You dare intrude upon my thoughts again, human!Wreylith boomed into allof their minds, ending other conversations.
“I’m in need of a favor,” Syla said, her arms spread, “but it also occurred to me that you left before I could apply a healing salve tohelp your wound. I’m aware of numerous kinds that assist with venom.”
Wreylith flew over a canal and angled toward Syla. Agrevlari flapped his wings, as if he might intercept her, but her eyes flashed with power and irritation as she glanced at him, and he diverted.
Maybe Vorik should have stayed on the ground to face Wreylith without Agrevlari.
Put me downif you won’t fight her,he urged.
She’s irked. It would be suicidal for either of us to fight her.
Dragons have great regenerative powers,Wreylith boomed.We don’t needsalvesor other worthless human concoctions.
“I can make one specifically designed to help your kind with venom.” Syla’s glance toward the stableboy suggested she’d taken the lizard-tail-stump plant to mind. “If your foot aches at all, it would help.”
It does not ache! Such a feeble wound inconveniences a dragon not at all.Wreylith swooped low, talons stretching toward Syla.
To her credit, she didn’t flinch. Maybe she knew that showing fear to the dragon would be far worse than being bold.
But Vorik worried that boldness would get Syla killed. Though Agrevlari hadn’t put him down, as he’d wished, he jumped off, dropping twenty feet. He landed in a crouch with his sword in hand and sprinted toward Syla.
The dragon flew over Syla’s head, showing her close-up the foot that had been injured, the talons spread wide. Fel leaped and took a swing at the dragon, and Vorik could have lashed out at the tail, but Wreylith swooped back upward, avoiding striking weapons. She landed at the apex of the machine shop, talons scratching the roof.
Did she favor that injured leg as she landed? Maybe her foot did ache.
“It would not take long to make,” Syla said, as if the dragonhadn’t been six inches away from tearing her head off with those talons. “I noticed the ingredients in the garden.”
I do not need your human concoction.Wreylith glowered down at her.
“Give me a half hour in the kitchen,” Syla said and started walking up the road toward the farmhouse.
Vorik looked at Fel, wondering if his charge was always like this. The older man appeared as nonplussed as Vorik.
Wreylith sprang from the rooftop. Vorik whirled, raising his sword again, but the dragon soared past too far overhead for him to reach. Talons outstretched, Wreylith flew right at Syla.
Vorik charged after her, but Wreylith reached the princess first. Only when her shadow fell across Syla did she show fear, her arms jerking defensively upward.
Wreylith didn’t slay Syla, instead plucking her up and drawing a startled gasp from the princess. Syla flailed as the dragon carried her off, and her spectacles fell to the ground.
Vorik ran and picked them up, but, noticing the direction the dragon took off, had an inkling about what Wreylith intended, so he didn’t sprint after them. Feldidcharge after Syla, but he was far too late to reach the princess. Wreylith swept her over fields on the way toward the farmhouse.
Reminded of when Wreylith had dropped Syla, not realizing that normal humans couldn’t fall from great heights without injury or death, Vorik realized the danger wasn’t yet over. He cut across the fields to run after them.
Wreylith did drop Syla when they reached the house ahead of him, but, this time, the dragon descended to five or six feet off the ground before opening her talons. Syla wasn’t the most athletic—it couldn’t help that her spectacles had fallen off—and didn’t manage to keep her feet when she landed, but she stood up right away. With determined steps, she strode toward the garden.Meanwhile, Wreylith alighted on a nearby silo and glowered defiantly at the surrounding farmland.
This is fascinating,Agrevlari observed.
I wasn’t that fascinated to learn that you wouldn’t help me attack a threatening dragon, Vorik replied as he continued toward the farmhouse, doubting Syla could make salves without her spectacles.
Onlycertainthreatening dragons. As you well know, I’ve aided you in battle againstmanyfearsome enemies.
Just not the sexy ones.
Correct. You are fortunate that I categorize so few dragons so.
Apparently.
Tibby rode on yet another wheeled magical machine, stopping to pick up the limping Fel along the way, and arrived at the farmhouse at the same time as Vorik. The bodyguard jumped off, grimacing as he landed on the leg he favored, but strode over to stand beside Syla as she plucked plants from the garden. Mace still in hand, he alternated between glowering at the red dragon and at Vorik—as ifhehad anything to do with this. He also sent a few glares at his wayward charge.
