And then, out of the clouds below her, another dragon. A queen, as glowingly golden as herself. A queen? To lure her dragons from her?
Screaming in protest, Wirenth dove at the intruder, her talons extended, her body no longer exulting in flight but tensed for combat.
She dove and the intruder veered effortlessly, turning so swiftly to rake her talons down Wirenths exposed flank that the young queen could not evade the strike. Injured, Wirenth fell, recovering valiantly and swooping into cloud cover. The bronzes had caught up and bugled their distress. They wanted to mate. They wanted to interfere. The other queen it was Prideth believing her rival vanquished, called enticingly to the bronzes.
Fury was added to the pain of Wirenths humiliation. She exploded from the clouds, bellowing her challenge, her summons to the bronzes.
And her opponent was there! Beneath Wirenth. The young queen folded her wings and dove, her golden body dropping at a fearsome rate. And her dive was too unexpected, too fast. Prideth could not avoid the mid-air collision. Wirenths claws sank into her back and Prideth writhed, her wings fouled by the talons which she could not disengage. Both queens fell like Thread, toward the mountains, escorted by the distraughtly bugling bronzes.
With the desperation born of frenzy, Prideth wrenched herself free, Wirenths talons leaving gouges to the bone along her shoulders. But as she twisted free, beating for altitude, she slashed at Wirenths unprotected head, across one gleaming eye.
Wirenths tortured scream pierced the heavens just as other queens broke into the air around them; queens who instantly divided, one group flying for Prideth, the other for Wirenth.
Implacably they circled Wirenth, forcing her back, away from Prideth, their circles ever decreasing, a living net around the infuriated, pain-racked queen. Sensing only that she was being deprived of revenge on her foe, Wirenth saw the one escape route and folding her wings, dropped out the bottom of the net and darted toward the other group of queens.
Prideths tail protruded, and on this Wirenth fastened her teeth, dragging the other from protective custody. No sooner were they clear than Wirenth bestrode the older queens back, talons digging deeply into her wing muscles, her jaws sinking into the unprotected neck.
They fell, Wirenth making no attempt to stop their dangerous descent. She could see nothing from her damaged eye. She paid no attention to the screams of the other queens, the circling bronzes. Then something seized her body roughly from above, giving her a tremendous jerk.
Unable to see on the right, Wirenth was forced to relinquish her hold to contend with this new menace. But as she turned, she caught a glimpse of a great golden body directly below Prideth. Above her Canth! Canth? Hissing at such treachery, she was unable to realize that he was actually trying to rescue her from sure death on the dangerously close mountain peaks. Ramoth, too, was attempting to stop their plunge, supporting Prideth with her body, her great wings straining with effort.
Suddenly teeth closed on Wirenths neck, close to the major artery at the junction of the shoulder. Wirenths mortal scream was cut off as she now struggled for breath itself. Wounded by foe, hampered by friends, Wirenth desperately transferred between, taking Prideth with her, jaws death-locked on her lifes blood.
The bronze fire lizard, Berd, found Fnor preparing to join the wings at the western meadows of Telgar Hold. The brown rider was so astonished at first to see the little bronze in Benden so far from his mistress that he didnt immediately grasp the frenzied creatures thoughts.
But Canth did.
Wirenth has risen!
All other considerations forgotten, Fnor ran with Canth to the ledge. Grall grabbed at her perch on his shoulder, wrapping her tail so tightly around Fnors neck that he had to loosen it forcibly. Then Berd could not be brought to roost and precious moments were lost while Canth managed to calm the little bronze sufficiently to accept instruction. As Berd finally settled, Canth let out so mighty a bugle that Mnementh challenged from the ledge and Ramoth roared back from the Hatching Ground.
With no thought of the effect of their precipitous exit or Canths exceptional behavior, Fnor urged his dragon upward. The small pulse of reason that remained untouched by emotion was trying to estimate how long it had taken the little bronze to reach him, how long Wirenth would blood before rising, which bronzes were at High Reaches. He was thankful that Flar had not had time to throw mating flights open. There were some beasts against whom Canth stood no chance.