While the last echoes of Daemon's "Do me this favor" still drifted on the sea breeze, the three riders in the air had already begun to descend slowly, preparing to land on the nearby beach.
Laenor's tense shoulders relaxed a little. Though Rhaenyra still bit her lip, she patted Syrax's neck to signal for her to descend-
Whatever else she thought, circumstances left her no choice. She had to give her "good uncle" Daemon that much.
But just then, an angry shout rang out from above the clouds.
"I'll give you a beating instead!"
The voice was booming and youthful, still carrying the clear ring of boyhood, yet already wrapped in a chilling authority.
It was like a boulder falling from the heavens into a calm sea, sending towering waves crashing skyward.
No, it was no mere comparison.
Before the words had faded, a thunderous chorus of dragon roars erupted within the clouds.
It was not the roar of one dragon, nor of two-it was an entire group.
Rough, savage, low as rolling thunder, sharp as something tearing through the air, they overlapped as though all the fury of Dragonmont had been ignited at once.
Then a mass of sickly green dragonfire burst straight through the clouds, plunging like a waterfall of wildfire from the heavens toward Daemon and Caraxes.
Daemon Targaryen reacted swiftly.
Caraxes had been his companion for years. Rider and dragon no longer needed words to communicate, relying on their combat instincts, their sense of danger, and their experience in battle-
The instant before the sickly green dragonfire struck, the crimson dragon rolled sharply sideways, folding his wings. His enormous body twisted down and to the side with incredible speed, the flames barely grazing his wingtip.
Daemon flattened himself against the saddle. The heat sweeping past with