Page 133 of Ash

His blue eyes widened.

Dani handed Tyrez her shirt, and he applied another tourniquet to the wing, just before the shredded flesh.

Taran tried to sit up, but fell back to the sand. “Save your strength,” Tyrez said. “These Dragons need you to be strong.”

Taran’s huge blue eyes rolled to his brother’s, and for a moment their gazes locked. Then the blue Dragon closed his eyes. “I ams no longer fits tos be their leader. Where iss Razir?”

“He has gone through the gate. But he’s sick, too.”

“Thens yous must leads them,” Taran said.

“I cannot lead them,” Tyrez rumbled. “I have lost their trust. Only you can do it.”

“I haves betrayed thems fars more thans you,” Taran ground through gritted teeth.

“You are their leader. Act like it,” snapped Tyrez.

Taran took a deep breath and then heaved himself to a sitting position. He wobbled but held his head high.

A ripple ran through those on the beach. Eyes fastened on him. Dani watched as the commander in Taran regained control.

“Yous needs to go fors help,” he told Tyrez. “We needs healers.”

In answer, Tyrez embraced his beast.

Dani glanced around and saw only carnage. Not a single Dragon here would ever fight again. Most would be lucky to live. “I’ll stay here,” she said, “and see what I can do.”

Tyrez snorted, and launched into the sky. As he winged toward the gate, Dani knew their battle was far from over.

It had only just begun.

* * *

His name was Ash.

It was the first thing that popped into his mind when he opened his eyes. He lay on a soft bed of grass. The nodding flowers glowed in the dim light.

Past and present collided. The tossing of foam-crested waves, being staked against cold stone, lying manacled to a metal table—they zipped through his brain, momentarily blinding him to the fact he lay within the forest of giant trees.

How had he gotten here? He sat up. Chains clanked—the manacles were still fastened to his wrists, each one connected to a short length of chain. He looked around, and his nightmare unfolded.

Everywhere he looked were Dragons. Groaning, crying out—he’d never heard such sounds as they writhed upon the grass. Many had blood pouring from their noses and mouths.

Other images overlaid what his eyes saw—the same Dragons flying over the ocean. Then the scene shattered into fragments, each going in a different direction—some showing only darkness. Possible futures? Or pasts?

He closed his eyes, trying to make some sense of it. When he opened them again, he saw the two women who ran between the groaning forms. Their hands glowed as they laid them upon the dying Dragons. Their faces were pinched and lined with desperation.

Watchers.The name popped into his head. His ability took another dizzying tangent, showing him snapshots of the women, along with something else—a graceful, shining horse with a spiral horn that sent pulses of power out against—what?

He shoved the images aside—it wasn’tnow. He needed to focus on the present.

The Dragons were dying. Why? The answer came on a pulse from the past—a scene of glowing darts penetrating tough Dragon hide. Rindek’s parasite. It was killing them, munching through tissue laced with crystal dust. He had to help them. To save them. But how?

He barely knew his own name.

Ash forced himself upright on shaking legs. The chains attached to his wrists clanked as he moved. With carnage all around, no one even glanced his way.

He stumbled to the closest woman. She was tiny with glowing crystals woven into her long white hair. Ash put a hand on her arm, and gasped.

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