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About Of Wings and Shadows:
The United States government has decided to hold a tournament called The Wild Hunt to determine who will be responsible for the capture of wild dragons by the Knight Division. The four challengers Noah Wilson, Charlie Howard, Su Jin Han, and Beowulf have to catch five deadly dragons alive if they want to win the tournament and become the new Knight Division dragon hunters. Their journey will take them through the mountains of South Carolina, the seas of Key West, the caverns of Ruby Falls, the Redwood forest, and finally, the murky bayous of Louisiana. Will they succeed against their competition, or will the dragons of the Wild Hunt be too wild to tame?
Of Wings and Shadows is the sixth book in the Of Cinder and Bone series. It takes place in medias res of Book Five, Of Claws and Inferno. It follows Of Cinder and Bone, Of Blood and Ashes, Of Dawn and Embers, and Of Fury and Fangs.
Excerpt:
Once Noah reached the nearby hiking trail, he could tell the dragon was definitely present; he heard not a peep from the local wildlife, which had likely fallen silent so as not to draw attention to themselves. He slid the rifle around to his hands as he finished cresting the hill and then knelt, peering through the scope to get a good look at the creature.
The midnight dragon had climbed over the black iron fence and stretched out on the rock face on its side. The sunshine made it look like a long, eerie shadow or an oil spill. Its enormous wings were folded along its spiny back and he could see its tail tapping on the rock every so often. Its cerulean eyes were closed for the moment and its nostrils twitched occasionally. He couldn’t really determine if it was completely asleep or not, so he’d have to hope for the best.
The fence around the enclosure made it hard to get a good vantage point to make the shot without alerting the dragon to his presence. Their altitude also meant he’d have to contend with the wind since he was several yards out. He decided to stay within the nearby tree line in the hopes it would provide cover and lay on his belly, setting up the rifle’s tripod to help him steady the shot. For the next few minutes, he simply observed the dragon through the scope. As he did, he could hear something other than the wind whistling through the trees: a light chirping noise that he realized was indeed coming from the dragon. If he hadn’t been in an environment where the other animals had gone silent, he never would’ve noticed it was producing the sound, not the many birds around it.
A red-breasted nuthatch flitted down from a nearby tree and landed on the rock to catch a worm it spotted directly in front of the dragon. The dragon’s nostrils twitched, then its forked tongue flicked out once, twice. The bird picked up the worm and turned to fly away. The midnight dragon snapped it up in its jaws as fast as a striking cobra, swallowing the bird whole. Noah blew out a breath, wincing. “Poor little guy.”
The dragon then stood and stretched its wings, exposing the dark membrane in between the appendages. Noah exhaled, concentrated, and took the shot.
The syringe bounced off one of the rungs of the iron fence.
The midnight dragon heard the noise and turned its horned head, its brilliant blue eyes locking onto Noah immediately.
“Ah, hell,” he muttered.
The dragon roared and spread its wings, leaping into the air and heading right for him.
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About Kyoko M.
