*Katerina's POV*

Rakota turned his flight into a shallow dive as Andar and Serepha followed. It had been a while since our last stop, so I was glad for the break. The stone Rakota had bespelled kept the cold at bay and prevented my lips from drying out in the wind. I didn't want to think how cold I would have been without it.

A huge river flowed through the dense forest below. The other prominent feature was a long section of raised rock that towered above the trees. The nearly vertical sides were similar to the other places we stopped, where the dragons had molded the rock to their liking.

A couple bright specks of color marked the presence of other dragons. When it became obvious we were going to land on the narrow clifftop, I felt like cringing back or hiding in case the dragons noticed my magic. I was positive Serepha and Andar had figured it out, although they hadn't said anything. Thankfully, Rakota picked a spot away from the ones lounging in the sun.

"The latrines are inside there," he said, pointing to a taller section of rocks. "The ground around here is too dangerous for a rider."

"Thanks." I quickly undid the straps and climbed down, in need of such a place.

The cave-like structure was similar to what I'd seen in some villages, with light coming in a few small gaps above and a hole in the stone floor to take the waste away. When I went back outside, Rakota was farther down the cliff, staring at a large glowing crystal.

"We're almost at the coast," Serepha commented, standing nearby. "Have you ever seen the ocean before?"

"No, I don't think there are any villages near it."

"If humans had built there, the naga would have destroyed it within weeks. You can see the water from here. It's only a short flight away."

I tilted my head as I stared to the east, wondering if the faint blue was just part of the horizon or actually water. "I thought it would take longer to reach the ocean from what Diondin said the other day."

"We found some very strong winds higher and used a bit of magic to also speed our journey. We'll arrive by mid-afternoon. You can rest here while we wait for Rakota to finish using the communication crystals. He won't be long."

I sat on a rock and dug through my backpack for some bread I made this morning. When Randel came out of the latrine, I waved him over to collect his two loaves. We ate in silence as the dragons took a break. Serepha relaxed next to us, pointedly picking a spot that blocked the other dragons from our view—and us from theirs—which I was grateful for.

I was almost ready to lay back in the sun and close my eyes when Rakota finally came back. I looked up as his swift footsteps approached, halfway surprised I could identify him by something like that.

"There's at least a thousand naga gathering where the river delta drains into the sea, so let's head to the coast and see what we can do to help." Rakota crouched down to let me climb up.

"Can the dragons really stop that many naga?" I asked as I sat in the saddle. That was a lot of naga. Was there even a thousand dragons? It was rare enough to see two or three near a major city. Maybe they preferred to live in areas where humans didn't venture.

"I have an idea, but let's see what we're up against first."

As soon as I secured the harness straps, Rakota took off. Now that I was paying attention and higher up, I could tell the blue in the distance wasn't just part of the sky. I could make out more details as we flew closer.

There were spires of rock standing above the trees on either side of a large river to give the dragons a vantage point. Most of them had a dragon sitting on top as it scanned the waters below. Dozens more glided through the air like sun-touched jewels. There were an awful lot of dragons present. At least a hundred.

My gaze strayed to the ocean and widened when I saw bluish-green snake-like figures on the sand by the waves. They edged away from the water until one of the dragons swooped down, forcing them to retreat into the sea.

The naga were already testing the dragons' defenses and trying to find any weak spot or opening. Some dragons used fire to force the scaled monsters back, but the spells only lasted a second or two, as if the casters were trying to conserve their magic for the battle to come.

"Look ahead," Rakota quietly said.

Then I saw it. The sea roiled in various places as hundreds of blue- and green-scaled creatures frolicked in the waves as if taunting the dragons. Chills went down my spine and my heart pounded at the sight of so many naga – and that was just what I could see at the surface!

There were far more naga than there were dragons.

"There are so many..." I whispered. "Is it possible to stop them all?"

I knew exactly how well naga could lurk beneath the surface, and I didn't doubt that there were many more hidden out of sight in the depths and farther up and down the coast. If even a fraction of them managed to get inland, no human between here and the mountain foothills would be safe.

Faces of my relatives and memories of numerous villages flashed through my mind. There was no way all of them would be able to reach safety in time. Dread built in my stomach.

Rakota glided above the shore. "I plan to build a cliff along the entire shoreline so they can't sneak into the trees. Naga might be able to swim well and move quickly on land, but they are horrible climbers, and I don't plan on giving them any handholds."

Would a cliff really work? There was only one way to find out – and I certainly had the magic to fuel such spells.

Determination filled me. "Why don't we send these creatures back to the sea where they belong and keep them there?"

With an echoing roar of agreement, Rakota dove down. The naga that had been sneaking onto the sand bolted back into the water, but they weren't his target. His wings spread wide as he slowed to a glide above the trees. The leaves moved and began rising as Rakota lifted the rock beneath the soil.

A few dragons flew closer, suddenly intent on what we were doing.