orbs.’
‘Where will you wait?’
‘There’s a lake about two hours’ flight south of the Oracle’s cave,’ Elian said. ‘Viewed from above, it looks like a grasping hand. It is the biggest for some
distance around. You can’t miss it.’
‘We’ll be there. Good luck with finding the orb.’
The pre-dawn glow was increasing steadily, as was the swell of the dawn chorus. Aurora was eager to get airborne. Elian could feel her energy and anticipation. Kira was already mounted and
waiting. Leaping lightly up Aurora’s side, Elian settled into his saddle. With a farewell salute to Pell, he gave his dragon the silent command to leave.
Aurora turned on the spot and bounded away through the green sea of ferns with Fang following close behind. Within moments they had left the ground and were climbing across the still water of
the lake. The air was cool, but not cold, and the sky was cloudless as far as the eye could see. The breeze had died out, killing all hints of turbulence. It was a beautiful morning for flying.
Elian could feel the dawn approaching. He had become attuned to Aurora’s instincts. He could feel her strength building and her will gathering as she prepared to open the gateway. The
sudden flood of energy that poured through her raged and roared in a mind-numbing torrent, as she tore apart the fabric of time and space and opened the vortex. It swirled in front of them, waiting
like the gaping mouth of a monster about to swallow its victim whole.
Kira and Fang surged past them and flew straight into the grim grey vortex at high speed. They vanished into the grey cloud, disappearing the instant they entered. Elian braced himself for the
passage between worlds. The twisting wrench of entry felt as though his body had been distorted out of its natural shape. Even though he had made the jump to the other world several times,
experience did not reduce the discomfort.
From the moment he entered, Elian could no longer feel Aurora under him. The familiar sensation of weightlessness was no longer as terrifying as it had been the first time. But the total lack of
any sensation was as spooky as ever. No sound. Nothing to see. No smell. No taste. No sensations of touch or pressure on his body. It was good that it did not last long. Such a lack of stimuli
could easily cause a person to lose their mind if they were subjected to it for any length of time.
The wrench of emergence was welcome, but any thoughts of relief were short-lived as the air around him suddenly erupted with fire and noise.
‘What on Areth . .
.
?’ Elian gasped.
It was slightly darker here, but the explosions were so frequent and so close that the nearby countryside appeared more vivid than it would in full daylight. White and orange fire split the air
around them and exploded from the ground below in great sunflowers of flame. Dawn was not far away. The eastern sky was a crown of light blue.
‘We’ve arrived in the middle of a battle,’
Aurora said urgently.
‘Fang has started to climb. We need to get away quickly.’
‘No arguments here!’
Elian replied.
The drone of several flying machines filled the momentary gaps in the barrage of explosions. There were a number of machines both ahead and behind them. What were they doing flying at this time
of night? Unless they had launched some time ago, they must have got airborne in the dark! How did they keep from crashing into one another?
‘The machines are fairly evenly spaced,’
Aurora said.
‘The men in the machine approaching from behind us are full of anticipation. They are preparing to drop weapons
on the area directly below us. The ones in the machine in front are relieved. They have dropped their weapons and are concentrating on looking for landmarks to navigate home by. They seem to be
following a set route in a steady stream.’
‘What’s down there?’
Elian asked.
‘Large buildings and some horseless carriages that are mounted on metal lines on the
‘Where will you wait?’
‘There’s a lake about two hours’ flight south of the Oracle’s cave,’ Elian said. ‘Viewed from above, it looks like a grasping hand. It is the biggest for some
distance around. You can’t miss it.’
‘We’ll be there. Good luck with finding the orb.’
The pre-dawn glow was increasing steadily, as was the swell of the dawn chorus. Aurora was eager to get airborne. Elian could feel her energy and anticipation. Kira was already mounted and
waiting. Leaping lightly up Aurora’s side, Elian settled into his saddle. With a farewell salute to Pell, he gave his dragon the silent command to leave.
Aurora turned on the spot and bounded away through the green sea of ferns with Fang following close behind. Within moments they had left the ground and were climbing across the still water of
the lake. The air was cool, but not cold, and the sky was cloudless as far as the eye could see. The breeze had died out, killing all hints of turbulence. It was a beautiful morning for flying.
Elian could feel the dawn approaching. He had become attuned to Aurora’s instincts. He could feel her strength building and her will gathering as she prepared to open the gateway. The
sudden flood of energy that poured through her raged and roared in a mind-numbing torrent, as she tore apart the fabric of time and space and opened the vortex. It swirled in front of them, waiting
like the gaping mouth of a monster about to swallow its victim whole.
Kira and Fang surged past them and flew straight into the grim grey vortex at high speed. They vanished into the grey cloud, disappearing the instant they entered. Elian braced himself for the
passage between worlds. The twisting wrench of entry felt as though his body had been distorted out of its natural shape. Even though he had made the jump to the other world several times,
experience did not reduce the discomfort.
From the moment he entered, Elian could no longer feel Aurora under him. The familiar sensation of weightlessness was no longer as terrifying as it had been the first time. But the total lack of
any sensation was as spooky as ever. No sound. Nothing to see. No smell. No taste. No sensations of touch or pressure on his body. It was good that it did not last long. Such a lack of stimuli
could easily cause a person to lose their mind if they were subjected to it for any length of time.
The wrench of emergence was welcome, but any thoughts of relief were short-lived as the air around him suddenly erupted with fire and noise.
‘What on Areth . .
.
?’ Elian gasped.
It was slightly darker here, but the explosions were so frequent and so close that the nearby countryside appeared more vivid than it would in full daylight. White and orange fire split the air
around them and exploded from the ground below in great sunflowers of flame. Dawn was not far away. The eastern sky was a crown of light blue.
‘We’ve arrived in the middle of a battle,’
Aurora said urgently.
‘Fang has started to climb. We need to get away quickly.’
‘No arguments here!’
Elian replied.
The drone of several flying machines filled the momentary gaps in the barrage of explosions. There were a number of machines both ahead and behind them. What were they doing flying at this time
of night? Unless they had launched some time ago, they must have got airborne in the dark! How did they keep from crashing into one another?
‘The machines are fairly evenly spaced,’
Aurora said.
‘The men in the machine approaching from behind us are full of anticipation. They are preparing to drop weapons
on the area directly below us. The ones in the machine in front are relieved. They have dropped their weapons and are concentrating on looking for landmarks to navigate home by. They seem to be
following a set route in a steady stream.’
‘What’s down there?’
Elian asked.
‘Large buildings and some horseless carriages that are mounted on metal lines on the
Similar Books
