around them. She soared, jaw clenched.
You will not have died in vain, Orin, she vowed. I will save our people.
She had always been fast—not as fast as Mori, perhaps, but faster than anyone else she knew. Her body was slim, her scales smooth, her wings strong. She burst through walls of fire, howling, and shot into the clouds.
Snow flurried and filled her maw. Its ice stung the welts that covered her wings. She flew higher and higher until her eyes burned, her lungs ached, and she could barely see or breathe. She straightened, glided forward, and looked down.
The battle raged below, hidden under the clouds. She saw bursts of light where phoenixes flared. She heard their shrieks and the death cries of dragons. When she looked north, she saw only darkness, but she knew Nova Vita lay ahead across lake and mountain. Capital of Requiem. Home to thousands of Vir Requis she had to save.
The shame of leaving her phalanx—a hundred soldiers sworn to serve her in battle—dug through her chest. She was a knight, a leader of warriors… and she was leaving them to die. She gritted her teeth and fire flared inside her.
Yet I will obey my king. I will save the people of Nova Vita. I will do what I must.
She flew toward the city. She cut through the night, the cold air stinging.
Shrieks sounded behind her, moving closer. When she looked over her shoulder, she cursed. Three phoenixes emerged from the clouds, flames blazing, and flew toward her.
"Damn it!" Lyana gritted her teeth and flew faster. She could not let these beasts follow her home. She dived, plunging into the cloud cover. The snow slammed against her and the wind screamed.
The phoenix cries rose behind her. She turned her head and saw blazes of light through the clouds, like three suns chasing her. She flapped her wings mightily.
Even three could destroy our city, she thought. I can't let these ones reach Nova Vita before I evacuate everyone into the tunnels.
She kept flying. They kept chasing, orbs of light inside the clouds. They will not leave me. Lyana swerved sideways and flew east, cursing the delay; every moment she lingered could mean another life lost. When she looked back, she saw the flames follow, blazing among the clouds.
Stars! How could they keep following her? The clouds were surely too thick to see a slim, blue dragon who blew no fire. I must be leaving a wake through the clouds… that, or they can smell dragons.
She flew up and down, left and right, but the phoenixes followed. Their shrieks grew closer. The clouds began to thin, and Lyana cursed under her breath. Soon the flurries of snow died, and only wisps of clouds raced across her scales. Sky burst open before her, black and tainted with the orange glow of distant fire. Smoke billowed above, umber and gray. Behind her, a wall of fire rose from the battle, casting red light like blood across the land.
The phoenixes cried behind her. Lyana glanced back and cursed. They tore through the last clouds, comets of fury, blazing toward her. Their wings burned red and yellow. Their beaks opened, revealing gullets like flowing lava. Their eyes flared, collapsing stars. They left wakes of flame as they soared toward her. Though the night was black, their light filled it; they saw her, and they cried with bloodlust.
What unholy magic had created these beings? Lyana growled and swooped. She had seen one turn into Solina, adopted sister to her fallen betrothed. These are no demons, she thought. They are men and women with magic similar to ours. We can turn into dragons; they turn into these creatures.
She could not fight fire. If she could face them in their humans forms, she could kill them.
She dived toward Aranath Mountains below, chunks of black rock in the night. The phoenix light blazed against them, racing across the black stone and patches of snow. Lyana would come to these mountains
You will not have died in vain, Orin, she vowed. I will save our people.
She had always been fast—not as fast as Mori, perhaps, but faster than anyone else she knew. Her body was slim, her scales smooth, her wings strong. She burst through walls of fire, howling, and shot into the clouds.
Snow flurried and filled her maw. Its ice stung the welts that covered her wings. She flew higher and higher until her eyes burned, her lungs ached, and she could barely see or breathe. She straightened, glided forward, and looked down.
The battle raged below, hidden under the clouds. She saw bursts of light where phoenixes flared. She heard their shrieks and the death cries of dragons. When she looked north, she saw only darkness, but she knew Nova Vita lay ahead across lake and mountain. Capital of Requiem. Home to thousands of Vir Requis she had to save.
The shame of leaving her phalanx—a hundred soldiers sworn to serve her in battle—dug through her chest. She was a knight, a leader of warriors… and she was leaving them to die. She gritted her teeth and fire flared inside her.
Yet I will obey my king. I will save the people of Nova Vita. I will do what I must.
She flew toward the city. She cut through the night, the cold air stinging.
Shrieks sounded behind her, moving closer. When she looked over her shoulder, she cursed. Three phoenixes emerged from the clouds, flames blazing, and flew toward her.
"Damn it!" Lyana gritted her teeth and flew faster. She could not let these beasts follow her home. She dived, plunging into the cloud cover. The snow slammed against her and the wind screamed.
The phoenix cries rose behind her. She turned her head and saw blazes of light through the clouds, like three suns chasing her. She flapped her wings mightily.
Even three could destroy our city, she thought. I can't let these ones reach Nova Vita before I evacuate everyone into the tunnels.
She kept flying. They kept chasing, orbs of light inside the clouds. They will not leave me. Lyana swerved sideways and flew east, cursing the delay; every moment she lingered could mean another life lost. When she looked back, she saw the flames follow, blazing among the clouds.
Stars! How could they keep following her? The clouds were surely too thick to see a slim, blue dragon who blew no fire. I must be leaving a wake through the clouds… that, or they can smell dragons.
She flew up and down, left and right, but the phoenixes followed. Their shrieks grew closer. The clouds began to thin, and Lyana cursed under her breath. Soon the flurries of snow died, and only wisps of clouds raced across her scales. Sky burst open before her, black and tainted with the orange glow of distant fire. Smoke billowed above, umber and gray. Behind her, a wall of fire rose from the battle, casting red light like blood across the land.
The phoenixes cried behind her. Lyana glanced back and cursed. They tore through the last clouds, comets of fury, blazing toward her. Their wings burned red and yellow. Their beaks opened, revealing gullets like flowing lava. Their eyes flared, collapsing stars. They left wakes of flame as they soared toward her. Though the night was black, their light filled it; they saw her, and they cried with bloodlust.
What unholy magic had created these beings? Lyana growled and swooped. She had seen one turn into Solina, adopted sister to her fallen betrothed. These are no demons, she thought. They are men and women with magic similar to ours. We can turn into dragons; they turn into these creatures.
She could not fight fire. If she could face them in their humans forms, she could kill them.
She dived toward Aranath Mountains below, chunks of black rock in the night. The phoenix light blazed against them, racing across the black stone and patches of snow. Lyana would come to these mountains
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