In truth, he had no plan—that is, other than hoping they were faster than rocs. Fighting these creatures meant death. Running through the forest would offer no sanctuary; the beasts' sense of smell could pick out a hare in its burrow a mark away. All Tanin could hope for was to outfly them.

He rose higher, so high his ears ached and he could barely breathe. He entered the cover of clouds. Maev joined him and they flew through the vapor, blind. Behind him, Tanin heard shrieks and knew the rocs were following. The wind gusted and he spun, nearly lost his balance, but managed to right himself and keep flying. Lightning pierced the clouds. Behind him a roc screeched, and Tanin glanced over his shoulder to see the animal burning. It tumbled down and vanished.

Another lightning bolt flared. The stench of seared meat rose. The wind gusted again, and Maev spun and knocked into him. Tanin tried to keep flying forward, but he could barely tell left from right, up from down. He could see only several feet ahead, and more lightning blasted. Rain slammed into him, and the wind beat his wings like a man beating dusty rugs.

"Damn it!"

A roc rose ahead of him, then another, their eyes yellow, their beaks opened wide. Tanin blasted fire. He burned one, and another barreled into him, talons scratching. Lightning flashed again, searing the bird, and Tanin screamed; the energy passed through the roc into him. His scales crackled, his teeth rattled, and his ears buzzed.

He dropped from the sky.

He tried to beat his wings but they were too stiff, too hurt. He tumbled.

"Damn you Tanin!" Maev shouted above. "Fly!"

He could not. He fell. He managed to stretch out his wings, to catch an air current, to glide, but the rocs surrounded him again, and arrows flew, and somewhere his sister screamed.

Is this the end? Tanin thought. Do we die here, far from home, two more weredragons for them to hunt?

He tried to summon fire, but only sparks left his maw. He was too weak, too weary. He dipped again in the sky.

And then he saw it.

"There!" Tanin shouted, pointing his claws. "On the mountain below!"

A cave. It looked too small for rocs. Summoning the last of his strength, he narrowed his eyes and swooped.

The wind roared around him. He pulled his wings close to his body, his head pounding at the descent. Maev dived at his side, blasting out a wake of smoke. The mountain rose below, a shard of stone piercing the night sky. Tanin clenched his jaw as the wind shrieked and the plunge hammered at his skull. He leveled off and shot toward the cave. The entrance was no larger than a doorway.

An instant before he would slam into the mountainside, Tanin released his magic.