The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume III: Volume III

running. We’re going to run out of air very soon,” Kinnsell stated calmly.
    Yaala wondered if he’d rather suffocate than face the dragons. “Look for a manual override. If the shuttle has them for wings, surely it will have them for the hatch.”
    They all jerked their heads back to the hatch as a great tearing sound came from the metallic skin of the shuttle. A glimmer of daylight, followed by the tip of a red dragon talon pierced the hatch door.
    “I believe rescue is on the way.” Lyman grinned.
    Seconds later fresh air penetrated the stale chemical tainted odor they’d been breathing since Hanassa. Yaala gulped in the fresh sweet scent of green trees and moisture. Her throat constricted with thirst, reminding her she hadn’t drunk in hours—days?
    Rollett and Lyman took deep gulps of air. They both sighed in satisfaction.
    “Dragon magic!” Rollett opened his arms wide as if to embrace the air. “It’s been so long. I didn’t think I’d ever fill myself with it again. I didn’t think I’d live long enough to find another dragon.”
    “You can breathe later. We’ve got to get out of here before the whole shuttle falls into a ravine.” Yaala crawled toward the hatch where she could see most of a dark gray dragon paw and some of a red-tipped dragon nose poking through the crack. Blue-tip was still sitting on the nose staring at Kinnsell.
    A sudden ripping sound sent the shuttle teetering on the edge again. Back and forth the craft wavered. Up and down.
    “Seesaw Marjorie Daw,” Kinnsell singsonged on a giggle. He looked and acted drunk. Or frightened to near insanity.
    “We all have to get out now,” Yaala said, with all of the authority instilled in her by her mother.
    The hatch panel vibrated and split. An inquisitive dragon head poked through the opening. Red-tip scraped his budding spiral horn on the top of the hatch and backed out quickly with an affronted squeak. Yaala held her ears against the high-pitched protest.
    The shuttle shuddered and tipped backward again. Everyone froze in place until the rocking ceased.
    (Hurry!) a frantic voice pounded into Yaala’s head.
    Rollett and Lyman dropped to all fours and each grabbed one of Powwell’s ankles. They dragged him cautiously toward the gaping hole in the bulkhead, keeping close to the deck. They must have heard the voice as well.
    That left Kinnsell. How can I persuade him to leave the dubious shelter of the shuttle? Yaala asked herself. His skin had paled again and his eyes looked glassy with fever. Powwell’s cure must not have been complete.
    “I’m not going to let my best friend sacrifice his life for nothing. You come with me easy, or I knock you out and let the dragons drag you to safety!” She yanked him out of his chair and onto his knees.
    “Y . . . you w . . . wouldn’t,” he protested feebly. His skin turned ashen. He swayed to his feet.
    “If Powwell gives up his life to save yours, the least you can do is live.” Grabbing him by the collar and the seat of his pants, as if he were a dog or a small child, she propelled him toward the hatch.
    At least Lyman had persuaded the baby dragon to back away. He held the creature by the sensitive horn bud and peered directly into its eyes. Shayla lowered her long neck to peer at them closely. Lyman might have been a dragon once, but Shayla obviously wouldn’t allow him too many liberties with her babies.
    Rollett sat nearby on the ground, cradling Powwell’s head in his lap.
    The shuttle tipped again. Yaala heard a frantic scrambling of dragon talons on the roof. That decided her. Using every last bit of her strength she kicked Kinnsell’s butt. He tumbled out the hatch, landing on the rough plateau facedown. He lifted his head and spat dirt.
    “You will regret that, young lady. I am a very powerful man,” he sneered at her.
    Yaala jumped clear, sprawling next to him. “Out here the only power that counts is friendship with the dragons. You are decidedly powerless,” she returned.
    Behind her, Shayla screeched and flapped her wings in a mighty effort to get airborne. The shuttle creaked and teetered on the edge a moment, then tipped. It dropped abruptly down the hundred-foot cliff face, bounced on a lower slope and slid rapidly toward the bottom of a trackless ravine. Huge chunks of dirt and trees broke loose in the wake of the shuttle. Rocks the size of the baby dragons tumbled together in a mighty roar.
    Yaala crawled to the cliff edge to watch the shuttle