dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon by linda k hopkins

horse’s hooves slip slightly in the loose sand, and then they were moving, quickly climbing the ridge.
    She gained the height and paused, turning to watch as Bronwyn nudged her horse forward. Water from Anna’s horse had made the path slicker, and Bronwyn’s horse struggled for a moment to find a firm footing.
    Bronwyn was a few feet from the top when it happened: a hawk, tracking a small animal in the grass, suddenly dived down towards the cliff, missing Bronwyn and her horse by a mere few inches. Bronwyn ducked and clutched the reins close to her chest, and the horse reared.
    It lost its footing and plunged backwards down the cliff, landing on its back. Bronwyn screamed as the horse rolled onto its side, trapping her legs.
    The horse slipped further down the hill as it struggled to regain its footing, keeping Bronwyn pinned against the stony ground.
    In horror Anna jumped from her horse and stumbled to the edge of the cliff, shouting Bronwyn’s name. Bronwyn’s eyes were wide with fright and pain as she struggled to pull herself free. Anna started down the cliff, half-slipping, half-scrambling, grabbing whatever there was at the side of the path to prevent her own fall – rocks, tufts of grass and small bushes.
    Anna reached the horse, grabbed the reins and pulled as hard as she could. The horse lifted its head and Anna shouted to Bronwyn to move – but the effort was too much for the horse, and it dropped its weight down again. There was a loud crunching and Bronwyn screamed.
    Again Anna tugged on the reins, placing her feet against a rock as leverage. The horse lifted its head and this time heaved itself higher into the air. Anna closed her eyes as she mustered every ounce of energy she possessed, and pulled harder. She could feel the horse rising another few inches.
    “Move!” she yelled. She opened her eyes, but could not see Bronwyn.
    She glanced around, wondering if she had made her escape, when the air was suddenly filled with flames. They seared across her skin, and she dropped the reins once more, but instead of falling back, the horse lurched to its feet.
    More flames rolled through the air, and the horse screamed as it leaped into the river below and took off at a frantic pace. It was not the horse that Anna took note of, however, but the raging dragon that had risen into the air above her. The dragon’s head swung from side to side, and flames spewed with every breath, setting alight the grass and scrub on the cliff. Huge wings were open on her back, holding her aloft in the air above Anna.
    “Bronwyn,” Anna screamed, and the blazing eyes swung in her direction. The dragon roared, then plunging forward, threw a searing blaze in Anna’s direction. Terror gripped her as she dropped to her knees, then scrambling on her hands and feet, climbed her way back up the path. Fear gave her renewed energy, and she quickly gained the ridge, then rolled away when she felt the heat of searing flames inches above her. She rose to her feet, and waved her hands in the air.
    “Bronwyn,” she screamed again. The dragon was racing through the air towards her, talons outstretched, and Anna gave up any further attempts to try and reason with the beast. She turned and ran, ducking when she heard the dragon roar once more. “Favian,” she screamed. “Help!” It was only a matter of seconds before the flaming dragon reached her. “Favian!” she screamed once more. She felt something swoop low over her, and she dropped down to the ground, covering her head with her hands, but then a loud clash rang through the air. She glanced over her shoulder. A huge red dragon was on top of the smaller one, pushing it down to the ground. With a sob Anna rolled over, and drawing her knees up against her chest, watched the two dragons as the tears streamed down her face, unheeded.
    Now that she was no longer running, Anna could see that Bronwyn’s hide was a rose-bronze color. Like the other dragons, she had horns that rose from