We had to shout over the wind. The rain was coming in horizontally now, driving up into clothes instead of down.
“Go ask Flight Captain Shi if there’s any way to stop the Riders incoming,” I shouted. “I’ll stay out here, see if the storm changes direction.”
Gahunia nodded and ran.
Given the wind and rain, staying out here wasn’t the best job ever, but this squall had risen so fast, I wanted to judge how much time we had. Moving back around the wall-walk was difficult. I had to lean well into the wind. If it dropped, so would I. The hail started, landed, bounced and laid like ball bearings under foot. I should go in, but technically I was on the way anyway. Reaching the seaward wall, I held onto the granite toavoid being blown back over the inner wall. Even while shielding my eyes one-handed, there was no way to make out what was coming for us. But I knew from experience. That was a mature storm cell. Shit. We were facing a giant thundersnow.
I had to get down off this wall-walk.
No man should be out in this, and no dragon either. The nearest way down was the external stairway to the landing platform. It was exposed and dangerous like this, but my best, my only option. Fighting the winds that would toss me away, the hail that would slip beneath my feet, the cold that stung skin and eyes and lungs, I made it to the top of the steps. Ice had already begun to form on the safety chain. I grabbed it with both hands and rattled it. A lot of the settled hail fell away, but I was going to have to be extra careful. Another gust and I was nearly over the side. There was nothing for it. I couldn’t risk going down on foot, I would be too easily blown away. I sat. The cold and damp of the granite felt like it stuck me in position. I was going to need a lot of hot water to warm up tonight. Almost blinded by the storm around me, I headed down. I wasn’t at the bottom when I felt the hand grip around my arm.
“Can you stand?”
Blinking up, all I could see was a silhouette, but the voice was Ang’s.
Nodding, I pulled myself up on the chain and took the last few steps to the landing platform.
“The Wing must have turned away from this!” I said. The wet ran off my face, and my nose was in danger of frostbite.
Ang shook his head, the water beading off his hair. Instead he half-turned, pointed into the sky. “They’re already here.”
“By the Gods.”
I could see them. Three massive, winged beasts struggling against the ice and the gale. The formation was to pieces, but at that point all any of us cared about was getting them in safe.
“They can’t go to the launching pad.” Shi moved close, also clinging to the safety chain. “The updrafts would smash them into the—”
His words were lost under the first crash of lightning and thunder, the simultaneous effects proving the storm was above us now. Hail bounced off the landing platform to knee height. Those poor dragons were going to be landing on the worst possible surface. I blinked up. They were moving into a linear formation, ready to land one at a time instead of the usual triple landing.
By the Gods, I hoped they hung back or we wouldn’t be able to help one before the other was upon him.
“Fin must have got through to the dragons, to tell them to land individually!” Shi shouted.
Another bolt of lightning crashed into us, hitting the lightning rod at the top of the wall. I heard the crackle as the power shot down into the sea.
“Here they come!”
The first dragon had come in low, wings fully extended to break the force of flight. But he misjudged, and as the beast’s back paws hit the landing platform, the wind caught his wings, dragged him near off the fortress entire. Lightning slashed at him, I saw the blood surge from his shoulder, and the rider was thrown. Thank the Gods for a swirling draft that threw him forward onto the granite. The dragon scrabbled and adjusted, making his way almost by sheer determination onto the platform.
This way!
Even I heard the scream meant for the dragon. As I battled the wind to reach the prone rider, I looked down theslope where hail poured, and Fin stood gripping the safety chains there to call the dragon in. It struggled with the damage to its shoulder, clearly unable to control its wing, but it stumbled into shelter.
The second dragon was coming in, and both the fallen man and I were right in its path. I reached the man and grabbed his collar, pulled him hurriedly out of the way. The second dragon made the landing better. Not smoothly, but there could be nothing smooth when the air was full of ice shards and movement. I could barely see as this dragon also turned towards the slope away. Lightning hit the island again, as a new shape appeared from nowhere to help me lift the unconscious man. We were running for the slope ourselves as the third dragon cried out and reared into the sky. It couldn’t make the landing, it had to circle.
I looked up for a split second. All I saw was the blinding dagger, time seemed to stop. That lightning bolt was coming directly at us, then an unseen hand grabbed it, moved it. It hit the wall of the fortress a mere pace or two from where Ang Shi stood, his arms raised to the heavens, the beautiful face in stark relief as he fought the storm in his own way.
My feet faltered, slipped. The newly arrived rider took the weight of his friend, and they carried on to the ramp, Fin shouting and signalling for them to move. That direction was such temptation, but I couldn’t leave Ang Shi out here alone.
The roar of the third dragon challenged the sky as it came in to touch down. It was a massive black creature, its wingspan covered more than half the landing platform.
His back leg touched down. The unsteady wind hampered the movement of his wings. Tingles ran up my body, drew my head to the sky as his front legs crashed down. The light was sharp. I looked at Ang. All his concentration was on the crackling power of the bolt. The wind was buffeting him. His wide-leggedstance should have held him, but it couldn’t. I grabbed him around the waist, pulled him back as I grabbed the chain. The tightness in his body reflected the concentration on his face as his power reached out to that electrostatic charge and pulled it away from the black and its rider. Right towards us.
My eyes squeezed shut as the power blasted into him, into me. The charge travelled down my arm into the iron chain and down, away into the ground beneath us.
Every muscle trembled. My dinner threatened to reappear. My hair felt as if it were on fire.
In the distance, I heard Fin’s voice praising the dragon for getting himself and his rider to the platform safe and well, calling them to follow him into the nests. I kept hold of Ang as he kept a watch on the skies, diverting two more bolts of lightning. Thankfullyawayfrom us as well as the dragon. Once I saw the tail of the black disappear below the level of the platform, I pulled Ang back.
