Billy was filled with an exhausted sense of relief. They could do this. They could win. When Buttons had restored Xing and Ling-Fei, their group would be at full strength. Together, they would defeat Dimitrius and the nox-wings.
Billy looked back towards the ice sphere and felt his stomach drop. Dimitrius was grinning and flapping his wings faster and faster. As he did, a huge ball of swirling purple fire formed in the water in front of him. His wings came together in a thunderous clap, hurling the fireball forward. The ball exploded against the inner wall of the ice sphere. Billy staggered as he felt the impact, trying with all his might to help Spark contain the nox-wings.
Until he couldn’t any more.
Because Dimitrius and the nox-wings had burst out of the ice and were coming straight at them.
Separated
‘Everyone, fire!’ roared Tank. ‘Use the bond!’
Billy felt a surge of determination in Spark as she lowered her head and aimed a river of electric ice at Dimitrius. Xing fired ice too, while Buttons and Tank blew massive columns of fire. Billy put all his effort into Spark’s blast and hoped that it would be enough.
Dimitrius let out a laugh and began to furiously beat his wings again, creating another massive purple fireball. It streamed towards the children and their dragons like a shooting star, consuming their blasts as if they were nothing.
Billy felt Spark’s pure terror, and he grew cold all over. The fireball struck all four dragons, throwing the children off their backs. Billy crashed on top of a limestone pillar, the impact knocking the wind out of him. Charlotte rolled next to him, cradling her elbow. Ling-Fei looked close to tears. Dylan’s face was covered in scratches and his glasses were crooked.
All four dragons struggled to get back up from the blast.
Even with the bonds, Billy realized, they were not strong enough. Dimitrius knew it too.
‘You cannot win,’ boomed Dimitrius. ‘Following the Great One has given us powers this realm has never seen before.’ A sneer crossed his face. ‘But fortune is on your side. You are worth more to me alive than dead, and you will be spared for now.’ He bared his teeth in a wicked grin. ‘I thought we would need the life force of at least ten more dragons to bring back the Dragon of Death, but you four are more powerful than most dragons. How fitting that the four who sent the Dragon of Death away will be the ones used to bring her back.’
He fired another ball of electricity that opened into an enormous net as it flew towards them.
‘Children,’ Spark said with great effort, ‘get under my wing! Quickly!’ Billy, Charlotte, Ling-Fei and Dylan managed to shuffle under Spark’s wing just before the electric net landed. Billy felt Spark’s pain as it seared into her flesh and paralysed her muscles. She let out an ear-piercing roar.
Billy, we cannot escape, Spark said. The star has given Dimitrius too much power. You and the others can still get away. She shot out a flat shard of ice that hovered next to Billy and the other children like a flying carpet. Get on. The net is loose enough for you to slip out. Hurry, we do not have much time.
We won’t leave you! Billy replied.
You must. You are our only hope. Trust your instincts. You must find a way to stop Dimitrius from bringing back the Dragon of Death.
Billy knew Spark was right. He nodded at her, trying to hold back tears. This isn’t the end.
He turned to his friends. ‘Everyone, get on the ice!’
‘What? Why?’ Charlotte asked.
‘Just trust me,’ Billy said.
The children jumped up and, as soon as they were on, Spark’s eyes flashed a bright blue and ropes of ice locked each of them to the floating plate.
Charlotte grasped at the ice around her waist. ‘What is this—?’ Before she could finish, the ice lurched forward, slipped through the electric net and shot off at great speed away from their dragons.
‘Dimitrius!’ shouted one of the nox-wings. ‘The children are getting away!’
‘Do not fall for their distraction! The children won’t get far on their own, if they even survive the night. And, if they do, we’ll kill them tomorrow. We can easily hunt them down.’
That was the last thing Billy heard as he and his friends hurtled further and further and further away from the dragons.
He felt the separation from Spark in his bones. He felt as if he was being torn, like something had been ripped out from inside him and was stretching further than it ever should. It hurt his heart. But he trusted Spark, and Spark had sent them away for a good reason. To protect them. And now everything was up to them – only they could save their dragons from Dimitrius and the Noxious.
‘What did you do, Billy?’ yelled Charlotte, the wind whipping her hair in every direction. ‘We have to get back! We can’t leave our dragons! We made a promise!’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Billy, his heart heavy. ‘This is the only way we can escape and still help our dragons. At least now we have a chance of stopping the Dragon of Death.’
‘Billy’s right,’ said Dylan. ‘Our dragons wouldn’t have wanted us to be captured with them.’
‘But how are we going to find them?’ asked Charlotte, glaring at Billy. ‘And who put you in charge? You can’t make decisions for all of us!’
‘Part of my bond with Spark is that when we’re close I can hear her thoughts,’ said Billy. ‘She told me to do this. We had to.’ But, even as he said the words, he felt a sliver of doubt. Everything had happened so fast, and now he worried that maybe they should have stayed with their dragons. And he knew that Charlotte was hurting the way he was from being separated. But he still didn’t like it that she was angry at him.
‘We will find them, Charlotte,’
