Page 128 of House of Ashes

Even with my third eyelids down, my eyes watered from the acrid smoke. I coughed, trying to hold it back, but Rhylan burst through the smoke into clear air, angling for a patch of ground to touch down on—

And we nearly crashed into another dragon, the tips of Rhylan’s wings only inches from the other. I recognized Doric as he turned a barrel roll through the plumes, aiming for a scarred, pale green dragon.

Elinor moved with his motions, hooking a leg through one stirrup, her head whipping around to keep her center of balance, and to keep an eye on Doric’s surroundings.

He managed to tear past the green dragon, just below him—and Elinor whipped her sword around and upwards as he did so, slicing through the thin membrane of the dragon’s wing like a hot knife through butter.

The green dragon screamed, losing altitude. As he turned to bank, trying to save himself, Elinor and Doric flew past us again. This time I heard her shouts

“Above!” she screamed, pointing with her sword, and I realized my second mistake.

The bronze dragon had kept pace with us, always to our left, and he wasn’t there to attack Rhylan—he was simply the lookout.

I looked up. Into the black clouds spiraling into the sky.

And framed against the sun above, its fire shining through his scarlet wings like fresh blood, Kalros wheeled.

He dived, stooping towards Rhylan like a bird of prey, massive claws extended.

I screamed for Rhylan, thumping against his back with my fist. Hoping he’d hear words in the scream even as I flung myself flat against him.

The crimson dragon seemed to grin with a mouthful of knives as he swooped over us, claws catching the edge of the saddle, tearing it loose and forcing Rhylan to plummet fifty feet from his weight.

He flapped hard, the sound beating my eardrums, and the saddle lurched sickeningly, canting to the side. Kalros slashed at the back of Rhylan’s neck, sending hot spurts of blood into the air to spatter across my face and my dragon’s hide, severing the reins wrapped around my wrist.

I gripped for Rhylan’s shoulder blade, trying with everything in me to keep myself tucked between his wings, but my hands slipped over the smooth, bloody scales.

“Rhylan!” I shrieked, trying to press a hand to the gushing wound at the base of his neck. The blood was everywhere. It coated me with nauseating heat, soaked my clothes, my hair, filled my mouth…how much could he bleed and still live?

Kalros roared, a laugh tucked somewhere in the rumbling sound, and batted me with one clawed hand. The saddle ripped loose entirely, my reins dangling uselessly from one hand.

My dragon roared back to me, dark flames whispering through his fangs, and I thought I heard him say, hold on.

But I couldn’t. There was nothing left to hold onto.

On a sea of Rhylan’s blood I slipped over his side, my claws scoring his hide as I dropped, and Kalros knocked him away as I plunged through the smoky air to the earth far below.

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

Icaught glimpses of Rhylan as I plunged down, flipping head over heels: Kalros with his claws dug into his back, tearing at Rhylan’s neck—an awful look at the burning ground below me—Rhylan turning on Kalros, slashing with a bellow of flame.

I burst through a plume of smoke, flailing wildly, a panicked rush of disconnected thoughts running through my head as the ground rushed at me.

We failed—

How can I die here—

I wish I’d done more—

I wish he’d been mine—

I’d gambled and lost everything. Another failure, another miscalculation, and this time there wasn’t a chance to do it all over, all the things I wished I could go back and change—

I was close enough to see the embers burning below me, the fire waiting to consume my crushed body…and in another blink, with tears drawn out of my eyes by the smoke, something brilliantly violet shot over me, the rustle of wingbeats drowning out every other sound.

A stabbing rush of pain. Something latched onto my arm, my back, grabbing me without a care for where the claws penetrated—and in the next few seconds, the force of a sharp upward jerk against the downward momentum of my body sent my head snapping forward, my legs screaming as everything came to a sudden halt.