Cast in Fire by Zora Marie

Author:Zora Marie [Marie, Zora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-11T21:42:35+00:00

21

The forest came to an abrupt end, and the ground fell away in a steep cliff to the ocean. Without a word, the men worked their way backwards over the edge of the sheer cliff and began picking their way down, one foot at a time.

The last one paused before he disappeared from sight. “Don’t just stand there, there’s only two ways down and this is the way to our ship.”

Three long shadows passed over the men and they plastered themselves against the cliff. With only a glance at the dragons, Fifthry and Dotchavitch jumped from the cliff.

“Come on, Zelia, jump. I’ll catch you,” Raven said.

Dotchavitch and Fifthry’s dragons circled up with their riders. Zelia slipped her arrow into her quiver, ran towards the cliff, and jumped. Raven swooped down and slid beneath her.

“Told you I’d catch you.” Raven spread her wings and rejoined the others.

“Nice jump!” Dotchavitch called over the beating wings.

They glanced down, the five men who hung from the cliff had a mix of surprise and fear in their eyes.

The dragons circled, rising and lowering with the thermals coming off the island. Dotchavitch and Fifthry devised a plan while Zelia and Raven flew up well above the island in search of a glimpse of the other riders.

“Do you see them, because I’m not seeing them.”

“No, they must be in the tunnels below the island.”

She shook her head when she returned to Dotchavitch and Fifthry.

“I could go check the tunnels.”

“No, I have a feeling we’re flying into a trap and our friends might have already found it,” Dotchavitch said.

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Ever since that man said he’d planned to take us to their ship…” her voice trailed off. “What do they do with the dragons?”

“Usually kill them. Sometimes they force them to work, who knows what they’d do if the others found them.”

She stared down at Raven’s black scales and her mind shot her back to the past. A knife replaced her bow and a bound boy drenched in blood screamed before her. No, they can’t be like that. She shook her head. And if they are, I won’t let them. Even if I have to break my promise.

She glanced across to Dotchavitch and Fifthry. How do I reply to the dragons in their tongue? She mulled over accessing their tongue but had made no progress by the time the men reached their rowboat. They picked up their oars and set to work rowing towards the huge open mouth of a nearby cavern.

The dragons hung back as they followed the men. It grew dark in the cave until it was nearly pitch black. Torches and lamps lit the cave ahead. The lights bobbed up and down with the steady waves lapping into the cave from the open ocean behind them. The sound of moving water and beating wings filled the air.

The men on the rowboat grew anxious, fidgeting and looked back at them more often.

Zelia glimpsed the ship around a bend of the cave. Its sail was furled so it could enter the cave.

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