the raft, which had been shattered to splinters. The dragon was hovering overhead, almost perpendicular to the sea, tail curled up into its scaly body. I swam to where Harkat was bobbing up and down, and we gazed up fearfully at the flying lizard.
“What’s it waiting for?” Harkat wheezed. “We’re at its mercy. Why isn’t it finishing … us off?”
“It seems to be puffing itself up,” I noted, as the dragon closed its mouth and breathed in through its widening nostrils. “It’s almost as though it’s getting ready to …” I stopped, my face whitening. “Charna’s guts!”
“What?” Harkat snapped.
“Have you forgotten what dragons are famous for?”
Harkat stared at me, clueless, then clicked to it. “They breathe fire!”
Our eyes locked on the dragon’s chest, which was expanding steadily. “Watch it closely,” I said, grabbing hold of Harkat’s robes. “When I say ‘dive,’ power for the bottom of the lake as hard as you can, and stay under till your breath runs out.”
“It’ll still be here … when we come up,” Harkat said dejectedly.
“Probably,” I agreed, “but if we’re lucky, it only has one burst of fire in it.”
“What are you basing that … judgment on?” Harkat asked.
“Nothing.” I grinned shakily. “I’m just hoping.”
There was no time for further exchanges. Above us, the dragon’s tail curled down and back, and its head swung toward us. I waited until what I deemed the last possible instant, then,
“Dive!”
I screamed, and together Harkat and I rolled over and dived down deep, thrusting hard with our hands and feet.
As we descended, the water around us lit up redly. It then grew warm and began to bubble. Kicking even harder, we swam clear of the danger zone, down into the darkness of the deeper water. Once safe, we stopped and looked up. The lake had darkened again and we couldn’t see the dragon. Clinging tightly to each other, we held our mouths shut, waiting for as long as our breath would hold.
As we floated in silence and fear, there was a huge splash, and the dragon came slicing through the water toward us. There was no time to evade it. Before we knew what was happening, the dragon hooked us with its claws, dragged us deeper down into the lake, then turned and struck for the surface.
Bursting free of the water, the dragon screeched triumphantly and rose into the air, Harkat trapped in one of its claws, me in the other. It had hold of my left arm, gripping me tightly, and I couldn’t wriggle free.
“Darren!” Harkat screamed as we rose higher into the sky and surged toward shore. “Can you … get loose?”
“No!” I shouted. “You?”
“I think so! It only has hold … of my robes.”
“Then free yourself!” I yelled.
“But what about —”
“Never mind me! Get free while you can!”
Harkat cursed bitterly, then grabbed hold of the back of his robes where the dragon had caught him, and tugged sharply. I didn’t hear the ripping over the sound of the dragon’s wings, but suddenly Harkat was free and falling, landing with an almighty splash in the lake beneath.
The dragon hissed with frustration and circled around, obviously meaning to go after Harkat again. We were almost over land now, at the very edge of the lake. “Stop!” I roared helplessly at the dragon. “Leave him alone!” To my astonishment, the dragon paused when I shouted, and gazed at me with a strange expression in its giant yellow eyes. “Leave him,” I muttered desperately. Then, giving way to blind panic, I screamed at the beast, “Let me go, you son of a —”
Before I could complete the curse, the dragon’s claws unexpectedly retracted, and suddenly I was dropping through the sky like a stone. I had just enough time to worry about whether I was over the lake or over land. Then I hit hard —
earth or water?
— and the world went black.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
W HEN MY EYES OPENED , I was lying in a hammock. I thought I was back in the Cirque
“What’s it waiting for?” Harkat wheezed. “We’re at its mercy. Why isn’t it finishing … us off?”
“It seems to be puffing itself up,” I noted, as the dragon closed its mouth and breathed in through its widening nostrils. “It’s almost as though it’s getting ready to …” I stopped, my face whitening. “Charna’s guts!”
“What?” Harkat snapped.
“Have you forgotten what dragons are famous for?”
Harkat stared at me, clueless, then clicked to it. “They breathe fire!”
Our eyes locked on the dragon’s chest, which was expanding steadily. “Watch it closely,” I said, grabbing hold of Harkat’s robes. “When I say ‘dive,’ power for the bottom of the lake as hard as you can, and stay under till your breath runs out.”
“It’ll still be here … when we come up,” Harkat said dejectedly.
“Probably,” I agreed, “but if we’re lucky, it only has one burst of fire in it.”
“What are you basing that … judgment on?” Harkat asked.
“Nothing.” I grinned shakily. “I’m just hoping.”
There was no time for further exchanges. Above us, the dragon’s tail curled down and back, and its head swung toward us. I waited until what I deemed the last possible instant, then,
“Dive!”
I screamed, and together Harkat and I rolled over and dived down deep, thrusting hard with our hands and feet.
As we descended, the water around us lit up redly. It then grew warm and began to bubble. Kicking even harder, we swam clear of the danger zone, down into the darkness of the deeper water. Once safe, we stopped and looked up. The lake had darkened again and we couldn’t see the dragon. Clinging tightly to each other, we held our mouths shut, waiting for as long as our breath would hold.
As we floated in silence and fear, there was a huge splash, and the dragon came slicing through the water toward us. There was no time to evade it. Before we knew what was happening, the dragon hooked us with its claws, dragged us deeper down into the lake, then turned and struck for the surface.
Bursting free of the water, the dragon screeched triumphantly and rose into the air, Harkat trapped in one of its claws, me in the other. It had hold of my left arm, gripping me tightly, and I couldn’t wriggle free.
“Darren!” Harkat screamed as we rose higher into the sky and surged toward shore. “Can you … get loose?”
“No!” I shouted. “You?”
“I think so! It only has hold … of my robes.”
“Then free yourself!” I yelled.
“But what about —”
“Never mind me! Get free while you can!”
Harkat cursed bitterly, then grabbed hold of the back of his robes where the dragon had caught him, and tugged sharply. I didn’t hear the ripping over the sound of the dragon’s wings, but suddenly Harkat was free and falling, landing with an almighty splash in the lake beneath.
The dragon hissed with frustration and circled around, obviously meaning to go after Harkat again. We were almost over land now, at the very edge of the lake. “Stop!” I roared helplessly at the dragon. “Leave him alone!” To my astonishment, the dragon paused when I shouted, and gazed at me with a strange expression in its giant yellow eyes. “Leave him,” I muttered desperately. Then, giving way to blind panic, I screamed at the beast, “Let me go, you son of a —”
Before I could complete the curse, the dragon’s claws unexpectedly retracted, and suddenly I was dropping through the sky like a stone. I had just enough time to worry about whether I was over the lake or over land. Then I hit hard —
earth or water?
— and the world went black.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
W HEN MY EYES OPENED , I was lying in a hammock. I thought I was back in the Cirque
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