Firebolt

Chapter 31

SAMMY START SLOWING down beneath me, following the other dragons as they made their descent. I held Lucian's chest as tightly as I could with my good arm, and buried my face between his two shoulder blades. I'd kept my eyes shut, trying to soothe my rolling stomach.

We landed with a hard thud, although I knew Sammy did try to make her landing as graceful as possible. She transformed back into a human after we'd slid off her left wing and were back on solid ground.

The dragons dressed quickly while the rest of us spent time discussing a plan of action. This mission was getting more dangerous by the minute, but the thought of returning home with the sword somehow made everything seem worth it. Blake and the others joined in the discussion once they had all dressed.

"Elena, what side is he coming from and when?" Blake started asking important questions.

I looked around and compared our surroundings with those I had seen in the Sacred Cavern. "It showed nightfall, we're in the exact right spot."

"Are you sure?" Arianna asked. She had that set to her jaw that told me she didn't trust me one bit.

"Yeah, positive. If I'm not mistaken, the volcano is just ahead about two miles." I pointed into the direction, and Brian sprinted down the path. He was the only dragon able to get close to a volcano.

"Okay, we have to corner the Dragonian here. We can't let him get past the P.O.N.R," Blake said.

"What is P.O.N.R?" I whispered to Lucian.

"Point of no return."

"Where's the sword, Elena?" Blake asked quickly.

"He was carrying it close to him. It was covered with some sort of fabric bound with string."

Pondering this information, Blake gave us our first goal. "So we have to find a way to snatch it from him. I doubt that he'll be compelled─"

"You're wrong," I interrupted, and Blake's facial expression changed from being sure about his plan to a huge frown.

He gazed at the ground for a minute. "Are you sure?" His voice broke, and he cleared his throat with a cough.

"Walking to the volcano, melting away to accomplish the task. I would say he's compelled."

Melting away? Becky mouthed, and I nodded. She shivered.

"What is it, Blake?" Lucian asked.

"It's not good." He started to pace around, clutching his hair. "If Goran controls him, he'll see everything, including us." There was a sense of alarm in his tone. A frown creased his forehead, and I could tell Blake was thinking really hard to come up with plan B.

"Is that bad?" I asked.

"It's very bad, you crazy lunatic," Tabitha yelled. "You've led us to our deaths."

"Tabitha, back off!" Becky jumped in, and Sammy uttered something that sounded like a swearword.

I didn't like Tabitha's tone one bit, but had to admit, she was really brave for sticking with us this long. Usually Snow dragons disappeared at any sign of danger.

"Tabitha's got a point, but we've made a choice," Blake said, in order to stop the backbiting. "We can't transform, Lucian. We have to fight in our human form. Elena, to get back to your question, yes, the mission just turned into something suicidal. If Goran does compel the Dragonian, we are going to fight him indirectly. None of us are ready or trained for that."

We all fell silent. Fighting Goran wasn't on the agenda and running seemed like the only option.

"Blake, I will change!" Sammy sounded terrified.