Thorn lifts the Verlassen banner, waving it in the air, and a tentative, confused cheer starts up from Riverton. Clearly, they aren’t sure what to make of two dragon riders that bear the Verlassen banner.
The Klevorian soldiers, however, seem less surprised and more anxious, and I hear the tumultuous shouting increase from their area.
“Hang on!” Astralux shouts.
I don’t need to be told twice—I’m clinging with all my life to the saddle as Astralux, roaring again, dives for one of the catapults. The massive, large structure with the giant wooden spoon on it is cranked by a lever on one side, two Klevorian soldiers working it, and another four soldiers start to push it to face us, while others are trying to load an oil-covered boulder into the spoon.
“Breathe at them!” I shout.
Astralux breathes, a blinding flash of white light erupting over the area all around the catapult. It works—the soldiers are completely stunned, clamping their hands over their eyes with exclamations of shock. Astralux drops onto the contraption. Growling, she tears off one of the wheels and obliterates one side of its supporting structure, causing the taut string on the spoon to snap. It flings itself forward, shoving Astralux and me to the side, but it cracks and falls apart.
Spotting archers aiming at us, I tap Astralux’s side in warning. “Up!”
Astralux leaps up, her wings flapping hard, and I flinch as a couple of red-and-black feathered arrows stick in her shoulder in-between her scales, feeling the pricks on my own shoulder. But just as I’m afraid we’re not going to build speed up fast enough in the air, Vitegadium swoops below us, breathing. Vines spread all along the line of archers, entangling and entrapping them.
“Nice work on that catapult!” Thorn says.
Astralux grins. “Thanks for the cover. But we’ve got one more.”
“I’ve got it!” Vitegadium, growling, banks in the air, and now Astralux follows him close behind, as we fly toward the other catapult.
I spot more archers turning their attention away from Riverton and toward us. “Astralux, breathe in an arch from the east to the west.”
Astralux does as I ask, the blast of light just ahead of Vitegadium and obscuring him from the soldiers briefly. The Klevorians shield their eyes, and Vitegadium gets close enough to the catapult to breathe a mass of vines on it, engulfing it. As we fly past, I watch a soldier pull at a lever to release the catapult, but it holds fast.
“Great work,” Thorn says.
“Archers attacking from the southwest!” Astralux shouts. I cling as she banks left, Vitegadium banking right, and they turn to face the bowmen.
Astralux breathes first, blasting light in front of them. The Klevorian soldiers barely have time to cover their eyes when they’re engulfed in the vines from Vitegadium’s breath. Only a couple of bowmen manage to fire their arrows, and both bounce harmlessly off the dragons’ sides.
A pocket of soldiers stand their ground, edging Astralux on as they bang their swords against their shields. “Pansy dragon!” one of them shouts up at us. “Your breath can’t hurt us!”
“Coward!” another shouts. “You won’t fight us on the ground!”
Astralux turns to face them, grinning. “Oh?”
Uh-oh. I cling to the saddle.
Growling, Astralux swoops low. She claws one man so hard he flies off to the side, and swipes another with her tail and completely knocks him head-over-heels the other way. Dropping to the ground, Astralux dodges the spear of one soldier and grabs it with her teeth, breaking it in half with a twist of her head, before diving after the soldier. I flinch as the spines on her tail cut open a guy that was coming up behind her. Another man falls to her claws. And the rest begin to run west, screaming in fear.
Thorn smiles down at us. “I don’t think we’re going to have much of a problem at this point.”
He’s right—when Astralux returns to the air and she and Vitegadium let out another roar, all the Klevorian soldiers flee west, away from Riverton. A cheer rises from Riverton as we circle around the city, peering down.
“That wasn’t so bad!” Vitegadium says.
“The city’s in pretty good shape,” I say. “Let’s check in with Captain Clinton, and then we can return to the Golden Palace and report.”
Thorn’s head suddenly swivels right, his eyes locking on something over his shoulder. He pales. “Vladykars.”
I follow his gaze and spot two draconic shapes flying in our direction. “Ariadna help us,” I whisper.
Astralux lifts herself higher in the air, watching them. “They don’t seem too big.” As the seconds tick on, and I hear the heavy wind-rushing sound of wings flapping, I share a look with Thorn. “I think I might have to take back what I said,” Astralux says, her voice quieter.
Vitegadium growls, but it sounds concerned, like he’s afraid. And I don’t blame him as the two Vladykars, bearing their coat of arms proudly on their black uniforms, draw closer still. The dragons are, in fact, larger than we first thought. And their riders look equally deadly. To my surprise, I realize one of the Vladykars—and their dragon—appear to be a female pair. I haven’t seen or heard of a female Vladykar before, human or dragon. They slow and turn to the side, banking around us leisurely, but somehow this seems more aggressive than having come straight for us.
“Hail, Wards,” one of the Vladykar riders say, the man. His black-gray hair is windswept back out of his face, his dark gray eyes flickering between myself and Thorn. “I am Vladykar Jarogniew. This is Raucharger.”
“Hello,” the smoky-gray dragon he rides growls.
“With me is Vladykar Vaimiti and Salannagro,” Vladykar Jarogniew says.
Vladykar Vaimiti, who has strawberry blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, gives a sniff. She has eerie pink eyes that match Salannagro’s eyes, and she looks intently at me. “You must be Estelle Brand.”
“Which makes you Astralux.” Vladykar Jarogniew eyes Astralux and then looks at Thorn and Vitegadium. “And who are you?”
“Ward Thorn and Vitegadium,” Thorn says stiffly.
“Now leave,” Astralux says, her voice gaining a growling edge, “before we destroy you.”
All four Vladykars laugh, still flying around us. I notice that both humans have a crossbow already in their lap, and I swallow. By the way they move, and the size of Raucharger and Salannagro, I have a bad feeling that both of these bonded pairs are more experienced than Thorn and Vitegadium. Maybe even more experienced than Astralux.
“What a feisty little thing,” Raucharger says. “You should be good sport.”
Astralux and Vitegadium both growl. Protective rage rising inside of me, I immediately unhook the crossbow attached to my saddle. The bolts are secured in a pouch just beside it, and I slip the pouch over my shoulder, just like Neil instructed me.
“We don’t want to fight,” I say. “But,” I continue just as Astralux starts to give me an indignant look, “we will fight, to the death, if you attack us or the Amenylians. Please leave.”
“Aw, the little black beauty grew a backbone!” Vladykar Vaimiti laughs airily. “We’ve heard so much about you. How you are the most pathetic of the Wards! Completely useless.”
“Besides for your loveliness,” Vladykar Jarogniew says. “Lochan was right—you are quite the looker.”
I shake my head at Thorn as he starts to lift his crossbow. They haven’t attacked us yet—they’re playing with us, although I don’t know why.
Vladykar Vaimiti winks at Thorn. “I could go for a strapping young man such as yourself. What do you think? I could make all your wildest, darkest fantasies come true.”
Thorn sneers at Vladykar Vaimiti, mimicking the dragons’ bared teeth for a moment. “Please do—I would love to see you keel over and die.”
Vladykar Vaimiti laughs again. “Oh don’t tell me you don’t think about—”
As the woman is speaking, I suddenly realize that the other pair has separated from her, and I look back in time to see Raucharger flying for Astralux and me, his claws outstretched. “Dive!” I shout.
Astralux drops without question, but Raucharger was going fast enough that he still manages to grab a hold of one of Astralux’s spines, on the back of her neck with a slight pinch I feel on my neck.
“Got you,” Raucharger says.
I lift my crossbow and fire at Raucharger’s leg. My aim’s off, the white-vaned bolt hits one of his scales, but I’m so close that it slides up the scale and pierces his skin in-between two plates. Raucharger hisses but maintains his grip on Astralux. And then my heart jumps up in surprise and fear as Vladykar Jarogniew slides out of his saddle and lands onto Astralux in front of me.
“Well, well,” Vladykar Jarogniew says. A wry smile forms on his face. “What happened to the terrified silver fox Lochan told us about, hm? Looks like someone’s been training.”
Astralux twists, swiping her spined tail across Raucharger’s back leg, trying to get a claw around. Vladykar Jarogniew smoothly stays atop Astralux and draws a sword. Frightened for Astralux, I pull myself loose of Astralux’s saddle, unhook my staff, and swing this at Vladykar Jarogniew. It’s a sloppy attack that he’s able to block, but it does keep him from stabbing Astralux.
A roar of pain fills the air, and I glance over my shoulder to see that Salannagro is breathing what looks like sand or salt into Vitegadium’s side, tearing apart his green scales until his glistening blood drips down. Thorn visibly grimaces, and I start to wonder if it’s salt—it would make that attack even more painful.
I look back just in time to see Vladykar Jarogniew lunging for me. Squealing in surprise, I dodge to the side, stepping further back on Astralux, and then give a cry as Vladykar Jarogniew uses my retreat to stab Astralux in the side. Astralux is now trying to wrestle with Raucharger without completely throwing us off, and she grimaces as Raucharger bites at her hand—which makes me yelp again.
“Ah, the cries of a newly-bonded,” Vladykar Jarogniew says. “I often forget how easily such a pain can overwhelm.”
I need to get Astralux loose of Raucharger. Lifting my staff, I swing at Vladykar Jarogniew, forcing him back, and then point my hand at the underside of Raucharger, willing the power within me forward, and send a blast of fire at him. It’s strong enough that it not only pelts him back, but it sizzles along his scales, and Raucharger roars with pain. One of his claws lets go of Astralux, although he keeps a grip on her back spine.
“Estelle!” Astralux pants.
I don’t know why, but I know exactly what Astralux wants me to do—I dive and grab a hold of one of the saddle stirrups. Just as Vladykar Jarogniew, who is growling through gritted teeth, rushes for me, Astralux jerks around, completely tearing her scales loose of Raucharger’s grip. It hurts, and I can see her blood spilling out, but she breaks free of his grip and drops. To my utter shock, Vladykar Jarogniew doesn’t lunge for Raucharger. Instead, he grabs a hold of one of Astralux’s spines, remaining atop her.
I kick out but Vladykar Jarogniew grabs a hold of my boot and smiles. “Not timid at all. You’re a feisty little thing!” He yanks me toward him so hard I can’t keep ahold of the saddle.
I hear Astralux’s roar of fright as I begin to separate from her, floating just above. Then Vladykar Jarogniew gives me a shove back, pushing me farther up into the air, and Raucharger’s back leg grabs a hold of me, his massive claws pinning one arm to my body. I try to pull back one of his claws with my one free hand, but I’m held tight, my strength nothing compared to his.
“Estelle!” Thorn shouts.
I lift my eyes. As if being caught by Raucharger isn’t bad enough, or all four of us dropping out of the sky as the dragons wrestle, or Thorn and Vitegadium being torn apart by Salannagro’s salt breath and Vladykar Vaimiti’s black vaned bolts, I spot yet another dragon out on the horizon, flying toward us fast. And I’m certain this dragon bears another rider as well.
Tamara Rivers 
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