Shadow by Mark Robson Read Free Book Online

the general populace, and amongst the rest of the dragonrider community. Night dragons looked particularly fierce with their heavily armoured bodies, their
sharp horns and red eyes. Because of this, folk were quick to blame no end of ills on them.
    It’s time that changed, he thought. It’ll take a while, but it’s a goal worth striving for.

Chapter Five
A Confident Guess
    Glowing embers and the smouldering remains of twigs and smaller branches dripped from the trees in a red, smoking rain. Steam hissed from the damp, leafy carpet like a thousand
snakes. The yelps of pain and fright from those unfortunate dogs singed by spark or flame were lost amongst the frenzied barking of the main pack.
    Nolita had been ready for the blast of fire. Firestorm had given her a timely warning. She held her breath, curled into a tight ball on her saddle and tucked her head between her forearms as she
clung to the pommel with all her strength.
    ‘Hang on tight, Nolita. We’re getting out of here.’
    Nolita didn’t reply to her dragon’s order. Instead she kept her head low and, ignoring the danger from
the dogs leaping and scrabbling at Firestorm’s flanks, she slipped her feet down into the stirrups. It was well that she did, for the added stability kept her from falling as her dragon shot
forwards through the smoke-filled tunnel under the trees.
    Unable to hold her breath any longer, she drew in a gulping gasp. The thick smoke instantly irritated the back of her throat, triggering an involuntary fit of coughing. Panic gripped her afresh
as she lost control of her breathing. Nolita felt she had gained some mastery over her fear during the last few days, but a familiar wall of blackness was looming. Her head spun as she flirted with
unconsciousness. Being on Firestorm’s back brought fear enough, but the concentrated attack by the dogs had raised her fear levels to new heights. Now she was not only on a dragon’s
back, but smoke-blind, choking, and racing through a treacherous, burning tunnel under the trees. It was hard to imagine anything more terrifying.
    Even as Firestorm ran forwards, she felt him draw in another deep breath. The roar as he sent a second blast of flame ahead of them was not unexpected, but the wash of heat was so intense that
she wondered if some of the smell of burning that filled her mouth, nose and throat was that of her own hair.
    ‘Stay with me, Nolita,’
Fire urged.
‘Nearly there. One more blast will see us clear.’
    She forced her eyes open a crack, but she couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing. He was preparing to spew another gout of fire. She could feel him gathering it beneath her. She
clamped her eyelids tight shut again. A moment later and a third roar issued from his throat. The mindless barking of the dogs was beginning to fall behind them now. Suddenly she felt the change of
air. They were clear of the trees. She felt Firestorm’s muscles bunch as he extended his wings and began his first downstroke.
    The whoosh of air that marked the beginning of Firestorm’s take-off brought a sense of relief. A few days ago it would have amplified her fear, but the increasingly familiar rhythmic
feeling as they launched into the air served this time to calm her. They had escaped the pack. Her coughing began to subside. Fresh air forced the smoke from her lungs, but the taste of it remained
as she started to regain control of her breathing.
    A sharp series of cracking reports were followed an instant later by a stinging sensation in her chest. It took a moment to realise that the pain it brought was not hers, but Firestorm’s.
She was feeling it through their mental link. The sound of something whizzing through the air helped her identify the source of the noise. Someone was directing one of the strange weapons of this
world in their direction. More cracking noises announced the release of more weapons, but none found their mark.
    ‘We’re clear,’
Fire announced.
‘The others