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“Smell that? I think we’ve got a ripe one!” Clive’s voice oozed glee.
Not the same dragoness as before, a deliciously different scent, having passed through here not long before their arrival, just long enough she was out of sight.
Altering course, they trailed it, like they did last time, only shifting altitude, climbing so that they’d be above her when they sighted her.
She wouldn’t spot them before they got her locked in.
Their persistence was paying off.
The thrill of giddiness when another scent crossed the first.
Stenlen signaled to climb again.
Soon small shapes were visible in the distance. A snarl erupted from his throat, echoed by his wingmen.
“I can taste them,” Clive said with a growl.
Holding back the pursuit, there were more - three of them. “We’re close to their central territory.” He drifted to the side of their arch, watching their direction.
He scented the land before he saw the ribbon cutting the blue sky from the glittering surface of the water.
Below them, from the other direction, three more figures appeared. They were crisscrossing in spiraling arcs to cover their territory.
They had to move fast. Even though they were well above them, the air currents would drag the scent of the male dragons, giving away their presence. He angled again and drove toward the projected center of their arcs. Toward the land.
In moments, a citadel came into view, buildings rolling outward down toward the coastline of the main island. Now to get a better look at this place and its fortifications.
A deep baritone sound rippled across the island.
Jori recognized it as some kind of alarm.
Within moments there were shapes racing through the air beyond his lattice stone wall. He couldn’t see clearly what was happening, the sounds of growling and roaring were so loud the stone beneath his hands vibrated.
He watched through the openings in the wall for any activity. A pair of dragons engaged in combat grappled and tumbled through the air until a third joined in to attack the larger intruder. The newcomer clamped powerful jaws on the larger dragon’s throat while the other continued to keep its dangerous claws occupied as they struggled to stay airborne.
They fell out of his range of sight, but after long noisy moments the ground shook with an incredible crash, the larger dragon must have broken free, for it flew off, circling past the cliff-top prison Jori was housed in.
The two smaller dragons didn’t give chase, then several more came soaring out of the sky, chasing the larger one out of range.
After several more moments, the air went quiet except for the occasional rush of air from one of them circling overhead.
Jori dropped onto his cot.
Holy shit.
His hands shook and his heart pounded, the rushing of his blood loud in his ears.
Fear and exhilaration pumped adrenaline through his body. There was something about the sounds of their growls and roars that pulled at his skin.
The islanders had been attacked by a much larger dragon than their defenders. Fear for Kymri’s safety rushed through him. This island was under threat, of much larger dragons. What kind of damage could it have done without the protection of this fleet of smaller dragons?
How could these people live with that kind of threat looming over them?
Kymri heard the alarm. Her bare feet hit the cool stone floor and she was running for the guard tower. As she emerged from the room, she merged with the rush of other bodies running through the corridors to perform emergency duties during times of crisis. Everyone had a place to be and a roll to fulfill.
With a glance, she saw the shamans moving the younglings down into the lower levels of the citadel closer to the evacuation caves. She knew that the villagers would be gathering their families and making their way toward the citadel. The merchants would be locking down their valuables under the flagstone floors of their simple houses. Many of the inhabitants on the island were human - neighbors and friends that needed the protection of the dragons. Theirs was a peaceful co-existence. Some of the dragonesses lived in the village among them rather than among the citadel’s warrior and ruling classes.
Her body was running for the guard tower, her mind went out toward Jori. He was confined to the prison barracks at the far end of the complex.
