gasped. With her body flat against Fire’s back and her hands
wound through the stirrups, the only way Nolita could look behind was by raising an arm slightly and peering underneath and back along the length of her dragon’s body.
‘This is where flying starts to get really interesting,’
Fire replied.
‘Hold yourself tight to my back and try not to be afraid. We’re going to have to turn
hard and often.’
‘Where’s Shadow gone?’
‘She’s drawn off the other two night dragons,’
he replied.
‘She and Pell are heading over the high pass to our right. The dragon behind us is called Deepshade.
We’re one against one now.’
Nolita was horrified. Pell had left her. She was alone with her dragon. That held more significance than the fact they were under attack. The familiar wall of black terror began to rise. Her
breathing quickened and she could feel her heartbeat accelerating. Her dragon’s fatigue was making every sinew in her body ache in sympathy, yet from somewhere she could feel him summoning
strength from a seemingly impossible reserve.
‘Turning right,’
Fire told her, simultaneously snapping into such a vicious turn, he appeared to be pivoting around his right wingtip.
A brutal force, far greater than any she had experienced before, crushed Nolita’s body against the saddle. Nolita screamed. She could not help it. A deep inhalation swelled Fire’s
back beneath her. He arched his head on his long neck and blasted a stream of fire past her at the closing night dragon. She knew that he could breathe far hotter fire, but this blast seemed to
cost him more than any she had felt before. Deepshade screeched, though Nolita could not tell if it was through pain, or rage.
‘Turning left.’
The transition was so fast that her head spun with the speed of the rolling motion. For a brief moment, the force pressing her against Fire’s back eased, only to return an instant later as
he wheeled hard in the opposite direction. There was a slight bump, like a jolt of turbulence and the turn smoothed again.
‘That was close!’
Fang exclaimed.
‘Deepshade turns faster than most night dragons. I’ve not got the energy to drag this out. We must take them down quickly, or
they will kill us for sure. I’m going to try something I saw one of those flying machines do in the other world.’
Nolita was struggling to focus on what Fire was telling her. She did not know what had just happened, nor what he intended to do, and she was too scared to ask. Her fingers were gripping the
leather of the stirrups so hard that she could feel her nails cutting into her palms. She screwed her eyes as tightly shut as she could and, stifling a scream, gritted her teeth together so hard
that the muscles on either side of her jaw bulged fit to burst.
The rolling motion this time, as Fire reversed the turn, was not so severe. But instead of the crushing pressure decreasing as he rolled, it increased slightly and then very gradually decreased
until it disappeared altogether. As the force decreased, so did the noise of the wind rush and Nolita began to feel a curious sensation, as if she was about to float free of her dragon’s
back. Still the steady rolling motion to the right continued. Was it never going to stop? What was Firestorm doing?
As gradually as the force holding her against Fire had eased, so it began to build again. Nolita no longer had any idea which way was up, but she did not dare to open her eyes. She could feel
Fire brewing another jet of flame as his back swelled beneath her. The pressure forcing her against the saddle continued to build, pressing harder and harder. Firestorm loosed another roar of fiery
breath, drawing a second screech from Deepshade. This time, curiously, the sound originated ahead of them, and there was no mistaking it for anything other than a cry of pain.
A surge of triumph swept through the bond, almost overwhelming Nolita with its intensity. The emotion lasted barely an
wound through the stirrups, the only way Nolita could look behind was by raising an arm slightly and peering underneath and back along the length of her dragon’s body.
‘This is where flying starts to get really interesting,’
Fire replied.
‘Hold yourself tight to my back and try not to be afraid. We’re going to have to turn
hard and often.’
‘Where’s Shadow gone?’
‘She’s drawn off the other two night dragons,’
he replied.
‘She and Pell are heading over the high pass to our right. The dragon behind us is called Deepshade.
We’re one against one now.’
Nolita was horrified. Pell had left her. She was alone with her dragon. That held more significance than the fact they were under attack. The familiar wall of black terror began to rise. Her
breathing quickened and she could feel her heartbeat accelerating. Her dragon’s fatigue was making every sinew in her body ache in sympathy, yet from somewhere she could feel him summoning
strength from a seemingly impossible reserve.
‘Turning right,’
Fire told her, simultaneously snapping into such a vicious turn, he appeared to be pivoting around his right wingtip.
A brutal force, far greater than any she had experienced before, crushed Nolita’s body against the saddle. Nolita screamed. She could not help it. A deep inhalation swelled Fire’s
back beneath her. He arched his head on his long neck and blasted a stream of fire past her at the closing night dragon. She knew that he could breathe far hotter fire, but this blast seemed to
cost him more than any she had felt before. Deepshade screeched, though Nolita could not tell if it was through pain, or rage.
‘Turning left.’
The transition was so fast that her head spun with the speed of the rolling motion. For a brief moment, the force pressing her against Fire’s back eased, only to return an instant later as
he wheeled hard in the opposite direction. There was a slight bump, like a jolt of turbulence and the turn smoothed again.
‘That was close!’
Fang exclaimed.
‘Deepshade turns faster than most night dragons. I’ve not got the energy to drag this out. We must take them down quickly, or
they will kill us for sure. I’m going to try something I saw one of those flying machines do in the other world.’
Nolita was struggling to focus on what Fire was telling her. She did not know what had just happened, nor what he intended to do, and she was too scared to ask. Her fingers were gripping the
leather of the stirrups so hard that she could feel her nails cutting into her palms. She screwed her eyes as tightly shut as she could and, stifling a scream, gritted her teeth together so hard
that the muscles on either side of her jaw bulged fit to burst.
The rolling motion this time, as Fire reversed the turn, was not so severe. But instead of the crushing pressure decreasing as he rolled, it increased slightly and then very gradually decreased
until it disappeared altogether. As the force decreased, so did the noise of the wind rush and Nolita began to feel a curious sensation, as if she was about to float free of her dragon’s
back. Still the steady rolling motion to the right continued. Was it never going to stop? What was Firestorm doing?
As gradually as the force holding her against Fire had eased, so it began to build again. Nolita no longer had any idea which way was up, but she did not dare to open her eyes. She could feel
Fire brewing another jet of flame as his back swelled beneath her. The pressure forcing her against the saddle continued to build, pressing harder and harder. Firestorm loosed another roar of fiery
breath, drawing a second screech from Deepshade. This time, curiously, the sound originated ahead of them, and there was no mistaking it for anything other than a cry of pain.
A surge of triumph swept through the bond, almost overwhelming Nolita with its intensity. The emotion lasted barely an
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