Since the demon dragonrider was stalling, forcing Evan to make the first move, he thought he knew what he was planning. Evan was banking on it. If he were wrong, then he would pay severely for it.
Below in the water, Evan caught sight of the other demon dragonriders floating on the surface and trying to swim through the choppy seas toward the closest island. They weren’t going to make it, and although Evan would prefer not to kill a fellow dragonrider, these guys had left him no choice. If the Rogue Riders weren’t with the Dragon Elite, then they were against them, and nothing could stand in the way of the peace they strove for.
After drawing in a steadying breath, Evan leaned low on Coral and sent her a silent intention about his plans. Her confirmation was also wordless, more a feeling than anything—such was the magic between dragon and rider.
Chapter Sixty-One
“What sort of wards did they put on the netting?” Sophia used every spell she could think of to get through the pit’s security where Wilder was imprisoned. Nothing was working, and every passing moment made panic build in her chest.
“I don’t know,” Wilder answered, his tone even although she knew that merely standing there was excruciatingly difficult for him. He wanted to help. Needed to. “The demon dragonriders have a different brand of magic from what I can tell. They use spells I’m not familiar with.”
“Their magic feels dirty and complicated,” Simi observed.
“Like having a relationship with a prostitute,” Lunis joked.
Sophia yanked Inexorabilis from its sheath and shook her head at her dragon. “No jokes right now.”
He grumbled but nodded. “Fine. You want me to try and blast the netting? Maybe that would disintegrate it.”
“I’d prefer not to get fried!” Wilder called from the pit.
Bruises covered his face, which made Sophia’s heart ache. She shook this off and tried to focus. “I think the netting has to be fire-resistant because otherwise, the wall of fire would have affected it.”
“Also, remember that these pits are used to imprison the demon dragons,” Simi added.
Sophia nodded, once again sickened by the idea of treating their dragons in such ways. She pulled her sword back and whipped it down at the netting. Inexorabilis hit the fibrous ropes and rebounded as though it had collided with stone. More magic than a fire-retardant spell protected the net.
Jolted from the effort of hitting the steel-like ropes, Sophia shook her head and deflated slightly.
“Well, we tried.” Lunis groaned. “Guess this is where you live now, Wilder.”
Sophia shot her dragon an annoyed expression. “Not right now,” she repeated.
“No, the humor is keeping me sane,” Wilder argued.
“Have you tried portaling out of there?” Lunis bent his head to inspect the pit.
Wilder rolled his eyes. “Oh, dear me. I’ve been trapped here for a day. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re such an airhead,” Lunis teased.
Wilder laughed. “Yeah, portal magic has been disabled here. They were smart enough to think of that and a few other things, but I can’t figure out the other security wards. Something is off about their approach, which is stumping me.”
“No, we can’t allow that,” Sophia demanded with determination in her voice. “We have to get you out of there.”
“We will. Don’t worry,” Wilder offered. “We’ll figure this out. We have to think like an evil magician dragonrider. What sort of wards would they put on a pit to cage their dragons?”
“It’s not as complicated as that,” a meek voice said at their backs, which made Sophia tense. She wheeled around and brandished her sword, only to find a small girl standing near the tree line. The child was one of the natives. Her long, stringy black hair partially covered her face, and her clothes were plain and dirty.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Without blinking and without warning, Evan sent the waterspout to the side and straight at the demon dragonrider. However, unlike before, he didn’t make it collapse. Instead, he kept it erect and spinning at the green dragon as if a cyclone moved across the ocean.
As Evan had expected, the dragonrider flew in the opposite direction and fired a lightning strike at him. However, because the older rider had anticipated this, he shot the waterspout back the other way. It caught the bolt and blocked it from connecting with Evan and Coral.
The lightning wrapped around the water at once, absorbed by the mist, which was the perfect conduit for it. The display was incredibly beautiful—a spiraling mass of electrified water.
Each spark spread out from the waterspout’s base and crackled over the ocean’s surface for miles. Evan knew that the intensity of the electricity in the water would be lethal, the temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun, and containing over one hundred million volts of electricity. No one, not even a dragon or their rider, could survive that.
That was why Evan refused to look down as the electricity rippled across the water and fried the demon dragonriders. He didn’t like what he’d done, but it was the only way, and he knew it. There were always causalities in battles, although as a Dragon Elite, he avoided them when he could.
Chapter Sixty-Three
“What did you say?” Sophia glanced around, searching for the girl’s parents, and wondered where she came from.
“Those men that have taken over my island and imprisoned your friend, they didn’t use magic to seal off the netting,” the girl explained. “Well, they did to reinforce it, but I saw from the trees when they opened and closed the top of the pit, and it’s not a spell.”
Sophia rushed forward as her heart beat wildly. She knelt in front of the girl and hoped that she appeared non-menacing and trustworthy. “Will you tell us how to open it? We’re trying to help save your island and your people.”
Pain marked the girl’s smile, which made Sophia’s throat tighten. “I know you’re the good dragonriders. We watched your friend get captured and knew you were trying to help.”
“Good, good,” Lunis said at Sophia’s back, sounding anxious. “Way to open the pit? What is it? Then we can dance around peacefully.”
The girl pointed at a high tower built into the trees behind her. “There’s a button up there. Dragons can’t get up there because of the wards, but I’ve watched the bad men climb up there, and I think I know where the button is.”
Sophia’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe it might be that simple.
“Of course,” Wilder exclaimed from the pit, having overheard. “Like their soul stones for the barrier. They can’t use magic, or not much of it, so they rely on mortal methods.”
Sophia glanced over her shoulder at Wilder and gave him a speculative glare. “I hope you’ll explain that and more later.”
“You know I will, madam,” he sang with a smile.
Sophia returned her attention to the little girl. “Will you tell me where the button is?”
A grin spread on the girl’s face. “I’ll do even better. I’ll climb up there and press it for you. That way, you can get out of here with your friend before they come back.”