Standing beneath the giant trees, Tyrez stiffened as his people screamed.
The gate flared, and Cara braced herself.
“He’s fighting now,” Bess said. “Trying to close the damned gate.”
“Why is Rindek fighting them now?” Dani’s confusion was obvious. “The Dragons are already through.”
“Because it’s a shardings trap,” snarled Tyrez. “He wants them shuts in there.”
“No!” Dani gasped. “We’ve got to get to Ash. It’s our only chance to save him. But we have to help them, too...”
“We’re holding,” Cara said through gritted teeth. “But if you want to rescue anyone, better do it soon. We won’t be able to hold it open forever.”
“Stays here,” Tyrez ordered Dani, taking a step toward the gate.
“No flipping way, flyboy.” Before he could stop her, Dani leaped for his spikes. With him in phase one, she had no problem reaching them, throwing her leg over his neck and squeezing her body between them.
“Gets off!”
“I’m going. So shut up and fly.”
“Go, Tyrez,” Cara shouted. “You’re wasting time.”
Tyrez went. He blasted through the gate with Dani clutching his spikes.
They emerged to driving wind, a violent ocean, and chaos.
Dragons were everywhere, and many were screaming. As Tyrez took flight, arcing straight up from the gate, one crashed into the cliff, sliding off to fall into the churning ocean. The water was filled with thrashing Dragons—and other things too. Things with vicious teeth...
Glowing darts shot from the cliff face to penetrate the skin of Dragons flying close. As Tyrez gained altitude as well as size, one whizzed by, missing him by inches.
“What are they?” Dani yelled into the wind.
Tyrez didn’t answer, because he didn’t know. But they had to be what had put holes in the rogue Dragons... he wheeled toward the island, away from the cliffs.
A large purple form dropped to fly with him. Razir, gasping in pain. “I can’t find Taran.”
“Calls thems off, Razir,” Tyrez yelled. “Gets them backs throughs the gate. If they stays heres, they’ll alls die.”
Razir swung away.
“We have to find Ash!” Dani yelled.
Torn between helping the Legion Dragons and finding his soul mate, Tyrez snarled, then wheeled again and swooped lower over the island. Mostly volcanic rock—but there, against it, a residence of sorts. Built of the same stone that it sat upon, it was almost impossible to see.
Tyrez was moving so fast he was there and past it in an eyeblink. He banked to come back around, passing over the beach, and the ocean—
“There”—the wind almost whipped away Dani’s voice—“someone is on the rocks.”
Tyrez spread his wings and braked to a hover, scanning. At the foot of the cliffs—Dani was right. Someone was chained to the rock face.
The big Dragon dove, and backwinged to a halt over the beach, sinking his hind talons into the gravel. Dani was off him before his forelegs hit the ground.
A man hung by his wrists, staring at them. He was so thin that every bone showed through the few dull gold-colored scales that clad him. There weren’t many—he was mostly naked skin and bones.
Tyrez thought his heart would break. As Tyrez and Dani approached, the man surveyed them with silver eyes.
“Ash?” Dani asked. She stopped a foot away and slowly reached out a hand.
