The Lost Knight (Volume III) The Lost World

Chapter 42: Follow the Pain

Every time I've withstood all the torture I can handle, something happens to crank it up a notch. I'm squashed between Jonah and Carfron. My only responsibility is to maintain a tight grip on Carfron's unconscious body, which is difficult with Baliss shifting and twitching.

It's made more awful by the heart-wrenching moans he emits with every adjustment. I pity him because he's just awake enough to feel every excruciating movement. Or maybe I envy him because he's sleeping through the terror we're about to face.

I'm braced for the oncoming assault, but none comes. The skies are clear. Our flight is uneventful and rather peaceful. Everyone easily takes their positions and flies silently, waiting for the attack we all know is coming.

With each flap of Baliss' wings, my heart beats faster. The three of us are almost completely defenseless with the extra weight Baliss has to carry and the lack of room we have to maneuver. I have a sword, but if I try to use it, I'll drop Carfron. Jonah has two bodies in front of him. If he moves too much, he'll unseat me, and I'll take Carfron down with me.

Dathid and the hefty light blue creature, which I overheard is named Goutadge, maintain their positions on either side of us. The dragons in the distance look so tiny and beautiful from this far away. Soon they'll be large and deadly and in front of my sword. This is hopeless.

I squeeze Carfron tightly as they slowly approach. I'm not sure if I'm holding him to protect him, or to take what little comfort another body offers.

This is the worst thing I've ever faced. There's nowhere to run, nowhere to go, and no way to fight. Carfron's teeth rattle, and I check to see if he's conscious. He's not. My severe trembling is shaking him.

The blue Raceens are fast. How can Jonah call them passive? They're flying straight at us like attack dogs, only bigger and meaner, and with a lot more teeth. One hits the faerie in the front, but her elk mount recovers. One of the greenies flies so close its wing grazes Jonah's head.

Everyone scatters as more and more dragons fly through our ranks. "Why aren't they attacking?" I shout.

I want one of the dragons to answer, so I'm surprised when Jonah does. "This is how they hunt. They're separating the herd."

I look around at what's left of our group. There are too many dragons and not enough soldiers. An elf on a slow moving foven-fij butterfly is the first to go. Chaos erupts in a blur of agonizing screams, conflicting commands, and ferocious shrieks.

Baliss jumps to the left and then dives, then almost as suddenly rears up. Jonah has an arm around me, but Carfron is slipping from my grasp.

I close my eyes and dig my chin into Carfron's shoulder, helplessly listening to the dying around me. I pray it will just end. I don't care if I live or die; I just want it over.

Baliss is flying wildly. Keeping my eyes closed is more terrifying than witnessing the slaughter. I lift my head in time to see a talon fly past my face.

"Agatha!" Jonah shouts. "Drop Carfron!"

"What?" I didn't hear that right. Jonah values life above all else. He wouldn't abandon Carfron to a lonely death.

"Drop him!" he shouts.

"I can't!" I won't murder the elf who risked his life to save me. "I can hold on!"

Jonah grabs me violently by my broken wrist. I yell as a thousand nails hammer up my arm. When he pulls it back, I try to fight him off by slamming my back into him.

He pulls at my other arm. Carfron slides down my body.

"Jonah, stop!" I scream as I struggle to get loose.

Jonah obeys and lets me go as Carfron's body falls from Baliss' back.

"Carfron!" I scream. He looks like he's floating, until he's engulfed in flames as a blue Raceen comes up from behind and bites off the top of his charred body. I helplessly watch his burnt legs flutter gently to the ground.

I turn and slap at Jonah as hard as I can. "How could you do that!"

He easily restrains me, but makes no explanation for why he made me kill Carfron. I'm struggling to get free from him when we're rammed by a crimson dragon and I fall completely off Baliss.

Jonah saves me by grasping my broken wrist and yanking me back up. My stomach flips, but I haven't had enough food to vomit. He pulls my sword from its sheath and slams it into my good hand, shouting, "Get ready!"

Dragons are swirling all around us. Dathid is so close I could touch him. Just past him are the giant teeth of a massive scarlet dragon. He's jabbing it in the gums every time it opens its mouth to bite him. So far he's successful, but he's not going to win.

"You know where we're going?" Jonah yells over the noise.

I nod. "Uh-huh." Solara showed me the map and the basic direction to fly in during the meeting, but I've never been to this part of the world, so I'm not sure I can steer Baliss there.

"No matter what happens, you get there," Jonah says. Then he jumps off of Baliss' back.

"Jonah!" I scream as he leaps from Dathid's mount onto the face of the attacking dragon.

Dathid slams his elk into Baliss, shoving him out of the way. Jonah straddles the dragon's muzzle and repeatedly drives his sword into its eyes. Blood pours from the dragon's head as it falls.

"Jonah!" I scream again.

Dathid's steering Baliss away from the fray. I'm trying to wrestle control from him, but he's too strong. I have to go back and get Jonah. Too much noise and chaos, I can't think. I can't do this alone. I have to go back. I have to save him.

A sharp sting to my face brings my attention to Dathid, who just slapped me hard across the face. The noise I was hearing was my screaming. Now that I've stopped, everything is eerily quiet.

Once he has my attention, he points in the distance and shouts, "Go! As fast as you can. I'll be right behind you!"

I do as he orders because I'm no longer able to think for myself. How can someone live through this terror?

With the excess load off of Baliss' back, he's able to fly much faster. Dragons of every shape and size are covering the skies, but all I can do is run. Run for my life as fast as I can. Run from the fear.

Baliss easily maneuvers through the swarm, and soon I'm free. I take a deep breath. How long has it been since I took my last one? Dathid is behind me as promised. His blueish-grey elk-like mount can't fly as fast as Baliss, so I slow down to let him catch up.

"Go!" he orders, waving me forward.

I push Baliss hard. I'll not turn around again. I'll do what I'm told without question and fly where they want me to go.

That's the last thought I have. I don't know how long we fly. It's as if my brain has shut off. I feel nothing. I think nothing. I'm not aware of time passing or of anything around me.

I'm awake, or maybe I'm dreaming. I don't know where the dream ends, and reality begins. How will I get back? How will I know? Maybe none of this is real? I touch my face where I melted. I know that's real. Pain is real.

My eyes focus on a tree below. This is where I need to land. Baliss is trembling. This is real. Baliss is in pain. Follow the pain back to reality.

My brain magically turns back on when I spot the appointed landing area. I become just aware enough to see Baliss' head hanging from his shoulders like a dead snake. He's barely flapping his wings.

Dathid's gone. We land without him. I remove Baliss' tack. As soon as I'm clear, he falls to his side with a hard thump that makes the ground shake. He might be dead.

I take a step, fall to my knees, and collapse face-first into the mossy ground. I flop to my side. "I'll just lie here for a bit," I whisper to Baliss as the world goes dark.