Page 70 of Queen Takes Triune

Not for me. But for Shara.

She needed this. She needed me.

The phoenix nudged me, a hot pulse of fire to remind me to breathe again and catch some wind beneath my wings before I cratered the earth. I’d sunk beneath the cloud bank, but I didn’t try to pull back up to my previous altitude. If this pulse didn’t find Arthur out in the world somewhere, then I’d have to crawl back to Shara and admit defeat.

I strained to feel the slightest echo. Underground. Thousands of feet up. Over mountains. My pulse shot across the oceans and vibrated across Europe and Asia. Racing around the globe. Fading… But almost there. Almost meeting.

One ping lit up as my echo faded away. Then, shockingly, another.

Two dragons. Together. Either in Western Asia or the Middle East—I couldn’t tell for sure. Turkey, maybe? Even before I’d been imprisoned, there’d only been a handful of dragons left. One of them had to be Arthur, and—

An answering pulse ripped through me. Higher, lighter than my deep soundless bass. It tore into my dragon hide and shoved pokers deep into my brain. Searing endless pain.

I tumbled toward the earth, struck by a metaphysical arrow that had been directed straight at me. My dragon senses shrilled wildly, overloaded by the other dragon’s sonar.

Hersonar.

The one who’d imprisoned me.

:Tiamat!:I managed to scream through our queen’s bond. Hopefully the old fart could tell her where that meant Arthur was hiding.

Then I braced for impact.

* * *

VIVIAN

Catching a massive falling dragon wasn’t high on my bucket list. Especially after the bastard had fucking sat on me. Humiliating me in front of our queen’s guests.

Shara’s bond surged with worry.:Mehen!:

Mentally, I rolled my eyes, but I answered back.:I’ve got him.:

Smoak dove beneath the tumbling dragon and then surged up against him, slowing his descent to a controlled dive rather than a reckless crash. We both still hit the ground.

Hard.

The bastard on top of me. Again.

Gnashing my teeth so that sparks danced around me, I finally shoved the senseless dragon off me.

:Is he injured?:Shara asked.:Does he need healing?:

I scanned him from head to fucking toe and didn’t see a single mark on him.:He’s not bleeding and nothing seems broken. The answering pulse seems to have knocked him out.:

The glow of her bond shone through his hide as if she’d turned on a giant spotlight inside his gullet. I hoped he fucking choked on it.

His tail twitched. His wings shifted, rustling across the ground.

:He’s coming around,:I told Shara.:I’ll get him back to the nest as soon as he can shift.:

:I’m sending Llewellyn to help, in case you need to fly him back.:

The intensity of her bond lightened, and the glow faded from inside him. I shifted around so I could lean back against him. While we waited, I’d at least have a fucking backrest. After all, he’d used me for a chair.

:What happened?:He finally asked, his words slow and heavy.

:You passed out and fell out of the sky, fuckface.: