Cloud woke just in time to see a beetle lift a leg and step tentatively onto his finger. He moved his hand away and sat up. The cave in Silence Gorge was quiet and still. Occasionally one of the trainees would turn over in their sleep, or mumble softly, but other than that, things were peaceful.

Except Sorrel wasn't there. Cloud yawned, rubbed his eyes and then quietly picked his way to the cave entrance, careful not to tread on his sleeping companions as he went.

He peered out into the shadowy gorge. It was beginning to get light, the sky a pale grey-blue. Dawn was almost upon them. He furrowed his brow – he couldn't see Sorrel anywhere. He scratched the back of his head and looked up, wondering what exactly he was expecting to see as the raven was asleep on a boulder nearby.

There was nothing there. Not even the moon. He shrugged and was about to turn back into the cave when he stopped and stiffened. He had that feeling again! It was a sensation he had started to dread, as it only seemed to herald bad luck. It felt like his heart had stopped in his chest.

He turned slowly and peered up to the sky. He gulped. Heading in his direction were two shapes. Bartram the raven sensed them too and lifted his head from beneath his wing, and cawed harshly. Cloud knew straight away what the shapes were.

"Leif!" he cried, turning to rouse his companions in the cave. "Everyone up! Get up! Leif, there are dragons coming!"

The Elani were slow to wake and he took to shaking them all in desperation while Leif roused Gaeshi and hurried him to the cave mouth to peer out into the gorge.

"Well, Sarkany? Are they friends of yours?" Leif asked, gripping the Sarkany's shoulder tight.

Cloud returned to their side and watched the two dragons as they searched the gorge for something – them!

Gaeshi shook his head and hurried farther into the cave. "Definitely not!" he cried. "Those are not Sarkany!"

"What do you mean not Sarkany?" Lachlan asked, hanging about uncertainly at the back of the cave with the others. "I thought all dragons were Sarkany?"

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Leif grabbed Cloud by his arm as he stood rooted to the spot and pulled him to the back of the cave. Cloud watched Leif as the warrior urgently sought a different way out. He heard Gaeshi talking to the others.

"Those dragons must be manmade. Not true dragons! Very dangerous. Very, very—"

"Yes, all right," Leif snapped, seeing that Gaeshi was unwittingly causing further distress to the others. "Can you not do anything about them?"

"No," Gaeshi said, shaking his head. "Not without Sorrel, I might hurt someone!"

Leif suddenly seemed to realise his sister's absence and started to search the cave, frantic with worry.

"She's gone!" Cloud said. "Mariko too. S'no use looking." He grabbed Leif's arm. "What do we do?"

Leif chewed his lip and shook his head. Old Synan joined them and whispered something in Leif's ear. Leif instantly perked up and took a quick glance farther back into the shadows of the cave. "Where?" he asked.

Synan sighed and shook his head before muttering, "But they won't leave you, Leif."

"What?" Cloud asked. "What, is there a way out? Tell us!"

Unfortunately, the other Elani heard him and they bustled expectantly around their two leaders.

"Shh! Keep your voices low," Leif whispered as one of the dragons swooped low across the cave entrance. "Now, do you all trust me?"

The Elani nodded.

"And will you all obey me?" he asked, looking at his companions sternly.

"Of course," said Lachlan, speaking for the group.

"Right. Then I want Little Cloud, Kirin, Maemi, Malin, Jia, Saoirse and Honovi to retreat quickly to the very back of the cave, as far as you can go. About half way up on the right–hand side is a very small tunnel. I want you to help each other and crawl into it." Leif looked at them all and his gaze settled on Cloud. "I'm not sure where it leads but Old Synan informs me it's not a dead end, due to the wind that comes through it. Go now!"

As Leif spoke the last two words, the two dragons found their prey and landed close to the cave. They started to advance cautiously, weary in case there was a trap waiting for them. Each of the beasts hissed, sending a shiver down Cloud's spine.

"Go!" Leif cried, pushing into his friends, shoving them away.

Cloud, anxious to leave, hung about. "What about you?" he asked. Behind him, his friends were heaving themselves into the tunnel. "Can't you come with us?"

Leif smiled grimly. "We're too big, we'll never fit! Go quickly, Cloud. Be brave and look after the others."

Cloud nodded and as Jia grabbed his hand to hurry him to their escape route, he took one last look at the warriors as they turned to face the dragons. He shook his head in despair.

"Cloud!" Jia called, her voice high with panic.

Cloud bit his lip and hurried to escape.