold onto him tightly, clenching his eyes with fear.
“We will meet you at the finish!” Pyreon shouts as they jolt into the air, the gust from the wings almost knocking us off of our feet.
“Kaine, take Koen!” I shout towards him before he climbs his horse. He pauses, glancing between Koen and I.
“I am not going anywhere,” Koen snarls.
“I’m out!” Dryden lifts with the horse, screeching as he wobbles side to side. I hear the laughs of Death as they soar away. I might not kill him, but the fall from that horse will if he can’t control it.
Theon cackles. “If I die, watching him try to ride a Lasyius and completely failing was so worth it.”
“We won’t die!” But as I say that, an enormous, scaly tail whips at my feet from under me and my back slams against the ground. I let out a groan, sand digging into my skin and irritating my eyes.
I roll to my side, eyes flickering open despite the burning pain of the sand scratching them. That's when I see one of the sand dragons diving over me. Its golden eyes are locked onto mine as its head swivels, steadily watching me. Its scales, yellow yet rusty, are a perfect blend to hide in the sand. This one has transparent wings, large ones up top and a few small ones. But as it dives into the sand, the wings go flush against its body.
With force, I rise to my feet, noticing Kaine struggling with his horse. The Lasyius’s hooves kick off of the sand, knocking Kaine to his back, and it flies upward. The horse’s wings beat against the air, kicking up more sand as one of the dragons flies out of the land. The dragon's mouth is wide, razor sharp teeth ready to devour the horse.
