The Elder Blood Chronicles – Book Three(193)

“Now things get good,” Vosha said eagerly as the three smaller dragons moved forward at a sprint and took to the air, their wings beating fiercely to gain altitude. “The three sisters are nasty mean,” he informed her with a wide smile.

Nigel and Dresharn took to the air next, their massive wings raising clouds of dust across the field. The approaching dragon loosed another roar as he spotted his quarry and Jala clamped her hands to her ears at the volume of the cry. Her horse snorted and danced back and she could hear the knights behind her struggling to keep their own mounts under control.

“If he is as mean as he is loud, we are screwed,” Neph said dryly as he fought his own horse back under control. “Damn, I hate horses. I would give anything for a snow cat right now instead of this useless bag of steaks I’m sitting on,” Neph snarled as the mare continued to prance, her eyes rolling.

“Probably not the best idea to call a horse 'steaks' while sitting in front of a company of armed Arovan knights, Neph,” Sovann said softly.

Jala shook her head at the banter but kept her eyes fixed on the dragons as Nigel and Dresharn closed on the larger dragon. There was no sign of the three jewel colored dragons and she wondered idly if they had some sort of camouflage such as Marrow did.

“And now!” Vosha crowed beside her as three bright colored forms dived from the air above Margundrak. The emerald dragon struck at the head while the sapphire and ruby each hit a wing. The attack was blinding in speed and Jala watched hopefully as Margundrak seemed to falter in the air. The three smaller dragons scattered before their adversary had a chance to retaliate. Then Dresharn and Nigel were on him.

Margundrak reared back his massive head, rising in the air as Nigel hit him head on. The two dragons locked together in mid-air, raking and snapping at each other as Dresharn hit from the side, knocking Margundrak back with the force of the blow. Nigel quickly broke off his assault, his wings pumping frantically as he tried to regain altitude. Pivoting in the air, Margundrak spread his jaws wide as a blast of fire erupted from his mouth to bathe Dresharn in flames. Tucking his wings Dresharn dove as he tried to escape the worst of the attack. Within a breath of the flames, Nigel was on Margundrak once more forcing the larger dragon’s head up and away from his quarry.

Movement from above the two dragons drew Jala’s eyes and she watched in silent awe as the three sisters dove for the attack once more. With a deafening roar Margundrak knocked Nigel back away from him and spun in the air, his tail lashing as he faced the jewel toned dragons. The smaller females twisted in the air trying to avoid Margundrak as he turned his fury on them. His tail caught the sapphire hard with a crack that seemed to shake the trees below them and the smaller dragon plummeted from the air. With screams of anguish the remaining two sisters launched themselves at Margundrak, their claws tearing at his wings and back.

“Not good,” Vosha said sadly. “They are in a frenzy now.” The boy shook his head and his earlier excitement seemed to evaporate.

“Do they seem to be getting rather close to anyone else?” Sovann asked quietly.

“I think we should move back, Jala,” Valor said in agreement as the fight above them continued to rage.

Another screech split the air as Margundrak wrapped his massive claws around the ruby dragon. With a snarl the larger dragon shook her savagely and threw her toward the trees below. The ruby dragon tumbled twice, frantically beating her wings as her body crashed into the forest. Trees snapped beneath her as her body plowed a path through the limbs before disappearing into the forest below.

“Oh shit,” Neph whispered beside her and Jala’s eyes snapped back up to the air in time to see Nigel hit the larger dragon from above forcing him from the air, and directly toward the small hill they watched from.

“Move now!” Valor bellowed to those behind them as the two dragons plummeted. Jala stared in silence as Nigel raked at the other dragon with his hind legs while his massive jaws locked tight around Margundrak’s throat. At first she had thought Nigel would break off the assault and the aerial fight would continue. Now she could see he was ending the fight one way or another. Jala could hear the soldiers behind her retreating but at the speed the dragons were falling it wouldn’t be fast enough to get everyone clear. Silently she dropped from her saddle and moved forward, her magic already flowing through her. Raising both hands she summoned a wall of force. That in itself wouldn’t do alone, however. The walls of force spell was designed for stopping small objects such as arrows and they were attached to their caster such as a soldier’s wooden shield would be. If the dragons collided with the single wall the full impact would be reflected on her. Quickly, Jala wove a wind wall and then another wall of force repeating the process as many times as she could as she watched the massive forms grow closer by the second. If she could get enough layers it might cushion the blow that was reflected back on her. If not she was about to shatter every bone in her body in an effort to stop the dragons.