The flight from the Keep to Earth Ranch was much shorter on Ariella’s back than in Owen’s seaplane—much, much shorter. The dragon didn’t necessarily fly faster than the plane—not in terms of actual, measurable speed, anyway. Instead, there seemed to be a kind of supernatural teleportation at work, so subtle that Clay didn’t even notice when it was happening. He would blink, and suddenly he’d have traveled a hundred miles farther than he’d thought.
So it was unexpected, but expectedly unexpected, when Price Island suddenly appeared, a puffy gray mass on the horizon.
Seconds later they burst through the clouds of vog, and Clay could see the distinctive profile of Nose Peak. Two figures were straddling the topmost rock, staring at the sky, just as Clay had done on so many mornings. They waved wildly. Clay didn’t have to see their faces to recognize Leira and Brett. Leira raised her conch-shell communication device to her lips and blew it three times like a trumpet. It blared painfully in Clay’s ear but also echoed around the island, announcing their arrival.