Page 48 of Lightningborn

He still hesitated, eyeing the saddle as if realizing just how close he and the dragon were going to be. “Are you sure?”

She rolled her eyes. “Just get up here. Do you want to rescue your dragon or not?”

His eyes hardened. Setting his jaw, he stepped forward, swung a leg over Cloud’s back, and slid into the saddle behind Gem. As Cloud rose smoothly to his feet, she felt Remy shift his weight, trying to find his balance, and tried not to grimace. He was about to get the jolt of his life.

“Good luck,” Captain Cutlass said. “We’ll back you up as best we can. Oh, and by the way, Lysander told me to tell you that if he dies keeping the ship from being blown apart, his ghost will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

Gem grimaced. “Well, give him my apologies for making his life difficult,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And I’m sorry he hates me so much.”

“Who said I hated you?”

Gem glanced up, blinking as the mage climbed the stairs to the aftcastle, the wind tugging at his silver ponytail. Shock rippled through her; the only times she had seen Lysander above deck were under extreme protest.

“Lysander.” The captain sounded as surprised as Gem felt, crimson brows raised as the mage stepped forward. “Aren’t you supposed to be belowdecks with the crystal? Not that I’m complaining; normally I have to drag you out of the crystal chamber kicking and screaming, but you’ve picked a surprising time to be sociable.”

Ignoring the captain, Lysander met Gem’s stare. “I know you’re a mage,” he said, making Gem’s stomach clench. “Don’t act surprised; it’s not hard to recognize a fellow magic user, even if they think they’re being clever. I think you’re insane, going aboard theWindsharkto rescue an old sky knight, and I’m going to have to pull some complicated aerial stunts to keep this ship flying because of them, but”—his jaw tightened in irritation—“you’ve got guts. So just as a reminder”—he pointed a finger at the howling maw of the Vortex—“the Maelstrom gives us our power, but the Vortex heightens all magical energy. That means Jhaeros is going to be at his strongest and most dangerous, but then, so are you. You don’t need a stuffy professor to learn how to use magic. Remember that.”

“I will,” Gem said, still amazed that the sulky, unfriendly storm mage of theQueen’s Bladewas talking to her. “Thank you, Lysander.”

“And for the record, I don’t hate you.” He crossed his arms. “But I don’t much like you, either. I still think this is the most ridiculous mission I’ve ever been a part of. But if keepingyoualive means keepingusalive, I’ll do what I have to do. Even if it means talking to a spoiled noble mage child who doesn’t know the first thing about real magic.”

Cutlass chuckled, shaking her mane of crimson hair. “Oh, there he is. Thank goodness; for a second I was worried.” Still smiling, she turned to Gem. “We’ll rendezvous at the southern edge of the Vortex,” she said, “provided Jhaeros hasn’t blasted us out of the sky. If you’re not there when we’re forced to flee, we’ll have to leave without you.”

“Thank you for all your help, Captain,” Gem said.

“Oh, don’t thank me yet,” Captain Cutlass said, her smile turning grim. “Nothing has been decided. Wait till you’re back and safely aboard theQueen’s Bladebefore you say anything, and then we can talk about how you and your father can thank me.”

Gem decided not to think about that right now. That was Future Gem’s problem, provided she came out of this alive. One thing at a time. “Cloud,” she went on, and she felt the bunching of dragon muscles beneath her. The pale wings unfurled, and the dragon sank into a crouch, already anticipating what was coming next. “Up!”

Cloud leaped skyward. Behind her, Remy gave a breathless yelp, and his grip around her waist squeezed tight. Cloud’s powerful wing muscles pumped, sending them higher with each downward flap as they soared over the railings of theQueen’s Bladeand toward the looming hulk of theWindsharkbeyond.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FIVE

Ever since he was a toddler, Remy had dreamed of being on a dragon.

From the days when his mom would tell him bedtime stories of great knights on dragons to the evenings at the tavern when Bart’s tales still captured his imagination, all he’d wanted was to ride a dragon.

Actually flying on dragon’s back was more than exciting; it was absolutely terrifying. But it was also, the most exhilarating thing he’d ever done.

Muscles shifted beneath him. He felt the beat of powerful wings as Cloud rose higher and the deck of the ship dropped away beneath them. Then they were away from theQueen’s Bladeand in open sky, and there was nothing but the narrow back of a dragon between him and the vast emptiness beyond.

“Remy.” In front of him, Gem’s voice came out a bit strained. “You’re squeezing too hard,” she rasped. “I can’t breathe.”

“Oh!” Remy gasped, loosening his grip a little. Even that made him feel like he could tumble off Cloud’s back at any second. “Sorry. Guess I’m not used to this.”

Gem sucked in a breath and then leaned forward in the saddle, bending over Cloud’s neck. “Do what I do,” she instructed. “Lean forward and grip with your legs. Don’t just sit there like a sack of grain; a rider has to feel what their dragon is doing. Shift your weight. Move with the dragon. Try to become a single creature.”

It sounded like she was reciting something from a class, but Remy tried to do what she said. Squeezing his knees together, he pressed forward and tried to feel Cloud’s movements beneath him. He felt a little more secure, but not enough to let go of the girl in front of him. Especially when Cloud gave an alarmed squawk and veered sharply to the right, dodging a wooden crate that fell toward them out of nowhere.

“Aagh!” Remy yelled, squeezing his knees so hard he felt Cloud’s heartbeat through his legs. “What was that?”

“It came from that ship up there,” Gem panted, pointing briefly with a finger. She, too, seemed startled by the sudden change in direction. Remy looked over her shoulder and saw the floating hulk of a ship drifting above them. Or rather, half a ship, shedding planks and other debris as it spun lazily through the air. The beams and wooden planks did not hover in space like the rest of the ship, but dropped straight toward the Vortex. A rain of wood began falling from the sky, and Gem gasped.

“Cloud, go!”

The dragon shot forward. Remy bit back a yelp and locked his arms around Gem’s waist as Cloud began swerving to the left and right to avoid the planks dropping around them. A wooden bucket grazed the boy as it fell, bouncing off his knee, and he bit back a yell of pain.

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