Heath emerged from the inn on the far side of the Fork, brandishing his cudgel, but he was still a long way off. Errol tackled the sandy-haired thug, and he looked as if he might come out of the tussle with another broken nose. The man with the smiling scar shouted orders to the others, who raised their clubs to defend those trying to get more ropes around the dragon. Fenn grabbed the princess, holding her back so she wouldn’t try to fight them herself.
More Watermight escaped from the dragon’s mouth.
Tamri made a quick decision. “I’ll take care of it.”
She darted ahead of Fenn and the princess, moving nimbly through the chaos. She figured she could make up for stealing—borrowing—the red dragon if she kept this one from being lassoed by the street toughs. She needed the Vertigonians to trust her.
She scampered around Errol and the man he was wrestling, already pulling on the Watermight the dragon had dropped. The liquid power hadn’t sunk too far into the ground, and she drew it back out, taking a liberal portion of dirt with it. She flung the silvery mud into the eyes of the nearest thug and whipped out an icy Watermight razor to sever the ropes of the next two. The men turned, their fists swinging wildly, but they didn’t connect the girl scurrying past them with the power lashing at their clubs and ropes. Their eyes rolled with fright as they tried to fend off the magical attack. One tried to hide behind the twisted iron statue.
Angry shouts rose from the crowd, almost drowning out the distressed cries of the dragon. More people were rushing toward the Vertigonians and the would-be dragon thieves.
Tamri tugged up another stream of Watermight from the ground, preparing to deal with anyone who got too close. Panic shot through her at the sight of so many hostile faces. Her fingernails glowed with silver-white power.
“Stop!” a hand closed on her arm, and she lashed out at it, putting a deep score in her attacker’s wrist. A second too late, she realized it was Heath.
“I didn’t mean—”
Blood welled from the cut in Heath’s forearm, shockingly red and bright, but his grip held. “You can’t use Watermight here,” he said urgently. “We have an agreement.”
“But they were trying to—”
“Look out, Chief!” called a new voice. Taklin had followed Heath into the fray, and he was swinging his fists at anything that moved. “They saw her. We need to leave town.”
The throng of angry locals was swarming closer. No longer watching the dragon, they were glaring at Tamri and the silver-white glow at her fingertips.
Heath cursed and shoved Tamri toward the frantic dragon.
“Get her in the air. Meet us at Kurn Pass.”
“But—”
“Now!”
Tamri obeyed. Once more using the Watermight as a makeshift harness, she scrambled onto the sea-green dragon’s back. Then she sliced through the rope tangled in its wing and gave a wordless shout. The dragon launched off the brick platform and into the air.
9
Tamri and the sea-green dragon circled once around the Fork. Below them, Heath advanced toward Selivia, who was trying to placate the growing horde of angry townsfolk. Fenn brandished her short sword at anyone who came too near the princess. Taklin and Reya ran toward the stables where the other dragons were sheltered, and Errol followed, his nose bleeding heavily.
Upturned faces followed the progress of the errant dragon, none of them friendly. Weapons gleamed among the crowds, swords and knives flashing in the sun. A few people even raised half-drawn bows, as if considering whether to try bringing the dragon down. The affable revelers of the night before had been replaced by a hostile mob.
Tamri’s actions had apparently exacerbated the chaos. She grimaced. No one had told her anything about not using Watermight in Fork Town. She had just been trying to help.
“Let’s get out of here,” she called to the dragon, tightening her grip on the Watermight cord anchoring her in place.
The dragon squawked a response and soared higher into the afternoon sky. She was quivering, still distressed by the ordeal. So this was Laini, the dragon she was supposed to ride tomorrow. Tamri gave her a tentative pat on the shoulder, where the sea-green feathers gave way to slightly darker scales.
At her touch, Laini glanced back at her with large golden eyes.
“Uh, could you take me to Kurn Pass, please,” Tamri said, remembering what Selivia had said about the dragons’ intelligence. “We can wait for the others there.”
Laini tossed her head and banked sharply, making Tamri’s stomach lurch. When her wings straightened out, they were heading toward the mountains and the sunlit corridor knifing between them.
Tamri twisted in her seat to look back. People still mobbed the Fork, but she couldn’t recognize anyone at this distance. None of the other dragons were airborne yet.
A significant amount of Watermight still flowed through Tamri’s body, making her feel strong. Laini was smaller and easier to ride than Mav, and Tamri briefly considered running away with her and the power she carried. But the oath bond on her neck pulsed before she could follow the thought far, reminding her of her obligations. Besides, Heath would catch her again if she tried to escape. She remembered the deep cut she’d slashed in his arm and winced. If he hadn’t hated her before, he would now.
The sun began to sink as they flew north, and a cool breeze rolled off the mountains, smelling of damp leaves and linden flowers. Fortunately, Tamri had managed to keep her burlap sack on her back when the chaos began. If it got any colder than this, she would definitely need the warm clothes Selivia had bought for her in addition to her grandmother’s cloak.
Before long, they reached the narrow channel through the mountains known as Kurn Pass. Laini dove straight for a broad stone ledge overlooking the road and landed in a scurry of talons and feathers.
“Good thinking,” Tamri said, sliding off the dragon’s back. They could watch for their companions from this ledge without encountering the riders and merchant trains traveling through the pass. “Do you always have this kind of trouble on your travels?”
Laini looked at her with mournful golden eyes and tipped her head sideways. Then she uttered a sound between a whine and a whimper and extended her nose to sniff at Tamri’s hand. The dragon still seemed frightened, surprising for such a huge creature.
“You’re all right,” Tamri said softly. “I know that was scary.”
Tentatively, she rested her fingers on Laini’s pale-green snout. The scales felt almost silky. As Tamri stroked her nose, Laini gazed at her trustingly with those liquid gold eyes.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Tamri could sense the reservoir of Watermight in the dragon’s belly. She thought about keeping the Watermight she’d picked up in the Fork just in case, but it would soon lose its potency inside her body. She let the power pool in her palms and urged the dragon to drink it up again.
“That’ll show them they can trust me.”
Laini lapped up the liquid magic, gurgling in appreciation, then she lay down, resting her bulging belly on the stone ledge. Tamri sat beside her and reached out to stroke her arched neck. The dragon shuffled closer, nosing at her hair.
Tamri chuckled. “You’re kind of sweet, aren’t you? I bet my grandma would like you.”