Page 161 of Under Restless Skies

The red dragon’s wings beat in a frantic, ragged rhythm—this is as fast as she can go. My throat tightens. There’s no way we’ll cross the wall before Auranius reaches us.

“Can you use the staff?” I yell, trying to cut through the wind. “Against him?”

The rider passes me the object. “You try it.”

There’s no time to explain that I don’t know how to use it, and his hands are occupied with the hatchlings anyway. I turn and see the golden dragon lunging toward us, his mouth open, a brilliant spark on his throat. Shit.

Eight seconds before he unleashes his fire. I can do it. I can save the little ones.

As the gigantic dragon closes in, I scramble toward the red dragon’s tail and launch myself into the air, as high as I can.

A leap of faith.

I manage to land on Auranius’ head.

I point the staff at the spot between his neck and body, then realize I can’t do any magic, so I slam the artifact on his scales as hard as I can.

Auranius emits a high-pitched scream, but no fire comes out of his mouth. Up ahead, the red dragon flies on, unharmed, although still too close.

Beneath me, the gigantic golden dragon dives—or falls. I hold on tight to a scale and keep banging the staff on the back of his neck, but I slide forward onto his head. Even though I’m barely holding on to his snout, I stab his eye with the tip of the staff.

His scream pierces the air, and then he flies upward. This time, I scrabble for purchase on his body, but he’s too wide for my legs to grip, and his scales offer no hold, so I keep sliding. Fearing to reach his tail, I jump onto one of his wings and hit it with the staff.

Maybe I’ll die here, but I’ll take this dragon with me—or at least I’ll give Ava and Vos a chance to escape.

The wing is much sturdier than I thought, but also large, and I feel steadier here, surrounded by this enormous membranous leather.

Until he turns upside down.

My hands reach out, trying to hold onto something, but there’s nothing. Auranius becomes smaller above me, already turning around to pursue.

I’m falling. I try to point the staff down and slow my fall, but nothing happens, and the ground rushes up to meet me.

Perhaps this is the end, but what a beautiful end it is. I helped to save the little dragons. I faced Auranius. I made mistakes, yes, but I gave everything to undo the damage I caused.

I’m ready to meet Thantos.

But something is diving toward me—fast—and suddenly there is a dragon beneath my body, and I am on his back.

The purple and black dragon who saved me. I can’t believe he’s here.

“Thank you,” I mutter, as I caress his soft, dark scales.

My relief vanishes as a roar echoes above me. I look up—and go still. Auranius is diving toward us, even though one of his wings is bent at a weird angle, and one of his eyes is closed. I also realize we’re heading to the bay, not the wall.

My dragon makes a half-circle turn, heading toward the rider’s kingdom, but Auranius is approaching fast, bellowing high-pitched screams.

I point the staff at the gigantic dragon—and nothing happens. Auranius dives at us, and I have no time to scream before his tail connects with the dark dragon like a crack of thunder.

His barbed tail—raking across him. The dark dragon shudders beneath me as red blood covers his scales. Too much blood.

I exhale a small breath of relief as the huge dragon banks away, retreating toward its mountain lair instead of continuing its pursuit. But the reprieve is short-lived. A dark shape cuts through the air ahead—a ballista bolt, dashing toward my wounded dragon. With surprising ease, he dodges it, then dodges another projectile, and another.

The wall rises ahead, but so do our defense towers—from where they’re firing nonstop.

Something slams into us with a sound like a snapping bone, and I nearly fly off. I look back. A bolt has buried itself deep between the dragon’s scales.

No, no, no. I want to beg Dracolius’ towers to stop firing. We’re not attacking anyone. Just let us through. This beautiful, sweet dragon shouldn’t get hurt because of me.