Ultimate Magic by T. A. Barron

Author:T. A. Barron [Barron, T. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780142419267
Amazon: 0142419265
Publisher: Puffin
Published: 2011-06-09T04:00:00+00:00

17: THE BLACK GASH

Where, I wonder, was Dagda on that night we needed him most?

Shifting the angle of his great wings, Basilgarrad descended rapidly. All around him, night deepened, cloaking the lands below in mysterious veils of gray and black, streaked now and then with shimmering silver from the stars. If he hadn’t known where he was flying, he couldn’t have been certain whether those dark veils covered mountains, forests, or seas.

He was in no mood, however, to appreciate the scenery. His voice rumbled as his powerful claws raked the air, clutching at nothing—signs of his overwhelming frustration. Why couldn’t they simply plunge into the Haunted Marsh and attack that miserable beast of darkness right now? Before it could do its next terrible deed, whatever that might be?

Because that would be stupid, Basil. The wizard, who had heard the dragon’s frustrated thoughts, shot back a blunt reply. I really think—

You think too much, came the equally blunt retort, cutting him off. I agreed to wait until morning, but I didn’t agree to like it.

Merlin, his arms wrapped around the dragon’s ear, sighed heavily. He glanced down at the silver stars that embroidered his robe’s flowing sleeves. In the constant wind of flying, the sleeves flapped and fluttered, making the stars seem to shimmer—as if they were, themselves, connected to the quivering lights in Avalon’s sky.

Basilgarrad glanced behind, checking on their winged companions. Despite the deepening gloom, he could see Marnya’s blue scales glittering as she moved her flippers. Would he soon regret having taught that water dragon how to fly? Would this battle prove too much for even her adventurous spirit?

He frowned, scrunching the scales of his snout. Questions like that he couldn’t begin to answer. The future remained hidden, as impossible to see as young Ganta, who was flying somewhere behind Marnya.

A flash of blue, brighter than her luminous scales, caught his attention. Marnya’s eye! For an instant their gazes met, connecting them across that distance, while their eyes glowed in the darkness like a sapphire and an emerald.

Only because he sensed the nearness of land, Basilgarrad turned away. Just in time, too. A large, undulating shape loomed right below them. He tilted both wings backward to catch the air and slow himself for landing.

“There it is,” said Merlin into the dragon’s ear. “The great sand dune I told you about. We’re only a few leagues from the Marsh, just a short hop over the desert. But behind this dune, we can wait for dawn in secret.”

The dragon lifted his head and arched his back as he prepared to hit the ground. The trick wouldn’t be landing safely, despite the dark of night. No, the difficulty would be landing quietly—setting down his enormous body without making noise that could alert their enemies.

Wind rushed across Basilgarrad’s face, much warmer than before. All at once he thought of another warm wind, his wandering friend Aylah. Could it be her? He sniffed the air, searching for the wind sister’s familiar scent of cinnamon.

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