Page 46 of Cry of the Firebird

The stranger fingered the hilts of her knives as her eyes darted around the group. Finally, she lowered her weapons."If you are her friends, why the hell are you about to cut her hand apart?"

"She's been poisoned, you presumptuous psychopath," Izrayl said, changing back into his human body. His nose was bleeding, and he had a deep gash on his thigh, where she had cut him with her knife.

"I'm sorry about the wound, wolf boy," she said insincerely. "My name is Katya, and I'm here to help you too. Would you mind putting on some jeans?"

"I would actually." Izrayl crossed his arms defiantly. "And we don't need your help."

"Really?" Katya pushed him hard, knocking him down to the ground. A high-pitched, blood-curdling cry screeched overhead, and a black dragon swooped down, its claws snapping at them.

"What the hell is that?" Anya squeaked.

"Get her under the trees!" Katya shouted, nocking another arrow into her bow.

Trajan and Yvan grabbed Anya's arms, Cerise her legs, and they carried her quickly out of the way. They positioned themselves around her so they could see which way the dragon was coming. Izrayl howled as the black dragon landed in the glade.

"Watch its head," Katya yelled to Izrayl as he went for its long snake-like neck.

A clawed foot caught him, knocking him out of the way like he was a puppy. Katya fired her bow and hit it in the chest. The dragon screeched in fury and lashed its head from side to side.

Swearing, Katya pulled out a short sword. Izrayl was back on his feet and doing his best to damage the creature's wings, shredding them with his long claws.

"Look after Anya," Trajan said to Cerise.

"Be careful," Anya said quickly.

"I'll be fine." Trajan smiled at her before going to help Izrayl.

Katya was fighting at the beast's head, and Izrayl was biting at its legs and belly.

Anya stared, wide-eyed, as Trajan climb up onto the dragon's back behind its wings. He shimmered for a moment, like a mirage, then the creature stopped fighting and sagged to its knees. It cried high and mournful as silvery smoke rose fromit and started to suck into Trajan. The human glamor he wore shattered as he opened his mouth and let out a sound of otherworldly terror. Cerise leaped to shield Anya's face and clamped her hands over her ears.

"Just breathe. Don't look at him!" the keres commanded, but Anya's body wouldn't obey, and she sagged into Cerise's arms in a dead faint.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Anya woke to the smell of acrid smoke and the musk of animal fur. She opened her sore eyes and found that she was slumped over Izrayl's back, with Cerise on one side of her and Yvan on the other.

"Cerise? Where's Trajan? What happened to him?" she croaked.

"Try not to talk," she said urgently. "You had a seizure before and coughed up a lot of blood."

"Where's Trajan?" she murmured.

"Shh! He's walking a little way back."

"Is he okay?"

Cerise rolled her eyes. "He's fine, just an idiot. He shouldn't have fed off that dragon in front of you all, and now he's embarrassed. Izrayl's carrying you because Trajan thought when you woke, you may have been frightened of him. Just try to relax. Katya is taking us to her camp. Apparently, they have a wise woman who will be able to help you." Cerise did little to hide her skepticism.

Anya said, "What happened to the dragon?"

"We burned it. Katya didn't want Vasilli to resurrect it. Don't worry about it, darling. Just sleep."

Night fell quickly in the forest, and Yvan's coat had been placed over Anya when she woke again. She could just make out the glimmer of fires through the heavy beech and pine trees.

"You will have to change back here," Katya said to Izrayl. "My tribe doesn't look kindly onvolk krovi." She spoke good English, but she had a thick Eastern European accent and rolled her R's.

"Is it because we are so handsome and well-hung?" Izrayl asked.

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