The Dragon Bond

Chapter 31

     Darla stood atop the cliff, watching Ashwind ascend. Just as she vanished into the thin cloud cover, the royal fleet appeared in the near distance. Above the clouds, Syron and Aeryx flew wingtip to wingtip, Aurora and Symon watching the fleet through gaps in the clouds. Aurora nodded to Symon, then commanded Syron to caw.

“Here we go,” Aurora muttered to herself.

Syron folded in his wings, diving through the clouds, emerging beneath them only a moment later. Aboard the approaching ships, men scrambled for weapons as the others appeared behind Syron. In an instant, all six dragons were spread across the sky, closing rapidly on the fleet.

“There they are! Engage!” James shouted from his ships bridge.

Men hurried to their positions, fighting to be ready before the dragons descended upon them. Quickly, all six had dropped to just above the water, their wings whipping up small waves. James hurried to the ships bow, standing there eagerly with a bow in hand, locking eyes with Syron as he bore down on the fleet.

“Syron! Fyre! Now!” Aurora shouted.

“Attack Aeryx!” screamed Symon.

“Grapnels!” Ser Kraig commanded.

“Burn them all!” Kara bellowed.

“Kill them Ashwind!” Dara yelled.

“Take cover!” Ser Daryl screamed as he drew an arrow.

The air lit up with flames being thrown in all directions, as all six dragons unleashed their fury at once. In an instead, dozens of ships were crippled or sunk, taking thousands of men with them. Syron crushed one ship by partially landing on it, then turned to scorch another. Sunray strafed several ships while Ashwind snapped up survivors in her jaws before pitching up and banking away. Goeryx and Bryghtfyre stuck close to each other as one would cripple a ship, only for the other to finish it off. Quickly, the ocean turned to a burning hellscape, with hundreds of men stranded in the water.

“Catapults! Lose!” James screamed, straining his voice to be heard.

Many catapults would send skyward grapnels and boulders, but none would find their marks as the dragons weaved in between ships, destroying anything they found in front of them. James fell to his knees as he watched one vessel after another slip beneath the waves, taking countless men with it. Suddenly, the ship next to the one James was aboard went up in flames as Sunray dove upon it. Quickly it began to sink. James spotted one young man who had become tangled in the ropes, thrashing wildly in the water, trying to free himself.

“Mind yourself! I’m coming for you!” he shouted as he made for the rail.

But before he could jump, Ser Kraig tackled him to the deck.

“You cannot! The men need you alive!” Ser Kraig shouted.

The two men fought, James nearly taking one of Ser Kraig’s teeth before he fought his way to his feet. He looked back over the rail, only to see the young man be pulled beneath the waves by the ropes as his ship sank.

James slammed his fist, then turned to Ser Kraig and striking him thrice in the jaw before looking skyward at the dragons circling over his fleet. Enraged, he took Ser Kraig’s bow and drew an arrow, searching for a target. A moment later, Ashwind passed just in front of him. Instinctively, he released the arrow. Daro was struck in the leg, the arrow driving itself nearly all the way through the flesh. Daro screamed, writhing in pain. Ashwind was startled by this, distracting her as another arrow from a nearby ship struck her wing, lodging itself in the bone. Suddenly struggling to fly, Ashwind veered away and escaped through the smoke, fighting to stay aloft. Frightened, Aurora turned Syron towards Ashwind, whilst Syron called out for the others to retreat.