hadn't been hit. She checked on Emmet, who appeared to be fine. It was too close. The firing from behind was not continuous; planes had to jockey to get into position, and Dashiq took advantage. The first hollow mountain approached fast, a huge flight deck cleared and ready for them. The dragon lined up for the landing and made a perfect target. Most of the planes veered off but two persisted. Scatter shot rained down on them. Riette was struck in the arm, and Tuck cried out. At least it hadn't been stone shot. While the scatter shot affected a wider area, it penetrated with far less force. Nonetheless, stinging welts grew on Riette's arm.
Another round of scatter shot struck Dashiq in the right side of her head, where copper met flesh. The dragon had been lined up perfectly with the landing strip, but now she dropped sharply. Another flight deck appeared below the first. This one was fully occupied, and people ran in every direction. Some tried to save the aircraft moored there, while others leaped out of Dashiq's path. An instant before her face would have struck the stone, her head flew back and her wings flapped. She did crash into a mid-sized four-engine prop plane but did only minor damage. Afterward, no one knew what to do, looking at Dashiq as if she were a ghost.
Most kept their distance. The captain nodded to the man who was about as welcoming as a cold blade.
"So what's all this, then, DeGuiere?" the hard-edged soldier asked.
DeGuiere? Riette silently asked.
"We brought you something the Zjhon want badly," Tuck said, already sounding defensive. Riette didn't like the way this was going, but there was little she could do about anything at that moment. She and Emmet were just along for the ride and did their best to remain invisible.
"Do you need a child to speak for you now?" This brought laughter from a group of men watching from nearby and making no effort to conceal their appraisals.
Tuck opened his mouth. The captain, as Riette continued to think of him, silenced Tuck with a hand on the shoulder. Looking incensed, the young man pleaded with his eyes to be allowed his say. The captain pointed back to Dashiq. With obvious reluctance and a steady glare at the gathered men, Tuck made his way back to the dragon. This brought a roar of laughter that made Tuck blush furiously. Riette wanted to smack them on his behalf. Emmet, at least, was silent. Ever since arriving, the boy had been engrossed in their surroundings.
Everyone's attention turned back to the captain. "I can speak for myself," he said in a voice like tumbling granite. His words were not slurred; they were malformed, slow and drawn out, the right side of his face drooping. "What the boy said is true. The Zjhon wanted this." He held up the sky stone.
Laughter again filled the flight deck. Riette joined Tuck in staring the rude men down. Emmet examined the chamber walls, thinking only the gods knew what. The man talking with the captain turned around to face the rude men. Now some snickered.
"Scowl all you want, Gerrig. He ain't welcome here after what he did. I'd be within my rights to kill him here and now."
"You'll have to go through me," Gerrig replied, turning his back on the men, who made a show of being afraid. "What is this . . . rock?"
"It fell from the sky in a ball of light and struck the land a mighty blow," the captain said, his speech coming to him a little faster the more he spoke. "The Zjhon were there with a naval fleet and more than fifty aircraft . . . waiting for this. We got there first and stole it out from under them."
"Where did this happen?" Gerrig asked, suspicious.
"The shallows." This statement brought scoffing and accusations from the assembled group, which was now growing larger.
"Zjhon aircraft can't reach the shallows," Gerrig said.
"They can now," the captain said.
"That would mean the Midlands would also be within their range . . . and our flanks . . . our entire supply chain."
There was no more
Another round of scatter shot struck Dashiq in the right side of her head, where copper met flesh. The dragon had been lined up perfectly with the landing strip, but now she dropped sharply. Another flight deck appeared below the first. This one was fully occupied, and people ran in every direction. Some tried to save the aircraft moored there, while others leaped out of Dashiq's path. An instant before her face would have struck the stone, her head flew back and her wings flapped. She did crash into a mid-sized four-engine prop plane but did only minor damage. Afterward, no one knew what to do, looking at Dashiq as if she were a ghost.
Most kept their distance. The captain nodded to the man who was about as welcoming as a cold blade.
"So what's all this, then, DeGuiere?" the hard-edged soldier asked.
DeGuiere? Riette silently asked.
"We brought you something the Zjhon want badly," Tuck said, already sounding defensive. Riette didn't like the way this was going, but there was little she could do about anything at that moment. She and Emmet were just along for the ride and did their best to remain invisible.
"Do you need a child to speak for you now?" This brought laughter from a group of men watching from nearby and making no effort to conceal their appraisals.
Tuck opened his mouth. The captain, as Riette continued to think of him, silenced Tuck with a hand on the shoulder. Looking incensed, the young man pleaded with his eyes to be allowed his say. The captain pointed back to Dashiq. With obvious reluctance and a steady glare at the gathered men, Tuck made his way back to the dragon. This brought a roar of laughter that made Tuck blush furiously. Riette wanted to smack them on his behalf. Emmet, at least, was silent. Ever since arriving, the boy had been engrossed in their surroundings.
Everyone's attention turned back to the captain. "I can speak for myself," he said in a voice like tumbling granite. His words were not slurred; they were malformed, slow and drawn out, the right side of his face drooping. "What the boy said is true. The Zjhon wanted this." He held up the sky stone.
Laughter again filled the flight deck. Riette joined Tuck in staring the rude men down. Emmet examined the chamber walls, thinking only the gods knew what. The man talking with the captain turned around to face the rude men. Now some snickered.
"Scowl all you want, Gerrig. He ain't welcome here after what he did. I'd be within my rights to kill him here and now."
"You'll have to go through me," Gerrig replied, turning his back on the men, who made a show of being afraid. "What is this . . . rock?"
"It fell from the sky in a ball of light and struck the land a mighty blow," the captain said, his speech coming to him a little faster the more he spoke. "The Zjhon were there with a naval fleet and more than fifty aircraft . . . waiting for this. We got there first and stole it out from under them."
"Where did this happen?" Gerrig asked, suspicious.
"The shallows." This statement brought scoffing and accusations from the assembled group, which was now growing larger.
"Zjhon aircraft can't reach the shallows," Gerrig said.
"They can now," the captain said.
"That would mean the Midlands would also be within their range . . . and our flanks . . . our entire supply chain."
There was no more
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