Dragons Reborn by Daniel Arenson Read Free Book Online

crossed the city walls below. From up here, even the
firedrakes seemed like mere ants. She kept her mouth shut as she flew, knowing
that a single, errant flicker of fire would shine for miles. She glided, as
silent as she could, barely daring to breathe.
    Once she had crossed
the walls, she allowed herself a short breath of relief. She now flew directly above
the city. On the walls, the firedrakes kept staring into the black horizons.
They had not seen her.
    She glided high above,
scanning the city for a place to land. Thousands of domed clay huts covered the
hills, huddled together. The streets were narrow between them. She could see no
place to land, and she could not land on a roof without waking up those
sleeping beneath it.
    An empty black patch
spread ahead of her, large as an entire town, leading toward the Cured Temple.
The Square of the Spirit, built hundreds of years ago, was large enough for
armies to muster on. There were no huts there, no lanterns, only shadows.
    That's where we'll
land. Fidelity glided forward. In the very heart of the Commonwealth.
    She looked over her
shoulder. "Get ready, boys," she whispered. The two nodded, and
Julian even seemed to be grinning.
    Fidelity turned to look
forward again. She was nearing the square now, getting dangerously close to the
light of the Cured Temple. She began to glide down, slowly spiraling closer and
closer to the square, praying with every heartbeat that none saw the shadow
descending in the night.
    She was reaching out
her claws, ready to land, when fire blazed, screeches rose, and the night
exploded with light and sound and fury.

 
 
CADE

    Cade's heart pounded and his head
spun as they ran upstairs, fleeing the dungeon. He clung to Domi's hand, and
his breath rattled in his lungs.
    So many thoughts
swirled through his mind: Beatrix is my mother. Mercy is my sister. Domi is
alive. I must find Fidelity.
    He tightened his lips.
For now, he had to focus on escape.
    Gripping his sword, he raced
upstairs. His wounds ached, and his limbs felt rubbery, but the excitement and
fear pounded through him, propelling him onward. They had climbed dozens of
steps when the three guards came clanking down toward them.
    Domi and Cade glanced
at each other, then looked forward, screamed, and charged.
    The stairwell was
narrow—too narrow to shift in. Their elbows banged together, but they kept
racing upward, swords swinging. One guard cried out and fell back a step. Cade snarled
and thrust his blade, hitting the man's armored belly. He could not pierce the
chain mail, but it distracted the man long enough for Domi to swing her blade,
slicing into the guard's leg.
    As he crashed down, the
two other guards raced toward them, drawing their swords. Cade parried a blade.
Domi fought at his side. As another sword swung toward him, Cade ducked and lashed
his own blade, hitting another guard's legs. The man fell, and Cade plunged his
sword downward, stabbing his back. Domi finished off the last guard.
    Cade flashed her a
shaky grin. "Not bad, Doms."
    She glared. "Less
talking, more running!"
    She grabbed his hand
and yanked him forward, and they kept racing upward.
    They burst out of the
stairwell into a lavish, marble hall coated with gold, murals, and jewels.
    Dozens of guards,
priests, and paladins filled the place.
    Oh bloody stars . .
.
    Cade shouted, leaped
forward, and shifted into a dragon. An instant later, Domi shifted at his side.
    Two dragons, one gold
and one the colors of fire, roared in the jeweled hall of the Temple. Their
tails slammed against gilded columns. Their claws tore into the mosaic floor.
Their horns hit the ceiling, sending gemstones raining down. Their dragonfire
blazed, shrieking across the hall.
    Gilt melted. Murals
crackled. And everywhere, men burned. Soldiers screamed and fell. Priests fled,
robes blazing. A paladin tried to race through the fire, to swing his sword,
only for Cade's claws to crash against him, knocking him down. The dragons
moved