the middle of the sprawling marble fortress. “Abigail is in the topmost room of this tower,” he said. “Breach the wall here on the north side. Make sure you hit it from this side only. If you strike from a different angle you could hurt her. She’ll be hiding behind some furniture and ready to go when you get there.”
“Understood,” Anatoly said. “Once we have her, then what?”
“Retreat into the wilds and hide while we formulate a plan to free Ixabrax’s family,” Alexander said. “I haven’t had time yet to scout their aerie or the surrounding defenses. Besides, Abigail’s going to need some time to get her bearings.”
Ixabrax eyed him suspiciously.
“Do not consider reneging on your word, Human,” he said.
“Not a chance, Dragon,” Alexander said. “Freeing your family will hurt Zuhl’s military capability more than anything else … and it also happens to be the right thing to do. Your enslavement is a profound violation of the Old Law and I intend to set it right.”
“We shall see,” Ixabrax said.
“Given your experience with Zuhl, your suspicions are understandable but unnecessary,” Alexander said. “It’s nearly dark … you should begin your attack soon. Once you have Abigail, I’ll lead you to an empty cave farther north where you can rest and prepare for the next strike.”
He faded from view as Anatoly and Magda climbed onto the dragon’s back.
Chapter 21
Abigail was pacing. The sun had just slipped past the horizon on the last day before the winter solstice. Tomorrow was the day Zuhl would perform his yearly sacrifice, giving over her life to the darkness in exchange for another year of life without aging.
She knew Alexander was working on her rescue. She trusted her brother to do everything within his power. What she wasn’t sure about was whether he would be able to help her. He was so far away with only his newly discovered and untested magic at his disposal.
“Hi, Abby.”
She spun around at hearing the familiar voice.
“Cutting it a little close, aren’t you?” she said.
Alexander shrugged. “I had to make some preparations.”
“Not to sound ungrateful, but Zuhl’s going to sacrifice me tomorrow,” Abigail said. “Any chance you have a plan to get me out of here before then?”
“They’re coming right now,” Alexander said. “Push your bed over to the south side of the room, then tip it over and hide behind it. Hurry, you don’t have much time.”
“Now you tell me,” Abigail said, going to work on moving the bed. As she shoved it into place, she heard the muffled roar of a drakini from outside her tower. Moments later the temperature of the room fell precipitously, ice forming on the northern wall. She glanced back before turning her bed over and scurrying around behind it.
Seconds later the frozen wall shattered, sending stones flying across the room in every direction and opening the tower to the sky. A horn sounded in the distance and was immediately answered by another. The alarm had been raised.
Ixabrax landed on the breach, extending his head into the room as the door was thrown open and guards started to enter. The first man to cross the threshold stopped in his tracks and stared at Ixabrax eyeing him from a distance of only a few feet. He backed away slowly.
“Abigail!” Anatoly shouted from his perch on the dragon’s neck. “Hurry!”
She was up and running in a blink. Anatoly caught her outstretched hand and hoisted her onto the dragon. Two drakini flew behind them, both breathing frost that fell harmlessly on Magda’s shield.
“Go!” Anatoly shouted as soon as Abigail was seated between two of Ixabrax’s back spikes.
When the dragon launched into the sky, two drakini attacked, attempting to tear his wing membranes. Ixabrax tucked his wings in and fell into a steep dive toward the battlements, freeing himself of the drakini and forcing them to break off or risk plummeting to the ground. At the last moment, Ixabrax pulled up hard and turned north.
Abigail felt the crushing pull of gravity as Ixabrax thrust against the air to gain altitude. Behind them, a number of drakini were taking flight in pursuit. Farther behind, the roar of a dragon echoed from the battlements.
“My sire,” Ixabrax said.
Abigail would never have believed that she might hear a hint of fear in a dragon’s voice.
“Fly north,” Anatoly said. “Head for the cave where we found you.”
Ixabrax adjusted course without a word.
While Magda was focused on casting a spell, Anatoly handed Abigail the Thinblade. She looked at him with a fierce smile, then