Shadow (4 page)

They all had a quick wash at the water’s edge, under the watchful eyes of the three dragons. Then it was time to gather their things and mount up before the sun broke the horizon.

‘Are you sure you’re going to be all right riding alone, Nolita?’ Elian asked.

‘I’ll manage,’ she mumbled. ‘If I’m ever going to get over my fears, I need to keep working at it.’

Kira gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. Nolita impressed her more with every passing day. Elian did not look convinced, but Kira stared at him until he backed off and resumed packing
his gear. He was acting like a mother hen. Nolita had a full set of flying gear now, so even if they emerged from the gate into the freezing air of high altitude like last time, she would be
prepared. Firestorm would look after her.

There was no sign of the snake’s carcass, but the contented feeling she sensed from Fang told her all she needed to know. If he had not eaten the snake by himself, the dragons had shared
it. She shuddered. They were welcome to it. Snake meat had never been a favourite. It was not the flavour. It was the thought of what she was eating that put her off. So much for the hardened
hunter, she thought, with an inward grimace.

They mounted their dragons. Nolita looked pale as a wraith in the milky morning light. In contrast, Firestorm’s blue scales were vibrant. His delight at his rider’s continued bravery
reflected in his proud stance and sparkling eyes. He was almost unrecognisable from the washed-out dragon they had first met a week before, when Nolita was too scared to go near him.

Elian indicated for Kira to take the lead on Fang. As they launched, accelerating into the take-off with an explosion of speed, Kira caught sight of several lions scattering from their flight
path. This might be their normal hunting territory, but Kira suspected the orb was more likely to be the reason for their presence. The dragons were a powerful deterrent, but a group of large
predators in full blood-frenzy could prove dangerous. The sooner they got rid of the orb, the better.

The familiar sight of the swirling grey vortex ahead of them caused Kira to hold her breath. These gateways that Aurora formed were very useful, but most unpleasant to enter. In that final
instant before crossing the threshold, Kira wished that she did not have to enter first. She knew the order they had decided upon was logical, but that did not make it any easier. Aurora had to be
last because the gateway would collapse behind her the instant she entered. Nolita had only ever been through the gateways whilst riding with Elian on Aurora until now. It would not be fair to ask
her and Firestorm to lead the way. Nolita was not up to that yet.

They entered, plunging into nothingness. The strange twisting wrench no longer troubled her, but Kira hated the sensation that followed. It felt as though she was submerged in a liquid, floating
in grey nothingness. The feeling always made her think of death. Was this what it would be like after she breathed her last? She hoped not. She could not think of anything worse.

The second wrench on emergence into the other world was disorienting, but she was happy to be in clear air again. It was dark and cold here. Kira looked around. The others had emerged behind
her. She could not see them, but the powerful wingbeats of Firestorm and Aurora were distinctly audible.

‘Where are we, Fang?’
she asked silently.

‘We’re not far from where we emerged last time,’
he replied.
‘The human battle-lines are almost directly beneath us. Aurora is going to lead us back to the
woods where we hid before.’

Bursts of light to their right suddenly lit up the countryside with a rapid sequence of spectacular flashes. Thumping cracks followed quickly, the sounds splitting the air in a way that seemed
to tear at the very fabric of reality. Kira’s stomach felt as if it were in her throat as her eyes automatically flicked from one eruption of fire to the next.

The noise of the explosions caused details of previous visits to zip through her mind in a rapid sequence of images: the strange flying machines that had attacked them, the brave airman who had
flown to their aid and the terrible aerial conflict that had followed. Would they see the man again? It seemed unlikely. Even if he were nearby, the darkness would cloak him.

The dragons were flying low enough to pick out some details during the brief moments of illumination. The trenches were distinctly visible: long lines gouged deep into the earth, a mesmerising
pattern of wounds. There were people down there – many thousands of people. How could they do this day after day? How long had they been fighting? Kira could find no sense in it.

Aurora took the lead and veered off to the west, away from the seemingly endless trenches. Elian’s dragon was right. The woods were a good place to hide.

‘How long until sunrise, Fang?
’

‘About an hour and a half,’
the dragon replied.
‘Aurora’s senses are finely attuned to the moment of dawn.’

‘Not long, then. Good,’
Kira said. Although Aurora’s ability to travel to this world was useful, the elapsed time between worlds did not match in any measurable way,
so there was no way of knowing how long they would have to spend here. Gateways could only be formed at dawn in either world. Aurora could control when she arrived in Areth, but she could not tell
what time of day or night it would be until she emerged through the gateway into this other world. The less time we spend here, the better, Kira thought.

‘I’ve got a bad feeling about tonight,’
she continued.
‘Stay alert, Fang. My hunter’s instinct is prickling.’

The dragon did not respond verbally to her warning, but she could feel his increased concentration. He was reaching out with his senses. Despite the concealing blanket of the dark night sky, she
also felt him camouflage. It was disconcerting when he effectively disappeared from beneath her, especially at night.

As they moved further from the lines of fighting, so the constant noise of battle reduced to a distant rumble. The dragons slowly descended, dropping lower and lower until Kira found she could
make out certain shapes on the ground. It was a dark night, but her eyes had adjusted to the low light and she could see farmhouses, trees and the line of a river. The sound of a dog barking was
just audible above the wind-rush. Kira smiled. There was no telling what had disturbed the dog but, if it was reacting to their presence, she did not think the animal would be so brave if it were
to meet the dragons.

They landed next to the woods and as soon as the riders had dismounted, the dragons moved between the trees towards the little clearing where they had camped during their previous visit. Leaves
were piling up beneath the tangled branches and the rich earthy smell of the autumn mulch filled the air. Looking back, she saw a faint edge of frost tinging the grass in the field where they had
touched down.

Kira had barely taken a couple of paces before she noticed. She removed a glove, held her hand in front of her mouth and breathed over it. She was breathing smoke! Her breath felt warm. Why was
she breathing smoke? Was this a side effect of being a dragonrider? Momentary panic set her heart racing and she looked around at the others to see if either of them had noticed. They were
breathing out smoke as well. Elian had a look of wonder on his face as he experimented just as she had. Nolita, though, did not look in the slightest bit perturbed.

Should I tell her? Kira wondered. She doesn’t appear to have noticed.

As if she had somehow heard Kira’s thoughts, Nolita turned to look first at her and then at Elian.

‘What’s the matter?’ she asked softly. ‘You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’

‘My breath!’ Elian whispered. ‘It’s smoking.’

To Kira’s surprise, Nolita began to chuckle, more smoke puffing from between her lips.

‘Are you telling me you’ve never seen your breath before?’ Nolita laughed, struggling to keep her voice down. ‘Don’t you have winter in Racafi? Doesn’t it get
cold enough for you to see your breath?’

‘We have different seasons, but it never gets this cold,’ Kira replied. ‘Is this normal, then?’

‘Perfectly normal,’ Nolita said, making a face and deliberately breathing out through her nose. The smoke-like vapour coiled lazily from her nostrils. ‘What do you think? Could
I be an honorary dragon?’

For Nolita to make such a joke was both extraordinary and unexpectedly funny. Kira began to snigger and Elian was quick to join her. They turned together and began to follow the dragons through
the trees, all the while asking questions about Nolita’s experience of winter in Cemaria.

There was something satisfying about scrunching through the thick layer of leaves. It was all but impossible to move silently, so Kira didn’t try. Instead she deliberately kicked through
the piles, the sensation bringing a strange sense of exuberance. It was not long until dawn. Their first success seemed close and it felt good.

They had reached the edge of the clearing where the dragons were already settling down to wait when something set the hairs prickling at the back of Kira’s neck again. She stopped suddenly
and tipped her head slightly to listen.

‘What is it, Kira?’ Elian’s voice was suddenly empty of humour.

‘Shh! Stand still – both of you. Listen!’

Nothing. The distant rumble of war was constant, but aside from that disconcerting backdrop of sound the night was still. After a long pause, Kira shook her head and grinned.

‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘That snake must have messed with my instincts. I keep getting the feeling something bad is about to happen. Did you see those lions when we left? Do you
think they were being drawn to the orb?’

Elian shrugged and Nolita paled still further.

‘If the orb’s influence is that strong, maybe we should prepare for trouble,’ Kira continued. ‘With all the blood being spilled in the trenches, I doubt it will attract
much interest, but there’s no harm in being careful.’

‘I can’t argue with that,’ Elian replied, his expression thoughtful. ‘What do you suggest?’

‘Let’s get the dragons to form a circle around us as they did last night. We’ll mount up a little earlier than normal and get into position to leave as soon as Aurora can form
a gateway.’

‘Sounds sensible.’

The dragons agreed. Once inside the protective circle formed by their scaly flanks, Kira began to relax. The three riders huddled together for warmth, but it made little difference. Their layers
of protective clothing masked any benefits and the cold slowly seeped into their limbs. Before long they were all walking around in the circular hollow, stamping their feet and waving their arms to
stimulate blood flow.

Time dragged, every minute stretching out into an age as dawn stubbornly refused to break. Kira began to think the night would never end. Looking at the others, she could see they were having
similar thoughts. It was the sound of the first dog barking that brought her to an abrupt standstill. Elian cocked his head for a moment and then continued his efforts to warm himself as soon as he
had identified the sound.

‘What’s the matter, Kira?’ he asked. ‘It’s just a dog.’

Kira’s nerves were tingling all down her back. Was this it? Did the dog’s barking herald the danger she had sensed since they first landed? A second dog added its bark to the first.
That was enough. Kira turned to the others.

‘Mount up!’ she ordered abruptly.

‘What?’ Elian exclaimed. ‘Don’t be silly, Kira. What threat are a couple of dogs?’

‘We’re being hunted. We need to get out of here now.’

Her tone held such authority that there were no further questions. Elian knew better than to challenge her when she spoke with that voice, and Nolita was always happier when given directions.
The three riders scrambled up the sides of their dragons.

‘The dogs are coming closer, Kira,’
Fang warned.
‘And there are lots of them,’
he added. He sounded surprised and Kira could not blame him. Dragons were
used to being respected and feared by all members of the animal kingdom, with a few very unusual exceptions. More and more dogs were adding their voices to the pack. Their frenzied barking held no
respect for anything. They were closing fast.

‘We need to get into the open,’ Kira called. ‘We should get into the air and fly until the sun comes up. There’s no space for the dragons to take off here, so let’s
get back to the field where we landed.’

‘No arguments here,’ Elian called back.

The dragons had to go carefully. Moving through the trees on their own was one thing, but they did not want their riders to be swept from their saddles by low branches.

They had barely entered the trees when the first of the dogs came running towards them, attacking in a ferocious, mindless pack of slavering, snarling teeth and fur. They were all shapes and
sizes, from great lumbering canine brutes right down through the scale to animals barely bigger than rats that yapped and snarled around the legs of their bigger cousins. Had the dragons been in
the open, the dogs would have posed little threat. Dragon scales were impervious to the teeth and nails of the canine attackers. Hampered by the trees, however, the riders were in danger. There was
little the dragons could do but try to ignore the dogs and push forwards towards the open fields nearby.

Although some dogs leaped at Kira, snapping at her legs with vicious teeth and madness in their eyes, the majority of the pack focused their attention on Firestorm and Nolita. The day dragon all
but disappeared as the dogs swept around him. Kira could see that Nolita had drawn her legs right up and was now kneeling on the saddle, precariously balanced and quite understandably
terrified.

It must be the orb, Kira thought. Its influence here seems to be magnified. It’s driving the poor creatures insane.

‘Hang on, Kira,’
Fang warned.
‘And close your eyes. Firestorm is about to warm things up.’

‘What’s he going to do?’ she asked aloud.

Fang did not have time to answer before she found out. The brave blue dragon lifted his head, cracking the branches above with ease before filling the air ahead of him with a great burst of
roaring fire that consumed everything in its path. Firestorm barely paused before pushing forwards into the smouldering passage he had blasted through the trees. Nolita ducked her head down between
her arms and clamped her eyes tight shut.