Page 259 of Vasmora

Wings snapping open again, he sent us soaring upward, and I rolled in the other direction, still clutching his horns. Muzzle caked in metal, the dragon thrashed its legs and tail, its wings flapping in futility as it fell like deadweight and disappeared into the gorge below.

I gasped a breath, burying my face in Raivox’s neck. “I’m alive,” I whispered to myself.

Below us, one of the two remaining dragons chased after Viatrix, nipping at the Corvugon’s tail. Raivox tucked in his wings again, and my stomach roiled, dread rising to my throat as he shot toward the dragon at a sickening speed.

“No, no, no!” Screams tore from my chest, vomit surging upward, as we plunged toward the ground, faster and faster.

The dragon veered off the path, and Raivox leveled, gliding over the men and horses, close enough that I could hear Zevander call my name.

The dragon circled back, heading straight for Raivox’s flank at a speed too fast for the Corvugon to dodge. Its maw hung open, sharp teeth poised to tear through the wing joint below my boot. Heat burned across my palm, and I threw forth my arm for the whip that snapped through the air. It cracked against the dragon’s snout like a thunderstrike, splitting the scales on impact. The beast roared and careened to the side, knocked off trajectory and tumbling through the air.

Raivox drew his wings tight and pivoted, vaulting upward. He flattened midair to face off again, but the dragon retreated, flying off in the direction from which it’d come.

I whipped my head around to see Achlys sail toward the ground and tumble on impact. The dragon she’d fought lay in a heap not far from her.

A shadow slipped past my periphery, and I caught a glimpse of Viatrix dropping from the sky, his wings curled around him as his spine hurtled toward the ground. He struck the gorge below in an explosion of black ravens that marked the impact.

Raivox let out a pained, throaty roar, and my heart clenched at the sound. He swung back around and landed not far from where Achlys had fallen.

Once he’d settled enough, I climbed down from his back, taking a moment to look him over for any injury. A small gash at his chest didn’t appear to be too deep, and one of his talons had been torn away, the injury oozing fresh, silvery blood. Other than that, his wounds seemed minimal.

I hobbled in the direction of Adira, who lay on the ground beside her dragon, pausing when Zevander strode from the right. I offered as reassuring a smile as I could muster, in spite of the unrelenting feeling of my guts having burst inside of me. “So much for the sky being safer.”

He swept me up into his arms, his muscles trembling around me. “Fuck, I thought he was going to throw you off.”

So had I. My stomach gurgled again at the memory. “He fought well.”

“I’ll say this for the flying shitbag. He is fierce. I believe those dragons were Ignithrax. They’re known to be highly aggressive. Extremely territorial. But you.” His palm gripped my crown as he kissed the top of my head. “You were incredible. Watching you strike it with your whip. I’ve never been so torn between tension and enthrallment in my life.”

The smile on my face faded. “I think they might’ve been infected. I saw black veins.” I unraveled myself from his arms and turned toward Adira. Corwin knelt beside her, running his hand along her arm where the bone was bent wrong. “Let me check on her. If you want to get a headstart, we can catch up.”

“We’ll wait. In case the other dragon shows back up.” His brows pulled tight. “Not that I can do much from the ground. Maybe you should ride with me.”

“I’ll be okay. I just need to catch my breath.”

Nodding, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “We’ll be ready when you are.”

“I won’t be long.” Keeping on toward her, I rubbed my hand over my chest to calm my still-racing heart, needing a moment before climbing onto Raivox again. Legs still wobbly, I collapsed beside Adira. “What happened?”

“Achlys … suffered a bad bite.” Adira craned her head toward the Corvugon, and I peered up at a gaping hole in its neck, the flesh wet and glistening with fresh, silvery blood. Black bubbled out of the wound like tar, just as it had when I’d been bitten by the spider in my cell.

“Will she become infected?” Corwin asked.

“I don’t think so. If I’m not mistaken, their blood is like mine.” I focused on her wound, closing my eyes to a vision of cells rushing toward the gash, repairing the torn bits of flesh. The Corvugon’s heart pounded a strong and steady beat. “She’s going to live.”

“Are you certain?” Adira’s voice cracked with tears.

“She’s strong. Healing. What about you?”

Lips pressed together, she lowered her gaze. “I should stay with her.”

I nodded and placed a hand on her outstretched leg. “You shouldn’t be alone.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Corwin said.

Adira rubbed her brow and shook her head. “No, you will go. I don’t need you to stay. I’ll be fine.”

I could already see the resigned look in Corwin’s eyes. Despite her protest, he had no intentions of leaving her alone.