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The control snapped, and Mammon roared as he let out a stream of golden fire into the sky above. He flapped and jerked his head around to bite Jari. Fortunately, he didn’t come close since his head couldn’t twist around that much.
Jari dug the sword between two scales as the blue above rushed down, and the ground below grew farther away.
“Stop!”
Mammon’s back rippled as he flew up. He tucked his wings, shot through the hole, and flapped again. Shit. What was Jari supposed to make him do now?
The island spread out ahead as Mammon let out a roar that could probably be heard for miles. Jari kept the sword rammed in, hoped it hurt, and held onto the rough ridge with his other as he shifted his body to straddle it and hold onto his legs. Maybe this was better since Mammon was farther from Aurelius.
Mammon flapped faster and suddenly spun. The world went upside down as Jari clung on for dear life, and his stomach flipped. It took every ounce of his concentration to cling on, and his left shoulder ached worse from the strain.
Mammon righted himself and climbed higher as Jari’s heart thudded. Focus. Focus. If this bitch wanted to fly, let him.
“Keep flying.”
It seemed easier to force the dragon to keep doing what he originally planned. The volcano grew smaller as the dragon carried him farther away and up. There were a couple of things Elira might not have tried since she hadn’t been able to control him. They’d probably used magic and physical attacks with neither gaining the upper hand. He’d presumably had his full abilities, but Elira had been powerful in her own way too.
Mammon stayed straight as he flapped and headed for the ocean on the other side of the island. He fought again, andJari was sure he had another weapon. He might not have been bothered by the salty air in this form, and he didn’t mind having his home out here by the water, but he probably didn’t want to take a dip in the ocean.
Jari forced the control with his mind. “Fly straight, bitch. Just keep going.”
He yanked his sword out and started inching his way up. The wind on his face was cold, his eyes watered, and his shirt flapped. One wrong move, and his body wouldn’t be recognizable once it landed somewhere.
The sunlight gleamed off the scales and was too bright. Squinting, he got to the crest on Mammon’s head and tried to jam his sword in deeper. The damn scales were better than a set of chainmail. The dragon twitched, and his wings faltered while the beach came in fast below.
A small ship had been anchored as close as possible, and there was something that might have been a shelter on the beach. Two men ran in terror at the sight of a massive gold dragon, and Mammon blew fire toward them. The shelter and the two men vanished under the glittering blast, and he didn’t stop even when he shot out over the water. The ship was caught in the blaze.
“Fly straight,” Jari commanded. “Go straight. Fly faster!”
The Mists were a pale, grey smear in the distance. Nothing lay inside or beyond that he could see despite their height, and the fog reached all the way up into the sky. Mammon cut the fire and fought back as the ocean seemed to race by underneath them. Jari tugged his sword free and crawled toward the forehead.
“Keep flying!” Maybe Mammon had some inkling of what Jari planned.
His right eye was so close. Aurelius had lost his so Eurig could hide a fucking key, and he’d take Mammon’s if he could. This was all ultimately his fault.
“Fly, lizard brains. Go straight. Head into the Mists.”
He lifted the sword, ready to send the bastard in partially blind. Technically, Mammon obeyed since he kept straight, but he suddenly corkscrewed, and Jari dropped the sword. His grip slipped, and the water rushed up to meet him.
“Fly down!”
Hitting the water hurt almost as much as being tossed onto a pile of hard gold. Agony far worse than before shot through his already abused left shoulder and side. The pack pulled on him, bubbles raced around, and the water shoved him as something else hit nearby.
Mammon.
Jari couldn’t tell which way was up or down as he flailed. Gleaming movement in front of him didn’t help, and something snagged the pack. A nail, the tail, or maybe the arched tip of the dragon’s wing. He didn’t know. It pulled again, and the weight was suddenly gone.
Burning agony sliced down his back as he tried to think and control the dragon.Drown. Drown.
His lungs ached so fiercely, his chest was surely ready to explode, and he didn’t know how to get up anymore. Aurelius. If this worked, and he was safe, it was all worth it.Hedeserved to live. Jari had enjoyed a good run for the most part, and it was Aurelius’s turn to live and be free. The bubbles were fading, and it grew bright.
His head suddenly broke the surface. Every movement sent agony racing through his left arm and the right side of his back. He coughed so hard, his ribs ached, but he dragged in another breath. Okay, he wasn't dead, although he was pretty sure he'd come damn close.
The dragon glinted in the water as he floated on his side and weakly lifted his head to groan. A flicker of fire appeared in his mouth and vanished, and the current was slowly carrying his limp body away.
“Don’t move,” Jari whispered as he tried to stay up. He managed to get onto his back and float while his limbs quivered, and his chest heaved. Air had never been so damn good before. “Don’t move.”
The current carried him too, and the wall of Mist ahead was a little closer after a few minutes of Jari whispering the same words. A few little splashes and tugs of the power told him Mammon was fighting, but the salt water had weakened him too much.
