Saras was unsteady, almost about to fall, but they somehow made it to the ground. Darkness pressed in from all sides; it felt like night time, with thick fog and a grey mist surrounding them.

“No, no, this isn’t good,” Kritika whispered to Saras. She kept patting him knowing that the dragon was also feeling her anxiousness.

Saras started thrashing violently the minute they landed. A swarm of Darkini surrounded from all sides, trying to climb over Saras as he lashed his spiked tail and clawed at them to drive them back.

Kritika quickly took out her dragon bones and started attacking the Darkini haphazardly. Not a moment too soon, someone pulled her by the hair and stole her dragon bones – it was Gaargh. Hordes of Darkini lashed at her, biting and stinging and covering her eyes – her ears full of their piercing screams. It felt as if the Darkini had planned to devour her.

“Fly Saras, run away!” Kritika cried in between the chaos as she was yanked and pulled away from Saras.

“Gaargh thinks them dragon is ripe for killing. It smells powerful, where dragon be flying, nowhere.” Kritika’s whole body was hurting but could dimly make out Gaargh shoot an arrow laced with poison at Saras.

Maashu was running, blowing fireballs and trying to dispel the Darkini. Ato was behind him with a makeshift spear in his hand. The arrow of the spear was a dragon bone, and Ato was swift as he fought off the Darkini, piercing and hitting them with all his might. Kritika could feel cuts and singes all over her body; the Darkini poison was seeping through. She could feel her eyelids grow heavy. Perhaps this was the moment when she would finally meet her twin brothers and mother again.

“Wait, did that dragon just blow fireballs like Maashu?” Ato shouted suddenly.

Kritika could feel the darkness and cold ebb away. A big ball of orange, radiating heat and warmth, was coming towards her. All the Darkini seemed to panic, screeching loudly. They had stopped attacking her.

“Fire dragons, an Aagna… Saras…fire dragon of Kuruk…” Kritika’s breathing grew heavier. The Darkini were leaving her; she could dimly make out Gaargh stumble backwards while muttering curses. Saras jumped and shielded Kritika from the Darkini and Gaargh. He bared his pointy fangs and let out a loud roar. Gaargh and the remaining Darkini seemed unsure, falling and crawling backwards.

“What you be waiting fer? Getting them!” Gaargh shouted.

“Little dragon, let us sit on you,” Ato requested urgently as he came running and supported Kritika on his shoulder. Saras looked at him and then bowed in front of Kritika while letting out a soft, throaty purr. She laughed weakly as she touched the spikes on his tail—Saras would grow up to be a big strong dragon. Maashu had climbed up her shoulders again and was licking her face. Saras, however, continued to purr.

“Purring… Do you… cat like Maashu?” Kritika felt she would pass out any minute now.

“I think… I think he is asking you to give him a command. He listens to you, Kritika. Do you remember Paarth Chacha’s words? A dragon chooses its rider; it cannot be forced. He has chosen you. And don’t you dare die on me today,” Ato said slowly. He picked Kritika up in his arms as Maashu jumped down and climbed Saras.

They needed to get out of here and fast. “Fly,” she whispered to Saras in her mind and fainted.

Saras took flight immediately while Gaargh and a horde of Darkini were at their haunches, running behind and shooting arrows. Saras avoided them skilfully by going up and down in waves. Ato held Kritika tight, sprinkling dragon dust on her, while Maashu hissed again.

“Hold on, please hold on for a few more minutes. The Darkini are gaining ground and floating towards us. What do we do?” Ato shook Kritika. Kritika felt as if someone had been rousing her from sleep after a long time. She didn’t want to get up; it was far too comfortable to sleep.

“Saras. Burn. Fire. Burn.” Kritika mumbled without making any sense. Her body burned and hurt all over but she was only half-awake. She felt that she was rocking in a crib; the movement was calming. However, Saras took a deep breath and blew out a big fireball and then a few more. They flew through the snowstorm, blazing the trees below. The fire took hold in the spiny trees below, and Ato could see the Darkini being obliterated as they were sucked in one by one by the dragon fire. Kritika’s house had caught fire, too.

“Saras, watch out!” Ato screamed.

Gaargh, the land raider, was pointing his arrow at them. His bird was eyeing them beadily, ready to launch itself at them.

“Command Saras to give us more firepower here – stay with me Kritika.”

“Fire, phire, fireeeeee,” Kritika mumbled again.

Perhaps all this was just a dream and she would wake up anytime now.

A smaller but precise fireball whizzed past them and toppled Gaargh’s bird. It was not Saras but Maashu.

Excerpted with permission from Kritika Kahawat: The Last Dragon Of Kuruk, Shobhita Narayan, Scholastic India.

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