Silence - By Kailin Gow Page 0,36

knew that he had only seconds to make his decision. Did he fol ow it or didn’t he? Did he warn the people of Wicked, and risk losing Briony forever, or did he go after the dragon, and risk everything that might fol ow from that?

There was no decision to make. Fal on

couldn’t lose Briony. He simply couldn’t.

Fal on set off, bounding over the trees, not caring now that it might expose him to the eyes of watching vampires, knowing that it was the only way to keep up with the creature ahead of him. He flew with smooth grace now, barely touching the treetops as he skipped between them, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the dragon.

What would happen if it spotted him?

Archer had been far from friendly. In fact, Fal on got the impression that the only reason the dragon hadn’t tried to kil him was because Briony had vouched for him. This one didn’t know Fal on, so if it noticed his presence, it seemed likely that it would turn and bring flames to bear on him, burning him the way Archer had burned so many of Pietre’s.

Yet what could Fal on do? Give up and hide? Fal on couldn’t do that. He had to keep going.

Keep fol owing. Keep hoping that the dragon would lead him to the gate, and let him dare to hope that he might see Briony again soon. Fal on leaped to another branch, feeling it give under him and leaping again before it could snap, al without ever taking his eyes off the dragon.

He made leap after leap, pushing his body to the edge of what it could do. Had Fal on not been a vampire, had he not acquired the ability to leap through the air in this almost flight, he would never have kept up with this dragon. Its wings only seemed to cut through the air in lazy arcs, yet it sped away with monstrous speed. Fal on forced himself to go faster.

There would be a price for this later. The hunger that was always there in the background was beginning to rise through Fal on as his body burned fuel at a furious pace. He would need blood when he was done with this, which in a forest probably meant finding some woodland creature and feeding on it.

Some helpless rabbit or deer would die for this, but that was far better than feeding the way most vampires did. And if it meant that he could get Briony back, it was more than worth it.

Fal on flew on, and on. Branches whipped past him with every step. He ignored them. The wind whistled around him as he flew. He cut through it.

Fal on refused to let his body slow down, despite the sheer effort it was taking to keep it moving so quickly.

Would it have been easier if he had been an older vampire? While talking with the newly arrived vampires, Fal on had seen some phenomenal displays of power, but always mixed with such cruelty that Fal on had simply been disgusted by them. Yet now, for the first time, Fal on found himself wishing that he were a hundred years old, two hundred. Anything that would give him the power to keep up the pace in this chase.

Fal on was fal ing behind, and he knew it.

The ground was getting higher, and every leap was taking more and more effort. Fal on wasn’t sure that he had anything more to give. He wanted to.

He needed to, but his body simply refused to respond the way he wanted it to. Each jump he made now was slightly slower than the last one. Each one carried him slightly less far. And with each one, the gap to the dragon increased slightly, until it was just a dot on the horizon.

And then it wasn’t even that. Fal on landed between trees, leapt again, and it was gone. He landed with a crash, too exhausted by now to land with any grace, looking out in the direction that the dragon had been travel ing in. Fal on forced himself to make one more jump, but it was no use. The dragon was gone. He couldn’t catch it now. He could barely even stand now.

Where was he? If he could work out exactly where he was, perhaps Fal on could stil find his way back to Wicked to deliver his warning. But no, he had known in his heart of hearts