The First Starborn (Astral Alliance Book 2) by Bryan Davis

Author:Bryan Davis [Davis, Bryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scrub Jay Journeys
Published: 2023-09-08T16:00:00+00:00

I clutched the locket through my shirt. “No. You can’t have it.”

“Then I will take it!” His head shot forward, teeth bared. We all flung ourselves down to the raft. I grabbed the steering pole again, hoping to use it as a weapon, but what good would it be against a dragon?

His head and neck whipped back and coiled, like an adder ready to strike again. “This is your last chance. Give me the ruby or die.”

With the pole in hand, I shot to my feet and shouted, “Zoë! Get ready to toss some grenades at the dragon.”

She squinted. “What grenades?”

“Stinger grenades.” I whacked one of the bramble bee cocoons. It broke open. A bee flew out with an angry buzzsaw noise. I whacked another sac and another and another. More bees zipped out.

Waving her hands, Zoë mentally hurled the bees toward Tempest. As they swarmed around his face, he batted at them with claws and wings while I broke more cocoons.

Bees flew at me, but Zoë grabbed them with her mind and tossed them toward the dragon. In the midst of the buzzing din, I shouted, “Make a water shield around us. Then Tempest will be their only target.”

“Will do.” Zoë waved her hands faster than ever. Water shot up from the lake in a wide circle and covered the entire raft in a dome with me standing through the ceiling, getting soaked by the spray. I knocked down one more cocoon, sat on the raft, and drew the pole onto my lap as I watched the dragon through the dome.

With at least a dozen bees jabbing at his face, Tempest thrashed his neck to toss them from his head, but the bees followed every motion, relentlessly stinging him. If what he said about his scales was true, maybe the stingers were sharp enough to penetrate. I already knew they could pierce the tough hide of a Jaradian. Even if not, Tempest’s eyes were vulnerable and maybe the inside of his mouth if he decided to open it and blast them with fire, but that would be a last resort, given the danger of igniting the glowsap.

Soon, Tempest’s movements slowed, as did Zoë’s. Breathing rapidly, she looked at me. “I can’t keep this up much longer.”

I clutched my pendant through my shirt. “The ruby’s shining like crazy. You must be stronger than ever.”

Zoë groaned. “I feel strong, but my arm wound is killing me.”

“Right. I forgot. Try to hang on. He’s been stung several times. Maybe he’ll keel over soon.”

She gasped for breaths between phrases. “Yeah. Sure. … But when … the dragon’s dead … what then? … We still have … the bees to … deal with.”

“We’ll keep water over us while we run through the door.”

“If it … opens,” Zoë said.

Tempest’s head smacked the shallow water. As the bees continued stabbing his neck, he stared directly at me, his snout submerged and his eyes pulsing with fury. He lifted his head and wheezed, “You will die with me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.