Page 138 of Shadowborne: Reckoning

‘Kgosi—he’s used your power to control these dragons?’

‘He’s used the presence he possesses—which is enhanced as a member of my herd—to subjugate them. Completely. Donavyn, he’s controlling them.’

‘How? How did you not know?’

Kgosi roared again and tucked his wings, tearing through the air towards Carnage, who circled the dragons on the ground and roared in return.

‘He’s avoided drawing near enough to connect—and his mind is closed to me. He doesn’t hide his presence, only refuses me entry. As a member of my herd, it is an offense. But he’d kept his distance, so I assumed he was a pawn in this game. But no… Donavyn, that dragon is dark.’

‘He’s talking to you now?’

‘No. The herd dragon—the young one who spoke to Benji. I will explain later.’

I nodded and tucked against Kgosi’s neck. We couldn’t afford to talk further now, because we were flying straight for the huge blue—who’d definitely grown since they left Vosgaarde, I realized, with a pit in my stomach. A memory of that conversation with Ruin in the castle, the first night, came swimming back.

“You’ve healed remarkably well in such a short time since our last meeting—not even a bruise. I was certain I’d broken your nose,” I said tightly.

Ruin’s smile tightened. “Carnage’s power is growing.”

The festering little cocknugget hadn’t been lying.

‘You’ve got this, Keg.’

‘Yes, I do.’

I smiled coldly at my dragon’s utter certainty and tucked tighter against his neck as he elongated in the sky, opened his mouth with another terrifying roar that sent dragons below scattering like a frightened cattle herd, then tucked his wings and flew like an arrow from the bow.

I had bare seconds to register the lack of fear firing my belly. The utter surety that we were precisely where we were supposed to be, and that we could take these two shit weasels down.

When two powerful males played a game of chicken like this, I’d lay money on Kgosi every time. But the risk was that they tangled wings.

‘Roll and cleave,’ I assured Kgosi as I knotted the safety strap at my waist so there was no give, and slipped my arms under the straps around his neck and looped them on my forearms, gripping them in my fists so I’d be held tightly against him even if I lost my seat. I wouldn’t hang loose to endanger either of us if the force of his turn was too much for my human strength. I’d seen experienced riders lose consciousness when their bull dragons—normal bull dragons, not Primarchs—rolled in battle.

A creature of that size and weight turning with the force of their power and speed in flight, could snap a man’s neck if he wasn’t prepared. It was one of the reasons I’d been so terrified when I saw Bren and Akhane attempt the maneuver.

But this was no training exercise. No simple sabotage. We faced down a fully-mature bull who’d proven his intentions were dark, and who now held others against their will.

Carnage knew if he lost this, Kgosi took all.

And the fucker was raging.

He’d had to spiral down from a great height as Kgosi was launching and climbing. He’d swooped over the herd, screaming warning, and now flew towards us, flapping furiously, mouth open to bare his inches-long fangs, Ruin clinging to his back. I couldn’t see the man’s face behind his dragon’s massive head, but that meant he’d assumed the proper position for in-flight combat, in which riders did little more than stay out of the dragon’s way.

Close combat in flight was a Furyknight’s last resort. Usually, we’d keep distance and attempt to flame an enemy out of the sky. But these two dragons were linked. This was a challenge for dominance. Nowhere in the herd did a dragon use flame to establish his strength over another male.

This was head-to-head, will-against-will. A power display that would force submission from one participant, and convince the rest of the herd who was their true leader.

Yet, a small trickle of smoke poured from Carnage’s nostrils.

‘If he cheats, you flame him, Kgosi. If he’s betrayed you—’

‘Hold on, and pray,’ Kgosi said in my head at the same moment his wings tucked and his mouth opened wide.

For the second time in a minute, time slowed.

My heart hammered in my skull, beating a counterpoint to the dragons’ wing flaps—until both folded their wings almost to flat against their bodies, streamlining and extending talons and fangs, like birds of prey diving for fish—but their targets were each other.

And they flew at full-speed, until it seemed they would crash head on.