Jerrick’s head snapped up. “Best archer? I don’t believe it!”
“What’s not to believe? I’m the Queen’s Rider,” Ezaara retorted, “not an ornament to be left on a shelf.”
Erob melded with him. “Zaarusha has warned me that Ezaara won’t be fobbed off.”
Time to stick his neck out. Roberto stood. All heads swiveled to face him. “Our Honored Queen’s Rider has a point,” he said quietly. Was that relief that flashed across Ezaara’s face? “We’ve waited long for a Queen’s Rider. Now that we have one, she should fight.”
The room erupted.
Zaarusha swooped through the doors, her roar bouncing off the chamber walls. The queen of the dragons stalked to Lars.
Lips pursed, Lars placed his hand above Zaarusha’s eye ridges, so they could mind-meld. Turning to the council, Lars announced, “Zaarusha wishes to take Ezaara to battle. She says they’ve fought tharuks together before. I concur: she may go.”
Excitement radiated from Ezaara. Colors cascaded through Roberto, then they were gone.
Lars stabbed a finger in the air toward Ezaara. “Honored Queen’s Rider, you must stay on dragonback. You may engage as an archer, but only from the air. You are not, under any circumstances, allowed to fight on foot at close range with tharuks.”
“Certainly,” Ezaara replied, lashes lowered.
Her manner reminded Roberto of their first archery session and her flight stunt, putting him on edge. Was her concurrence a ruse? Would she put herself in danger? He touched the pocket holding her ribbon. He’d vouched for her, and whatever she did, he was sworn as her protector.
§
Zaarusha landed in the clearing below her den, Erob next to her. Ezaara could hardly sit still in the saddle, she was so jittery. The clearing was filled with dragons, gravel crunching underfoot as they landed. Roberto dismounted, pulled a bundle out of his saddlebags and came over, motioning her to get down. She slid down Zaarusha’s side.
He passed her some rolled-up fabric. “Here’s an archer’s cloak to keep out the cold.”
“Thank you.” Ezaara wrapped the thick cloak around her shoulders and fastened it down the front, slipping her arms out the arm holes. Roberto adjusted her quiver so her arrows poked through the tailor-made hole.
Roberto took a deep breath. “Please, heed Lars’ warning. Fight from dragonback only. You’re too valuable for us to lose.” Without waiting for an answer, he strode to Erob and jumped astride him.
Valuable—what was that about? Another way of pressuring her to keep Lars’ rules?
A figure hurtled out of the main cavern, running through the dragons to Erob. Adelina reached up to squeeze Roberto’s hands and murmured something to him. He smiled, a gentleness coming over his face that Ezaara seldom saw.
Adelina came over to Ezaara and squeezed her hands too. “Good luck, My Queen’s Rider, may you fly swiftly and come home unharmed.” A moment later she was gone.
Ezaara climbed into her saddle and cinched herself in.
Clatter filled the air like stones bouncing down a mountainside. Ezaara spun. It wasn’t an avalanche, but the rustle of a hundred wings as more dragons swooped down from the mountainside.
All these dragons for a fight in a village? What would all-out war be like? Weapons clanked and leather creaked around her as riders adjusted the girths on their dragons’ saddles.
A few dragons over, Gret was perched behind two others, sword at her side. She waved to Ezaara, grinning. So Gret would be fighting on the ground. Ezaara waved back. Hopefully, she’d be safe, facing those monsters up close.
Master Jerrick thrust an extra quiver of arrows into Zaarusha’s saddlebag. “Make these count,” he said. “If you’re as good as Master Roberto says, every arrow should find a tharuk.”
Ezaara nodded. “Yes, Master Jerrick.”
Roberto raised his eyebrows. “Ready?”
Ezaara swallowed. “Of course.” Around them, riders were watching. She forced herself to smile and sit straighter in the saddle.
Zaarusha melded, “Whatever happens, hold on tight. I don’t want to lose you in midair.” In the moonlight, her scales were glorious.
Aidan stood before the assembled warriors. “We’ve sworn to protect the realm, to preserve the peace, and not to let Zens’ tharuks enslave our people. Get in fast, strike hard and save the settlers of River’s Edge.” He pumped his fist in the air.
Amid dragon roars, riders cheered. Zaarusha and Erob took to the sky. Tugging Roberto’s cloak around her against the chill, Ezaara marveled as the undulating mass of dragons broke into four squadrons, North, South, East and West, each with a master at the front.
She and Roberto were at the center of the compass, protected on all sides.
“And from below,” Zaarusha rumbled in Ezaara’s mind. “I’ll blast anyone who attacks you, and Erob will protect you from above.”
“Above?”
“If necessary.”
Ezaara gazed up at the dark sky, the stars like a littling’s shiny scatter stones on a dark blanket. Could her family see the same stars tonight? Hopefully Ma was safe. And Tomaaz and Pa. Her chest tightened. If anything happened to her tonight, she’d never see them again.
Soon, the long fingers of dawn were stretching across the horizon, smearing yellow paint above the flatlands, glancing off the mountains to their left. The golden light cast Roberto’s face a beautiful shade of bronze.
“Focus,” Zaarusha rumbled. “We’re nearly there. Ready your bow.”
Alongside, Erob snorted and Roberto fastened his waist harness and nocked an arrow in his bow.
Ezaara leaned low, her bow nocked, as Zaarusha descended toward a plume of smoke. River’s Edge was nestled in the sweeping bend of a broad river. Houses were on fire. Tharuks swarmed through the streets, attacking men, women and littlings. Screams and roars rent the air. More tharuks were flooding into the village from the forest. Isolated pockets of beasts were chasing villagers across fields.
Fleur broke formation first, flying further along the river with a few riders to set up her healing outpost. Aidan and
