Xander reached the corner on the outside of Sinbad, but when he tried to dragon his wing the tip shriveled back. He fell onto one knee and clutched the ropes as the entirety of his wings disappeared into his back. The miraj teetered on one skid and the billowing sail dragged the ship off the course. The crowds behind the rocks screamed and scattered as the ship plowed through.
The miraj hit one of the large stones and tipped over. Xander was thrown and landed hard on the sand where he rolled for several yards. He came to a stop face-down and lay still.
"Xander!" I shouted as I rushed forward.
Spiros sprinted past me, as did Apuleius. They reached Xander as the crowd began to gather around my fallen dragon lord. Together they gently rolled him onto his back and Apuleius laid his head against Xander's chest.
Darda grabbed my arm ten feet from where Xander lay and stopped me. "It would be better if you remained here, My Lady," she warned me.
"Let me go!" I wrenched myself from her grasp and slid over to Xander's side. Xander lay still. I looked at Spiros and Apuleius. "Is he-?"
Apuleius pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, but he is gravely ill. I cannot think what would force his wings to disappear before he lost consciousness."
"I can," Spiros spoke up. He lifted his eyes to mine. "Dragon's Bane would force him to his human form."
My eyes widened. Darda came up to us and furrowed her brow. "But a dragon must come into contact with the Bane to feel its effects."
By this time the crowds pressed close around us. The gray-cloaked brothers pushed their way through the crowd toward us. "Please step aside!" Philo called to the tight mass of dragon kind that surrounded us.
The crowd tried to back up, but the front group crashed into the rear guard. The whole mess of people flowed like a pulsating heart back and forth against and away from us. At each tight push of dragons against me I felt as though the air was knocked out of me.
Spiros drew his sword and held it high into the air. Its sharp blade glistened in the bright light. "Move back!" he shouted.
The weapon gave the crowd as a whole incentive to step back, and the white-cloaked men reached us. They positioned themselves at the four points around Xander's prone body, and Philo moved to his side. He pressed his hand against Xander's chest. My dragon lord winced and his teeth ground together.
Philo looked up at our small group, most especially Apuleius. "We must return him to the temple."
"I will forge you a path," Spiros offered as he brandished his weapon in the direction of the wagon.
Spiros broke a path through the crowd. Four of the brothers lifted Xander between them and carried him along the open path.
A cheer arose from the farther, and some of them flowed toward the course. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Sinbad slide to a stop past the finish line. He leapt off his miraj and strode toward us. The crowd full of congratulations slowed him down, but didn't stop him as he closed the gap between us.
"Spiros!" I shouted as I pointed in Sinbad's direction.
Spiros followed my finger and pursed his lips together. He turned and allowed the brothers and our group to pass him. He dropped his hand on my shoulder and leaned toward me. "I will guard the rear. See that Xander is taken care of."
I nodded. "I promise."
I hurried to catch up to the quick brothers as they pushed their way the final yards to the waiting cart. Apuleius was just behind them and Darda was near my side when a shout echoed over the yelling and cheering.
"Bandits!"
The cry came from somewhere in the crowd. A great clamor arose from the spectators as they shouted and screamed. Many tried to flee in all directions, leading to a panic that quickly escalated into a stampede.
"Miriam!" Darda shouted as she was pulled away from me.
I reached for her outstretched hand, but missed it by an inch. A pair of strong hands grabbed my upper arms. I whipped my head around and found myself staring into Philo's tense face.
"Please come with me, My Lady," he instructed me.
He gripped me tight as he led me through the rough, panicked crowds. I watched as Apuleius was also pulled away by the tide of people. Xander was lifted into the covered cart a moment before we reached the vehicle. Philo helped me inside where two of the brothers sat on either side of Xander.
Philo pulled himself into the vehicle beside me and looked ahead at the driver. "Hurry!"
The driver cracked a whip above the heads of the hadabs. The creatures howled and rushed forward through the crowds. The people leapt out of the path of the wild beasts as the cart rocked back and forth.
Xander winced and ground his teeth together. His breathing was quick and shallow. I grasped one of his hands that lay on his chest. It trembled in mine.
A slight clucking noise caught my attention. I looked up and found Philo shaking his head as he looked down at Xander. "Such a noble man to be brought down so low by Dragon's Bane."
My heart skipped a beat as my own hands began to tremble. I swallowed a lump in my throat. "H-how do you know it's Dragon's Bane?"
He raised his head and smiled at me. "Because I am the one who administered the unique substance."
"Y-you?" I stuttered.
"You seem very excited, My Lady. Perhaps a rest would do you some benefit." He glanced to my left and nodded.
I whipped my head in that direction just as the brother wrapped his arm around me. He pulled me against him and pressed a wet cloth over my nose. A pungent odor invaded my nostrils. The world around me began to spin.
The last view I had was of the walls of the city as we passed far around the gate to the rear. Then the world turned black.