Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Oynx Flame

Page 10

Rogue.For the first time, the sight of him fills my chest with hope. He won't let this happen. He might hate me, but he's a wingleader. He can't just watch them kill a dragon.But I know the rules probably better than anyone else in this quadrant.He has to. Bile rises in my throat, and I tilt my chin to quell the burning. What Rogue wants, which is always debatable, doesn't matter here. He can only observe, not interfere.I'm going to have an audience for my death. Fantastic... So much for hope."And if we don't want to rethink our actions?" James shouts.Rogue looks toward me, and I swear I can see his jaw clench, even from this far away."Hope is a fickle, dangerous thing. It steals your focus and aims it toward the possibilities instead of keeping it where it belongs... on the probabilities". Rogue words come back to me with alarming clarity, and I rip my gaze from his and concentrate on the three probabilities in front of me."There's nothing you can do, right? Wingleader?" James bellows. Guess he knows the rules, too."It's not me you should worry about today," Rogue responds and Azura tilts her head, nothing but menace in her eyes when I glance over."You really going to do this?" I ask Timothy. "Attack a squadmate?"
"Squads don't mean shit today," he seethes, menace curling his lips into a sinister smile."So I guess that's a no on the flying?" I toss over my shoulder again, and the golden dragon chuffs low in its throat in response. "Great. Well, if you can back me up with those claws, I'd really appreciate it."
It chuffs twice, and I spare a glance down at its claws. Or should I say...paws."Oh, fucking hell. You don't have any claws?"I turn back to the three men just as James roars a battle cry and sprints toward me. I don't hesitate. I whip my blade across the rapidly closing space between us, and the dagger finds its mark in the shoulder of his sword arm. His sword falls as he hits his knees, crying out this time in pain.Good.But John and Timothy have charged at the same time, and they're almost on me. I fling my second dagger at Timothy and catch him in the thigh, slowing but not stopping him.John swings for my neck and I duck, unsheathing another blade and slicing him along the ribs just like I did during our challenge. My ankle isn't going to let me kick, or even land a decent punch, so it's up to my blades.
He recovers quickly and pivots with the sword, catching me at my stomach in a clean slice that would eviscerate me if not for Seliah armor. Instead, the blade skims the scales, sliding right off me. Punches him."What the hell?" Brian eyes fly wide."She's destroyed my shoulder!" James cries, stumbling to his feet and distracting the others. "I can't move it!" He clutches the joint, and I grin."That's the thing about having weak joints," I say, palming another blade. "You know exactly where to strike."
"Kill her!" James orders, still clutching his shoulder as he backs away a few steps, then turns and runs in the opposite direction, disappearing into the tree line in no time.Fucking coward.Timothy jabs with his sword and I spin away, white-hot pain stealing my sight for a heartbeat before I swipe backward, plunging my dagger into his side, then pivoting, shoving my elbow up into Brian chin as he attacks, rattling his head."You fucking bitch!" Timothy screams, pressing his palm against his oozing side."Such an original"... I take advantage of Brian dazed expression and slice open his hip... "insult!"
The move costs me, and a scream rips from my throat as Timothy sword cuts into my upper right arm, along the direction of the bone. The armor keeps it from penetrating my ribs, but I know I'll have a hell of a bruise tomorrow as I wrench myself away, blood flowing freely as I peel myself off the sword.Behind you!" Rogue shouts.I pivot to see Brian sword held high, ready to separate my head from my shoulders, but the golden dragon snaps its jaw and John stumbles to the side with terror-filled eyes, as if he's just now realized that it has teeth. sidestep and knock the handle of my blade against the base of his skull. He crumples, unconscious, and I don't wait to see him fall before turning back toward Timothy, who has his bloodied sword ready."You can't interfere!" Timothy shouts at Rogue, but I don't dare look away from my opponent long enough to see how the wingleader reacts."No, but I can narrate," Rogue retorts.He's obviously on my side here, which confuses the hell out of me, since more than anything, I'm certain he wants me dead. But maybe it's not my life he's protecting but the golden dragon's.I chance a quick glance.Yeah, Azura looks pissed. Her head undulates in a serpentine motion... a clear sign of agitation... and those narrowed golden eyes of hers are focused on Timothy, who is now trying to circle me like we're on the mat, but I won't let him get between me and the little golden dragon."Your arm is shot, Heartfilia," Timothy hisses, his face pale and sweaty."I'm used to functioning in pain, asshole. Are you?" I raise the dagger in my right hand just to prove that I can despite the blood that runs down my arm and drips from the tip of my blade, saturating the wrap across my palm. My gaze drops meaningfully to his side. "I know exactly where I sliced into you. If you don't get to a healer soon, you'll bleed out internally."Rage contorts his features, and he moves to strike. I try to flick my knife at him, but it slips from my blood-soaked hand and lands with a thud in the grass several feet away. And I know my bravado won't be enough to save me now. My arm is shot. My leg is shot. But at least I made James Akasuna run away before I died.As a last thought, that's not a bad one.Just as Timothy reaches up to two-hand his sword, preparing for a killing blow, I catch a glimpse of movement to my right. It's Rogue. And rules be damned, he steps forward as though he intends to stop Timothy from killing me.I barely have a moment to register surprise that Rogue would ever save me, for any reason, when a gust of wind slams into my back, and I stumble forward onto my destroyed ankle, flinging my arms out to keep my balance and grimacing at the shooting pain. Shields me with it's massive wings. Timothy mouth hangs open and he staggers backward, his head tilting so far back it's nearly perpendicular to his torso. He continues to back up. And my heart lurches into my throat. Dragon who now towers above me his teeth bare shots fire across the fields incinerating everything in in its path including Timothy.Flames crackle at the edges of the blackened path, and I turn slowly to face the dragon. Draco lowers his head to look at me His giant red eyes study me, but I hold my ground, tilting my chin upward. Noticed the little golden dragon between his legs.

"You should end the enemy at your feet."My eyebrows jerk upward. His mouth didn't move. He spoke to me, but...his mouth didn't move. Oh shit. Because he's in my head. "I can't kill an unconscious man."
I shake my head, though whether it's in protest at his suggestion or a result of my confusion is up for debate."He would kill you if given the same chance."I glance down at Timothy, still unconscious in the grass beside my feet. It's not like I can argue that astute assessment."Well, that's a statement on his character. Not mine."The dragon only blinks in response, and I can't quite tell if that's a good thing or not.There's a flash of blue out of the corner of my eye, then a whoosh of air as Rogue and Azura take off, leaving me here with the giant black dragon and the little golden one. Guess Rogue momentary concern for my life is over.The dragon's giant nostrils flare."You're bleeding. Stop it."My arm."It's not that simple when you've been run through with a... " I shake my head again. Am I seriously arguing with a dragon? This is so fucking surreal. "You know what? That's a great idea." I manage to cut off what remains of my right shirtsleeve and wrap it around the wound, holding one end of the fabric with my teeth as I tie it tight to apply pressure and slow the bleeding. "There. Better?"
"It will do." He tilts his head at me. "Your hands are bound, too. Do you bleed often?"
"I try not to."He scoffs."Let's go, Lucy Heartfilia."He lifts his head, and the golden dragon peeks out from under his wing."How do you know my name?" I gawk up at him."And to think, I'd almost forgotten just how loquacious humans are." He sighs, the gust of his breath rattling the trees. "Get on my back."Oh. Shit.He's choosing...me."Get on my back?" Draco rolls his eyes and then gets on his knees, bending his wings and legs so I can get up easily. The Golden Dragon, which happily jumps around his leg. He raises his head The black dragon chuffs. The golden one bends down, flexing its legs, and then launches into the sky, its golden wings catching the sun as it flies off, skimming the tops of the trees... So it can fly. That would have been nice to know twenty minutes ago.The scales are larger and thicker than my hand and surprisingly warm to the touch. They layer into the next above them in an intricate pattern that leaves no space to grab hold."You are a rider, are you not?" I climb over his shoulder and reach his back, dodging the pointed spikes that ripple down most of his neck like a mane.Holy shit. I'm on the back of a dragon."Sit."
I see the seat... the smooth, scaly divot, just in front of his wings... and sit, bending my knees like Professor Yuhi taught us. Then I grab ahold of the thick ridges of scales we call the pommel, where his neck meets his shoulders. Everything about him is bigger than any model we practiced on. My body is built to stay on any dragon, let alone one of his size. There's no way I'll be able to stay seated. This is about to be the first and last ride of my life.
"My name is Draconia, son of Murtcuideam and Fiaclanfuil, descended from the cunning Dubhmadinn line." He stands to his full height, bringing me eye level with the canopy of trees around the clearing, and I squeeze a little tighter with my thighs. "But I'm not going to assume that you'll be able to remember that once we reach the field, so Draco will do until I inevitably have to remind you."I inhale swiftly, but there's no time to process his name... his history... before he bends slightly and launches us into the sky. It feels like I imagine a stone does after being flung from a catapult, except it takes every ounce of strength I have to stay on this particular stone."Holy shit!" The ground falls away as we soar, Draco enormous wings beating the air into submission and pitching upward.My body lifts off his back, and I dig in with my hands, trying to keep anchored, but the wind, the angle, it's all too much, and my grip falters.My hands slip."Fuck!" Scrambling for purchase, my hands rake down Draco back as I skid past his wings, rapidly approaching the sharp scales of his morningstar tail. "No, no, NO!"He banks left and whatever hope I had of getting a handhold tumbles right off with me.I'm in free fall.