Page 71 of Heart of Fire
Filling his lungs, in desperation he vomited a gush of white-hot fire toward the fierce black dragon, and Magnus screeched and dove out of the way in frantichaste.
It was the one true advantage he hadhere.
“You’re no true heir,”Rurik shot at his cousin.“I see fire still eludesyou.”
Only the most powerful bloodlines still had access to Tiamat’sgift.
Banking, he began to climb, his weary wings sweeping through the air so he could get some height. A silver wisp trailed him. Andri was far lighter than either of them, and moved through the air like abullet.
“You don’t have to do this.”He tried once again to connect with Andri.“I know you. I know this is not you. You have more loyalty in your littlest claw than either of your brothers, or yourfather.”
A mournful hesitation.“It’s been different since you left. You don’tunderstand.”
But he did, oh, he did. Stellan had always wanted to drive the gentleness from his son, and he would have ruled thedrekicourt with an ironfist.
One last thought-whisper from the boy.“I have to protect my mother, Rurik. Pleaseunderstand.”
And then the silverdrekicame after him with pure, bloody-mindedvengeance.
No way out without hurting him. Rurik knew Andri’s mental defenses, could have smashed through his psychic shields and knocked him from the skies with barely a thought. But the same mind that’d conjured this ploy knew his weakness well, and knew Rurik could no more hurt the boy than he could lift a hand against his own brother orsister.
Someone else didn’t have the same conflict. Andri flinched as he came after Rurik, shaking his head, and Rurik saw the golden dancing lights of Freyja’s touch strike theyouth.
Freyja. Intense terror suddenly struck him, straight through the heart. She shouldn’t be here. Shecouldn’tbehere.
But he also knew the stubborn woman would have come after him, if she’d caught any hint of what was going to happenhere.
“No! Freyja, stop! Go home!”He threw the thought at her, losing track of what was going on around him for a splitsecond.
And it was in that split second Magnusattacked.
The furious blackdrekicame out of nowhere, slamming into him. Rurik staggered sideways, his right wing momentarily locking with Andri’s. The smallerdrekilashed out, trying to catch his balance and stop himself from plummeting, and Rurik caught him with a claw around his shoulder, helping the boystabilize—
Pain smashed through him, razor-sharp claws shredding through his left wing. Magnus saw only the win, not the risk to hisbrother.
Rurik flapped desperately, trying to get out of Andri’s path, but something was wrong. His wing wasn’t working properly, and as he plummeted between them, he clipped Andri, sending the youth into aspin.
One last thought speared through him. Rurik caught at Andri’s mind, even as his crippled wing began to scream in pain as he fell.“I forgive you,”he whispered, and then lost theconnection.
Air whipped past him. Panic. Fear. His claws scrabbled to right him as he tried to haul out of the dangerous plummet with his one good wing, knowing,knowingit was toolate.
Freyja!He saw her face in that moment, as if she stood there watching him, her hands clapped to her mouth and her eyes wide in horror. The only true regret he had was not knowing her love. And not telling her how much she meant to him. Capturing her mind in a caress of golden thread, he sent that last thought to her before it was toolate.
“Rurik!”Andri cut through their connection as Rurik fought the air... andlost.
* * *
“Hurry!”Freyja screamed, urging Haakon and the rest of his men up the rough road that cut through the landscape. She could see the threedrekifighting in the air above him, and every harsh bellow and dive stole her breath, as the three clashed again andagain.
The bloody wagon with the ballista was too slow. They’d never get there intime.
And Rurik was being hit from bothsides.
It was also clear that though he attacked the blackdreki, he merely avoided the silver one, when he could so easily clip him from the skies with one hardslam.
Something was wrong. Why wasn’t he fighting back? He couldn’t win against those odds. She could see it in the oddly reluctant way he tried toduel.
Her heart stayed in her throat as she belted her heels into Hanna’s flanks and urged the small pony into a gallop. Everything that had never been said welled up between them, and for one ridiculous moment, her eyes were blurry withtears.
