Dragon Defense (Heirs to the Throne Book 3) (35 page)

Tempest raced the intruder, determined to outrun the enemy.

Salizar watched the stallion kick sand into a whirlwind.  He cursed Andrew, cursed the horse, and cursed the gods as his mount plunged down the dune and strained to climb the steep bank.  The other desert riders valiantly followed, whipping their horses to match the grueling pace, but fell farther behind with each stride. 

The legendary horse flew over shifting sand like a phantom.  The majestic stallion, born under the light of the red moon and sired by the wind, proved worthy of his name.  Lightning flashed from his hooves, he snorted gusts of flame, and the sky split under his fury. 

A gale-force wind suddenly ripped across the dunes, sand boiled and swallowed the puny mortals who challenged the spawn of the gods.  The sky and the desert merged.  Desert horses screamed with panic, and their riders begged the gods for mercy.

A massive wave of sand swallowed Salizar, and he remembered Lauryn’s vision.  He sank into his grave as Tempest carried Andrew away from the explosion. 

The stallion raced ahead of rolling waves of sand as Andrew clung to his neck.  His glistening black coat turned grey as sand clung to sweat and his nose bled from snorting sand and air.  He fled the miasma of boiling sand, racing to save the life of his beloved master. 

Andrew gripped Tempest and loved the courageous horse.  With newly awakened telepathy he touched Lauryn’s mind and shared their struggle with his beloved.

Lauryn gripped her dragon amulet and poured strength and courage into the man she’d learned to love, demanding that he return to her arms. Andrew spit sand, clawed it from his eyes, and gasped for breath.  A light glimmered on the horizon, and he hoped Tempest could win the greatest race of his life.

*****

The blast knocked Donovan away from the satellite.  A tingling sensation crept up his spine into his skull as he sent spurts of air from his jetpack to stop spinning.  Soon the blackness of space intruded into his brain and he floated in a senseless void.

The shuttle exploded while Fremont screamed at Ishtarek and Jarrack cursed his own arrogant stupidity.  Faced with death, the memory of hundreds of victims flashed through his brain.  The shuttle formed an arc of flame and chunks of crystal showered Drako with sparkling debris. Telepaths heard the voice of death while dragons folded their wings and sat quietly watching.

Warnings clanged in the control room at Havenshire as an automatic message arrived from defense satellites.  The shuttle tumbled through space but Ryan regained control and searched for Donovan.  He called over the radio but heard nothing except static.  Display lights blurred as tears spilled from his eyes.

The Renaissance
entered Drako’s upper atmosphere with Captain Ishtarek in command. 

“Ryan!”  Catherine shouted from the control room at Havenshire. 

Ryan’s voice crackled over the radio. “Can you detect anything on our monitors, Cat?”

She sighed and answered, “Our defense system went down and the spaceship breached level one.  You’re directly in its path.  What can we do?”

Ryan swallowed hard, his mind racing.  “Help me locate Donovan.  Can you see him?”

“There’s a weak blip off your bow at 35 degrees northwest. Do you copy?”

“Catherine, you’re fantastic!” Ryan shouted.  “I copy!  Pray it’s more than a chunk of wreckage.”

“Hurry, the ship’s closing on your location.”

Ryan ground his teeth with frustration.  “I see Donovan!”  He maneuvered the shuttle toward the silver spacesuit silhouetted against a black sky.  “I’m switching controls to you, while I go get him.”

Catherine clutched her control stick as her display flashed green.  “I haven’t done this before.”

“Hold her steady, my love.  I’ll relay live video feed from the shuttle camera.”

Catherine cut the alarms and concentrated on a fuzzy picture.  “I see you, Ryan.”

“Good!  Now, hold the nose steady while I get outside.”

Catherine chewed her lip and watched Donovan float across the center of the screen.  She blinked away tears and concentrated on the image.  Ryan entered the picture, holding a safety line that snaked out behind his body.  A blast from his jetpack propelled Ryan closer but it caused the nose of the shuttle to drift.

Catherine activated the shuttle’s side jet and watched two space suits fill the screen.  Ryan clipped a tether onto Donovan’s suit but the picture drifted away as the ship’s nose moved too far in the opposite direction.  Catherine punched the other side jet with a lighter touch and held her breath.  Ryan and Donovan came into view but the safety line jerked out of Ryan’s hand. 

As he tumbled away from the ship, Catherine whimpered and swiped tears off her cheek. 

Ryan used his jetpack to stabilize the roll and maneuvered toward the shuttle, Donovan in tow.  Catherine sighed when Ryan climbed inside.  He said, “I made it, but I’m not so sure about Donovan.  I got his helmet off but there’s blood all over. He’s breathing but unconscious.”

“I can’t help you, Ryan.  I’m not a healer.”

“I am.”  Chella’s calm voice startled Catherine. 

“Hold on Ryan! Chella just arrived and she’ll take over.”  Catherine’s fingers shook as she handed the microphone to Chella.

Long fingers gripped the microphone. “Look for your emergency aid kit bolted near the hatch.”

“I’ve got it.”

“Get the spray sealant and carefully check Donovan’s head for bleeding.”

“There’s a gash on the back of his skull and it’s bleeding a lot.”

“Calm down.  Head wounds bleed profusely.  Gently press the edges of the skin together with your fingers and use the spray sealant.  Check for other bleeding and repeat the procedure.”

“The bleeding stopped.  I think his nose bleed stopped before I got the helmet off.  No other head wounds.”  Ryan’s voice sounded shaky.

“You’re doing great.  Now open his suit.”  Chella instructed.

“His leg is bent and bleeding…”  Ryan sounded shrill.

“Is the blood spurting, or flowing?”

“Spurting.”

Chella frowned.  “Get the black tube out of the emergency kit.”

“Got it.”

“Cut the suit away from his wound but don’t pull.  Wrap the tube around his leg above the wound and press the other end down.”

“The tube tightened around his leg and the blood stopped spurting.” 

Chella sighed.  “You’re doing great, Ryan.  Do you see any other wounds?”

“He’s got a couple of cuts but nothing spurts.  I’ll use the sealant.”

“Unfold the blue bag from the kit.”

“Okay.”

“Wrap it around Donovan’s body, keeping his face outside.”

“Done.”

“There’s a control at one end.  Turn it to Emergency Suspension position and press the button.”

“It’s expanding and feels cold to the touch.”

“There’s nothing more you can do.  Get him down to the spaceport as fast as possible, and I’ll radio Dr. Alexander to expect a patient.”

Catherine pointed at the screen showing the spaceship next to the shuttle.

“I’ve got a problem.” Ryan shouted, “The shuttle won’t move!”

Chella crossed herself and said, “The spaceship caught you in a tractor beam.  We’ll try to raise them on the radio.” 

Chella turned to Catherine.  “Call the ship.”

“We’ve called but they never answer.”

“Explain that we have a medical emergency on that shuttle and to get a Transfer team ready.”

“I’ll try.” 

Chella saw tears trickling down the girl’s cheeks. “Donovan’s tough.  He’ll make it.”

*****

At the spaceport Krystal dropped to her knees while she shared death and pain.  After the initial wave of telepathic energy, she gathered strength to soothe others and calmed down. 

“Caston!”  Krystal’s voice sounded firm.  “Get on that radio and find out what happened to Donovan.”

Caston saw the fear in her eyes.  “I’ll take care of it.” 

Krystal’s smile flickered but an expression of panic filled her face.  She ran toward the door.  Caston rose to follow, but Krystal gestured at the radio.  She needed him to do his job.

Krystal found Lauryn lying at the foot of the stairs.  Filled with motherly concern, she cradled Lauryn’s head on her lap.  “Lauryn, please wake.  I’m here to help.”

The girl’s eyes flickered open. “What happened?”

“I found you unconscious,” Krystal said, stroking the hot forehead with trembling fingertips.

“Andrew!”  Lauryn cried, “We must help him.”

“Where is he and how can we help?”

Lauryn’s eyes glazed and she gasped.  “He can’t breathe.  The sand is everywhere!”

Krystal shared the vision and shuddered.  She pulled herself free and said, “You can’t help him if you lose control.”

Lauryn blinked and coughed.  “The sand is dragging them down, killing them.”

“Andrew?”

“No.  He got free of the sand but needs help to find us.”  Tears streamed down her face.  “Mother, I never wanted him dead!”

“Make sense.  If you want us to help Andrew, give us good information.”

Lauryn pursed her lips.  “The explosion caused a sandstorm. Andrew’s riding through on Tempest but he can’t see where to head.  Shine bright lights to guide him back, please.”

Krystal grabbed Lauryn’s hand. “Ross and Julian are the best riders we’ve got.  Can you direct them to find Andrew?”

“I’ll go with them!” Lauryn said and tried to stand.

“No.  Stay and help guide them with your mind.”

The boys grabbed lanterns and ran to the stables, while Krystal settled Lauryn on a cot.

“Lie down here.  Trenton is putting out a string of lights on the ridge.”

“But…”

“Doctor’s orders.  Trust me.”

Lauryn nodded.  “I guess it’s time I learned to trust someone.”

Krystal’s lips quivered.  “You’ll be fine and we’ll help Andrew.”

“Have you ever seen visions of the future like the ones Chella describes?  I had several dreams, one in which Andrew died and another…”

“Quiet now.”  Krystal clasped Lauryn’s hand.  “I never told anyone, but when Jarrack captured your father I dreamed different versions of the future.  One path led to a future I didn’t want, but if I followed a more difficult path I’d free my husband.  It wasn’t easy.  I sent my darling girls to live with friends, but it was the only way Donovan might survive.”

“You picked the right future.”

“I think so.”

Lauryn smiled.  “I saw a future with Andrew, but I thought Salizar would still live.”

“Never regret choosing a path for yourself but let others make their own choices.  Tell Andrew help is on the way. You’ve got a strong connection, so guide him home.  I must go find out about Donovan.” 

Caston sat frowning at the radio.  Krystal touched his shoulder and he blurted, “Donovan’s injured.  Chella guided Ryan through emergency procedures, but the spaceship captured them both.”

Krystal cringed.  “The ship broke through Drako’s defenses?  Where’s it headed?”

Caston licked his lips nervously.  “Here.”

Krystal said, “Good.”

Caston looked surprised.  “We can’t hold off an armed destroyer!”

“I don’t plan to hold them off.  When they land, I’ll board that ship and make sure Donovan lives.  If we must negotiate for our lives, I’m ready.”

“You are?”

“Yes.  We’ve got something they want, and they’re going to listen to our terms.”

Caston nodded.  “I’m not a warrior, but I can talk with anyone.”

“That’s the spirit.  Prepare to meet our visitors.”

*****

Bryant stomped through the corridors at Havenshire, scowling.  Catherine tried to keep pace with his long stride.  “The ship didn’t answer, but Chella recognized a Transfer team on the shuttle video.  They got our message.”

Bryant barked, “Message!  They captured Donovan and invaded our world.  How can we stop them?”

Catherine ran at his side.  “Stop them?”

“I must defend Drako.”

“That ship literally swallowed the shuttle.  They’ll kill Donovan and Ryan if we fight.”

“They might kill them regardless!” 

Catherine’s face paled at his harsh tone, so Bryant lowered his voice.  “Look, lass.  My orders are to defend Havenshire, hell, to defend the whole damned planet if necessary.  It’s my duty.”

“What if defense is impossible?” 

“I’ll die trying, just like Donovan expects.”  They reached the control room.  “Don’t get me wrong.  I enjoy living—maybe I enjoy it too much—but I’m not afraid to die trying to save Donovan.” 

“Try?”  Catherine stomped her foot and Bryant stared into her angry green eyes.  She said, “You must save them both!  I won’t listen to mealy mouth speeches about trying.  Do what you must to save them!”  The pair blasted into the room, and Chella whirled in her chair.