his eyes toward the sky. Dark clouds boiled on the horizon behind them, churning and racing in their direction.
Dikaios bobbed his head. “Very well. The lady may ride behind you.” He lowered himself to the ground and looked up to the sky. “Climb on quickly. The storm to end all storms is fast approaching, and it will take all my speed to stay ahead of it.”
Ashley pulled one of the pennies from her pocket and clutched it tightly in her hand. Stretching her arms and legs as far as she could reach, she spread her body over Roxil and aimed her eyes at her dragon-sister’s chest. “Let’s go for it, Walter!” she called. “She’s huge, so give it all you’ve got!”
Walter charged up Excalibur’s beam and pointed it at the ground. Energy sizzled across the rocky floor and surged into Ashley once again. She lurched but hung on. White light streamed from every part of her body, radiating into the scales, while two narrow beams shot from her eyes and drilled into Roxil’s chest. “More!” Ashley called. “We need more!”
Tightening his grip, Walter threw all his energy into the sword. A new flash of light burst forth and charged into Ashley. She lurched again and cried out with a blood-curdling scream, her limbs locking around her sister.
Walter’s hands shook so hard he could barely hang on. His shout vibrated with his tremors. “Should I stop?”
Ashley’s body quaked violently as she formed words with her screams. “Not … until … her eyes … open!”
Sapphira dropped to her knees in front of Roxil’s face. “I’m watching her eyes! I’ll let you know!”
His arms locking in place, Walter continued blasting Excalibur’s beam into Ashley. Her body bucked so violently, she had to latch onto Roxil’s foreleg and one of her spines to keep from falling off. She bit her lip so hard, blood oozed down to her chin.
“I see her eyes!” Sapphira yelled. “She’s awake!”
Walter shut the beam off and hustled to Ashley, resheathing Excalibur as he ran. She lay motionless on the dragon’s flank, facedown and arms splayed. He laid a hand on her back but withdrew it quickly. “She feels like she’s on fire!”
Roxil lifted her head and swung it back to where Ashley lay. “Why is this human lying on me?” Her tail came forward and began pushing Ashley’s body down her flank.
“No!” Walter shoved Roxil’s tail away. “For your information, that’s your sister Ashley, and she just healed you.” He cradled Ashley and carried her away from the dragon, ignoring the stinging heat radiating from her body. “We have to cool her down somehow!”
Sapphira held out her hand. “The rain’s getting heavier, and it’s ice cold.”
“That should help.” Walter laid her gently on the floor. “But will it be enough?”
As she pulled off Ashley’s shoes, Sapphira nodded at Gabriel. “Take Walter to the top and see if you can get any news. Karen and I will sponge her down.”
Still on his knees at Ashley’s side, Walter caressed her hand. “But I can’t leave her until I know she’s going to be”
“Go!” Sapphira ordered. She and Karen hurriedly stripped off Ashley’s jacket, rocking her body to the side to pull it free. “Roxil will get us out of here when we’re ready.”
Turning his head, Walter shuffled away, kicking through the debris the fiery cyclone hadn’t spun into oblivion.
Gabriel ran up and patted him on the back. “You ready for a ride?”
“Sure.” Walter shrugged his shoulders. “Let’s see what’s going on up there.”
Gabriel unstrapped Walter’s scabbard, sword and all, and handed it to him. Then, wrapping his arms around Walter’s chest from behind, he lifted off.
When Gabriel turned into the breeze, Walter resisted the urge to look back, choosing instead to gaze up into the weeping sky and concentrate on breathing slowly through Gabriel’s tight squeeze. Needlelike ice mixed in with the rain, stinging his cheeks. But that was good—the colder, the better. Cold was now a gift from above, something that could undo the terrible damage he might have done.
Walter gnashed his teeth. That stupid dragon wasn’t worth saving, not if it meant losing Ashley! Sister or no sister, Roxil was a pest. She seemed callous and cold. He mocked the dragon’s words in a high, exaggerated tone. “Why is this human lying on me?”
“Did you say something?” Gabriel asked.
“Yeah, but I’d better not repeat it.”
Gabriel laughed. “Suit yourself. We’re almost there.”
A few seconds later, Walter felt his weight press down on his feet again. Wind gusts from Gabriel’s wings