Page 135 of Realm of Wind and Vines
Dragons roar above us. Crackling ice flames and real fire clash in the skies, drowned out by booming thunder and howling winds and cracks of white lightning.
I flex my fingers on the hilt of my knife while impatience streaks through me.
Isera shoots two round blocks of ice right after each other.
My heart leaps into my throat as I yank up my hand.
“This is going to suck.”
I ram the dagger right through my own shoulder.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Ascream of agony rips from my lungs as my dagger hits bone and I twist hard, causing pain to shoot through my body.
Across the cobblestones, Lavendera gasps.
She staggers a step back in shock, her magic flickering for a second, as my own magic, which I connected to her chest, forces her to feel half of my sudden pain.
And that second is all Isera needs.
Lavendera barely manages to shove the first block of ice away with a tree branch, but the other slams right into her solar plexus. Air explodes from her lungs, and her eyes widen. Then her body convulses, and she crashes down on the cobblestones.
All the trees and branches that were attacking us vanish in a flash. And so does my magic connection to Lavendera.
I yank the dagger out of my shoulder with a gasp. Pain throbs inside me now that I feel all of the pain myself. Blood wells up from the wound, but I aimed for a spot where I wouldn’t sever any important muscles, so I can still move my arm with some effort.
Isera sprints forward, aiming for the now unconscious Lavendera.
“We’re not making it to the portal!” Orion calls from across the square as he runs back towards us as well. His eyes are full of command as he shifts them between Alistair and Isera. “Signal to Draven. We’re going with the backup plan. We need to get out. Now.”
Neither of them argues because we all know that he’s right. Lavendera won’t stay knocked out forever, and when she wakes up, there will be hell to pay. We only won this fight because I managed to use the element of surprise. It won’t work a second time.
Not to mention our other problem.
Dark storm clouds rumble above us, lit up by flashes of lightning and streams of dragon fire. Three black dragons fly through the clouds, maneuvering around each other with expert precision while only two silver dragons remain. But not for long.
The four who arrived first were just the fastest, or the first group to realize that the invading armies were a lie, but the rest are on their way as well. And they will be here soon. We need to get out before that happens.
Orion takes Lavendera’s unconscious body from Isera and throws her over his shoulder while Isera instead runs back to where Alistair is standing.
Raising one hand, they start shooting fireballs and blocks of ice straight up into the air in a prearranged pattern. Draven will see that and know what to do.
A deafening roar echoes from above, confirming that Draven has seen the signal. Orion and I hurry towards Isera and Alistair so that we are all clustered together.
Dragon fire shoots through the air as Galen and Lyra force the surviving two silver dragons back. A moment later, Draven in his massive black dragon form shoots out of the clouds and swoops down over the square.
Orion sucks in a panicked breath as Draven opens his claws and scoops up all four of us, along with the unconscious Lavendera, before climbing into the air again. His wings beat hard, sending blasts of wind slamming down into the market square that makes the remaining wagons and booths skid across the ground and crash into the stone walls. People scream inside their houses.
Winds rush between his claws and rip at our hair and clothes as he flies back up into the storm and then lets out a bellowing roar.
Black storm clouds explode around him as he uses his magic to throw them across the entire city to hide us from view. Galen and Lyra come shooting back towards him from either side, heading straight towards each other. My heart jerks when neither of them slows down.
But right before they can crash into each other straight above Draven’s back, black smoke whooshes out around them as they shift back into humans. Lyra’s wavy brown hair streams above her head as she plummets down with Galen next to her.
The moment they hit Draven’s back and grab on to his spikes, he takes off at full speed.
Howling winds and booming thunder help mask the beating of his wings as he speeds through the thick black storm clouds. Somewhere behind us, the two surviving dragons roar in frustration.
