Page 91 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

I direct Zephyr lower. Leaves rustle, and blades of grass wiggle from the wind his wings create, but there aren’t any prints from the dragon lumbering over the ground. Not that a beast that size was likely to stomp around in the plants when he could fly. Unless he was injured.

I recall the half-anguished, half-crazed look in his golden eyes the day before, and my heart clenches. No creature should have to endure imprisonment…whether human or animal.

As a last resort, I scour the area for any signs of the dragon.

There’s nothing.

“Any luck?” Olive flies Nova as close to Zephyr as she can without their wings touching.

“Not a bit.” No depressions in the ground, no burn marks from his fire…nothing that indicates the dragon took this route. “You?”

Biting her lip, she regards the area. “Nope.”

Together, we do another sweep. Eventually, Nick and Abel approach on their mounts.

Nick yawns, revealing his even white teeth. “See anything?”

Olive shakes her head. “Lark and I didn’t.”

“Neither did we.” He pats Solara’s neck. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but my bed is calling my name.”

Abel snorts. “He needs his beauty sleep. Otherwise, I’ll have a long day dealing with his grumpy ass.”

My thoughts shift to a certain moody instructor. I have a feeling Nick won’t be the only “grumpy ass” in the morning.

Finished with our search to the east of the eyril, our unit turns and heads back toward Flighthaven.

As we approach the field, Nick swivels in his saddle to face me. “We should check out the stalks.”

I eye the field that looms ahead. “Are they tall enough for a dragon to hide in?”

He shrugs. “Won’t hurt to look.”

True. Even if we find no dragon there, the area’s worth checking out for signs of any lurking intruders.

Abel hollers from behind us. “Let’s do it…if little princess over there isn’t about to go night night in the air.”

Nick glares at Abel. “Bite me.”

Laughing, Abel swoops ahead of us and begins to descend.

Muttering another curse, Nick suggests we divide and conquer, then flies off to the farthest section of the field.

Olive and I break apart and fly to our allotted locations.

As Zephyr glides over our designated area, my neck tingles. Uneasiness I can’t shake washes over me. My senses whisper that someone’s skulking in the plants below. Someone or something.

Mimicking the commands I heard Thorne utter earlier, I tug the reins and direct Zephyr to fly even lower, low enough that his hooves almost brush the tallest stalks. Even though there’s no breeze at the moment, the eyril appears to undulate as we pass overhead. At the edge of the field, we come across an adjoining grassy one. A black vein snakes across it like a giant serpent.

I blink, certain I’ve never seen anything like that before.

I guide Zephyr into a slow descent to get a better view. The black vein pulses. Moves. As if reacting to our presence. Darkness oozes from the vein at a rapid pace, spreading outward to the surrounding grass. My breath catches. One moment, the field is green. The next, all the grass dies, leaving the meadow dark and barren.

I rub my eyes. Look again. The field is still dead, the ground coated with an inky substance.

How can this be happening? It’s not an escaped dragon, but I need to tell the others.

As I steer Zephyr around, leaves flutter and stalks sway. A faint humming grows steadily louder, and I swear I can almost hear a seductive voice calling out. Luring me to fly Zephyr lower, into the welcoming embrace of the eyril.

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