Velrog looked upward. Kendra heard a rush of air and flapping wings. Had Raxtus torn free? No, he remained flypapered to the hanging webs. Craning her head, Kendra glimpsed two figures flying above and behind her, golden wings flashing. Both held swords. Were they astrids? Where had they come from? As they wheeled into a more visible position, Kendra recognized one of the newcomers as her brother!
Seth hovered beside Merek. After arriving at the Dragon Temple as the sun rose, they had found a dead giant, two dead dragons, and the main door open. They had discovered a dragon corpse in the mirror maze, shortly before meeting a blind woman named Vanessa, who had encouraged them onward. They had flown through a room with an enormous, broken dragon statue, and then had arrived in this web-shrouded lair.
“Is that your sister?” Merek asked, pointing down to where Kendra lay wrapped in webs on the floor.
“Yeah,” Seth said, happy to find her alive.
“Who has joined us?” the dragon asked. “A pair of sparrows?”
“Velrog!” Merek warned Seth. “This one hunts like a spider. He is preparing to feed. Split up.”
Seth swooped one way and Merek the other. Seth’s wings involuntarily jerked him sideways, and a gray ball of matter flew by, barely missing him. As he maneuvered closer to the scurrying dragon, Seth dodged many webby banners and tendrils, his golden wings neatly slicing through any strands they encountered.
Diving near the dragon with his stake in his hand, Merek swerved to avoid the club tail and missed his chance to strike. The dragon jetted a concentrated stream of web material at him, but Merek flew behind hanging webs, and the stream could not reach him.
Seth streaked toward the dragon. The creature turned and breathed a gray mist at him. Holding out his long knife, Seth spiraled into the cloud, wings spinning like blades in a blender, and he came through the mist with only a few gluey strands clinging to him.
Landing beside the dragon, Seth slashed one of the legs. He thought he had missed, due to the lack of resistance against his blade, but then the limb fell off. Shrieking, the dragon tipped toward him, allowing Seth to stab the Unforgiving Blade up into its belly. The blade entered effortlessly, as if he had thrust it into water.
Otherwise strangely still, the dragon trembled.
“How?” the dragon whispered, the words requiring effort to speak. “Your blade . . . I have failed. I yield.”
“You do?” Seth asked.
“Seth,” Merek called. “Grant the monstrosity a clean death.”
“Remove . . . the blade,” the dragon begged quietly. “Please . . .”
Seth noticed the platelike scales around the blade withering and darkening.
“Quickly, Seth,” Raxtus said. “It isn’t a trick.”
The dragon gasped. “Please . . . my word . . . mercy.”
Seth pulled out the Unforgiving Blade but held it ready. On shaky legs, the dragon turned, lowering his head in front of Seth. “Be quick,” the dragon whispered.
The Unforgiving Blade passed easily through the neck, though it lacked enough length to decapitate the dragon with a single stroke. Two more rapid swipes fully parted the head from the body. The dragon collapsed and remained still.
Seth stepped away and pondered the long knife in his hand. How powerful was it? What had the dragon felt with the dark blade inside of him?
Merek landed beside Seth. “Well done. First dragon?”
“Second,” Kendra said from her webby straitjacket. “Unless you’ve killed others since leaving us.”
“The first I can remember,” Seth said. “Hi, Kendra.”
“Where did you get wings?” Kendra asked.
“Some old guy in the middle of nowhere,” Seth said. “After I was struck by lightning.”
“You’ve been busy,” a guy tangled in webs said. “I’m Warren, Seth. Welcome back.”
“Nice to meet you,” Seth said. “I probably used to know you?”
“You knew all of us,” the huge Polynesian said.
“Sorry we didn’t get here sooner,” Seth said. “The weather was insane. We did our best. This is Merek. He’s . . . useful against dragons. Can I say?”
Merek gave a nod.
“He’s one of the legendary Dragon Slayers,” Seth said.
“Wait,” Kendra said. “One of the five originals? A son of Konrad?”
“You know your history,” Merek said.
“I’ve already seen him turn a dragon to dust,” Seth said.
“We just eliminated a couple ourselves,” Warren muttered.
“Your group did well,” Merek complimented. “I have never seen a dragon filleted like Jinzen. And Pioleen has proven hard to kill for centuries.”
“The leader of Dragonwatch is searching for the legendary Dragon Slayers,” Kendra said. “Do you know there is a dragon war going on?”
“I’m learning,” Merek said. “Your brother recently reunited me with my memories.”
“That’s ironic,” Kendra said. “Now if only we can get Seth’s memories back.”
“His memories existed separate from him,” Seth said. “Almost like a ghost. Mine are probably in a similar state.”
“How did you find him?” Kendra asked Seth.
“Happy accident,” Seth said.
“You still don’t remember me,” Kendra said.
“Not from my old memories,” Seth said. “Hopefully soon.”
“I’m Tanu,” the giant Polynesian guy said. “If you free me, I can help the others. I suspect that dragon has a gland in its mouth that produces a liquid to melt the webs.”
Seth held up the Unforgiving Blade. “I can’t use this. It’s too dangerous to get close to anyone.”
“I will use my wings to free Tanu,” Merek said.
“I’m not always this massive,” Tanu said. “I brewed an enlargement potion.”
Merek took flight and started swooping near Tanu, his wings slashing away large swathes of web. Seth walked over to Kendra.
“What’s with the smaller dragon?” Seth asked. “The one in the webs?”
“I’m Raxtus,” the dragon said. “It’s good to see you, Seth. I’m on your side.”
“He is,” Kendra confirmed.
“Nice to meet you,” Seth said. He returned his attention to Kendra. “You’re the one stuck this time.”
“I wouldn’t have left you on that mushroom,” Kendra said. “I was trying to take advantage of having a captive audience. It was a delicate situation.”
“Still is in a lot of ways,” Seth said.
“Do you know we’re on your side?” Kendra asked.
“Generally,” Seth said. “I’ve confirmed that you’re my sister. But I still have
