Acmot and Viserion changed course as King Ghidorah climbed, beating their broad wings several times and stirring up warm currents of air as they followed steadily behind her.
The green dragon Vermithor was more mischievous and remained the last to leave. He swooped down toward the Ironborn wreckage again, opening his jaws to unleash another blast of dragonfire. The orange-red column of flame lit up the floating planks and blackened water once more before he turned and chased after the three dragons already flying west.
The four dragons no longer kept any formation in the air. Instead, they spread out a little, sweeping above the gradually cooling sea breeze toward the western side of the reef cluster.
After they passed several jagged submerged reefs, a larger rocky islet appeared ahead. Viserys had noticed it when he flew through this area earlier. There was a small natural cave on its sheltered side.
Viserys guessed that the Ironborn had not occupied this cave because it was too close to the shore and poorly concealed. Anyone looking closely from the sea could spot it, so they had abandoned it.
For him, however, a place that could shelter them from the sea breeze for most of the night and let him and Daenerys rest comfortably was already far better than sleeping out in the open.
Though the rocky islet looked fairly large, once the four dragons had landed one after another, there was hardly any room left for people to move around.
King Ghidorah in particular gripped the slippery stone with her claws, her wings folded against her sides, while her two thick, serpentine tails could only hang over the edge of the rocks near the seawater.
Years of wind and waves had worn the rock smooth and level. It stood a little over