The fin turned, heading toward her again.
Seven gods, was she going to survive a dragon battle only to die to an oversized fish?
A shadow fell over her, and she jerked the sword up, fearing an attack from the sky as well.
Gold scales flashed, and a dragon dove into the water right in front of her. The wave hurled Rysha ten feet, and fresh fire burned in her leg.
Rysha? Trip asked in her mind from wherever he was.
Busy right now.
She flailed her arms, almost dropping Dorfindral. Damn it, she was not losing that sword again.
The gold dragon came up—Rysha still couldn’t tell which one it was and whether that had been a missed attack or an interception. It shot out of the water like a dolphin while shaking its head like a dog putting a rat out of its misery. Something flew free of its maw, bloody and mangled. The shark.
It flopped limply into the water.
The dragon’s head lowered and violet eyes gazed into Rysha’s own.
“What took you so long?” Rysha croaked.
For a cowardly male with many injuries and missing scales, he proved magnificent when we finally engaged in battle! Shulina Arya turned so her back was to Rysha and she could climb on.
“Magnificent?” That was not the word Rysha would have used, not for any of these enemy dragons.
Yes, we engaged in a most valiant skirmish. We were still fighting when we went into the ocean.
Rysha was surprised a shark or anything else would have come close with that going on nearby. But maybe it had been an opportunist shark, hoping to munch on the loser.
She clambered onto Shulina Arya’s back, holding on tighter than necessary. She was tempted to bring up the notion of harnesses or saddles, but she wouldn’t have wanted to have been underwater for five minutes while dragons thrashed right on top of her.
Rysha, Trip spoke into her mind again. He sounded exhausted. We’re finishing off the last two dragons with the rockets. Stay well away from the harbor and the platform with Shulina Arya. The rockets automatically go for the closest dragon unless I’m there to steer them elsewhere, but the tainted ore and the battle have drained me, so I don’t have the strength for that. I may have to leave the platform and put the weapons in another’s hands.
All right. We’re a mile or more out at sea for now. We should be fine.
Good.
They had no sooner finished the conversation than a silver dragon came into view, flying straight out to sea at top speed. Straight at them.
Another contender for us to battle against, Shulina Arya cried and took off toward the silver.
“Wait, did you hear Trip’s warning?” Rysha could see the massive gray platform floating over the coastline and didn’t want to go anywhere near it now.
Yes, we will not go as far as the harbor. We will not need to. This dragon is coming to us.
“Convenient,” Rysha muttered.
Soaking and sore, she’d lost all interest in battle. But Shulina Arya sped eagerly toward the silver as the silver sped toward her.
Despite the blood running down her leg and the water running down her spectacles, Rysha gripped Dorfindral tightly and readied herself for another fight. But as she did so, she wondered why a silver would sprint toward a larger, stronger gold dragon.
It was less than a hundred yards away when Rysha saw something like a black bird arrowing out to sea after it.
“Not a bird,” she whispered. “Trip!”
That had to be one of his rockets.
I see it, Shulina Arya cried. I will knock it aside.
“You can’t. It has that special iron in it. It—”
Rysha broke off as Shulina Arya swerved abruptly. Because the silver swerved. It was trying to go under her. So the rocket would hit Shulina Arya instead of it?
“Careful,” Rysha blurted, realizing Shulina Arya meant to engage with the other dragon. “We could both get—”
The silver screeched and whirled, not trying to fly past Shulina Arya, but slashing with its talons. It moved so quickly Rysha couldn’t follow it.
Shulina Arya twisted to defend herself, but the smaller dragon’s maw came in and clamped onto her shoulder, silver eyes glaring at Rysha as its fangs sank in. At the same time, Shulina Arya bit into her foe’s neck and raked its underside with her talons.
The dragons contorted in the air. Rysha scooted up Shulina Arya’s back and slashed Dorfindral toward the silver’s face. But before her blade sliced in, something slammed into the dragons, hurtling Rysha off Shulina Arya and into the water again.
A boom sounded, hammering her ears, and white light flashed. Screeches of pain erupted from both dragons as a shockwave knocked Rysha back and under the surface.
Icy, dark water smothered her and almost knocked her spectacles off, despite the strap. She clutched at them with one hand as she kicked to the surface. Her head broke free, and through the water running down her lenses, she saw both dragons splash down.
The silver’s side was charred, scales torn free and revealing blood, but Shulina Arya must have been hit too. She moaned and lay limply in the water.
Fear swelled in Rysha’s throat as she swam over, lugging Dorfindral behind her.
Trip! she cried. Are you listening now? One of the rockets got us. Trip!
Rysha reached Shulina Arya’s side, touching her cold, wet scales. Blood leaked from between some of them and into the water. Others had scorch marks on them, and was that acid from the rocket?
“Damn it.” Rysha stroked the dragon. “Shulina Arya, you’re going to be all right, right? You can’t die out here, because… because…” Rysha struggled to get more words out through her constricted throat. Moisture blurred her vision, and she couldn’t wipe her eyes with her spectacles on. Of all the dragons, surely, she least deserved death. She was too young and exuberant about life. About everything. “I need a ride back to shore,” she finished, her words a croak.
A moan emanated from Shulina Arya, and her wings fluttered weakly, then went limp. The silver wasn’t moving at all. Rysha glowered over at him, hoping he’d taken the brunt of the rocket’s explosion. It had been meant for him. It wasn’t fair that the dragon helping her people defend Iskandia had been hurt.
While she was looking toward the silver, the waves lifting and lowering her and the dragons, she spotted a gray fin again. Two others followed it. This time, she spat a string of curses, more enraged than terrified.
If they went after Shulina Arya while she was too injured to defend herself…
“Eat the silver one,” she shouted at them, as if they could understand.
She gripped Dorfindral’s hilt tightly. The sharks would understand being bashed in the head with a sword.
We’re coming, Trip spoke into her mind.
Hurry! Shulina Arya is hurt.
I saw, he said grimly.
Grimly because he felt bad that one of his rockets had wounded her? Or grimly because he didn’t think she would make it?