Prince of Spies - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,69

on, we’ve got to warn the Jinn.”

Turning more sharply than Riki could follow, Nico winged back toward the Jinn encampment, but she wasn’t quite so agile in the sky yet. Cutting her corner too tightly, Riki began to lose altitude, coming dangerously close to the skiths far below.

“Nico!”

But it was too late. Riki’s panic translated poorly in her newfound dragon body. She began to tumble, falling closer and closer to the danger below. In her panic, she began to shift, the black mist swirling as her body instinctively sought a more familiar form. The wings slowed her descent at first, bringing her closer to the canopy of tall trees, but then the wings were gone and she started to pick up speed.

Riki reached out blindly, falling through the tops of the trees, breaking the smaller branches near the tops, slowing her descent once again. Leaves and branches struck her tumbling body, slapping her in the face and causing her to cry out in pain until finally she came to rest with a jolting thud.

Caught in a tree.

Blessed be the Mother of All.

“Riki!” The black dragon trumpeted Nico’s distress as he made his way back to where she’d fallen.

“I’m all right. I landed in a tree. I’m pretty high up. I don’t think the skiths can reach me up here.”

But they certainly had spotted her. Nico could see that easily enough from his position above. Several of the deadly creatures paused at the base of her tree, trying experimentally to spit at her, but thankfully, she really was out of their range.

“Can you shift and fly out?” Nico knew it was a long shot. She was too new to her wings to be able to shift and fly from such an awkward position.

“I doubt it. Not right now, anyway. I’m too shaken up. I’m content just to stay here for a bit. Nico, you have to go warn the Jinn.”

“I can’t leave you!”

“You must. Nico, even the magical circle around the encampment won’t keep out this many skiths. This is an attack. An organized one. Even I know this many skiths don’t just appear on their own. Especially not this far north.”

Nico had to acknowledge she was right. Someone had herded these skiths to attack the Jinnfaire. The people on the ground were mostly defenseless against such fierce creatures. Only dragons could adequately defend against an army of skiths, with their fire. It was the one thing skiths were afraid of.

But the Jinn claimed there were black dragons among them. Perhaps there would be enough to defend the huge number of people at the Jinnfaire. He wasn’t sure, but it really was their only shot.

“Nico, you have to help them!”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“But you have to. You must.”

Nico sighed with resignation. He knew what he had to do.

“You’re right.” Nico flew in a circle above Riki for a moment more, wishing he could kiss her, knowing he couldn’t. “Stay right there, sweetheart. Don’t move a muscle. You should be safe from the skiths where you are, so don’t try to go anywhere else, all right?”

“Believe me, I won’t move an inch. I’m still shaking too badly, for one thing.” Her little chuckle carried through her thoughts. Sweet Mother! How he loved this woman.

“All right. I’ll be back as soon as possible, with help. Stay right where you are and remember that I love you more than anything in this world.” His thoughts softened as he turned to wing away toward the Jinn encampment. “Without you, I’m lost, Riki. Stay safe for me, my dearest love.”

“I love you too, Nico. Warn the people, then hurry back to me.”

Riki sat in the tree, content to be safe for the moment from the spitting skiths so far below. Most had given up on her, but a few still lingered at the base of her tree, keeping her penned. The rest were moving steadily toward the Jinn encampment and that worried her. Those people had little to defend themselves against such a massive incursion of the deadly creatures.

But they claimed to have a few dragons among their number. She’d seen one already when Estella changed right in front of her. So they had some protection, at least. They would probably need Riki’s healing skills when it was over though. People and dragons were sure to be injured and she would do all she could to help heal them. They’d been so kind to her, she wanted to help them in return.

“Is that you,