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brilliance. What had at first seemed a deadly weapon ready to incinerate them was actually a regent dragon bearing two riders. Catrin rode at the front, Koe held before her, both shining like fire. That same power washed over Pelivor and Kyrien, as if they were made of lightning.
    Focused on the ferals, Catrin paid them no mind, but Pelivor met Kenward's eyes. The skilled flightmaster then did something Kenward would never quite understand. Somehow, across the distance between them, Pelivor forced air back into the bumblebee's holding tanks, and the thumping grew faster than ever. With Farsy holding on, Kenward aimed for the coast. A quick getaway and a safe landing were the best he could hope for. For those lost or still in the fight, he shed a tear.
    Even with the extra compressed air Pelivor provided, the bumblebee would not get them all the way to the coast. Knowing they would likely nose-dive into the vile, twisted marsh if he let the compressed air completely run out, Kenward searched for a place to land. Nothing looked safe. They could either touch down in black water crawling with snakes and other predators or make an abrupt stop amid the trees and vines.
    They hadn't seen or heard from Jessub, which worried Kenward as much as anything--that and Bryn's fate. Few things had ever pained him as much as leaving the young man behind. Bryn's death would forever be on Kenward's conscience, and that made it heavy, indeed. No amount of tears would change reality, and Kenward concentrated on saving Farsy. That, at least, he might actually achieve.
    A trumpeting bellow announced company. Kenward sighed in relief on seeing Onin and Jehregard approaching with Jordic and Tanaketh not far behind. The larger dragon's size alone would ward off all but the most determined foes, but they were still a ways off. He hoped the compressed air would last. Changing tactics, he climbed ever higher, aiming for the dragon. The vital thumping inexorably slowed.
    Eventually, the small craft would go no higher. Kenward used the altitude to gain speed and raced toward Onin and Jehregard.
    Onin yelled. "We'll circle back and get underneath you."
    While Kenward would have complied, fate removed the choice from his hands when the bumblebee quite suddenly went silent. Their trajectory would have taken them well over Onin's head, but the sudden loss of thrust caused them to drop.
    Onin screamed as the bumblebee nosed into his flight path. Jehregard's last-second evasive maneuver kept the bumblebee from crashing into the front of the tierre. Instead, the out-of-control projectile wedged itself into the tierre's side, the bumblebee almost touching Onin's backside. He looked back and shook his head. "You people really do know how to make an entrance. Whoa!" he shouted as soon as he turned to watch where they were going.
    Kenward turned as well. The skies above the Noonspire blazed with reflected light and sheets of what might be heat lightning. The air writhed with dragons, most dark and shadowy, but one shone like the brightest comet, glittering light surrounding him. Those aboard Kyrien cast out chains of fire, but the feral dragons came in overwhelming numbers. Seeing just how many dragons followed them, Kenward's courage fled.
    Though far from secure where he was, Kenward remained frozen in place, unable to climb into the damaged tierre in mid flight. Jehregard's sudden movements threatened to dislodge the aircraft and send it tumbling to the swamp below. As the bumblebee came loose, Onin grabbed the aircraft with a gnarled hand, grunting from the effort.
    The rest of the ride would haunt Kenward's nightmares. Feral dragons flew in close, but did not attack; instead they herded Jehregard back toward the Noonspire. Onin did what he could to fight it, but too many ferals surrounded them. Tanaketh cried out but was soon cut off from Jehregard. Once Catrin saw them driven back in that direction, her attacks intensified in pitch and scale; over and over she