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CHARLIE

W ith every mile we flew the tension had built in me, like the twisting of a watch-spring. I’d never flown with this many planes before, and it felt both exhilarating and claustrophobic to have so many other fighters around me. The roar of their engines eclipsed everything, even my own thoughts. Being surrounded by all that power made me feel small and mighty at once, like a raindrop riding a thunderstorm.

How many rounds of ammunition filled the planes around me? How many tons of explosive? And all of it bent on the beautiful city of Issastar. And on Essa.

That was the thought that scalded most, that burned like a brand inside me. I could not let them hurt Essa. I would not allow them to hurt Essa.

But what would I do? Shoot down my friends and comrades? Would I do that for her?

Yes, God help me. I would. It was the only reason I was here now.

Did that make me a traitor?

Yes.

For her, I would be a traitor.

And the hell of it was, I didn’t even feel bad. On the contrary, the thought filled me with purpose, with life.

And so, I pushed my plane’s throttle until I could hear the engine’s piston’s pounding to keep up. Inch by inch, foot by foot, I wove my way forward in the formation, like a fish working its way to the head of its school.

What would I do when I got there? That was a question I couldn’t answer yet. I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to shoot down three hundred planes. But I knew I didn’t want to arrive too late to be of any help. So I pushed until the plane’s engine manifold was rattling and the exhaust gave off the faintest whiffs of smoke.

“Come on, you whore. Hold together,” I told the plane, then, feeling superstitious, I added. “Be a good girl for me…”

I’d have loved to be flying my old Silver Wraith instead of this shit-trap Comet One with patches on the wings. But my beloved steed was at the bottom of the sea. And that bastard Blaize doubtless had the fastest, newest plane in the squadron…

Never mind all that. When I found him, I’d?—

There! Up ahead at the front of the formation, I spotted silver wings glinting in the evening sun. And beyond, the walls of Issastar lay spread out before us. But something was wrong. We weren’t even there yet and already thick columns of smoke rose into the sky. Far below, I could see frantic movement in the streets, the glint of weapons. And creatures. Gray, strange, monstrous creatures…

My mind raced as I tried to understand what I was seeing.

But there was no time to ponder. Blaize was banking left and diving, making for the palace complex. About a third of the squadrons followed him. Another third broke right, toward the city’s south gate, and another third carried on straight—no doubt following a battle plan laid out long before I showed up back in URA. I hesitated only a moment before banking to follow Blaize’s squadrons. He was going toward the hatchery and that’s where the Skrathan would be taking off from—where Essa would be.

As we dove, I leaned on the throttle until it topped out, the engine screaming in protest, and still I dove harder, tipping my plane’s nose downward and passing beneath my squadmates to get closer to the front of the formation.

As the ground drew closer, I tipped the wings and hazarded a glance down. Below, the space outside the hatchery was absolute pandemonium, a vast melee of fighting bodies and gray… what were those things? Beasts?

No… Those were the strange things Essa and I had witnessed on Dorhane. Golenae, she’d called them. What the hell was happening? Were URA forces fighting alongside monsters, now?

I tilted my wings again and squinted down for another look.

But there weren’t URA forces down there. There were forces in black armor—Lacunae? It looked like they were fighting the Skrathan. But where were the dragons?

A sudden coolness brushed my faces and I glanced over to see I was passing the Cheselie falls—which were now gushing far, far stronger than I’d ever seen them. With a jerk of the plane’s stick I banked left just as even more water gushed down where I’d been a moment before.

“What the?—?”

I banked, coming around, and saw that the dam above had been breached. At first I thought, oh no. Then I saw where the water was going. It was hitting the hatchery, which was awash in blue flame. As the water hit it, the flames gave off great puffs of steam and flickered out.

I heard the cheers of the Skrathan.

So that’s where the dragons were… trapped inside the hatchery?

Othura? I probed, calling for the dragon, but what I felt where she should have been was an utter blankness, a silence that could only be deliberate. Essa had slammed the door on me.

And how could I blame her?

Parthar? I tried.

Charlie! His voice came back, faint but full of such eagerness and joy that it made my heart ache.

Where are you? I asked.

I don’t know. It’s dark here. I can’t tell. Come find me!

I will, I vowed. As soon as I can. I promise.

But first things first. Judging from the movement of bodies on the battlefield below, the Skrathan were getting slaughtered. They needed their dragons and they needed them now.

I banked and made a pass at the hatchery dome, firing a burst of gunfire at it. But just as I expected, the bullets had no effect on the thick stone. I didn’t want to waste too much ammo, so I banked again, scanning the sky for Carter Blaize. Something in my gut kept telling me to keep an eye on that prick…

No silver plane was in sight, but what I saw instead made my jaw drop. The biggest dragon I’d ever seen was emerging from the palace, it body glittering and golden, its horns as long and sharp as a pair of lances, its wings wide enough to span an entire squadron.

“Ho-ly…” I muttered, my breath hitching as the dragon flew over me, making for the hatchery. I was travelling in the other direction so I missed the moment of impact, but when I banked and came back around, I saw the huge dragon had cracked the ancient building’s roof. Dragons emerged from it, thick and furious as hornets spilling from a nest.

“Yes!” I shouted, pumping my fist, until it occurred to me that these dragons would be just as likely to come for me as for anyone else.

But where in all this chaos was Essa? I wanted to scream her name. To land and search for her among the Skrathan fighting hand-to-hand on the ground. But if she were fighting down there, I would be of much more use to her in the air. I banked and dove, pointing my nose at the ranks of Lacunae knights.

Lacunae were prime enemies of the URA. If they were fighting against the Skrathan too, then great. I could fight for Essa and not be a traitor after all…

I buzzed low over the battlefield and unleashed my cannons, strafing the Brotherhood knights and leaving a path of fallen warriors in my wake. But when I came to make another pass, I found myself face-to-face with a huge green dragon.

“I’m helping you, buddy!” I called and even tried to project my thoughts into its mind—but if it heard me, it paid no heed, instead opening its cavernous jaws and sending a jet of flame straight for me. I pulled up fast into a stall then banked and dropped out of harm’s way, leading the green brute toward a trio of planes that were making a pass to strafe the Skrathan below. The planes and the dragon engaged in a fiery battle as I turned and got out of the way.

I didn’t have long to bask in my cleverness—because I spotted the Silver Wraith above and to my left. Three other fighters were shadowing it as it made for the huge, golden dragon. And at that dragon’s wing flew another dragon. Smaller. Silver. Othura.

Essa.

More and more planes were falling in formation with Blaize, ten, fifteen, twenty, all pursuing the massive dragon. Their strategy was clear. Take down the biggest dragon and enemy morale would crumble. Meanwhile, Big Gold veered out over the sea, no doubt intending to draw the planes away from their comrades and their city.

Blaize and his squadron followed.

And so did I.