Rhiannon - Dragonrider

Chapter Fourty - The Gates Race

As we plummeted, I risked a quick glance forward. Quaro-Deryn had used the confusion to take a commanding lead into the Dai gate. But Carodoc was just a couple of places in front of me.

We were closing up on the next dragons as they slowed to shoot the gates one at a time. At least we'd be able to take the thing at full speed. "Ready, boy," I called to Liberty. "Sheer Climb," and I felt him easing us down into the lower line we needed.

We shot through the Dai gate, pretty much skimming across the sand. "Ready now..." I said with my eyes fixed on the Kuthbar gate... "ready... let's go!"

"Pace it, boy!" I shouted at him as he threw himself into that first climb. I jumped onto his mind and forced him to reign in his wild enthusiasm as I fed in my own will. We ripped past a back-marker and, towards the top of the climb, drove on past Carodoc.

"First flutes now, boy, get ready... Kuthbar..."

We flashed into the darkness of the first flute then burst out into sunshine, taking a high, arcing line so as not to lose speed. As we rolled over in the air and dropped towards the Quaro flute, I sensed Taloon's looming green bulk below and behind us and a plan, of sorts, came to me.

"I want you to lose a bit of speed through the Quaro flute," I told Liberty. "Trust me. We've got plenty of time to catch up with the others. You've got to make it look natural though."

I closed my eyes, trusting him to take us through. And, as we plunged into the flute, I felt him opening his wings a touch and leaning his body back, quietly shedding speed.

As we exploded out into the Edifice in a tucked wing dive, Carodoc had Taloon right on our tail and, as the heavier dragon edged past us, I slipped Liberty into her slipstream.

"You're going to have to take us through Quaro on your own..." I told my black dragon as the gate flashed up towards us... "and you're to stay low to keep out of trouble."

He might have been a bit puzzled by my orders but he understood what I wanted.

As Taloon approached the gate, I flipped into the cerebral domain. There was Taloon, flooded with rage, as ever. Carodoc was right there, surrounding the feisty dragon in his all encompassing grip.

I eased my most delicate probe between the two and gently, gently slipped my will into Taloon's mind. Then I eased the angle of her wings back by the tiniest fraction.

My touch was so beautifully subtle that Carodoc's cloud didn't show the slightest hint that he'd noticed.

Until it blinked out of existence.

Like... totally vanished.

Just gone.

And I was ripped out of the cloud world by a resounding crack. I just knew it was Carodoc's head hitting the gate's stone lintel.

Time seemed to slow as he was ripped from Taloon's back. I watched in pure horror as he cartwheeled backwards through the air. He landed in a crumpled heap on the Henge sands. He didn't even twitch. I felt a wave of cold emptiness sweep through me as the implanted node swallowed up my horror and guilt.

But I didn't have time to think as Liberty attacked the gate, as low as he could. Above us, Taloon, released from Carodoc's grip, exploded in a green flurry of wings and fury. I threw myself flat on Liberty's back as Taloon's claws flashed inches above my head. Dust flew up as Liberty's belly skimmed the Henge sand.

A blast of disapproval flashed up from my dragon. He'd been surprised by the manœuvre and lost speed.

"Concentrate!" I barked, as much at myself as at him. "Dom's next... circle climb!"