He bent backward, away from her, his lips curved in revulsion. “How the fark do I know? Get away from me!”
It was then that Aradella knew. Mekos would be able to hear what was being said, and he’dneverspeak to her that way.
Without a thought of what she was doing, Aradella’s hand shot out. She grabbed at the mask and pulled to remove it. But he wasn’t wearing a mask! Her nails dug into his skin, leaving bloody streaks.
Nessa screamed, his hand to his face over the bleeding claw marks.
Aradella stood there, staring, unable to move. All she could think of was,Whathave you done to Mekos?She managed to look at Fahir. His smirk twisted his mouth and eyes into a look of triumph. He had won!
“You know!” Aradella said in horror.
In the next second, the room seemed to erupt into chaos. In the back, shouts went up—and Fahir made a lunge to grab his staff. The jewel on top flashed as though in happy anticipation of causing evil.
Aradella was frozen. The heavy garment seemed to double in weight and she stood there awaiting whatever Fahir was about to do to her.
In the next second, Tanek swooped down to her. He was a big man and in his black suit he looked like an enormous bird of prey. He grabbed Aradella about the waist and soared up with her almost to the ceiling. He carried her over the top of the guests, then went down and out the door.
When they were outside, Tanek set Aradella down, then hurried to the others who were waiting in the big courtyard of the palace.
So much had happened that Aradella couldn’t comprehendit all.How? Why?She saw Sojee standing at the closed doors to the palace with the commanders he’d lectured that morning. Up close, the men were even bigger than they’d seemed when she’d seen them from above. They were holding the doors closed so no one could get out.
An unholy noise made her look up. A huge machine was coming down to the ground, and it was creating a wind so fierce that Aradella was pushed back several steps. The flying machine had an oval body and giant blades going round and round on top.
Aradella raised her arm against the wind. Before it got to the ground, Kaley’s grandfather Frank bent and ran to the big machine and jerked open the door. A small man was inside and shaking his head no. Frank grabbed the man by the shirt, pulled him out, and tossed him to the side like he was a child’s toy. Frank got into the machine and began flipping switches.
Kaley’s grandmother, Rita, directed people to the machine, then helped them get into the seats. First came Tanek’s parents, Vian and Roal, then Kaley and Rita. Tanek was last. He held back as he constantly watched the sky. At last, Tanek nodded in relief, then turned to the machine. He looked like he’d rather jump into a volcano than get on the thing. But at last he climbed inside.
Frank pulled the curved, transparent door closed, and the machine rose up.
They were barely off the ground when Sojee took Aradella’s arm and turned her around. Coming out of the sky, like some great winged god, its green scales glistening in the sunlight, was a dragon. She assumed it belonged to Nessa.
On its back was Mekos.
In spite of its size, the dragon deftly landed on its toes. Its eyes were on the loud, windy machine that was still rising, seeming to try to decide if the thing was a friend or foe.
Bending, Mekos held out his hand to Aradella. She started to run toward him, but then Sojee grabbed her by the waist. He couldn’t soar but his long strides covered the ground quickly. Sojee picked up Aradella and dropped her into the saddle behindMekos. She wanted Sojee to join them, but he wouldn’t. He made a gesture toward his men. He would stay with them.
With the flying machine high in the air, the sound of the people being held inside the palace reached them. Women of Olina’s Queen’s Guard came out from both sides of the palace, their bows drawn.
Mekos gave a whistle to the dragon and it rose from the ground.
“A spell,” Mekos said over his shoulder, and she knew it was explanation for what had kept him from the ceremony. The unasked question was,Whocast the spell?
The guards raised their bows and shot them. The arrows sailed through the air, and three of them struck Aradella.
Mekos twisted his body to shield her from the arrows, but she pushed him away. Between her heavy robe and all the padding she wore, the arrows hadn’t touched her body. She ripped at the ties down the front of the robe, then wrapped it around Mekos so they were both covered.
As the dragon rose higher, the range of the arrows grew weaker. Even so, there were at least a dozen sticking out of the hated robe, some of them reaching the padding beneath.
“This is Perus,” Mekos said, then he pulled the reins and they turned sharply north. Pithan was a long island that ran east to west, so they were soon away from land and over the quiet calm of the sea.
She held on to Mekos, her head nestling against his back. Seabirds that she’d never seen before came toward them and they were drawn to Mekos. One pretty blue-green bird landed on Perus’s broad head and looked at Mekos as though to ask who and what he was.
He leaned to the side so she could see the quizzical creature. In the next moment a flock of tiny, iridescent birds encircled them. Then all of them flew away in a dazzle of colors.
“Arit and Ian could ride them,” Aradella said.
“Perhaps they do.” He nudged Perus to go down, closer to the water. “Take it off. Now. Forever.”
