She easily deflected the assault and stealthily slid to the side. Tanner’s momentum took him past her and Sophia spun, lifted her elbow, and brought it down on his back, crushing him straight to the ground.
Tanner fell flat on his chest and the sword clattered from his grip as he ate dirt. Sophia lifted her foot and ground her boot into his back, holding him down as he attempted to rise. He wasn’t very strong, and his efforts were again laughable.
“I told you that you’d regret challenging her,” Wilder called from the pit.
“This isn’t over,” Tanner growled through a mouthful of dirt while trying to wriggle free of Sophia’s foot. “I won’t be beaten by a girl.”
“You should feel honored to be defeated by that girl,” Wilder remarked. “She’s tougher than most men I know.”
Sophia winked at Wilder in the pit, grabbed her sword’s hilt in a reverse grip, and slammed the tip into the dirt inches from where Tanner’s face lay pinned to the ground. He tensed. “I think we need to come to a new understanding before someone gets hurt.”
“Or pees on himself,” Lunis commented beside her, obviously enjoying the show.
“We don’t have to battle each other,” Sophia began. “The Rogue Riders can exist on this planet with us, but we won’t allow you to take lands that don’t belong to you. We won’t allow—”
“Sophia! Watch out!” Wilder yelled as a blinding force slammed into Sophia’s back and launched her over Tanner and to the ground, where Coal rolled over her and pinned her down.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Coal must have taken advantage of all eyes being on Sophia and Tanner and snuck back into the battle. That was one rule that no good dragon or rider would do. First, one didn’t attack a person when their back was to them. Second, dragons didn’t attack single riders when their dragon was there. It was common knowledge that dragons fought dragons and riders each other, or they fought as pairs when they were riding. But again, the Rogue Riders didn’t have the same moral code.
Sophia’s back seared with excruciating pain as Coal’s claws sank into her shoulder. She wasn’t wearing her special armor made by Jeremy Bearimy, and she instantly regretted it.
The dragon crushed her chest when they’d rolled over each other, and he presently rested all his weight on the paw bearing down on her as his hot breath hit the side of her head. Similar to Tanner, she was facedown with her cheek pressed into the dirt.
She was having trouble breathing and choked as the black dragon growled next to her face.
Unlike Coal, who would attack with his enemy’s back turned, Lunis wouldn’t stoop to that level even if they had. The Dragon Elite’s motto was to choose respect, even if the villains didn’t.
There was a guttural scream. A tearing noise. The sounds of wings swooshing through the air.
Sophia felt a rush of air and jerked her chin up to find the most peculiar sight. Lunis stood majestically in front of where she lay pinned, and Tanner hung upside down in his clutches with his head dangling inches from the ground. Her dragon had chosen the higher moral ground, but that didn’t mean he’d let Coal’s actions slide.
“Let her go, or I crush him!” Lunis ordered as his eyes flashed red. “And then I crush you, Coal.”
“How do I know that you’ll release him?” Coal’s voice was gravelly like Tanner’s and cold and deep as it resonated next to Sophia’s ear.
“Because I’m not soulless like you,” Lunis stated.
Suddenly there was a grinding noise near Sophia’s face, and she craned her head enough to see the netting rolling back. Wilder reacted instantly and clambered his way out of the pit.
“Let her go!” Tanner begged his dragon. “Let’s get out of here!”
On the heels of his words, Simi dropped from overhead and landed next to her rider with her wings spread.
“Come on!” Tanner yelled while swinging back and forth. “Hurry!”
Apparently deciding that Lunis and the Dragon Elite had the upper hand, Coal’s weight lifted off Sophia as he backed up. She didn’t move but did take in a breath, feeling the many claw marks on her back that made every move excruciating.
Sensing her pain, Lunis tossed Tanner some fifteen feet away from them where he, like his dragon earlier, crashed into a tree.
With great effort, Sophia rolled over to witness as Coal swooped through the air and landed next to Tanner, who quickly crawled onto his back. The pair immediately took flight, and Tanner looked over his shoulder with pure fear in his eyes as they retreated to the Rogue Rider’s headquarters where he’d be safe…for a little while.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Sophia and the others couldn’t have rescued Wilder one second later, or Evan would have been in real trouble. His and Coral’s magic couldn’t hold the waterspout any longer. That’s why instant relief flooded him when Lunis informed Coral that Wilder was free and they’d be returning to the Gullington right away.
A victorious laugh fell from Evan’s mouth as he allowed the electrified waterspout to fall, unfortunately not coming close to the green dragon and redhead. With the obstacle down, they raced forward, obviously wanting a beating. It would have to wait though because Evan knew better than to fight with diabolical madmen when his magical reserves were almost zero.
Real dragonriders knew when to fight and when to retreat. There would be another day to teach this guy a lesson. This battle was over, but the war was far from it.
Evan swiftly opened a portal to their home with the last of his magical reserves which he’d stored knowing he’d need a way to get back. He and Coral flew through, then closed it immediately. He leaned low and petted Coral’s side with a renewed appreciation for the magical creature he’d love for all his life. Evan couldn’t imagine not respecting her. And after this battle, he was even more grateful for how she never let them down.
That was the way of the Dragon Elite. They cared for the world because at their very core, they cared for each other—for themselves.
Chapter Seventy
There was a chorus of “Are you okay” as Sophia hurried in Wilder’s direction and he rushed for her. He threw his arms around her and pressed her in tightly, then reflexively pulled away as if afraid he’d further hurt the many wounds on her back. Between their breaths and rush of words, Sophia had also heard the dragons asking the same questions of their riders, but the two magicians only had attention for each other at that moment.
Sophia pulled away slightly and cupped Wilder’s cheeks in her hands while inspecting the many bruises. “Are you really okay?”
He nodded with a tender expression on his face. “But you’re not. We have to get you back. Those wounds are deep.”
She shook her head but stepped back a little more. “I’m fine, and we’re not quite done here yet.”
“He’s right,” Lunis interjected, his voice stern. “Dragon attacks are bad news and can be much more serious than you suspect. Often they’re laced with poison depending on the dragon and how deep.”