Tricked Into Flight

Chapter 23

*Rakota's POV*

The morning light was pleasantly warm on my scales as I stretched. Most of the others were also getting up. With a yawn, Andar finally raised his head and accepted the fact that we would be leaving soon. He lifted his wing, exposing his rider to the still-chilly air. The immediate sleepy protests went unheeded by the green dragon who yawned yet again.

Brandon had been a much quieter riser and was already helping Katerina turn the smoked meat into some sort of soup. The pile of firewood was almost gone. I knew I probably wouldn't feel like dealing with it later tonight, so I began walking along the trees. Most dead trees fell over, but there were always some that remained standing and dry.

I found one within easy reach and dragged it out of the forest and closer to the humans' corner. Like last time, I shredded the branches free and clawed the trunk into pieces the humans should be able to move. When I finished, I used my tail to brush them into a tall mound, secretly curious if Katerina would try to knock it over or just pull pieces out.

"Thank you, Rakota," she said, bowing low.

Brandon also gave a nod of thanks. As I began to turn away, a spell brushed against my senses. A finding and scrying spell. Even as my head whipped around to pinpoint the focus, I knew it was targeting Katerina. The shadow mages were finally using the lost arrow.

I began to shape a tracing spell to locate the mage when a second spell caught my attention. With a fierce hiss, I dropped my current casting to launch a counterattack, slashing my claws through the air to help me intercept it.

Flames erupted around my claws as I blocked the fireball both physically and magically. My magical senses spread out but didn't sense any other spells. The other dragons were already on their feet, and Qwest and Victorya threw themselves into the sky for a height advantage in case the attacker was nearby. Brandon and Katerina scrambled into the shelter for additional cover, not realizing it wouldn't help against a spell like this.

I probed further afield with my mind and magic, but no more spells came, and now that they had run their course, they were undetectable. With a peeved snarl, I shook out my scales.

"It was the shadow mages using that lost arrow to track Katerina," I told everyone. "When they noticed us nearby, they also sent a fireball to distract anyone trying to trace it."

Victorya landed nearby. "They'll know you blocked that spell, so I fully expect them to try again later. It's currently their best way to track us, and they've confirmed the human is with us."

Diondin walked over and checked on his rider, who was now standing just outside the shelter and listening to the conversation. Satisfied he was okay, the blue dragon said, "I think several of us should keep our senses open and ready to trace future finding spells if Rakota wants to block any following attacks."

"The finding spell worked, so they know we're here," Victorya pointed out. "They also know we're watching for such spells now, so it'll probably be a day or so before they try it again."

"I'd rather track them down today and finish them off," I said flatly.

"I agree," Diondin said, nodding firmly. "We can start our search as soon as the humans eat."

With a grumble, I sat down to wait, halfway hoping the mages would send another spell so I could block it or trace it. Diondin lingered nearby while the others went back to the lakeshore. Katerina finally emerged from the shelter, looking shaken and concerned.

Brandon tapped her shoulder and gestured to where she had been sitting by the fire. "We're safe. The dragons will keep watch. These mages found one of your arrows?"

"Yeah... I didn't realize they could attack me with it." She hesitated, then sat by the fire and checked the soup.

"I knew mages could locate people by using a finding spell on such objects, but I wasn't aware they could send attacks that way." He glanced at Diondin, silently asking for more details.

Diondin replied, "It takes a skilled mage and a lot of power to do such a thing. Their next attempt won't turn out so well. If we're quick enough and get a good opening, we might be able to send an attack right back at them even though we don't have a physical object to link to them."

Brandon and Diondin kept discussing the spells, precautions, and loopholes while Katerina listened and checked the soup. She pulled out a bowl and used both pots to divide the soup. She kept the bowl and passed a pot to each of the riders.

As they finished eating, I used a touch of magic to extinguish the fire, hinting they should get ready to leave.

Katerina stood up. "Let me wash these quickly."

She collected Randel's empty pot, but when she reached for Brandon's, he said, "I can wash mine."

I sighed heavily at the delay, but when I didn't argue, they jogged to the lake. While waiting I examined the shelter, which was a bit different than the original one. I was tempted to roll it over and see if it remained intact, but I decided to wait until I was sure we wouldn't need this campsite again. Someone was likely going to get hit with an immobilization spell, and they would want to recover with the safety of friends before flying to the coast.

As the humans ran back, the other dragons began taking flight, ready to start our hunt. Katerina didn't hesitate to climb into the saddle, nor did she make any kind of token protest. Part of it might have been a slowly growing habit, or possibly following Brandon's lead, but she probably also knew she had to remain near a dragon in case any more spells came flying her way.

Regardless of the reason, it meant we were able to take to the air without any more unnecessary delays. The trees sped by below us as we headed directly to the village north of the one we'd been at yesterday. We flew lower as we got closer to avoid being seen.

It eventually appeared in the distance and was quite a bit larger than the mining village had been. It was also surrounded by numerous fields, so we'd have to land much farther out.

"I'm not seeing any big clearings in the forest near the road," I told the others. "Or at least none big enough to hold all of us."

"We'll have to drop them off and regroup elsewhere," Diondin said. "There's a small clearing near the southern road, and no one is close to it right now."

"We'll wait for you in the large meadow to the east," Victorya said, veering away.

Diondin, Andar, and I headed for the clearing, but once we got closer, we saw there was a ridge between it and the road that the humans wouldn't be able to easily climb down.

With a slight shrug, Diondin sideslipped and landed right on the road. It wasn't what I considered to be a stealthy approach, but since no one was around to see it, would any travelers know?

I landed beside him, and soon, all the humans were standing on the packed dirt road. Andar was the first to leave, keeping low so other travelers on the road wouldn't see him.

"Best of luck," Diondin told his rider as he took flight.

"Try to keep near one of the riders," I told Katerina, "and I suggest not attracting any attention in case the mages catch wind of it."

With that, I took off. Below, Brandon and Katerina looked at Randel as if trying to decide what to do with him.