Free Destiny (The Chosen One Trilogy:Book Three) by Mireille Chester

started getting ready to
move again.
    Hayden!
    I looked up and saw Dodge swooping down
toward us at an unbelievable speed.
    “Dodge! Slow down!”
    Rainen looked up in time to see my horse come
crashing into the ground just a few feet away from her. Her eyes
widened as she gazed into the sky.
    “Hayden! Shield!”
    I threw my shield out to cover everyone who
was closest to me. I felt my energy touch Rainen’s and I glanced at
her before looking up to see what had made the screeching sound in
the sky. My first thought was about dropping my shield and to
welcome the dragon flying over us. My second thought was that this
was no dragon. The creature in question had to be to same size as
Faren, the fire dragon I was bonded to, who was about thirty feet
long. Well, the same length as Faren. Whatever this was it was
lacking the bulk of a dragon. It looked more like a snake with
wings and ten sets of legs. It was covered from head to tail in
oily looking brown feathers.
    I felt the push of magic come from up above
and I pushed against it with my own. The energy receded as the
creature flew past us. I started to pull back my shield and felt
Rainen doing the same. The screeching sound came again. Rainen
swore under her breath.
    “We have to combine, Hayden. That first one
was just a test. Be ready.” She frowned. “I don’t understand why
it’s coming back but I have a feeling this is going to hurt.”
    Everyone moved closer together and Rainen and
I held hands. The thing in the sky was getting closer.
    “Now!” Both of us pushed our shields as hard
as we could and held them there. The furry snake came closer. I
felt its magic push against ours and retreat. Without warning, a
magic nudge so strong it felt like thunder rumbling against our
shields hit. I heard Rainen cry out and concentrated on the magic.
It pulled back ever so slightly and hit again. I fell to my knees.
My head was pounding and every muscle in my body was tense. I
closed my eyes.
    “Rainen, push!”
    I felt her gather herself and pushed my
shield up at the same time as hers. All I could hear was the blood
rushing in my veins and my heart beating in my chest. I focused on
the shields, pulled Rainen’s into mine and pushed as hard as I
could. I looked up in time to see the creature fly off course as
our energy knocked its own back to it. It shook its head and came
back toward us.
    I looked at Rainen who was breathing just as
hard as I was. I stood shakily.
    “What kills it?”
    “I don’t know. They usually give up if they
sense you have any magic at all.”
    I looked around but no one seemed to know. I
pulled the red waves in front of me. “It’s my experience that most
things will burn.”
    She nodded and pulled her reds.
    “On three, throw your deepest red as hard as
you can.” I got ready to do the same. “One.” The creature zeroed in
on us. “Two.” I chanced a quick look at Jasper. His eyes were
closed. “Three!”
    Our waves mixed together and the resulting
flame was phenomenal. The thing swerved to avoid the fire but
wasn’t quick enough. Its tail and two sets of legs burst into
flame. It screeched and writhed through the air in a desperate
attempt to put out the flame. One second it was there and the next
it was gone. Vanished.
    I looked at Rainen and sank to my knees,
trying to get my breathing under control. She stumbled and fell
against William who helped her to the ground. Jasper was at my side
in a flash.
    “Shlova?”
    I rest my head on my knees. “I’m ok.
Rainen?”
    “I’m alright.”
    “Did you do that at the end?”
    “No. I thought you did.”
    I shook my head. “I can’t do displacement
spells for some reason I can’t figure out.”
    “What about a recall spell?” asked Gina.
    “Maybe. Maybe whoever sent it made it
possible for it to get back to wherever it’s from if anything went
wrong.” Rainen wiped the sweat from her face with her arm.
    “What the hell was it?” I asked.
    “That was a Zerpanay. They