Page 100 of Of Blood and Fire
Ahead in the distance, drakkons bugled, darted, and flamed. There might be only four of them, but they were flying so fast there seemed to be more. Half the Mareritten encampment appeared to be on fire, but arrows and acid continued to cut through the air, and the drakkons’ fiery streams were having as little effect on the shimmering bubble that encased the center of the encampment or the small pockets that were scattered about the battlefield beyond it as ours had had on the magic encasing the carts.
Kaia, ask Yara if they’ve tried to enter the larger shielded zone.
There was a pause, then,Yes, can’t.
And the smaller pockets? They tried sweeping low and crushing?
Same. Can’t.
So why the fuck hadn’t they used that type of shielding in the fog tunnel? Given the trap they’d attempted, they were obviously expecting our attack, so why not protect the whole supply train? Was it simply a matter of not having enough mage power to do so? Was that why they were also only protecting pockets of soldiers outside the main bubble rather than everyone? Not that it really mattered at this point. If the drakkons couldn’t breach the main shield, then we needed to find another means of doing so... and quickly.
I tugged the quill tablet free and sent a quick message to Garran, explaining the problem and asking if the mages could shift the earth enough to disturb whatever pins they were using to hold up the main shield, then tucked the tablet away and ordered Kaia and Taitia back into the tunnel. As one, they swooped around and dove in. More green sludge caked Kaia’s wings, but she ignored it, dropping long, sweeping her feetforward, catching and crushing anything in her way while the younger drakkon flew slightly ahead and above, sweeping her flames left and right, cindering everything that wasn’t protected by magic. Within minutes, there was nothing left in that tunnel except ashes and broken bits of Mareritt, their weapons, and their carts.
One problem down, one to go—but until our earth mages could find a means of undermining the shield over the main encampment, we’d just have to keep hitting them with everything we had and make damn sure there were no Mareritt or weapons outside of that bubble left alive.
Plan, Kaia said ferociously, and banked up, out of the fog that was fading at a surprisingly slow rate.
More of the sludge caked her wings, but she flew on, seemingly undeterred... until the sun came out from behind the cloud bank and hit the slime, changing its color, expanding it...hardeningit.
Heavy, she growled.Make hard to fly.
I swore and called to my fire, flinging it left and right across her wings, but that only seemed to increase the rate of expansion and hardening and restricted her movements even further.
Kaia, you need to get to the ground before that stuff hardens too much and you lose control.
Dangerous on ground. Can glide.
But if that stuff sets like rock, you won’t be able to brake or control direction. Better to land so I can cut it away.
She hesitated.Sure can cut?
My sword can slice through any known substance.And it had certainly sliced through magic easily enough in the past.
No like.
Neither do I, but it is better than gliding into a mountain and killing us both.
Truth, she grumbled and flicked her stiff wings, turning around, angling down... just as the substance solidified completely.
Leaving us in a spiraling turn heading straight for the ground.
Kaia bugled, out loud and within, the sound unlike anything I’d heard before. It was a cry for help and a demand all in one, and it seemed to resonate through the air, a wave that rolled on and on.
As one, the drakkons banked and swept toward us, but at that moment, gold appeared high in the sky. Riders. There were fucking riders here. Only four, by the look of it, but four was all it would take to keep the others from helping us. Because if one of them got through while we were on the ground...
Kaia...
Know. Ordered them fight.
Good.Even if it meant we were on our own.
I glanced down; the ground was close now; so damn close. If we hit at this speed, with Kaia’s wings extended and solid, they’d shatter, likely beyond any ability our medics had to repair.
Draw sword,shegrowled with just the faintest trace of fear. Cut now.
It was dangerous, because I could easily sever her wing....
Do, she said.Trust.
