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We flew over the capras’ valley and swung right around the range I’d clambered over half my life. We were close, so close, to Esan now....

But so too were the birds. I could see the glint of their riders’ armor.

A sharp squawk had me looking up. A gray hawk circled high above us.

Veri.

Mom had sent her aloft. She would know we were coming in fast....

Hope surged. But too soon, far too soon.

Tarn bellowed, a sound filled with pain. I glanced around, saw the claw attached to his shoulders, its metal mouth digging deep into his flesh. It was attached to a long rope that was held by the closest rider, who banked hard and dragged Tarn down and away.

I swore and unleashed a long stream of fire, cindering the rope first, then flinging it on into the bird’s sharp features. There wasn’t enough heat left to burn metal wings, but its eyes weren’t protected and a far easier target.

As the heat burned out its eye sockets and the bird screamed and fell away, Kaia dropped, positioning herself above Tarn, protecting the younger drakkon. We flew on, around the mountain. Esan came into view, her walls lined with people. Rua faltered, but Kaia bellowed a demand they follow and took the lead, sweeping down and around until we were flying directly at the fortress.

The drakkons banked abruptly, and something wicked looking flew past us, its long rope tail flapping in the breeze as it fell away.

Another spear.

I twisted around. There were three riders still behind us, and they didn’t appear too put off by Esan’s closeness.

I flung fire their way, but it was little more than a pale shadow of heat that didn’t even reach the nearest bird. Agony surged, seizing my brain as the mote in my eye popped again. I blinked the blood away and concentrated on the upper wall, looking for familiar faces.

Saw Damon, blood pouring down raised arms.

He was raising a spell....

The drakkons banked again, and again a spear flew past. I twisted around, saw the nearest rider raise a long metal tube.

Vahree help us....

We swept over the first wall. Arrows flew, not at us, but at the riders that followed. The ballistas were swung into action, unleashing their bolts with deadly force, but the birds were smaller, more agile targets, and they merely flicked their wings, dancing through the storm of missiles with seeming ease.

The velocity of the wind abruptly increased, and overhead thunder rumbled. Lightning sliced down, into the nearest bird, cindering metal, feather, and flesh. Then magic surged, sharp and familiar, sweeping over the three drakkons and seeming to condense behind us. I twisted around. There was nothing to see, no sharp shimmer of air to give any indication a barrier might be present... until the birds smacked into something solid and stopped hard. Then the wind swung around them, grabbed the three, and smashed them down onto the walls. The soldiers standing there finished what wind and magic had started.

Kaia trumpeted hard, and as one, the three drakkons braked, stretched out their feet, and landed with surprising lightness in the middle of the cleared upper courtyard.

Home. We’d actually made ithome.

The wave of relief that surged was so damn fierce, a sob escaped. I quickly swallowed the rest, detached the harness, then rose on Kaia’s back, and shouted, “Everyone stay back. The drakkons won’t attack, but they are skittish and afraid.”

“You heard the captain,” my father bellowed when there was no immediate response. “Move out of the waynow.”

As everyone crowding the edges of the courtyard retreated indoors, I twisted around. Mom was descending the stairs and coming toward us, but my father was standing on the wall next to Damon. His expression was amused and relieved. Damon’s was... I wasn’t sure what Damon’s was, because I fell into his gaze and sort of got lost for several seconds.

A knowing smile stretched his lips. I sent him a mock scowl and returned my attention to the drakkons. “Kaia, can you extend your leg for me?”

She immediately did so, then glanced around as Mom drew near.Heard you before.

“Indeed, you have,” Mom said, stopping beside me and giving me a brief but fierce hug. “But we have not been formally introduced. I am Marin Silva, Bryn’s mother. It is a pleasure to meet you, Queen Kaia.”

Kaia rumbled in appreciation and lowered her head for a scratch. Mom complied. “We need to help that young male of yours—can you tell him we mean him no harm, though removing the claw will hurt?”

She could have told him all that herself, but he’d believe it more coming from Kaia. She complied, and what followed was several long hours of Mom and me tending to the drakkons’ wounds while they consumed a meal of fat boars we’d ordered killed and brought in for them. Rua and Tarn remained wary, and I suspected it was only Kaia’s presence that kept them here, but they were nevertheless looking around with growing interest.

When it was all done, Kaia said,We go now.