The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,99

Bright aqua bubbles popped along the surface, large and slow at first, then faster and faster. A flash of orange burned within the shallows and then, before his eyes, flame and teeth and scales burst forth, emerging with a screech so piercing he stepped back as though struck. Leathery wings pumped, dispelling burning flecks of water that evaporated as soon as they hit the air. Billows of white heat spilled across the ship, burning them and blinding them as the dragon swept into the sky, nothing more than flashes of fire and darkness within the steam. Metal clinked as the arrow was released, but there was no responding cry. Archer had missed.

They'd lost. Unless…

"Everyone cover your ears," Rafe shouted above the chaos. "Now!"

Giving no more warning, he sucked in a breath and screamed. His raven cry echoed across the water, but unlike last time, the magic saturating the air around him didn't pause, only the dragon, which slowly became clearer and clearer as the winds blew the steam away. Seizing the moment, Archer turned the arrow around and shot it through the beast's wing. A grotesque crunch broke the silence. Rafe winced, recognizing the sound. The arrow had struck bone. Unlike the others, this dragon wouldn't get away, though he doubted it would quietly succumb either.

Time zipped forward as his cry dissipated and the dragon lurched back into motion, no longer held by the thrall. A blast of flame hurtled toward them, only to be swept away by Pyro's magic. Despite what must have been agonizing pain, the beast thrashed its wings, pulling against the chain latching it to the back of the boat. The telltale crack of splintering wood cut through the madness. Leech was there immediately, pressing his hands against the deck and fortifying the ship. Archer hurled more chains at the beast, which whipped them away with its tail. Brighty sent a blast of penetrating light into its stomach, earning a keening cry, as Shadow wrapped her darkness around its eyes.

For a moment, Rafe almost felt sorry for the dragon as Jolt rained lightning down from the sky, stunning the beast so it dropped onto the waiting raft. Dragons had killed his parents, and nearly him. Dragons had delivered him to Lyana's waiting arms. Dragons had ruined his life. And yet, for an instant, all he saw was another living thing wrapped in chains—its snout muzzled shut, its body tied down, its wings bent and broken. All he saw was another creature of the sky being forced into submission upon the sea.

The moment passed.

Spout crashed a wave upon its back, dousing the flames seeping through its scales. The best slumped against the raft, alive but unconscious, and Rafe remembered all the lives it would have claimed had it escaped. Dragons were the enemy, and this was war. There was no in-between.

Next stop, Da'Kin. A sudden sense of triumph flooded his chest. He could already feel the wind in his feathers and the welcome sting of crisp air against his cheeks. Next stop, my wings.

31

Xander

If the past few weeks had taught Xander anything, it was that he and Cassi made a good team. While she scanned the shelves, he studied the pages. As she read aloud, he took notes. When she started a sentence, he had a habit of finishing it. They were so thorough, in fact, that he felt as though he'd learned nothing aside from their own efficiency. For every argument he made, she had a perfect retort. In every theory he voiced, she found the crushing weakness. Round and round they went, in endless circles that left them nowhere. Though he had a mountain of notes about the magic and the isles and the mist, Xander felt no closer to rescuing Lyana than he had the day they'd stepped foot in Rynthos. The frustration was beginning to show.

"Cassi, you can't honestly believe this means nothing," he said, staring at her over the mound of unrolled scrolls sitting between them on the table and feeling slightly crazed. It took everything for him not to yank his hairs out as he smoothed his palm over the top of his head, pushing a stray lock back into place. "Every isle aside from the House of Peace has been shrinking, so slowly no one is noticing, but quickly enough that each map holds changes. It can't mean nothing."

"If it means something, then why is the House of Peace unaffected? Why would one isle remain the same while all the