Ashes And Spirit (Book 3) (65 page)

Maleena reached Nydara and leaped for the leather seat. Her hands caught it easily, and she pulled herself up as the silver launched into the air. While the dragon climbed, Maleena secured one thigh strap first then pulled her other leg up to put the catcher strap on. When it was snug, she dropped her leg and buckled the other thigh strap. A glance at Tellnox, who was a couple of wing lengths away, showed Mckale finishing the last thigh strap as well.

In quick succession the others took to the sky, each rider waiting until their dragon was in the air to fasten the straps.

For a brief moment, silence hung like a thick blanket. The bells were quiet having done their job. The warriors on the ground waited. The dragons rode the wind. Then the black Jumps swirled open like dark, oily pools. As three human armies and a Kojen army poured through, the silence was shattered on the shards of battle.

In the field below on the far side of the river from Markene, the Boromari archers let loose their first volley of arrows. As the massive army of roaring Kojen and the Trilene charged across the snow the arrows struck home, sending a wave of Kojen and humans into the white blanket. Those behind trampled over the fallen. Another volley of arrows cut through the air as a fiery ball lobbed from a trebuchet sailed over their heads and ripped a path through the purple mass. The Nagas and Nagi moved like long sinuous snakes as they burned and tore their way through the Kojen.

To the south, more archers loosed arrows at the human armies of Turindar and Hanover. Screams split the air when the arrowheads buried themselves in human flesh. As the charge continued the archers fell back, still releasing arrows as fast as they could until the leading wave of attack broke against the advancing pikes. The melee of full battle began to the backdrop of clashing weapons and war cries.

In the air, more Shadow Dragons than Maleena thought possible filled the sky. With a sinking heart, she saw that the Guardians were outnumbered by three to one at the very least, even if many of the shadows were obviously younger dragons with more inexperienced riders. The sky, lit by green and orange fire, was thick with different weaves.

Nydara slammed into one of the younger shadows, sinking her claws in and wrenching it around with strong strokes of her powerful wings. The shadow snapped at Nydara. The silver yanked her head to the side, snaked her neck and struck. The sickening snap of the shadow’s skull shot through the air as she crushed it in her larger jaws.

Releasing the black dragon, she dove after its falling form, burning the rider-turned Benduiren with a wide band of flame.
“I need you off my back so I can fight more efficiently,”
Nydara sent.

Maleena sent a confirmation back and began loosening the safety straps. Nydara landed heavily at the outer fringes of the Kojen, crushing them beneath her weight. Her jaw spread wide, and she unleashed a river of fire into their ranks. Liquid flames dripped from her teeth as Maleena jumped to the ground and ran several paces to give the dragon room. With a hard downward thrust of her wings, Nydara launched into the air again.

Maleena kept track of the dragon with part of her mind while she devoted the rest of it to the Kojen. Magic filled her and flowed from her in a raging torrent as she threw weaves at them. A wave rippled through them as any within the reach of her weave dropped to the ground, their minds crushed.

Dimly, she was aware of other dragons, both shadows and Guardians, touching down long enough to let riders off before taking to the sky again. Maleena worked her way around until she was with the front lines of the Boromari before pulling her sword against the Kojen. Though not good enough to come even close to winning against Kirynn, she could still take down Kojen with it.

Kirynn battled on the ground, her zahri a blur as she carved a space around her. Slowly, she gave ground along with the rest of the Boromari. Fight, fall back. Fight, fall back. Drawing them closer to the castle. Not far from her, Jocelynn and Marcaius made their spaces, their zahris coated in the blood of the enemy.

Syrakynn sent snatches of images to Kirynn while keeping most of her attention on the aerial battle. An image flashed…Kirynn watched the Boromari dispatchers slide unnoticed through the higher ranks of the enemy army. Nothing. Then another image…two of those commanding the Turindari and Hanoveran went down silently. Nothing. Another image…another enemy commander down.

Kalila sat on her horse just outside the city gates with the entire complement of Defenders that had been sent to Markene with her. Arrayed in a tight ring three men thick, beyond them were more than a hundred of the Markeni army. She watched the battle with anxiety and fear building as the Markeni that were mixed in the fighting across the river fell back to the bridge. Their maneuver left gaps in the Boromari and Kantherian lines.

They would not fail to hold the bridge because of her soldiers. The Defenders and soldiers around her jumped out of the way when she booted the horse forward. They quickly regrouped as her horse broke into a trot on the bridge and formed a diamond formation around her.

As she neared those who had fallen back, she yanked her sword from its sheath and shouted, “For honor! For Markene!” They turned and shock washed across their faces at the sight of their queen and her guard coming at them.

Kalila didn’t wait for them to respond; instead she rode straight past them and into the battle. Her personal guard and soldiers cut a swath of enemies around her. A grim smile touched her lips when she heard the soldiers who had fallen back cry, “For honor! For the queen!” She took a quick glance back. They found the courage that had faltered and most were now refilling the gaps in the line. Others were rushing to help defend their queen.

Kovan cut through the people around him with satisfaction. It wasn’t as perfect as taking them down with his power, but at least it was more precise. No sense killing a bunch on his own side by accident. Each time his blade cut through flesh it was an echo of what he’d felt in Basc, in Lowden, in Bandar, in Border Reach. He relished it. This made things easier, made it easier to think.

He turned to find his next victim and froze. Her dark hair swung around her face as she turned toward him. Her violet eyes met his. This woman, the one he couldn’t look at when she was a prisoner in the Kormai. This woman was the one woman in the entire world that he knew without a doubt he couldn’t kill, couldn’t even defend himself against. The memory of his mother’s eyes crinkling in a smile as she reached to hug him filled his mind. Kovan stared at the woman before him as his sword dropped to the ground.

In a moment of clarity, he could see. See what he had become. See that he hadn’t avoided becoming the monster his father was. And now this woman with eyes like his mother’s was here to release him from the torture. He dropped to his knees in front of her and spread his arms wide.

When she hesitated, confusion written in those beautiful, violet eyes, he begged, “Please.”

Her eyes hardened, and she thrust the sword forward. Agony lanced through his chest as she twisted the blade and yanked it back out. The sky, filled with dragons, swam across his fading vision. Had he fallen? The cold snow soaked through his hair and provided an icy balance to the fire in his chest. Through the darkness that seeped around the edges of his eyes, he watched her kneel next to him. Her eyes. They shifted between the violet eyes of the woman and those of his mother, and as the pain faded with everything else, he smiled. It was right.

Maleena stood and backed away from the man. Her head throbbed from the contact she had made after he fell. So much torment. So much twisted darkness. The Kojen and the Trilene were closing in again. Backing up a step, she gauged the progress of battle then called Nydara to her. There was no way this would happen as she had dared to let herself hope. There were too many Shadow Dragons. If there weren’t so many shadows…As it was, Nydara and Tellnox had already taken their fair share of injuries as had Mckale.

The silver landed. Maleena shoved her sword in its sheath and dashed headlong toward her, trusting the dragon to keep her safe until she gained the saddle. Not bothering with the catcher strap, she secured the safety straps a second before Nydara leaped into the air.

The silver dodged a shadow, opened a Slide, and flew into it. They came out over the Lake of Spirits. In the distance, her bond-enhanced eyes could just barely see the battle in the air. And then it hit her. There were no golds.

“There are no Gold Riders here! I can’t do this without Light!”
she sent to Nydara. How could she have missed that? There was no way she could pull on Vaddoc’s or Loki’s power with them in Galdrilene.

Nydara grew silent, and then,
“Merru assures me he will bring Loki.”

“He isn’t well enough.”
Loki wasn’t ready for this. He hadn’t learned yet to fight with only vision in one eye.

“He has to be.”

Nydara landed. Maleena yanked the safety straps with enough force to break them and leaped down.
“Keep an eye on him.”
There really wasn’t any other way. As the silver lifted off again, Maleena walked onto the smooth sand of the lake.

“Several of the shadows have realized where we’ve gone,”
the silver sent.
“Their eyesight is as good as mine, which is twice as good as yours. They are flying this way now.”

“Just stay alive for me, Nydara. And make sure Merru knows not to let Loki off his back.”
Maleena waded into the water and pulled on her power.