Page 72 of Tailwind

Josie piped up. ‘Lena, I can see Mirendi crew rushing down the hallway. Something’s up.’

‘Mirendi?’ Josie’s hunch about the Bolls being involved may have been correct this whole time.

‘Just keep going. It might not be him.’

Gottyk and I pushed as hard as we could. No longer were we on Bach’s tail, but instead flying neck and neck, racing for that last place on the podium. Even if I ended up disgraced by Thorne, he wouldn’t be able to take away a result like that.

My proximity sensors were constantly reminding me that Bach was next to us, but they started alerting me from behind too. I threw a glance over my shoulder – the Bolls had caught up.

Four dragons and riders, flying two by two around the tight corners of the Prevere circuit. Somewhere ahead of us Colly and Quinn were dealing with the arcans, leaving a clear path for us to fly through.

I kept close to Bach, hoping that by flying two abreast we could block any overtakes. With only three laps to go I hoped Bach would work with Thorne.

The Mirendi whites snapped at our tails, getting closer by the second. A rogue arcan dived down at us. My axe was out in my hand before I had time to think about it. I slammed the blade into the glowing metallic beast and swiped it away, sending it tumbling back towards the Bolls.

‘A present for you, boys.’ I grinned inside my helmet. Chaos suited me.

They didn’t take kindly to my gift. They surged forwards. I ducked low in my saddle, but needn’t have bothered. The Mirendi riders bypassed me and went for Bach. One flew between us, separating me from my Kiestral twin and the other disappeared into the mist below.

‘They’re squeezing Bach!’

Rider-on-rider violence wasn’t allowed. The moment I raised my weapon against someone I’d be penalized. The way to get around that rule was to do as I had – send an arcan flying at their head after fighting it myself. Or, in the case of the Bolls below, fly like idiots and put the other rider in a dangerous position.

‘I’m on the team comms. They know. Use this to get ahead, Lena.’

My heart dropped into my stomach. I knew racing wasn’t a team sport. Yes, there were pairs of riders and dragons, but that was a cost-efficient choice for the business of racing. Once we were all out there in the sky, only a direct order would make us work together. It was every rider for themselves.

Still, I didn’t want to leave Bach behind.

I steeled myself and did as Josie had instructed. There was more on the line than Bach being overtaken by the Boll brothers. My proximity sensors dulled as the others were slowed by their battle. I was in third place. I was going to get a podium. A trophy. I could taste the success already.

My visor flashed red. The arcanite lights in the corners of my helmet had shifted from white. Out on the edges of the circuit red banners roiled in the wind.

‘Red light!’ Josie called through the comms. ‘Land on the start–finish line. The race is postponed. Red light!’

Hector echoed Josie’s warning. ‘Red light. Come back in.’

My heart was clasped in a vice. There was only one reason a race would be delayed like this.

‘Who is it?’

The comms were quiet.

‘Josie, who crashed?’

Her voice cracked. ‘Bach.’

CHAPTER NINETEEN

‘Are they okay?’

Josie didn’t answer. She was likely gone from her comms, getting ready to receive Rosinder back to the aviary.

I tapped into the team comms. ‘Are they okay?’

‘We’re waiting for an update.’ Hector’s voice was clear and calm.

Bad news. It could only be bad news. Good news was shared immediately, bad news was delayed. The Bolls had hurt Bach and Rosinder, Gottyk’s sister.