Page 9 of Fire Dragon
Chapter Two
Emma’s knees and thighs were glued to Liam’s tough, scaled body. She’d practiced the bucking response hundreds of times, but never with a dragon as physically powerful as Liam. Now, she wished she’d done extra duty with two or three of the bigger dragons on the partner roster.
But it was too late to be wishing.
What had she been taught?
Lift an arm for balance, roll with the movements, try to predict the next one.
She had to get Liam under control. They had incoming in less than two minutes.
She recalled something else from her training. Sometimes the bucking response was deeply instinctual and required mental finesse more than anything else. Whatever had struck a nerve with Liam, that was what she had to address.
Liam, ease down. I’m not here to hurt you. We have eleven Magi in the draw. I need you present and with me.
His response was also instinctual, he growled, roared then belched a stream of fire that sent lighting-like pulses of flames through the blowing red sand.
Some of the sand melted, fused together then fell to the lake in droplets of molten metal. She’d seen jewelry made from what was called lake-melt.
Because they were running out of time, she tried a tougher stance. Settling her mind hard against his, she commanded,Pull yourself together, Warrior. Now! We’ve got incoming.
The telepathic shout had a better effect. The next moment, his bucking lessened then stopped. But he was breathing hard, his sides heaving.
Accept my mind. Do it now.She added the pressure of her thoughts and met his in a slab of steel-like resistance.Liam. Do it or we both die. Your choice.
One second passed.
Then another.
She sensed that the first of the eleven Magi were only five hundred yards away and moving in fast.
Another second.
Then another.
Suddenly, the steel gave way. She covered his mind and melded with it.
I can see,he said.
Good. Then let’s go.
It was the union that gave him the physical vision to see through the sand as she could. Each of them had a second set of protective clear lids that preserved the delicate tissue of the eye. The hard-blowing sand had no effect on them. But his eyes would still be vulnerable in battle, unlike hers, and his dragon vision didn’t allow for distance like her human eyes.
Dragons could also surround their riders with their energy, the same force they used to cover long lines of dragons during caravan runs. But the amount of protection it provided varied from dragon-to-dragon.
In addition, Emma had a limited form of energy that she used to surround her head. It forced the wind to veer away from her face so that her ability to breathe wasn’t affected. She could speak as well. But with just the two of them in battle, it was better to communicate telepathically, which was the only way Liam could respond given his huge dragon maw.
For a split-second, Emma caught sight of the lake below. The churners were working hard to keep the sand from coating the surface and killing all the fish. The sound was like hearing massive thumps as the machines kept the huge, steel paddlewheels pounding against the water. Without the churners, all the fish would suffocate.
As the first dragon approached, Liam dove beneath its massive, coppery belly and thick, trunk-like legs. Her knees moved seamlessly with his maneuvers which kept her well-seated on what was the natural saddle of his neck.
She lifted her rifle, with its tranquilizing ordnance, and fired three shots in quick succession as Liam made his pass.
The dragon fell.
She began reloading telekinetically as she’d done a thousand times in practice. She scouted for the others at the same time.Three coming up on your left.
I see them.
