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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I’D NEVERin on, and even though I was struck nu it, unable to react to the threat it posed Though it was ispan had to be twenty reen colour, thick where they connected to its body, but thin at the tips

The dragon’s body was seven or eight metres from snout to the tip of its tail It put h it had a round bulging chest which angled back towards the tail Its scales were a dull red and gold colour underneath Froreen on top, with red flecks It had a pair of long forelegs, ending in sharp claws, and two shorter limbs about a quarter of the way froator’s than a snake’s, long and flat, with two yellow eyes protruding froe nostrils, and a flexible lower jahich looked like it could open wide to consue animals Its face was a dark purple colour and its ears were surprisingly small, pointed and set close to its eyes It had no teeth that I could see, but the gu, forked tongue which flicked lazily between its lips as it hung in the air and gazed upon us

The dragon observed us for a few , pupils opening and dilating Then, tucking in its wings, it dived sharply, forelegs stretched, talons exposed,for the raft!

With startled yells, Harkat and I snapped to attention and threw ourselves flat The dragon screamed by overhead One of its claws connected withinto Harkat

As we pushed ourselves apart, I sat up, rubbing on turn sin another dive This tirabbed his oar and thrust it up at the dragon, roaring a challenge at the h-pitched sound - and swerved away

"Get up!" Harkat yelled at led to ot to his knees and rowed desperately "You keep it off - if you can," he gasped "I’ll try and get us - to shore Our only hope is to - ony, but I ignored the pain in my shoulder and kept the piece of wood aloft, pointed at the dragon like a spear, silently willing Harkat to row even quicker Above, the dragon circled, yellow eyes focused on the raft, occasionally screeching

"It’s assessing us," Ia study Noting our speed, analyzing our strengths, calculating our weaknesses" I lowered "

"Are you crazy?" Harkat shouted

"We’ll never make it," I said calth for fighting"

"How the hell do you think - we’re going to fight a dragon?" Harkat snorted

"I don’t know," I sighed "But we can’t out-pace it, so we ht as well be fresh when it attacks"

Harkat stopped rowing and stood beside reen eyes "Maybe it won’t attack," he said with hollow optimism

"It’s a predator," I replied, "like the panther and alligators It’s not a question ofif it will attack, butwhen "

Harkat looked froon to the shore and licked his lips "What if aht reed, "but ouldn’t be able to defend ourselves We won’t jump unless we have to In theone of my knives, I whittled away at the end of my oar Harkat did the sa to work on the oars, the dragon - perhaps sensing our intent - attacked, cutting short our preparations

My immediate instinct was to duck, but I stood firm beside Harkat and we both raised our oars defensively The dragon didn’t pull out of its dive this time, but swooped even lower than before and barrelled into us with its hard head and shoulders, wings tucked in tight We jabbed at it with our oars, but they snapped off its hard scales without causing the slightest bit of daon collided with the raft The force of the blow sent us flying clear of the raft, deep under water I ca wildly Harkat was several metres adrift of me, also winded and bruised from the encounter "Got to -at the wreckage of the raft, which had been shattered to splinters The dragon was hovering overhead, almost perpendicular to the sea, tail curled up into its scaly body I swaazed up fearfully at the flying lizard

"What’s it waiting for?" Harkat wheezed "We’re at its- us off?"