Vorik could have followed, leaping upon her to keep her down, but he picked up her dagger instead. In a duel, disarming an opponent was usually seen as a victory.
“Bastard,” she growled. “You’llnotbetray our people because you’ve fallen for some enemy female.”
“She’s their queen, not some enemy, and she’s wonderful. Do you yield?”
Snarling, Shi rushed in, flinging her arm toward him as she used the other to yank the knife from her boot. Gasps went up from the observers.
Reminded of his brother’s warning, Vorik leaped back as powder flew from her hand, forming a small green cloud in the air. He shut his eyes and turned his face away. Even so, the air around him pricked his skin, immediately raising pain as if he’d rolled through a clump of dragonfire thistles.
Fortunately, he’d closed his eyes in time to save them. When he sensed Shi charging close, he spun and kicked her in the gut before she could swing the knife. She must not have expected him to recover so quickly because he caught her square in the abdomen, hitting her hard. She flew back, managing to twist in the air and get her feet under her, but, this time, Vorik didn’t hesitate to leap after her.
Without a chance to fully catch her balance as she landed, she slashed wildly, trying to keep him back. But he easily dodged the swipes and knocked her arm wide, then caught her and bowled her to the ground, pinning her under his weight. Before she could bring her blade back in close, Vorik pressed the edge of his dagger to her throat.
Watch out, Agrevlari warned again.
Vorik sensed his winged ally diving toward the bluff, but another dragon was closer. Uxtar. Even though Shi had clearly cheated, herally dove toward Vorik’s back with his talons extended.
Vorik pulled Shi up, spun her, and thrust her toward the descending dragon. Not positive Uxtar could stop his dive in time, even if it meant striking his rider, Vorik scrambled to the side.
A wing almost clipped him in the head as Uxtar swooped in low. He didn’t strike Vorik, though, instead plucking up his rider and swinging her onto his back. Even as Shi landed athwart the dragon, she threw the knife she’d drawn at Vorik.
Her aim was accurate, but he saw the attack coming with enough time to spring to the side. The blade clinked off the rocks where he’d stood. He picked it up and thought about throwing it back at her, but Uxtar was already flying into the air. Once he’d achieved sufficient height, the dragon banked and prepared to dive at Vorik again with his maw open.
This time, Uxtar would breathe fire. And people were cheering.
Vorik gritted his teeth, annoyed that the tribes would root for a cheater, even if they had reasons not to want to seehimwin. He crouched, debating which way to dodge when the inevitable dragon fire came. All around, people were backing away.
Agrevlari swooped in from the side, reaching Vorik just before Uxtar unleashed a torrent of flame. Even as talons wrapped around him and plucked him into the air, Vorik felt the intense heat. He swung himself up onto Agrevlari’s back as his dragon roared. Some of those flames had caughthim.
“Sword!” Shi called to someone as the flames stopped and her dragon glided over the onlookers.
Chief Tenilor tossed a gargoyle-bone blade up to Shi.
“As if that woman doesn’t have enough weapons,” Vorik growled, looking down for his brother.
Jhiton still held Vorik’s sword, but would hethrow it up? Yes, he’d unsheathed it and didn’t hesitate to toss it up hilt-first when Agrevlari passed over his head.
Vorik leaned over and caught it, glad that his brother, whatever he felt toward him after their last encounter, would always strive to keep a duel fair. This one had started with daggers, but it would end with swords and dragons.
Uxtar roared. So did Agrevlari. The two dragons circled, then, like spear sharks prepared to clash over a tender squid, flew at each other at top speed.
Shi held her blade aloft, prepared to go for Vorik’s head. He raised his own sword.
As the dragons flew together, talons extending, maws opening to tear into each other, Vorik saw Shi shift her weight slightly. Though she kept her sword raised in her right hand, she drew another weapon with her left. A throwing knife? Where had she secretedthat?
Her dragon roared and spewed flames at Agrevlari. Guessing what Shi would do, Vorik sank low on Agrevlari’s back, only keeping his head up enough to see.
The throwing knife sped through the flames and over Agrevlari’s head, right between his horns. It would have struck Vorik if he hadn’t anticipated the attack.
“This woman doesnotknow how to fight fair,” he said as the dragons came together, talons slashing, flames dying down as jaws snapped for each other’s throats.
Though Agrevlari’s back tilted and turned wildly, Vorik managed to throw the knife Shi had attacked him with earlier. It spun toward her chest. As practiced at defending from a dragon’s back as he, Shi leaned sideways enough to avoid it. Vorik threw another weapon right behind it, his own dagger.She wasn’t as prepared for that one, and it caught her in the shoulder.
She screamed as her dragon roared. Uxtar had been biting for Agrevlari’s neck, but, when his rider cried out, he beat his wings rapidly and lunged upward towardVorik.
Hooked by his leg and hanging on with his magic, Vorik dropped low on Agrevlari’s far side, but he also swept upward with his sword. The gargoyle-bone blade had enough magic to cut into Uxtar’s jaw as the dragon snapped for him. Even as it bit deep, Agrevlari banked hard, almost rolling onto his back as he slashed upward with his talons to rake Uxtar’s belly.
Only magic and sheer willpower kept Vorik from falling off. A good thing he had both because the battle had carried the dragons out over the bluff. Sharp rocks and churning water were all that lay below—farbelow.
