Kaliam knew that before him stood the Wyrm Lord, changing from a large Glimpse to his true self. Kaliam raised his broadsword and charged. The Wyrm Lord lifted up his claw and backhanded Kaliam off the ramp, sending him crashing into some short trees nearby. Now in his true form, the monstrous dragon with dark scales, a long crested neck, and wings that spread and blotted out all the sky was looking down at Kaliam. The Wyrm Lord reared back and inhaled. A loud horn rang out and the wyrm craned his neck, and in that moment, a black-shafted arrow plunged into the creature’s right eye. He shrieked, grabbed the arrow, and yanked it free. The eye closed and did not open again. Then the Wyrm Lord stirred his great wings and took to the air.
The next face Kaliam saw was much more pleasant. “Would you like a hand?” asked Nock.
Kaliam stood and asked, “That was your shot?”
“I owed him one from the time we met in the forest,” Nock said, pulling Kaliam up to the ramp.
Kaliam ran to the wheel. “Nock, help me close the gate!”
Nock ran over to help pull the wheel, but before he arrived Kaliam yelled, “It is no use! The wyrm has fused it with his fire!”
Then they heard a noise like thunder. “Horses!” Nock yelled. “We are too late! Paragor sends his mounted troops!”
They ran down the ramp and saw the gate raised high and hundreds of dark horses pouring in. “Quick, to the parapets!” Kaliam shouted. And as they climbed to the gatehouse wall, the wind began to howl. Lightning crackled and struck a nearby tower. They looked from the parapets out over the plains of Alleble; the clouds billowed and churned like the contents of a cauldron.
“The storm is breaking upon us!” cried Nock.
Kaliam and Nock stared into the storm and saw shapes materializing out of the clouds . . . winged shapes.
“Paragor releases his dragons at last!” Kaliam exclaimed.
And the sky became filled with shapes of dragons. Upon each dragon rode a warrior whose helmet was in the shape of a skull. Each wielded a long staff with a sickle-shaped blade at the end.
Kaliam heard Sir Warriant yell from the walls, “The Deathreapers have come! The Deathreapers!”
Kaliam and Nock sprinted along the parapets as the Deathreapers descended. The Deathreapers swooped down and slashed with their scythes, hewing anyone within their reach.
“Nock, where are our own dragons?” Kaliam asked.
“I do not know,” he replied. “But I will go and find out. Never alone!”
“Never alone!” Kaliam repeated. He looked back at the enemy pouring into the gate. He saw the lightning split the sky, and the Deathreapers swarming in overhead. Alleble’s defenses were crumbling. He drew in a deep breath, hefted his broadsword, and ran across the walls. Where is Lady Merewen?
Falon came to a stop just beyond the southern flank of the enemy. Robby clambered down off of Falon’s foreleg to see two knights: a soldier in the dark livery of Paragory and a warrior of Alleble, standing side by side. “Aidan?”
“Robby!” Aidan yelled, and he ran to his friend.
“Aidan, did you join Paragor?”
“What?” Aidan asked, dumbfounded. And then he looked down. “Oh, the armor! Uh, that’s a long story! But I’m with Alleble. Robby, this is Antoinette Reed.”
“So we meet—,” Robby said.
“I hate to break up thisss reunion,” Falon said, “but we have something important to do.” Falon held out her foreleg and Aidan, Antoinette, and Robby climbed up.
“Yes!” Aidan exclaimed. “Take us to the gates!”
“Nay, Sir Aidan,” Falon replied, shaking her massive head.
“But, Falon, you said—”
“I changed my mind,” Falon replied curtly. “The enemy at the gates of Alleble does only the bidding of its master. I intend for us to go after Paragor himself.”
The lookout on the balcony above Guard’s Keep loosed a trumpet blast, and the combined dragon forces of Alleble and its allies soared up from behind the castle. They had been waiting for the signal, waiting for Paragor to send his dragons into the skies.
Trenna’s stomach did a flip as her white steed streaked straight up to get over the castle and then swooped down into formation. Queen Illaria led the team, most of whom flew with her in the Battle of the Blue Mountains. In seconds, they saw the enemy circling above the thoroughfare of Alleble like vultures.
When the Paragor dragons saw the force of Alleble approach, they wheeled about to face them. Trenna fitted a black shaft to the bowstring and took aim. The first enemy rider came into view, but just for a brief moment. The sight of the rider’s skull helmet threw off her aim. He dove quickly and Trenna’s shot went wide.
Just then, another enemy rider flew in from the side. He brought his scythe down hard, but Trenna drove her steed out of the way. There were more of them than she thought. Every time she attempted to turn and shoot, several enemy riders attacked and forced her to evade. But Trenna was not to be outdone. She urged her dragon to fly right into the path of several enemies and then turned to run.
“Come on!” she cried, looking over her shoulder. When they followed, she smiled. Trenna’s dragon was far swifter than those of her enemy, but she let them close the gap. “You think you are going to get me!” she said, and then she turned her dragon and led them right past the southwest wall.
Nock heard the trumpet blast and saw the dragons come swooping down from over the castle. “There they are at last!” he yelled. “Archers, spearmen! Our dragons have joined the fray!”
Nock ran to the nearest tower and ran inside. He went to a huge cabinet and replenished his supply of Blackwood Arrows. On the way out, he saw that a siege tower had lowered its drawbridge. A huge warrior was coming across it. Nock fitted a shaft to the string and was about to fire when he realized it was Mallik and not an enemy. Nock ran over and greeted Mallik just as he stepped back onto the walls.
“Oh, hello, my archer friend!” Mallik said. “What brings you to my side of the party?”
“I almost put an arrow in your hide!” Nock answered. “What were you doing in that siege tower?”
“Oh, just fixing a few things,” Mallik said, a mischievous smile curling beneath his coppery mustache. “Watch!”
Mallik turned and took a mighty swing with his hammer, bringing it down on the edge of the drawbridge. The whole siege tower began to shake, and then it collapsed upon itself in a great cloud of debris.
“How did you do that?” Nock asked.
“Remember,” Mallik said, “we Blue Mountain folk are good at building things, but in the process, we learn how to knock them down!”
They laughed, but then Mallik turned and pointed. “A white dragon is coming this way. Is that not one of your kin?”
Nock looked, saw the chase, and called over two more archers. Trenna brought her steed down right in front of the archers with the enemy directly behind her. They let Trenna pass, but not the Deathreapers. The archers timed their shots perfectly and loosed their shafts.
When Trenna looked back, there were three riderless dragons following her. The technique worked so well, Trenna tried it again. The archers upon the walls picked off five more enemy riders. But eventually the Deathreapers grew wise. They had watched Trenna and knew what she would do.
Two waited in ambush high above the parapets for Trenna to soar in front of the walls. She did so exactly as before. And just as before, she looked over her shoulder to see if her pursuit had been eliminated, and then she started to wheel about. The two Deathreapers who had been lying in wait streaked down toward Trenna. She didn’t see them until it was too late. The enemy riders kept Trenna between them and swept down their scythes for the kill. In a split second when she recognized the threat, she tried to pull away. The blades missed Trenna but clipped both of her dragon’s wings. The loyal white steed tried valiantly to maintain control, but it could not generate the lift it needed. Trenna’s steed fell awkwardly about a hundred feet and slammed into the roof of a cottage.
“No, Trenna!” Nock had watched from the walls. “Come, Mallik!”
“Do you think there is a chance?” he asked.
“I do not know,” Nock answered grimly. “But we must try.”
