Knights.”
Rondy’s vote of confidence bolstered Claire. She’d had no idea he thought that and saw no reason for him to lie here. Caius would probably see right through him if he tried. “I’m worthy,” she managed to tell Caius.
“Are you?” Caius let go of the locket. “Prove it.” He planted a sandal on her back and shoved.
She flailed and caught nothing. Plummeting through the air, she saw the ground slowly coming closer and didn’t want to watch. She turned her body over. Above her, Enion pumped his wings furiously, trying to reach her. Beyond him, she caught flashes of silver from Rondy and Caius battling at the top of the cliff.
With Enion in sight, a burst of hope exploded in Claire’s chest. She reached for her dragon, wanting him to catch her so hard it hurt. Enion folded his wings against his body, letting gravity carry him closer. As he neared, he flung a claw out and wrapped it around her foot. He pulled her close. She curled around his body.
He snapped his wings out, slowing their fall. The one large eye she could see widened in panic. His body twisted. Claire buried her face in Enion’s smooth skin. She knew he could pull up in time. His muscles bulged and bunched and rolled. He grunted.
They crashed.
She’d never felt so much pain. The impact tore her apart and crushed everything. Claire groaned and had to work to open her eyes. Sudden agony ten times worse than the initial crash coursed through her as she saw her broken body. Breathing became difficult; she had to puff and pant to suck in tiny lungfuls of air.
Blood-slicked stone spikes impaled her arms and chest. Her locket dangled from the tip of one spike, the point stuck through the loop holding it onto her necklace. A giant pile of dragon lay slumped over her legs, more spikes ripped through his wings. With so much girth, at least none had punched all the way through his body.
Enion groaned and rolled farther onto Claire. White sparks encroached on her vision. She made breathy, screechy noises around the blood dribbling out of her mouth. Enion rolled the other way. Crushing spikes with his body, he rumbled in pitiful agony.
Flashes of steel against the bright blue in the distance urged Claire to get up. Rondy still fought on her behalf. She should be doing this on her own, not with a chaperone. Knights fought their own battles. Without Rondy, she’d probably already be dead, but he didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of this struggle.
“Not. Dead. Yet.” She gritted her teeth, refusing to give up, and tried to sit. The spikes hurt more sliding out of her arms and chest than they had going in. Tears streaming down her face, she wrenched her bleeding arms into her dragon-covered lap. “Curl,” she begged her fingers. Both hands twitched.
“Enion.” She leaned over to rest her forehead against Enion’s heaving bulk, sobbing and unable to stop. “Have to get up. Have to fight.”
“Hurts. Can’t.”
The absurd sound of such a deep voice whining made Claire stop, as if someone had slapped her. “Can.”
“Can’t.”
Knowing how hard he’d fought to reach her as they fell, she wanted to kick him. “You mean won’t . I will.” She shoved the dragon off her legs, barely registering how her hands moved now that she refused to accept anything less than obedience from her body.
Broken spikes had lodged in her legs. Everything hurt. She wobbled to her feet anyway. With a steadying hand on Enion’s side, she caught her breath. “Stay here if you need to. I’m going to fight.” Raising her gaze to the sky, she had no idea how she’d accomplish this. They lay at the bottom of a deep hole, foot-long spikes jutting out all around. Worse, she had no idea what had happened to her dagger.
Limbs still shaking and oozing blood in a dozen places, Claire grabbed a spike, thinking to use them as a kind of ladder. The tip broke off in her hand. She tossed it aside and curled her fingers around the thicker base. This seemed to
Rondy’s vote of confidence bolstered Claire. She’d had no idea he thought that and saw no reason for him to lie here. Caius would probably see right through him if he tried. “I’m worthy,” she managed to tell Caius.
“Are you?” Caius let go of the locket. “Prove it.” He planted a sandal on her back and shoved.
She flailed and caught nothing. Plummeting through the air, she saw the ground slowly coming closer and didn’t want to watch. She turned her body over. Above her, Enion pumped his wings furiously, trying to reach her. Beyond him, she caught flashes of silver from Rondy and Caius battling at the top of the cliff.
With Enion in sight, a burst of hope exploded in Claire’s chest. She reached for her dragon, wanting him to catch her so hard it hurt. Enion folded his wings against his body, letting gravity carry him closer. As he neared, he flung a claw out and wrapped it around her foot. He pulled her close. She curled around his body.
He snapped his wings out, slowing their fall. The one large eye she could see widened in panic. His body twisted. Claire buried her face in Enion’s smooth skin. She knew he could pull up in time. His muscles bulged and bunched and rolled. He grunted.
They crashed.
She’d never felt so much pain. The impact tore her apart and crushed everything. Claire groaned and had to work to open her eyes. Sudden agony ten times worse than the initial crash coursed through her as she saw her broken body. Breathing became difficult; she had to puff and pant to suck in tiny lungfuls of air.
Blood-slicked stone spikes impaled her arms and chest. Her locket dangled from the tip of one spike, the point stuck through the loop holding it onto her necklace. A giant pile of dragon lay slumped over her legs, more spikes ripped through his wings. With so much girth, at least none had punched all the way through his body.
Enion groaned and rolled farther onto Claire. White sparks encroached on her vision. She made breathy, screechy noises around the blood dribbling out of her mouth. Enion rolled the other way. Crushing spikes with his body, he rumbled in pitiful agony.
Flashes of steel against the bright blue in the distance urged Claire to get up. Rondy still fought on her behalf. She should be doing this on her own, not with a chaperone. Knights fought their own battles. Without Rondy, she’d probably already be dead, but he didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of this struggle.
“Not. Dead. Yet.” She gritted her teeth, refusing to give up, and tried to sit. The spikes hurt more sliding out of her arms and chest than they had going in. Tears streaming down her face, she wrenched her bleeding arms into her dragon-covered lap. “Curl,” she begged her fingers. Both hands twitched.
“Enion.” She leaned over to rest her forehead against Enion’s heaving bulk, sobbing and unable to stop. “Have to get up. Have to fight.”
“Hurts. Can’t.”
The absurd sound of such a deep voice whining made Claire stop, as if someone had slapped her. “Can.”
“Can’t.”
Knowing how hard he’d fought to reach her as they fell, she wanted to kick him. “You mean won’t . I will.” She shoved the dragon off her legs, barely registering how her hands moved now that she refused to accept anything less than obedience from her body.
Broken spikes had lodged in her legs. Everything hurt. She wobbled to her feet anyway. With a steadying hand on Enion’s side, she caught her breath. “Stay here if you need to. I’m going to fight.” Raising her gaze to the sky, she had no idea how she’d accomplish this. They lay at the bottom of a deep hole, foot-long spikes jutting out all around. Worse, she had no idea what had happened to her dagger.
Limbs still shaking and oozing blood in a dozen places, Claire grabbed a spike, thinking to use them as a kind of ladder. The tip broke off in her hand. She tossed it aside and curled her fingers around the thicker base. This seemed to
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