Riese felt the dragons before she saw them.

  The mountains were silent sentinels towering above their party as the descended a narrow pass beyond the glacial wall. The autumn air cut through her cloak, nipping at the exposed skin of her neck and fingers. A valley of boulders swept before them, down to a thick copse of socha, crimson leaves blazing against their white limbs.

  The world was still, save for the soft clopping of their stags, and the occasional scrape as a hoof slipped in the scree. Rays of sun streaked through the clouds above.

  Then, the stillness vanished, and rage filled Riese’s spirit, a shared sensation with the soul residing in the egg strapped to her back.

  The unhatched dragon was screaming in her mind as clear as a babe in a neighbor’s hut. A desperate, fearful warning that made her blood turn to ice.

  Riese froze, glancing all around. The nearest tree cover was at the bottom of the pass, a good half-mile, and she knew they had nowhere near that much time.

  “The Dragonmounts are here!”

  “What? How can you tell?” asked Ulgar.

  “Doesn’t matter,” said Malik. “We have to hide! Quick!”

  A sound echoed across the mountains like waves crashing in the distance. They hurried down the mountainside, stags sliding on the loose rocks and dirt.

  Rykus leapt into the air, shooting down the mountain. His stag reared back, and Ulgar snatched the reins.

  “Where’s he going?” Surel demanded, voice trembling.

  “I don’t—”

  “Over there!” Malik pointed to a spot a few hundred yards down and to their right. Captain Rykus waved to them from an outcropping of boulders.

  The rushing sound grew louder, somewhere beyond the mountain, perhaps up in the clouds. The rage in her spirit was a gods-damned tempest.

  They rode hard, as fast as they dared push the beasts on the loose terrain. Surel’s stag slid, and she nearly slipped off as it scrambled to find purchase.

  Malik pulled up beside her and steadied her, and on they rode. The ground leveled out, short alpine grass making the going easier.

  Captain Rykus stood at the edge of an enormous boulder the size of a small hut. He dropped to his belly and disappeared down into a space.

  A sound like a wind-blown sail roared beyond the pass. Riese glanced back to see the breathtaking, fearsome outline of a dragon cresting the peak far to their right. Its back was to them.

  Ulgar leapt off his stag and frantically untethered the reins. He sent the beast away with a whip to its rear, and it shot toward the forest below. The others followed suit. Riese followed and then Surel and Malik, and their stags took off down the pass. Birds shot out of the treetops, screeching with terror.

  Ulgar reached Rykus first, and slipped into the space below the boulders.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  A loud rush of wind erupted directly behind them.

  Riese didn’t dare look back. She gripped Surel’s hand tight and pushed her forward.

  They passed a smaller boulder. Almost there. Riese slipped, knee scraping.

  The hole was barely large enough to fit through. Surel went first. She shoved Malik after her.

  A roar filled her spirit.

  Malik was trying to squeeze through, but Riese knew it was too tight for them all. The others tugged Malik downward.

  Riese pulled back, wresting her hand free. Wind rushed overhead. A dark shadow descended over them.

  Riese scrambled back to the smaller boulder and leapt beneath a small overhang of dark rock, pressing her body against the cold stone.

  Her dragon’s spirit had gone still as death.

  The shadow rushed overhead. Not one, but three dragons soaring from glacial pass. The magnificent beasts were so much larger than any dragyr. Their wings spanned fifty feet at least, and each flap roared, echoing across the mountain tops.

  The stags let out a distant cry somewhere below, and she could sense they’d caught the attention of the dragons.

  Either that will be our doom or our salvation, she thought.

  One dragon banked at the other end of the valley. The other two headed further down the pass. Terror overwhelmed her. All it would take was for one of the beasts to fly back the way they’d come, and she would be spotted. But she dared not move or risk the same.

  Another roar overhead.

  Riese did not move. She held her breath as a fourth shadow passed over them.

  The entire valley resounded with the cacophonous rush of wings echoing off the mountains, down the valley.

  But slowly, the sound grew more faint.

  Riese held still, waiting for one of the beasts to circle back, but the winds continued to fade. She was sure the sound was now coming from the valley below.

  Perhaps the stags had saved them after all. Wild ones ran all through these passes.

  Riese waited until the world was silent for several minutes before she dared to move.

  Then, she felt a soft whisper from the egg on her back.

  Safe.

  Riese emerged from the overhang. The clouds had drawn tight over the valley once more. She hurried to the others.

  Malik and Surel scrambled out of the small cave. Riese grabbed Ulgar’s hand and helped him. Rykus followed, his fingers shaking at his sides.

  “We have to hurry to the tree line before they come back,” said Malik.

  Rykus turned to Riese. “They knew our path. They were searching for us.”

  “God’s breath,” Surel muttered.

  “All the more reason to move!” said Malik.

  They sprinted down the valley. Riese was glad to be off the sheer, slick surface of the mountainside. The grass and dirt of the valley floor made for a much easier traverse, despite the steep descent to the forest.

  Rykus remained close to Riese, though he didn’t speak again until they’d reached the cover of sprawling socha trees.

  “Those dragons were flying toward our exact route,” Rykus said. “They knew where to look.”

  Riese nodded. “But Ava wasn’t supposed to approach the Atticans for several more hours. You don’t think…”

  “They found her,” Rykus said softly. “I’m sure of it.”

  “Shit,” said Riese.

  Malik and Ulgar both shook their heads.

  “How much do you think Ruan figured out about our plan?” Malik asked.

  “Enough to be dangerous, it would seem.”

  “Do you think he knew about the firebomb?”

  Rykus hesitated.

  “What now?” asked Ulgar.

  “I don’t know…”

  “What’s the big deal?” asked Surel. “That means they’ll be distracted, right?”

  “That’s the quickest path,” said Riese, realizing what she meant.

  “What are you proposing?” Rykus asked.

  Surel shrugged. “The only way to get to the Spires with a whole bunch of people is through that pass. But we could go another way.”

  Riese nodded. She’d never done it, but she knew plenty of hunters who had. “It’s possible.”

  “But it’ll be slower,” said Malik. “And if we don’t blow the pass…”

  “We can’t get to the pass,” said Surel.

  “Both of you are right,” said Rykus.

  “We are?”

  “They may lose a couple hours looking for us. But if there are no signs of a threat, they’ll get wise quick. But I can fly ahead.”

  “And set the bomb off alone?”

  “No.” Rykus removed his pack containing the firebomb and handed it to Malik. “In truth, I never liked that part of the plan, and I think I know a better way to delay them. One that may buy you even more time.”

  “Why didn’t you propose this earlier?” Riese asked.

  Rykus smiled. “Because I didn’t know that the emperor himself would be flying on this mission.”