Free The Seventh Magic (Book 3) by Brian Rathbone

Mikala checked Osbourne's. Arakhan leaped down from Gerhonda and slapped her on the hindquarters. The regal dragon swatted at him before leaping into the wind.
    Just before Mikala jumped down, she whispered in Sinjin's ear. "Don't go. They'll kill you." He barely heard the rest of her words as Valterius chose to follow Gerhonda before Mikala was on the ground. She held on long enough to deliver her cryptic message--"It's not you they want"--before leaping to safety. An instant later, the dragons and their riders hurtled through open air. Valterius trimmed his wings and dived, gaining tremendous speed before chasing after Gerhonda. The people within Windhold watched, knowing the dragonriders' to go to the Godfist. But both dragons turned sharply, heading back inland.
    "Where are we going?" Kendra screamed as they flew through all-too-familiar valleys.
    "I wish I kn--" Within the otherwise pristine forest, something dark and twisted moved, cutting his words short. Silently Sinjin directed Kendra's attention until she, too, saw it. Ash-painted warriors and demons approached land they had so easily taken years before. Windhold was defenseless against them, as it had always been. So much time lost, and now it had run out.
    Osbourne's grip on Sinjin's shoulders tightened, physically turning him to see giants emerge from an adjoining valley. They were easy to spot as the lumbering brutes howled their displeasure. Reaching down, the twisted, oversized creatures grabbed massive river stones and hurled them at the approaching dragons. Osbourne screamed as one of the mighty stones whizzed past with a rush of stinging wind and sand.
    Dipping low, Valterius slipped between two giants. Each swung at them as they passed, both just a little too late. Carried by their momentum, they struck each other instead and bellowed in rage. More corrupt forces poured from ships moored along the northwestern coast. Sails crowded the horizon, all coming from a direction not easily visible from within Windhold. The valley ahead appeared pristine. These armies were just arriving, not yet ready for full-scale attack.
    "What are we going to do?" Kendra shouted.
    "I don't know," Sinjin yelled in response.
    A sheer face loomed ahead. Tenacious bushes and trees reached out, ready to claw anything that came too close. Saddles creaked from downward force. Looking over his shoulder, Sinjin could see one of the giants coming after them, a river stone in each gnarled, twisted hand. The higher they flew, the slower their ascent. Proving giants weren't stupid, the massive beast waited. Carefully timing the attack, its aim was true.
    Valterius's last-second evasive moves were all that saved them from certain annihilation, turning a direct hit into a glancing blow, though enough to shake them nonetheless.
    "Are you hurt?" Sinjin shouted back to Osbourne.
    No response came. At their peak, Valterius turned, providing a clear view of the keystone and the green crystals surrounding it. All the entryways were clear. No rock littered the area around the keystone, and rubble previously blocking the entrances was gone. Soon they raced back down the rock face toward the enraged giant. Beyond, archers formed ranks. They were in trouble. When red lightning erupted from huddled figures in dark robes, the world exploded. Turning, they avoided direct hits, but Sinjin felt the sting of even a graze. Valterius roared from pain of his own.
    The valiant regal dragon soared upward, aiming his claws for the giant's eyes. The mighty beast raked the air, massive, filthy hands more like claws swatting at them. With a roar, the giant bent down and grabbed an angular chunk of granite from the valley floor. Clumps of grass and a tree still clung to it.
    Diving and gaining speed, Valterius raced toward the dark-robed figures. Twice their attacks scraped the regals, but for the most part, the dragons avoided the streams of noxious energy. Their passengers flailed, jerked back and forth with dizzying