This had once been my home. Now it looked like Aereala’s wrath had come down and vomited.
The whole country was falling apart. Dragon-kind were killing themselves before the famine did.
Fear and rage brought out the ugliest in people.
Micah tightened his grip around me, as if to tell me not to worry. “They’re going to fetch Bianca and Frederick and the ingorias.”
“Bring me back to them,” I said, shifting my weight in Micah’s arms.
“No,” Gaius replied. “We’re getting you somewhere safe.”
Worry zipped up my chest, awarding me with newfound energy despite the pain. “We can’t leave them behind.”
“And what will you do when you get there?” Gaius asked. “You’re too unwell to even stand. Rylan had planned this. He’s thorough. He has his trusted around him. Frederick and the others had been transported somewhere safe before you gave your first speech. They’ll meet us up front.”
Beneath, Mayhem, Grunt and Aura fought through the commoners. They did not hesitate, not like the princes, and they tore off the heads of those who dared cross their paths. Despite the distraction of the battle, my ingorias kept up with Micah. Many had decided to disregard them, preferring to flee for their lives. The sheer force of the ingorias was too much for them to deal with.
An arrow flew up toward Micah. Micah dipped to avoid it, and my heart dropped along with him. An Evaradrae that was on our side came up behind the prince and threw a dagger, putting the weapon through the head of the drerkyn who dared shoot that arrow.
“We have to shift,” Micah said.
“But I’m still . . .” I glanced down at Micah’s arms.
“This might feel strange,” Gaius replied.
Both of them burst out in a yellow light. I’d never been so close to their forms when they turned into dragons. For a second, I slipped from Micah’s arms and fell toward the ground. It looked like I might drop and hit the top of the roof having a spiky weathervane poking from it. Micah caught me on his back before I got skewered. My wound pulsed in protest, and the sharp landing made me cry out.
I curled my fingers into tight fists. “I-I’m okay.”
His chest rumbled as an apology.
Gaius and Micah’s two mighty forms shadowed the crowd below. With just a puff of breath, they could take out swaths of their fellow countrymen. They didn’t. I felt the same turmoil—these were the people we’d been trying to care for and protect for as long as I could remember. Now they wanted to kill us, making them the enemy. But it was difficult to bring our hearts to be that vicious.
The princes’ wings were twice as large as that of draerins, and no one could keep up with their speed.
But the ingorias could.
Mayhem and Grunt climbed up the sides of the buildings, tearing down stray drerkyns as they did. Aura followed shortly after. They bounded across the tiled rooftops. Mayhem drew his head up and loosed a chilling howl that pierced through the sounds of battle. His siblings returned his call and joined him in his song.
Gaius and Micah soared across the burning buildings and ash fields. The skies were their domain, and they conquered the distance with mere flaps of their wings. The landscape beneath me moved in a blur. Before, I would have gotten dizzy from how fast they were, but I’d sat on their backs countless times, and I was thankful our escapades at Gaean’s pit had acclimated me to get used to riding dragons.
“Where are we meeting up?” I asked, more as a question to myself. I knew they couldn’t respond to me in their dragon forms.
Puffs of smoke left Micah’s nostrils. I brushed my fingers across the ridged patterns of his back. It should be cold because of the rain and the winds the speed of their flights caused, but the heat that shook from Micah’s body seeped through my being, keeping me warm.
Where had Miriel Eveborne gone? Was that the last I’d see of the queen and her daughter?
And more importantly, were Rylan and the others safe?
He could no longer be king. I had failed in my bid to turn things around. The guilt threatened to overwhelm me, even though I knew the princes didn’t blame me.
Rylan had expected me to fail.
Increasingly, as we flew, the more concerned I became. It was obvious Kael was a good fighter. I was sure he’d be able to escape the crowd. But so many of the soldiers had turned against their own, deciding to fight for the people instead of Rylan.
The Constanrians wanted us gone. The blindness that came with our ruling finally came to bite us back, just as Tindyll had warned.
We flew and flew, until we left the battle behind and the cries of death were no more, until the air was no longer wet and warm but cooling and dry.
Gaius roared, and the sound quaked through me.
Another roar echoed his, and in the distance, I saw the rest of my loved ones.
My family.
I didn’t recognize this landscape rolling with hilly grass that meandered in a gentle soothing pattern. The only jarring thing of the hills were the splotches of ashen grass that created pockets of death in the beauty. It looked like the dying ash was taking time to spread—there were more patches of them coming from Raynea’s direction.
I tried to imagine that everything was still green and lush and beautiful. Seeing Rylan and Kael in their dragon forms made it easy. They lowered their heads, as if greeting their brothers. I slid off Micah’s body, careful not to aggravate my injury.
A giddy rush of lightheadedness shot up my body once my feet hit the ground, and it took me a few seconds to gather myself. Rylan swung his head toward me, nudging me with it so I could use him for support.
I turned from him to look at Bianca and Frederick. Bianca was roughing sketches into her parchment and lay against a big rock.
She waved at me. The ingorias stopped before her, eager to rest. I tensed. Would they bully my sister again? But then Mayhem lowered his head to nuzzle Bianca and slumped onto his paws to rest beside her. I raised my brows in surprise. The two male ingorias were behaving for once, and not rushing to bite each other’s throats off. Plus, they got along well with Bianca.
She sank her fingers into Mayhem’s soft fur and turned to me, grinning.
In this brief respite, things felt perfect. We had left the chaos and put it behind us. If I could savor this moment forever, keep it in a locket, and put it to my chest, I would.
Frederick waved and trod toward me. He carried a backpack that looked too full. “Took you long enough.”
“Excuse me?” I asked. “Is that how you greet me after we’ve both just went through near-death experiences?”
He shrugged with one shoulder. “Yes?”
“Shouldn’t I at least get a, ‘Oh, Sera! Thank the gods you’re alive.’ Or a, ‘I’m so glad to see you.’”
“I’m not going to thank Aereala for that,” Frederick said as pinched his nose.
The princes—if I could call them that anymore—collectively snorted, emanating smoke from their nostrils.
I hugged Frederick, although his response was more hesitant than I wanted it to be. Just because I knew the answer to my curse, didn’t mean I couldn’t bring him excruciating pain when our skin came into contact.
“Well, because I’m not a terrible friend like you,” I teased, “I’m glad you’re alive.” I was kidding, obviously.
“Uh huh. Once you’re done giving me marks, hop on Micah. We need to leave, or so Rylan says.” Frederick and Rylan shared a cursory nod.
“Where are we going?”
“Beyestirya still doesn’t hate you. It makes sense to seek refuge with Vanjar again.” Frederick scratched the back of his neck. “That’s the gist of it, anyway. I’m just passing along what the king—um, ex-king—told me.”
“Who are you riding?”
Torley waved from the back of Kael. I hadn’t noticed him joining us. I supposed that made sense, since Frederick wouldn’t want to leave the love of his life behind.
But Frederick also used to
have a temporary and completely pointless crush on Kael.
“So strange to have your boyfriend ride your ex-crush,” I said. I paled. I hadn’t realized how wrong that sounded.
Frederick smirked. Torley cocked his head, not quite understanding the meaning of my musing.
I slapped Frederick shoulder, though the slap came out as a light tap since I was so weak. “Let’s go, you horny bastard.”
“You’re the one surrounded by horny dragons.”
Frederick winked at Kael, and the white dragon sighed in response.
I didn’t want this moment to end, but it was interrupted before I could decide when it would. Theo Cadriel emerged from behind Kael’s massive form. He finished biting his nails, then turned to me. “Are we leaving again? Can’t believe I’m going to ride a hidrae for the second time today. I’m not sure I like it.”
I completely forgot I’d asked Rylan to take care of my father. Part of me wished we’d left him behind in Constanria, but he would no doubt have his head lopped off by my angry opponents, unless he managed to weasel his way out of that situation. It didn’t matter about our bad relationship. The officials back home would want him dead because he was my father and guilty by association.
An animalistic shriek sliced across the hills. Draerins in dragon form and drerkyns clad in leather armor emerged from the hilltops.
I threw myself into action. Weak action due to my wound. Micah positioned his tail so I could climb up on him easily. He gave me a nudge with his snout to keep me situated.
Another raspy, collective call scratched from the enemy draerins’ throats, but this time, it came from another group flying up ahead.
We were surrounded.
Chapter Thirty-One
I held onto Micah’s scales as he thrashed about. A column of fire blasted over my head. Instinctively, I patted the top of my hair to make sure it didn’t catch fire.
The drerkyns and draerins shot around us, swarming the skies. Too many to count. They’d left no room for escape. Micah ducked left. I held onto him tightly, straining against the pain in my stomach. I glanced back to see why he had moved so abruptly. I watched Rylan being surrounded by at least ten drerkyns. They carried lassos in their hands and tried to get a proper hook around Rylan’s neck.
“Glacilis provoto!” The ice spell burst out from my hands and hit a drerkyn. His wings froze and stopped flapping. The soldier spiraled to the ground. My insides coiled. I doubted the man would survive the fall.
Was that my first kill?
I numbed myself to what I just did and let the thrill of fighting surge through me.
Was killing supposed to mean so little? Should I not feel more devastated, dismayed? I had taken another person’s life. The drerkyn’s body crunched against the ground, and he lay motionless. I gaped at the sight but was quickly distracted by the chaos around me.
Micah snapped his jaws over a yellow draerin’s wing and tore it out. The dragon fell from the sky, too. Micah didn’t hesitate lunging toward his next opponent. I glanced at my fingertips, then at the remaining magic I had in my soul beads in my satchel. It wasn’t going to be enough. I decided to save it—or perhaps I didn’t have it in me to go for another kill.
The princes were vicious in their attack. One by one, our assailants fell from the sky. Bianca and Theo rode on Gaius’s back. He fought to bring them to safety, like Micah did for me. Micah thrashed through the battalion that had come for us. Bianca’s form blurred on Gaius’s back.
Frederick and Torley rode on Kael, who zipped around the battle like a whirlwind. Kael did not seem to care that Frederick might fall from his back. His dragon smiled, or made an expression like one, as he went through assailants, ripping off wings and tearing throats out. The blood of his opponents colored his jaws red. He lived for the battle.
A drerkyn flew too close to the ground, and Aura leapt from a hilltop and sunk her sharp teeth into the poor man’s neck. She tore his head off. I caught a short glimpse of his open accusatory glare before a draerin flew beneath Micah, blocking my view of him.
How did this battalion manage to find us? We were in the middle of nowhere, and Micah and Gaius had made sure to lose the other dragons’ trails.
Had they found us through pure luck?
And then I saw my answer rising from the mass of attackers. Vancel stood atop a blue draerin, unconcerned that he might fall off the creature’s back should it swerve too abruptly.
He was accompanied by Gaean, who was . . . eating grapes? He lounged on the back of another dragon in a relaxed posture, like a noble watching a play.
When had the two teamed up?
Rylan snapped his jaws at Vancel. The drerkyns still surrounded him, and as soon as he sent one falling to the ground, another replaced the previous.
“You don’t have to do this, Vancel,” I said. “Let us go. We don’t want the throne anymore. You can go to Constanria and should you rule it, we promise never to bother you. You can return to Mei. You can be king. Gaean is just using you.”
His gaze curved toward me. His eyes were a harsh yellow, telling of his rage.
“She’s playing you, Gavril,” Gaean said, popping another grape into his mouth. “Remember your pain. Remember how they took everything from you. They’re going to do it again.” His words sounded ominous but playfulness danced over his features.
Vancel cackled like a madman. “Why give you the chance to reign again when I can be thorough now?” Vancel Gavril had never struck me as being crazy. He’d planned his every move, often calculative and with purpose. Madmen did things out of lust, greed, and passion. Or perhaps Vancel had always been crazy but very good at hiding the madness in him.
“Be thorough?” I asked. I couldn’t understand why he had to fight when we wanted none of it.
Micah soared through the air and lunged at Vancel. A guttural sound shook from Micah. But a group of draerins swept up and blocked him, changing the prince’s trajectory.
“Did the princes ever tell you what happened after the rebellion?” Vancel asked.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, catching my breath. The pain in my abdomen stung even more. Tears dampened my cheeks, not because I was upset but because my body was reaching its limit. I glanced at Gaius, who was trying to shake off a draerin from his tail. Kael came to his aid and grabbed the draerin’s side, tearing him away from his brother.
“Sera!” Frederick called. “I don’t like this!”
“Hold on!” I shouted back. Kael would keep him safe.
I hoped.
If Aereala wanted to intervene to protect her precious vessel, now would be the best time. A pathetic roll of thunder swept across the sky. Was that her way to encourage me? It really wasn’t helping.
Gaean blew a kiss to the sky. “I hear you, love!”
Vancel growled. He hadn’t finished his story about his rebellion. It must have been scarring, otherwise, he wouldn’t be looking at me with those yellow eyes. “They killed my father before me. And you four. You were the people I loved . . . trusted. And as soon as Gisiroth told you to not associate with me, you turned your backs. I begged and begged, until my throat went hoarse. You cast us aside. My mother was killed. My sister was sold away to another kingdom. I was all alone and you four were all I had. Yet, you told me to leave.”
It sounded familiar. But Rylan had stood up for me in the end, and Frederick had never left me.
“Your father did try to kill them,” I said. Aiden Gavril, brother to Gisiroth, had tried to overthrow the Everborne family around a hundred years ago
My limbs were already losing the ability to hold onto Micah. Fear gripped me tightly.
I frowned at Vancel. Did he feel better now that he got his grievances off his chest? I had a shitty childhood, too. I didn’t end up like a blood-crazed lunatic. He didn’t need revenge. He needed a heart doctor.
"Rage, my dear boy!" Gaean shouted. "Use it to fuel your strength."
Vancel hopped off the draerin and plumme
ted to the ground. The glow when dragons shifted shone from him, but I couldn't hear the sound of his bones cracking among so much growling and flames. Even the glow was dimmer in this bright sunlight. Vancel emerged from the dust as a ginormous, black beast. He opened his mouth, flashing vicious, sharp fangs, and let out a bone-chilling cry.
The grass beneath me got sucked dry with Gaean's presence. More green transformed into gray. More death surrounded us. Already, a splattering of quivering draerin and drerkyn bodies gathered beneath where we fought.
My ingorias took care of the dragons who fell but struggled to join the battle. Unlike Rylan, Gaius, or Micah, they had no heart in them to be merciful, and they killed anyone unlucky enough for them to stumble upon.
I wasn't keeping track, but I was certain Kael had the largest headcount.
Vancel thrusted himself through the air. Kael attempted to hold him back, but he was distracted by two other draerins, and Vancel flew past him.
"Rylan!" I cried. It was too late. Vancel latched onto Rylan, whose back faced him because Rylan had to deal with the other dragons. I watched with horror, the image clicking through my brain in a slowed pace as Rylan's wing was ripped clean off. His blood . . . so much blood.
It spurted over Vancel and fell in spluttering streams to the ground. Rylan lost his balance without his wing. He plummeted. Midair, his yellow eyes met mine. My ears rang. My heart nearly stopped.
Vancel didn't let Rylan hit the hills. He caught Rylan's neck by his talons and began to fly. The smaller dragons blocked the other brothers’ way, refusing them the ability to save their brother. I blinked, stunned.
The moment shock seeped from my mind, a strength unlike any other I'd experienced surged through my being. I would rather get swallowed by a dragon’s flame than watch Rylan perish. Fear left my bones, and I only thought to save a man I loved more than breath itself.
Fall of Dragons (Sera's Curse Book 3) Page 26
