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Suddenly the old Upholders flipped over on their backs, practically bending their spines in half Tails a blur, they struck their lead pursuer, one high and one low

The Copper saw an object fall, turning cartwheels as it plummeted to the plateau He suspected--no, rejoiced--that it was one of the hag-riders The dragon they struck convulsed in the air and fell, li avoided their quarry-turned-hunters and broke, one high and to the right, one low and to the left, a terrible perfection in their evolutions

Theher, and the low-flying dragon passed under hian a stiff-winged fall to the surface

The feave the one who turned high an opportunity It dove on her, claws extended like a hawk after a duck, and raked her across the back

The Copper saw one wing rise, fluttering

But she wasn’t done yet She lashed up with her neck, got her teeth in her opponent’s tail, and folded her wings With her weight clinging to hian to fall, whirling around and around to destruction on the plateau The fe into his belly, trading bites as they went down

So passed the Upholders of Anaea

The Copper swung around toward the re to the aid of the other rider But he saw another for before he could

He couldn’t uided ene in concert No fla He wouldn’t even get one He turned east for the Lavado the aerial duel, he’d passed out of the shadow of the ht He realized it too late

The three hag-ridden dragons flapped their wings in unison as they turned toward hireat effort to catch up to hiths, they seeht exhausted him He passed over unfamiliar country, dry and rocky and dotted idely spaced patches of vegetation clinging precariously to what he suspected were seasonal water supplies There was little sign of habitation in this waste

Thanks to his injury, he couldn’t le, and he suspected he was ex-pending asHis strength would fail before dawn

And on and on glided the pursuit Didn’t they have buildings to burn and gold to steal? Why didn’t they close and put an end to hilide On and on through the night

A black scar broke the round ahead

Could it be the Tooth Cavern? He knew it opened to the sky not far north of the bridge at the Lower World He altered his course a little south

Fool! More the fool! The change proved to be a telltale to the pursuing dragons They beat their wings harder, closing

He expended what strength he had left trying to stay ahead; still they closed

And still they fired no weapon, just kept hilide-path No elegant flying, just a sis a little to hurry it,two followed The third stayed above, watching the action

He looked frantically for son of the tunnel, the enclosure of the Lower World, but there was none Coluinnings of the teeth

Reaching the stone colu his wing tip when he miscalculated his turn Now the lead flier was closer behind, his companion a little farther back, and the Copper didn’t dare roll his good eye toward the sky lest he hit the cavern’s side

There Darkness ahead As a dragon he could see well enough He wondered how good the night vision of the riders was Would they let their fliers choose their own path?

He whipped into darkness, and the first pursuer drew even closer

These rocks he knew He’d flown around the tested the joint brace

The fat one ahead, in fact, had a deceptively wide but shallow route around the east side, and a narrow but deep channel to the left

He approached the fat rock as though going around the east, then at the last ap But instead of continuing down the cavern he stayed in the turn, hoping tobut nose-tip to nose-tip

A flash, a thu, and they were past each other

He found hion The rider put a shi whirled past his ear, turning tight circles as it cut the air--a crossbow bolt