The dragons spiraled, twisting and flinging themselves through the air, their wings whipping as they flew furiously toward the island.
It seemed to take forever to reach it, and when we got closer, I tried not to let dismay take hold. The entire landmass was covered with a thick mesh of thorns. No place to land. No sanctuary in sight. Where could we escape the attacking birds?
If we couldn’t get away from them, they’d peck us to death. It was a wonder the dragons could keep going with the brutal creatures flinging themselves at the dragon’s faces.
“I can flit us to the manor,” I yelled. The vision of me playing with toys in our living area was as clear in my mind as when I watched it through Aunt Vera’s eyes. “I’ll take Vexxion and come back for the rest of you.”
Don’t,Madrood boomed in my mind.The curse could kill them if you try.
What can we do?I released a guttural cry and swiped out as another flock of birds dove in, smacking against me, Vexxion, and Madrood’s right side. They raked us, and our blood flew.
Drask huddled against my neck, rhythmically squawking in my ear.
Every breath came out in a desperate gasp that barely deflated my lungs.
I’ll fly into the thorns,Madrood said.Slam through them.
They’re cursed. The impact could kill you.
I’m out of other ideas.He dodged to the left, barely evading another enormous flock swarming toward him with their claws extended and rage blazing in their eyes. His burst of flames hit them, but they were sly and flung themselves to the side before darting in again to peck and claw.
Alright, let’s try.I flung more power at an incoming flock.
Vexxion’s threads snapped and snaked around all of us, and I could tell he was trying to slice them between us and the attackers, but there were too many. They’d overrun us soon.
Suffocating fear coiled around me. I wasn’t worried about myself, but I couldn’t stand to see my friends hurt. The taste of bile lingered on my tongue, mixed with an acrid tang of the adrenaline roaring through my veins.
“Get ready,” I shouted to the others. “We’re going to drive our dragons into the thorns.” Pray to the fates we broke through.
Zayde stared at me with wild eyes but nodded.
Brodine, his face grim, sent me a feral grin and hefted his knives. “Just like fighting dregs, right?”
Almost.
As our dragons dove toward the thick thorny mesh encasing the island, birds continued to smack into us. Blue creatures erupted from the water near the island’s shore, soaring towardus to slice at whatever they could reach before flipping around to plunge back toward the sea. With each approach, they raked their teeth across the dragons’ hides, others snapping at our feet, determined to bite through.
One latched onto my left calf, and I squawked, shaking my leg to dislodge it while plunging my dagger into its scaly hide. Vexxion snaked his threads around its torso. It swiped out with its tail, impaling the spiked tip into my left thigh.
My hoarse bellow of pain jerked up my throat.
Vexxion kicked it off me, and it tumbled toward the thick thorny mesh below.
In a mad whirl, his threads flung out in all directions, knocking away birds and blue creatures alike, clearing a path for us to charge through. With a hiss, he tightened his arm around me, his threads impaling anything that came near. Another blue creature flung itself at us, and he roared. The heat of his magic seared across my skin and when it hit the creature, the beast burst into flames and dropped toward the thorns, trailing smoke.
He laid his palm on my leg, and the pain receded. When he lifted his hand, I could see he’d closed the wound with his magic.
As the dragons smacked their wings, taking us farther above the island, we left the sea creatures behind. The birds still dove at us, but their numbers grew smaller, and it was easier to fight off one threat than two.
Drask left my shoulder and soared ahead of us, striking through a flock, sending them scattering.
As Madrood’s silver flames turned a swarm of birds to ashes, Drask shot down toward the thick mesh below.
“It looks thinner there,” Zayde cried out from the lead, pointing to where Drask flew toward a section off to the right, closer to that shore.
“Go,” I shouted, leaning forward as if that would give Madrood more speed. His wings swarmed through the air, and he kept blasting fire at whatever flock came near. The birds kept swooping up or to the side before diving back down, aiming for his eyes.
We barreled toward the area that looked thinner.
