"How are you planning to go about this?" Rynn asked in a slightly hoarse voice, for Arokh was speeding directly for the flight of dragons coming in from the west with no sign that he would slow or veer off. They were getting close enough for the young warrior to count.
"Trust me," her Bonded roared, a hint of anticipation in his voice. "Just hold on. Tight."
Rynn didn't need to be told twice. She flattened herself to Arokh's broad neck and gripped it tight, feeling his muscles tense as he flew even faster. Snow flashed past them in a silver blur, stinging Rynn's face and vanishing in puffs of steam where it hit Arokh's scales.
The flight of dragons got closer...
Arokh thrust his head forward and let loose a massive ball of flickering lightning, which streaked ahead into the middle of the flight and exploded with a deafening peal of thunder. Forks of white electricity flashed in every direction and the dragons shrieked in surprise, pain and fury, scattering.
Arokh tucked his wings close to his body and flew straight through the confusion.
He was several wingbeats away before the ebon dragons recovered and, as one, started to give chase.
"Now what?" Rynn shouted, looking over her shoulder at the angry beasts and wincing as an icy blast exhaled by one of them barely missed Arokh's left flank.
"Our aim was to lead them away, remember?" Arokh replied through gritted fangs, still flying hard. "Now we keep going until we lose them in the mountains."
"Do you think you can outfly them?"
"We'll find out, won't we?"
Swiftly, Rynn sat up and spun herself around so she was looking back over Arokh's tail. Unshouldering her bow and gripping her Bonded firmly with her legs to keep her balance, she started firing arrows. It was difficult to aim while flying and with the wind interfering, but she managed to fell one dragon and injure two more badly enough that they dropped behind... still, there were too many left over. Arms aching, she pulled the bowsting back again and again. Her accuracy increased, but the hope that sparked in her quickly went out when she realised it was because the ebon dragons were closer.
They were gaining.
Arokh didn't need to be told. "Hang on!" he roared, and, when Rynn had turned to face forward again, flew straight for the ground.
The crags reeled below them, their stoney formations standing out sharply against the white snow. Arokh swooped around a bulky spire and dropped into a ravine almost too narrow for his great wingspan. Blasts of ice smashed into the rocks on either side of them and he descended even further, veering to his right when the ravine curved around then shooting under a stalactited arch...
...slamming right into an ebon dragon hovering on the other side.
Arokh lashed out with tooth and talon, snarling as the other dragon's claws scored his chest. His own hindclaws tore at the ebon's stomach and flames flew from his jaws into its face.
"Another one's coming!" Rynn yelled, looking up as a shadow fell over them.
Not one... five.
With a battle-shriek, Arokh wrenched himself away and sped further into the icy crags, sent a blast of searing magma over his shoulder as a passing shot. He kept low to the ground, taking many turns in the maze-like ravines and even doubling back a couple of times, but there were too many to hide from. If a group was evaded, a lone scout would see them and sound the alarm to alert the others.
"Damn them," Arokh snarled. "I can't keep this speed up much longer, Rynn." He swerved to avoid more ice blasts and ducked down another ravine... then gasped. "Look!"
At the end of this chasm was one of the circular portals the orcs and wartoks used to seal off passages through the mountains... and it was open.
"If there's a mechanism on the other side we'll be able to close it," Rynn said almost breathlessly. "As soon as we're through drop me off then try to fire back through it to keep the ebons away."
Arokh nodded and dropped lower, calculating his angle carefully. The last thing they needed was to crash. Ice struck the cliff the portal was set into. Rynn felt a chill as one flew over her head. Arokh was taking a great risk flying straight... he presented a much easier target.
The wide circle of the portal drew nearer and Arokh glided smoothly through, quickly looking around to make sure no enemies were on this side and then to find a landing place. Rynn slipped from his back almost before the red dragon touched the ground and was immediately running to the large lever she'd spied near an apparently abandonned outpost. Arokh lifted up again and spun to face the portal, magma shooting from his maw.
Rynn reached the lever and pulled.
"It's stuck!" she yelled, and, hearing the hysteria in her voice, quickly calmed herself to think. It was a very big metal lever, probably meant to be used by a wartok, and could be stiff because of the snow. Fire flowed from her hands and melted the ice around the gears, charring the wood casing. With all her strength, she wrapped arms and legs around the now-hot metal and let her weight drag the lever down.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Arokh roared, throwing himself aside as two ebons tried to fly through the portal at the same time.
The lever clicked.
With a loud humming sound, a green field sprang up to seal off the circular portal. Two heads and necks, suddenly separated from winged bodies, landed heavily in the blood-spotted snow.
Arokh landed near Rynn and gasped for breath. "Good work."
Rynn struggled to calm her own racing heart and could only say, "You too."
Then they passed out.