invading
his ears like living beings of sound.
Fidelity
grimaced and covered her ears. She knelt behind the wall, shivering,
teeth chattering. "Stars, they stink."
Korvin
knelt beside her. He pulled his cloak over them both, hoping the
frosted cloth would make them look like nothing but a mound of snow.
"Keep
quiet," he whispered. "Keep still. Let's let them fly by,
whatever they are. Let them--" He grimaced, unable to say more.
The ground beneath him froze, the ice gripping at him, invading his
body, his lungs. The ghostly shrieks pounded his ears, and the stench
of rot filled his nostrils and churned his stomach. Fidelity grimaced
at his side.
"They're
getting closer," she whispered.
The
cries were louder now, and wings creaked above. Blasts of air pounded
their cloak, nearly tearing it off. A screech rose, followed by the
sound of crashing stones. The ruins shook. The wings thudded closer,
and more air blasted their cloak, lifting its edge, revealing the
sky.
Korvin
stared above and lost his breath.
Claws
streamed over him. Light glowed within a ribcage. The segments of a
tail, all its flesh removed, snaked above like a string of bone
beads. The creature dived past him, and a blanket of its smell wafted
down. Maggots rained and pattered against the cloak. The cries rose
louder, and the creature seemed to turn in the sky.
"They
saw us!" Fidelity whispered.
The
cloak billowed madly. Korvin glanced from beneath it, saw the two
creatures wheeling in the sky, then come swooping toward them.
"Fly!"
Korvin shouted. He tossed off the cloak and leaped onto the wall.
"Shift, Fidelity, and fly!"
She
ran forward, placing more distance between them, and shifted into a
blue dragon. She soared, blasting fire. Korvin summoned his own
magic, beat his wings, and rose into the sky as a gray dragon, flames
gathering in his maw.
The
creatures ahead screamed madly, the sound of butchered animals, and
charged toward them.
Bonedrakes.
Korvin's belly roiled in disgust. He had read of such creatures in
his old books. Before him flew not living beings but the animated
bones of firedrakes. Their fangs and claws gleamed in the sunlight.
Balls of sickly light pulsed within their ribcages like hearts, and
shards of the same white light burned in their eye sockets. Shreds of
flesh stretched between the bones of their wings, riddled with holes.
Rotted saddles still rose on their backs, fused with the bones, and
on them rode the skeletons of paladins, their armor rusty, their
lances chipped.
Korvin had only a second to contemplate them.
Before the bonedrakes could reach them, Fidelity blasted forth her
dragonfire. An instant later, Korvin added his flames to hers. The
flaming streams wove together, shrieking and spinning, and slammed
into the flying dragon skeletons.
The
bonedrakes roared, a torn sound, as the flames washed over them.
The
skeletons emerged from the inferno and slammed against the two
dragons, biting and clawing.
Korvin
howled. Fangs pierced his scales as easily as a blade through hot
butter. Those fangs were either blazing hot or impossibly cold.
Korvin could not decide, but they stung with agony, tearing at him,
shedding his blood. At his side, Fidelity screamed too, beating her
wings madly as the second bonedrake clawed at her.
Korvin
swiped his claws. They clattered against the skeletal firedrake,
scraping the bones, finding no flesh to cut. He growled, smashing at
the jaws that bit him, slamming into the bones again and again, but
there was nothing to wound, nothing to cut. He fell from the sky and
crashed against the ruins. Bricks tumbled and Korvin roared, and
still the jaws clutched him, freezing him. Korvin's wings beat
uselessly, scattering snow, and his claws reached out and grabbed a
fallen brick.
He
swung the brick, slamming it into the bonedrake's skull. The bone
cracked, a tooth broke, and the jaws released him.
Korvin
beat his wings and soared, lashing his tail against the creature,
knocking it
his ears like living beings of sound.
Fidelity
grimaced and covered her ears. She knelt behind the wall, shivering,
teeth chattering. "Stars, they stink."
Korvin
knelt beside her. He pulled his cloak over them both, hoping the
frosted cloth would make them look like nothing but a mound of snow.
"Keep
quiet," he whispered. "Keep still. Let's let them fly by,
whatever they are. Let them--" He grimaced, unable to say more.
The ground beneath him froze, the ice gripping at him, invading his
body, his lungs. The ghostly shrieks pounded his ears, and the stench
of rot filled his nostrils and churned his stomach. Fidelity grimaced
at his side.
"They're
getting closer," she whispered.
The
cries were louder now, and wings creaked above. Blasts of air pounded
their cloak, nearly tearing it off. A screech rose, followed by the
sound of crashing stones. The ruins shook. The wings thudded closer,
and more air blasted their cloak, lifting its edge, revealing the
sky.
Korvin
stared above and lost his breath.
Claws
streamed over him. Light glowed within a ribcage. The segments of a
tail, all its flesh removed, snaked above like a string of bone
beads. The creature dived past him, and a blanket of its smell wafted
down. Maggots rained and pattered against the cloak. The cries rose
louder, and the creature seemed to turn in the sky.
"They
saw us!" Fidelity whispered.
The
cloak billowed madly. Korvin glanced from beneath it, saw the two
creatures wheeling in the sky, then come swooping toward them.
"Fly!"
Korvin shouted. He tossed off the cloak and leaped onto the wall.
"Shift, Fidelity, and fly!"
She
ran forward, placing more distance between them, and shifted into a
blue dragon. She soared, blasting fire. Korvin summoned his own
magic, beat his wings, and rose into the sky as a gray dragon, flames
gathering in his maw.
The
creatures ahead screamed madly, the sound of butchered animals, and
charged toward them.
Bonedrakes.
Korvin's belly roiled in disgust. He had read of such creatures in
his old books. Before him flew not living beings but the animated
bones of firedrakes. Their fangs and claws gleamed in the sunlight.
Balls of sickly light pulsed within their ribcages like hearts, and
shards of the same white light burned in their eye sockets. Shreds of
flesh stretched between the bones of their wings, riddled with holes.
Rotted saddles still rose on their backs, fused with the bones, and
on them rode the skeletons of paladins, their armor rusty, their
lances chipped.
Korvin had only a second to contemplate them.
Before the bonedrakes could reach them, Fidelity blasted forth her
dragonfire. An instant later, Korvin added his flames to hers. The
flaming streams wove together, shrieking and spinning, and slammed
into the flying dragon skeletons.
The
bonedrakes roared, a torn sound, as the flames washed over them.
The
skeletons emerged from the inferno and slammed against the two
dragons, biting and clawing.
Korvin
howled. Fangs pierced his scales as easily as a blade through hot
butter. Those fangs were either blazing hot or impossibly cold.
Korvin could not decide, but they stung with agony, tearing at him,
shedding his blood. At his side, Fidelity screamed too, beating her
wings madly as the second bonedrake clawed at her.
Korvin
swiped his claws. They clattered against the skeletal firedrake,
scraping the bones, finding no flesh to cut. He growled, smashing at
the jaws that bit him, slamming into the bones again and again, but
there was nothing to wound, nothing to cut. He fell from the sky and
crashed against the ruins. Bricks tumbled and Korvin roared, and
still the jaws clutched him, freezing him. Korvin's wings beat
uselessly, scattering snow, and his claws reached out and grabbed a
fallen brick.
He
swung the brick, slamming it into the bonedrake's skull. The bone
cracked, a tooth broke, and the jaws released him.
Korvin
beat his wings and soared, lashing his tail against the creature,
knocking it
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