her hands in front of her
face as she turned away from the inferno.
When she felt the heat, but not the burn,
she peeked between her fingers to see
another, smaller shield in front of her.
What the hell?
As soon as the fire ceased and
the dragon flew under the plane, the
shield vanished. He slumped against her.
She glanced back to see his face flushed
and sweaty.
“Did you do that?” she asked.
He
nodded.
“She's
coming
back,” he said between heavy breaths.
Impressive . Never in the year
that she'd lived in Salmagundi did she
see him do something so cool, and
useful.
Inside the box, only two more
green Orbs remained. She picked one up
and set it in the sling. Taking a couple
deep breaths, she got into position.
“Not too soon,” he whispered in
her ear.
“I know,” she said through
clenched teeth.
“Just a little closer.” His hot
breath tickled her neck.
“Shut. Up.” She followed the
dragon's path as it flew closer. After
watching this dragon fight, her gut told
her it was going to try and fake her out.
She was ready. That's why when it
rolled to the right, she didn't fire.
“You missed your chance,”
Garren yelled.
She knew its next move. It was
going to come up on the left, fly high
over the plane and swoop back down.
Just like the other four times.
She fired the shot straight up.
The Earth Orb hit the dragon's
wing as it looped over the plane,
instantly turning that wing to stone.
“I got it!” The last obstacle
keeping them from making it to the
airport was gone. Hope swelled in her
chest.
It
screeched
and
thrashed,
desperate to fly. The stone wing pulled
the beast straight down like a lead
weight tied to a balloon.
Right over the plane.
“No!” Garren screamed as he
yanked her away from the open window.
They ran toward the front. A second
later, a stone wing crashed through the
tail and chopped it clean off.
The plane lurched. She tripped.
Garren gripped her arm and pulled her
as far away from the gigantic hole as
possible. What was left of the plane
spun like a merry-go-round as it fell
toward the open ocean below.
“We need to jump,” Thane said
as he emerged from the cockpit. “The
stabilizing shields will only last about
thirty seconds before we nose-dive into
the ocean.” He snatched one of the travel
bags they brought and turned back the
way he came.
“What? I can't... Can't we...? Oh
gawd .” If there was anything left in her
stomach, it would be all over the floor
right now.
“You can do this, Ivy. Just let
your para...” Garren didn't need to finish
the sentence.
Tears sprang to her eyes,
knowing she couldn't jump because her
parachute was about as useful as an
anvil. But he could do it. If he left now,
he and Thane had a good chance of
surviving. They still had perfectly good
parachutes still strapped to their backs.
“Go,” she ordered, her voice
c r a c ki ng. Please, don’t leave me.
“Now!” All the power she could muster
went into that one word. If he was as
smart as he always bragged to be, he'd
jump out right now and save himself.
She didn't want him to die out of some
misplaced act of chivalry trying to save
her. She couldn't be saved.
I don’t want to die.
But, being the stubborn jackass
he was, instead of getting the hell out of
there like she told him to, he stopped. He
grabbed her tightly around the waist and
picked her up.
“What are you doing?” she
shrieked.
He shuffled over to the bomb
bay, where the doors lay open below
them.
“Hold on tight,” he said, and
jumped.
She screamed and clung to
Garren like a barnacle to a boat. They
free fell for what seemed like miles
before he opened the chute. Swears and
curses flew out of her mouth so vulgar a
drill sergeant would blush. Her fingers
and arms ached from clutching him so
firmly, but she held on. The wind did its
best to rip her hair out by the roots,
whipping it around her head.
face as she turned away from the inferno.
When she felt the heat, but not the burn,
she peeked between her fingers to see
another, smaller shield in front of her.
What the hell?
As soon as the fire ceased and
the dragon flew under the plane, the
shield vanished. He slumped against her.
She glanced back to see his face flushed
and sweaty.
“Did you do that?” she asked.
He
nodded.
“She's
coming
back,” he said between heavy breaths.
Impressive . Never in the year
that she'd lived in Salmagundi did she
see him do something so cool, and
useful.
Inside the box, only two more
green Orbs remained. She picked one up
and set it in the sling. Taking a couple
deep breaths, she got into position.
“Not too soon,” he whispered in
her ear.
“I know,” she said through
clenched teeth.
“Just a little closer.” His hot
breath tickled her neck.
“Shut. Up.” She followed the
dragon's path as it flew closer. After
watching this dragon fight, her gut told
her it was going to try and fake her out.
She was ready. That's why when it
rolled to the right, she didn't fire.
“You missed your chance,”
Garren yelled.
She knew its next move. It was
going to come up on the left, fly high
over the plane and swoop back down.
Just like the other four times.
She fired the shot straight up.
The Earth Orb hit the dragon's
wing as it looped over the plane,
instantly turning that wing to stone.
“I got it!” The last obstacle
keeping them from making it to the
airport was gone. Hope swelled in her
chest.
It
screeched
and
thrashed,
desperate to fly. The stone wing pulled
the beast straight down like a lead
weight tied to a balloon.
Right over the plane.
“No!” Garren screamed as he
yanked her away from the open window.
They ran toward the front. A second
later, a stone wing crashed through the
tail and chopped it clean off.
The plane lurched. She tripped.
Garren gripped her arm and pulled her
as far away from the gigantic hole as
possible. What was left of the plane
spun like a merry-go-round as it fell
toward the open ocean below.
“We need to jump,” Thane said
as he emerged from the cockpit. “The
stabilizing shields will only last about
thirty seconds before we nose-dive into
the ocean.” He snatched one of the travel
bags they brought and turned back the
way he came.
“What? I can't... Can't we...? Oh
gawd .” If there was anything left in her
stomach, it would be all over the floor
right now.
“You can do this, Ivy. Just let
your para...” Garren didn't need to finish
the sentence.
Tears sprang to her eyes,
knowing she couldn't jump because her
parachute was about as useful as an
anvil. But he could do it. If he left now,
he and Thane had a good chance of
surviving. They still had perfectly good
parachutes still strapped to their backs.
“Go,” she ordered, her voice
c r a c ki ng. Please, don’t leave me.
“Now!” All the power she could muster
went into that one word. If he was as
smart as he always bragged to be, he'd
jump out right now and save himself.
She didn't want him to die out of some
misplaced act of chivalry trying to save
her. She couldn't be saved.
I don’t want to die.
But, being the stubborn jackass
he was, instead of getting the hell out of
there like she told him to, he stopped. He
grabbed her tightly around the waist and
picked her up.
“What are you doing?” she
shrieked.
He shuffled over to the bomb
bay, where the doors lay open below
them.
“Hold on tight,” he said, and
jumped.
She screamed and clung to
Garren like a barnacle to a boat. They
free fell for what seemed like miles
before he opened the chute. Swears and
curses flew out of her mouth so vulgar a
drill sergeant would blush. Her fingers
and arms ached from clutching him so
firmly, but she held on. The wind did its
best to rip her hair out by the roots,
whipping it around her head.
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