“Squad, Disperse! Lieutenant, sweep and level!”
The shadows of the squad dragons high above swept sharply away as the two dragons tight on either side and above me, carrying the net, eased apart.
At first, I was relieved when the dragons pulled further away, their talons not quite so threatening and the length of twisted net shortening which meant I swayed less.
But then the spinning grew faster, and faster. I screamed and clawed my fingers through the net holes, praying that I wouldn’t die. But I was spinning faster because the further the two dragons holding the net were pulling apart and as less slack ran between them the twists were forced to unravel.
They were pulling the net open. A mile in the sky.With me in it!
‘Akhane!’
‘Breathe, Bren.’
‘They’re going to kill me!’
‘I won’t allow you to fall—you know I won’t!’
The world whipped up and down, shadow then sun, shadow then sun, one moment I was on my back, the next on all fours. Until suddenly the net no longer pressed my hair, or my back, and suddenly I was thrown up, weightless, clinging to nothing—until I was jerked back to center, the skin on my fingers screaming as I almost lost my grip completely.
There was more laughter, and jeers, but I couldn’t catch the words because the dragons were further away now and the wind of our passage rushed past my ears.
When my stomach was no longer in my throat and it became clear I was still alive, I found myself crouched on all fours on a rippling stretch of net. Quick glances to left and right confirmed my worst suspicions.
The dragons who’d swept me up had spread out, talons at front and back hooked into the corners of the net, and now that they’d pulled apart, I was perched on it. Unsecured.
‘Akhane! Akhane! Please!’
‘You are well, Bren. Breathe. Just breathe. And look. Your brothers cheer for you.’
Was she insane? All I heard were crazed whoops and jeers as the men raised arms and shook fists in the air.
The wind, fierce and unrelenting, pushed tears from my eyes, and on every down-flap of the dragon’s wings, my braids rippled against my back. If my fingers hadn’t been hooked in the netting, I would have been blown straight off the back and plunged to my death.
“Squad, huddle!” Ronen barked again. I couldn’t look at him, I was terrified to move my eyes from the point where my reddened hands clung. But the shadows of the dragons overhead drifted across the net, and I could once again make out the words of the men teasing each other.
“Flameborne, salute!”
I blinked. Was he talking to me?
“Flameborne Kearney,salute!”
“I’m holding on for my fucking life!” I screamed.
“Harle—show her how it’s done.”
There was a muttered curse. But a moment later, a beautiful blue bull dragon with purple crests and wingtips eased into view below the net. And on his back, one of the men pushed up on his hands and got his feet under him so he crouched on his dragon in a position similar to my hold on the net.
He craned his head up and back to look for me, winked, then looked straight ahead, raised one hand, then dropped it to clap across his chest in an exaggerated salute.
“And he didn’t even shit himself!”
“Shut up, Jhoare!”
“Both of you shut up, this isn’t a joyride,” Ronen growled. Then from the corner of my eye I saw him turn to look at me. “Flameborne Kearney, raise your right hand, then bring it to your chest in salute. We will not move on in the formations until it’s done.”
“You’re crazy!”
There were chuckles I could hear even over the wind, but I felt the heat of Ronen’s gaze from my right.
