Stop. Sweating.
Easier said than done, but now Leng was fighting Tred up on the saddle and in the faint moonlight I thought I saw blows being exchanged. Savette, tied helplessly to the saddle, could do nothing but watch, but if I was courageous, I could do more than that.
Ahlskibi launched into the air and I clenched my eyes tight, trying not to scream. I didn’t know if I’d succeeded or not. I was screaming inside, that was for sure. I forced my eyes open. We were out over the ocean. Three other dragons fanning out ahead of us. Hectorus on a nearby dragon. I didn’t know the leader in the front. They’d taken us by surprise. Although, if they didn’t leave quickly the High Castelan’s guard dragons would be here before they could. Ahlskibi was gaining on the pack. He knew what he was doing.
Leng struck Tred and he slumped to the side while Leng scrambled into the saddle. He was taking over Nenebeph! He was going to save Savette all on his own!
Poor Nenebeph. He didn’t want this and his rider was dead. He was probably heartbroken.
Goldens aren’t like that. They don’t bond like we do. It was nice to have Raolcan still speaking to me even though I was riding Ahlskibi.
Tred stirred, suddenly. Leng’s attention was focused forward and he didn’t see the move.
“Leng!” I called, but my words were lost in the wind.
Tred’s hand shot up, lit with orange fire and he flung it at Leng. Leng cried out, losing his balance and falling from the saddle at the same moment that Tred surged up and in the wake of the fireball, seized the reins and pulled Nenebeph upward.
We had only a moment. We were close enough that we could reach Savette and save her, but we were also the only ones close enough to save the plummeting Leng. I knew what we would do before Ahlskibi dove and I didn’t blame him. It was the decision I would have made, but I still felt a pang of guilt as my gaze connected with Savette’s panicked one. I’d been too late ... again.
Ahlskibi dropped like a stone until we were lower than Leng. He twisted to the side, swerving to line up under him. I reached my arm out, the other gripping his neck spike. As Ahlskibi lined us up with Leng’s speed and height I caught his reaching hands with mine and pulled him in so that he landed on Ahlskibi’s back behind me.
As we leveled off, I heard his voice in my ear. “I thought I could save her. I thought it would be safer for you if I did it on my own.”
Perhaps he should have left that decision up to me. I bit my own tongue. The other dragons were too far away to catch, although Ahlskibi was trying. They were small and growing smaller as they caught the drafts of winds further out over the sea. We would try – and fail – to catch them. I already knew that. And they would carry Savette far away and we would never find her again.
I watched as the guard dragons, finally alerted to what was happening in their midst, swept towards them. The gap was too far. I patted Ahlskibi’s side, knowing he was still chasing them for my sake. It was too late.
Had to try.
I was grateful to Ahlskibi for that. He’d done it for me. I hadn’t expected that kind of kindness from him. We watched as the tiny dragons became pinpricks in the night, still watching as most of the guard dragons returned, empty-handed to their posts. We were too late.
Somewhere, out in the night, Savette was tied with magic to the back of a dragon. By morning, she would be far away. In a week, she could be anywhere. She’d seen me as an ally and I’d let her down. I sniffled, not even trying to hold back my tears.
Don’t worry, spider. I will never let your heart break. Not over anything. We will find your friend.
How were we going to find her now? They weren’t going to let me out to look on my own. They didn’t even listen when I told them there was a threat.
Trust me. We will find a way.
Ahlskibi landed on a dock at the edge of the city. It was dark and lonely with only the far away lights to indicate that there were people here. I dismounted with a sigh. Why was Leng looking at me so strangely? The dress! It left most of my leg exposed. I felt my cheeks heat, but I didn’t have time to think of the embarrassment of that. It was going to be a long way back to the center of the city for a girl who had her crutch stolen.
Leng dismounted beside me, but I didn’t look at him. I was frustrated with him and I didn’t want to tell him that I was. If I did, it would just make me more vulnerable. I hobbled forward, holding Ahlskibi with one hand for balance.
“Amel,” Leng said, his voice rough with some sort of emotion. I hoped it was repentance. He had treated me badly back there. I kept walking – sort of. “Amel, please stop.”
I stopped, but I didn’t turn. I kept my face towards the city ahead of me, with the moon at my back, my shadow was before me. The dock was narrow and Leng had to squeeze by me as he passed. I couldn’t help the little shiver that ran through me as his arm brushed mine on the way past. He got in front of me and looked me in the eyes, his face lit by the moon behind me. He licked his lips nervously, his breath gusting between them quickly.
“I shouldn’t have taken your crutch.”
I didn’t know what to say. Obviously, he shouldn’t have. Saying that sounded cruel, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. He ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes for a moment before speaking again.
“I shouldn’t have tried to do everything myself.”
“Savette is gone because you were all so certain that I’d just get in the way. She’s stolen away and I wasn’t there to help her. There should have been guards. There should have been precautions taken. This shouldn’t have happened! You all should have listened to me and not brushed me off just because I’m a cripple!”
He gasped. “I ... I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t treat you gently because of your leg. It’s... it’s...”
“I’m not going to break. Just because I broke before doesn’t mean that I’m fragile.” I couldn’t help the vulnerable tone of my voice. I didn’t like talking about my leg. I didn’t like having to admit that it made me seem fragile.
His eyes were wide with gentleness as he said, “I think I understand. It won’t happen again. I’m so sorry.”
“If you want me to be your friend, then you need to respect me and trust me.” My lips were trembling now. I didn’t want to cry in front of him, but it was just so unfair! If I was whole, he never would have treated me like this.
“I do respect you. I’m not sure there’s another human who impresses me as much as you do.” He reached up and brushed a stray hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear and his lips parting before his face took on a tight expression and his hand fell back to his side. He always seemed so cold whenever I got close. He’d be warm, warm, warm and then freezing cold. I gasped at the suddenness of it.
“I’d better get you back to your quarters,” he said, dipping his head respectfully like I was a High Castelan. I bit my lip, feeling like there should be more, like he wanted to say more but couldn’t. But what could I do about that? His heart was his own and any feelings it held were his secrets alone to share.
As we remounted Ahlskibi and he flew me back to my rooms, I wondered where Savette was. How long would it be before I saw her again? Would we find her before her kidnappers did something more than simply take her away? I chewed worriedly at my lip. We landed outside my quarters and Leng helped me down.
“I’ll take care of this, Amel. Ahlskibi and I will find your friend.” Leng said, his face serious in the lantern light.
I smiled, half-heartedly and nodded, turning to leave, but he spun me around, his expression torn with pain and something else, something I couldn’t identify. He gripped my shoulders, drawing me to him with a combination of gentleness and power I’d never felt before. His kiss on my forehead was butterfly-light and the brightness in his eyes as he pulled back from the kiss burned into my memory. Wordlessly, he scooped me up, carried me to my door. As he set me down a determined look filled his face and then he kissed me again on the forehead and then leaned down to delicate
ly kiss each cheek.
“I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you,” I said, my voice trembling. What did all the kisses mean? Was it just that he was sorry, or was it something more? Could he feel some of the affection for me that I felt for him?
His face filled with determination and then he turned and walked back to Ahlskibi.
“I promise that I’ll make this right,” he said as he remounted, and when he soared up into the sky, I found that I believed him.
Continue Amel’s story in Dragon School: The Ruby Isles
Behind the Scenes:
USA Today bestselling author, Sarah K. L. Wilson, hails from the rocky Canadian Shield in Northern Ontario where she lives with her husband and two small boys. Her interests include the outdoors, history, and philosophy. Her books are always about fantastical adventures in other worlds.
Sarah would like to thank Harold Trammel and Sarah Brown for their incredible work in beta reading and proofreading this book. Without their big hearts and passion for stories, this book would not be the same.
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Visit Sarah’s website for a complete list of available titles.
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Dragon School: The Dark Prince Page 7