Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Attack. Plume. Sky. Dragons plummeted.
As Skye translated for the others, Rimi waited impatiently. As soon as everyone turned to her for their next move, Rimi told them, “I need you all to tell me everything about this powder and the previous threats.”
Gathering all the information took time, Rimi suspected they didn’t have. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a choice. As the mates fell silent, she debated what to do next. Slate was still wonky. He was also young and inexperienced—not that she had a lot of insight into the world. She’d hidden in caves to protect herself for her entire life.
“We’re not staying behind.” Lalani’s statement interrupted her thoughts. “They’re going to expect dragons to come. Some of us sneaking in on the ground could be effective.”
Rimi stared at the woman. Immediately, the other mates nodded. They all agreed. If their dragons died, they would most likely pass as well. Their minds and hearts were too intermeshed.
“How many of us can you carry?” Brooks asked.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never flown with anyone on my back,” Rimi admitted.
“How far away is this, Slate?” Aurora asked.
The young dragon shook his head. He didn’t have a clue. It’s outside Wyvern. We flew toward the sun when we left.
So east of the city. Skye figured it out. Had the sun moved toward your shoulder by the time of the attack?
Yeah! It had. I’d ducked behind Drake in the beginning of our flight, but when the attack happened, I was flying next to him, Slate reported. I’m trying to remember what happened, but everything is foggy.
“Take your time, Slate. Tell us whatever you can as you remember. Thanks to that information, we can guess they’re at least an hour out. Maybe two,” Ciel said.
“With everyone on my back, I won’t be able to fly as fast,” Rimi pointed out. She noticed Keres’ housekeeper and all the staff gathered around. They stood by to see what they could do to help. Even as stressed as Rimi felt, their support gave her strength.
I’m not staying here, Slate vowed. If you leave me, I’ll follow. I only came back because I couldn’t save them alone.
Rimi stared at him for a moment before nodding. “You hang back behind me. The mates will need you to drag them out of there if something happens to me.”
“You’re too sparkly,” Aurora told Rimi. “They’ll see you coming a mile away.”
Rimi glanced down at the muck around her feet. “I’ll roll in the dirt. That will keep my scales from shining.”
Shifting, Rimi moved away from the remnants of the powder they’d washed from Slate. The workers wet a large patch of ground, and Rimi rolled in the mud. It felt cold and clammy, making this effort seem fated for disaster. Without discussing it, the mates who were dressed in light colors followed her pattern, even coating their blond hair.
Slate burst into Rimi and Skye’s brains, sounding excited. That dirt makes me remember something. Keres had soared high to check for deer. He messaged he’d found something strange. A distant settlement in the center of areas where the ground appeared to be excavated.
My money’s on that settlement, Skye announced. Good job, Slate. Let’s go check it out.
Brooks and Skye climbed onto Slate’s back as the others climbed onto hers. Rimi glanced at her son’s dragon, immensely proud of his bravery. He didn’t shy away from danger.
Rising into the air, she smoothed out her flight as much as possible for the three mates who sat on her back. She scanned the ground ahead, straining to see any trace of Keres and the others. Nothing popped out to her inside Wyvern’s borders. Rimi wanted to speed forward as fast as possible, but she saved as much strength as possible. She would need it.
Rimi flew for an hour before dropping to the ground. She glanced up at the big white clouds gathered overhead. Studying them, she hoped to see them darkening to rain or even better, a storm. Perhaps water falling from the sky could work for them to rinse away the powder. Unfortunately, they remained fluffy and completely harmless.
We go on foot from here. Skye, can you pull the mates close? Tell them as we move, they should try to contact their mate. Warn the dragons not to react. Skye acted immediately. The young woman gathered the other mates and whispered into their ears. Immediately, their expressions became focused.
Slate, we’ll cover more ground on foot and be less likely to be spotted if we split up. Take Brooks and Skye. Go that direction and circle around.
Following her own advice, Rimi reached out to Keres. He didn’t answer her as she trod over the ground as quickly and as quietly as possible. Ciel, Aurora, and Lalani didn’t speak. They hugged her back, not moving. She strained her keen dragon eyesight, trying to spot something. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.