“That is a great idea, but how do we get them to do that?” I inquired, sending a bolt of lightning into the dragon approaching me, as we entered the swarm above us. We became quiet while we each took on several dragons at once, fighting as hard as we could to bring them down without killing them.
*
Hours passed while the battle still raged below us and in the sky, it was now painted in pink, purple and red brush strokes–the first light of sunrise. Revyr was nowhere to be found, and as I fought, I continued to look for him. Kyr had used his mental illusions to get the dragons to shift into man forms once again, by projecting his dragon in tens around some of them, and affecting their perception of reality—blinding them to the fight. Yet, we still had eight more left to trick.
After Kyr reached Theo’s mind and told him of our plan, him and his army—that had finally arrived on their horses—used their Elven magic to place enchanted binds on the men, and keep them from joining the fight again as dragons. The peculiarity was, once the binds were on them, they became submissive as though they were used to them.
The idea made my chest constrict. Where had they been before today? My thought was abruptly cut short when something punctured my wing, and began to pull me down. A roar escaped me as searing pain tore through me. A harpoon was stuck on my wing and a group of men below us were using the rope tied to it to bring me down. I reached for it with my jaws and ripped it in two, but another one went through my foot. I struggled against it, but before I could reach it to pull it out of me, another spear flew through my right shoulder and I began to fall.
My wild eyes looked around me to find Ash was already on the ground, hurt and being tied down as he sprayed them all with acid. The men screamed, running in all directions while the burning liquid consumed their bodies. He jerked against the ropes wrapped around his legs, but three small black dragons landed next to him and began to use their fire to keep him in place. His acid mist couldn’t pass through the flames to paralyze them.
My back slammed against the frozen ground with a thunderous sound, and the next group of men began to tie me down, shooting roped arrows around my body. My mouth opened and fire erupted from it, engulfing them. My hand gripped the harpoon on my foot and ripped it out. I bellowed in pain, reaching for the one on my shoulder and pulled it. A roar escaped me as I righted myself and desperately looked for Kyr. He was no longer in the sky, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. The small dragons were on land, closing in on Ash and I while we were hurt, but they seemed to only be interested in keeping us in place. They didn’t know how to fight. That was our advantage. We had to find a way out of this flaming circle they had us in.
A display of light caught my attention and I turned to find our grandmother going head to head with Khet-ui, the king’s Sorcerer. His attack went through her shoulder and she screamed but never faltered. A light shot out of her staff, connecting with his chest, it blew him several feet back, his head snapping on contact as he hit the ground upside down. She began to run towards us, pushing warriors aside, and attacking anyone that got in her way with her crimson magic.
My eyes finally landed on Revyr and my blood turned cold, as I realized his claws were deep inside Kyr’s chest, and he was opening his jaws to clamp down on my brother’s neck. I ran towards them and the power rushed out of me, delivering deadly blows of lightning that turned into fire as they seeped through the small dragons before me again and again, burning them from the inside out. I couldn’t think. I had to save my brother.
The next hit went into Revyr’s chest and he roared, falling back, and away from Kyr. My brother jumped to his feet, blue shimmering blood oozing from his chest, but soon his gashes were closing. He turned and jumped, tumbling down with Revyr. They rolled on the ground but the black dragon had stood, but before my brother could attack he disappeared from Kyr’s sight. I opened my mouth to warn my brother of the evil dragon’s location, but he moved too fast, pushing Kyr back, and settling on his back before I could. I threw another bolt at Revyr, just as a piercing scream broke through the madness.
“Aura, watch out!”
Time froze for me.
My head whipped towards Avrielle’s voice. She was held back, fighting a cursed warrior, and as my eyes took in the scene around her, pure terror traveled through my being. A man stood behind the Summer Princess a few steps away, his hand gripped her shoulder while the sword he held plunged right through her lower back until it came out on the other side. Before I knew it, I was flying towards her. A rush of pink energy exploded out of her, blowing the man away, electrocuted, but her body crumbled to the floor, blood flowing freely from the wound.
“Nyx!” Kyr called desperately into my mind, and my head spun to see him surrounded once again. Ash was fighting for his life, but I couldn’t think of anything other than Aura, the woman I loved, bleeding out on the crisp white snow.
“I’m sorry…” I replied, and rushed to her.
I didn’t know how it had happened. I wasn’t sure when it was I fell for her, but I loved her with every part of my being. Man and dragon. Shame I had realized it too late. My body transformed as I landed and I ran to her, falling to my knees by her side. My horrified eyes settled on the pool of blood already surrounding her. My hands trembled as I held her head and turned it towards me. Her gorgeous blue eyes were stained red, and there was blood seeping from her lips.
Her gaze settled on me and she smiled. “You came back.” Her whisper tore through me.
“Of course I came back. I love you. You are mine, you hear me. Mine!” Leaning down, I gently kissed her and put my arms around her, hating the taste of her blood on my lips. “Hold on for me, okay? Don’t leave me.” Carrying her, I rushed inside the cave and away from the battle.
She coughed and the blood gargled in her throat as I desperately thought of what I could do to save her. I placed her on the ground, holding her to me. My scales disappeared from around my wrist, and I bit into it until I ripped my skin so deeply that the blood poured out freely. I tore her suit farther along her stomach, and placed my wrist over her wound, watching the blue sparkling liquid ooze into her body, as she struggled to breathe. After a few minutes the gash began to close, and I moved my hand to her lips.
“I need you to drink, Satwyn Esta Startar—My Sweetest Love. My blood will heal you.” She looked at me. Eyes half dazed, half filled with love at my endearment, and her lips closed around my wrist, swallowing the drops that made their way into her. “You’ll be well soon. I’m going to heal you.”
She nodded, coughing. “I knew you would keep me safe.”
My body dangerously tensed as her words cut through me. No, I hadn’t kept her safe. I had pushed her away with everything I had.
“I love you. I’m sorry I fought against it, I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. You were right. We can make a world just for us, where we can be together.” Tears spilled from my eyes. “I love you.”
Her trembling lips curved into a smile. “I knew you would realize it sooner or later.”
“How?” I asked, gazing at the shade of purple on her lips, from the mix of our bloods.
“I had hope. Hope changes everything.”
I nodded, unable to speak as my heart tore inside me. The wound had closed and she drank my blood, but the life was still draining from her eyes, and I feared it would take me with her. “Please, you can’t leave me, okay? You have to stay.”
“I’ll try,” she whispered. “Will you hold me? I’m cold.”
“Yes, I’ll hold you.” I kissed her forehead. My eyes widened as Father’s words suddenly rushed to me.
“…I can heal her better as a man. Our bond is far stronger in this form…”
Holding Aura to me again, I carried her and rushed inside the temple. Mother cupped her mouth, eyes watering at the sight of us drenched in Aura’s blood, Gabriella gasped beside her, but I didn’t stop. I rushed through the halls until I got to my room, and placed Aura on my bed, taking the clothes off of her, and
leaving her bare to my eyes. Her body slowly trembled as I placed her under the covers, and my scales instantly retracted, leaving my body bare for her.
“Stay with me, my love. Please.” I begged her and lay beside her, examining her wound. It had fully closed both in the front and back of her body, but the internal trauma she had suffered had taken too much from her.
Kyr’s words resounded in my mind, as I pulled her into my arms.
“… Our love created a bond between us. After she opened up to me, simply having her in my arms healed her, making love to her healed her… it was as though we fed from each other’s energy.”
“I love you,” I whispered on her lips.
Her eyes slowly opened, and she tried to smile, but was too weak to actually accomplish it. “I love… you.”
Our bodies flushed together, my warmth beginning to seep into her skin—now turning cold. Pain ripped through me at the memory of her warm body against mine the night I first held her. I kissed her lips and lifted her leg around my waist, slowly sliding into her, and surrendering to her. Giving myself to her. I was hers. Aura instantly opened up to me, giving herself to me. She was mine.
I gently kissed her lips, remaining still, connected to her while my arms wrapped around her. My eyes intently observed her, watching for any indication that it was working. That my love was healing her.
“Is it true?” She whispered, with trembling lips. A tear escaped her. “Are you really here with me, or am I dreaming this as I die?”
My jaw clenched, pushing the emotion down, and I kissed her lips—my soul ripping inside of me. “I’m here. I’m yours, Aura. I’ve been yours since the very first moment I smelled your scent. Since the first time you smiled at me, and since I looked into your bottomless blue eyes, which remind me of an ocean I have never really seen. But I want to see it with you. I want to share my life with you, myself, my heart. So you cannot die today, because I need you. I need to make you mine.”
More tears spilled from her eyes as she looked at me. “I am yours, Nyx. Even if we never get to see that sea you speak of, if I die today, I’ll always be yours. My dream came true. You are my dream…”
“And you are mine…” I tenderly kissed her lips once again, as the emotions coursed through me, ripping me apart. She began to shake in my arms and they tightened around her. “Don’t leave me yet, my love… please,” I begged and kissed her cheek.
Tears fell from my eyes, while shallow breaths struggled to reach Aura’s lips. I didn’t move, I couldn’t. I just held her to me—remaining connected—and left gentle kisses along every inch of her skin that I could reach.
“I love you.”
I pressed my forehead to hers, and closed my eyes for a few minutes. When my gaze returned to her face, her eyes fell closed, and her head bobbed to the side.
“No… no!”
My body shook against hers as the agony tore through me. Raw pain spilled from my eyes, unstoppable.
She was gone.
My dragon self roared inside me, fighting to shift, and the scales became rampant over my body.
Kissing Aura’s lips one last time, I pulled away from her and covered her body with the sheets. I stood as the pain and rage coursed through me, and wiped the tears off my face bitterly. She didn’t deserve to die, but I did deserve this… for being a coward. For not accepting her as mine since the moment I felt her presence inside me… for not giving myself to her sooner…. for not listening to my dragon.
I burst out of my room and ran full throttle out of the cave, transforming midair, and roaring deadly fire onto everyone in my wake. My eyes settled on Ash, still tied to the ground as the men stuck spears under his scales and into him. I roared, sending fiery bolts towards them, and sinking my claws into their bodies until the life left them. Flying back around, I landed next to Ash and bit the binds that kept my brother, ripping the stakes from the ground. Ash’s dragon roared, finally free, unleashing acid on the cursed warriors all around us. They disintegrated instantly.
The battlefield was a graveyard where warriors from both our Dark Army and the Shadow Army lay lifeless, accompanied by a few hundred of Theo’s men and women. The rest raged war against each other still. Our eyes searched for Kyr and found him battling Revyr. A few trees and dragons around them were engulfed in blue fire, it had incinerated them, but it still burned strong.
Ash and I descended on them, and when Revyr saw us, it was too late. We both fired at the same time, Ash’s acid poured over the large black dragon as my fire engulfed him. He roared and our eyes widened when we noticed black mist surround him, dousing our attack and leaving him unscathed. Our heads whirled to the Dark King, his fingers stretched towards the black dragon, as he transferred his magic, protecting him from us. The dark magic had saved him.
“The Bond of Three!” Avra desperately shouted into our minds just as we turned to our brother. Revyr appeared behind Kyr and opened his mouth, clamping his teeth on Kyr’s neck, and shooting pure fire into him. “No!” Father roared and what felt like an explosion boomed inside our minds. We turned to see our father’s frost white dragon erupt from the cave, and fly straight into Revyr, crashing against him and taking him off Kyr in one blow.
“Father!” I shouted, horrified, as he stumbled to get up. The black dragon had already regained his footing. Avra had used the last of his energy to save Kyr.
“It is me you want, so here I am. Kill me!” Father demanded of his long lost enemy, and roared, pouring ice all over Revyr before the dragon could react, or had a chance to disappear from his sight.
I turned and spewed my fire towards the Dark King, it wouldn’t kill him since the Shadow Curse shielded him, but it would distract him long enough to stop him from protecting Revyr, allowing us to get to Kyr. Ash and I flew to our brother, carrying him out of there. Father continued his attack on Revyr, freezing him.
“The Bond of Three!” he bellowed again into our minds.
We began to fly up, while carrying Kyr… he was still trying to heal from the evil dragon’s attack, but we didn’t stop. The Bond of Three was the only thing that would help us kill Revyr and Laeroth, finally winning this war. My eyes searched the ground as we gained the altitude we needed for the merge, and found our grandmother now engaged in battle with the Dark King—to give us time to accomplish this.
“Why did you leave us when we needed you the most?!” Kyr sent into my mind, furious.
Ash stared at me. “Why are you drenched in blood?” He asked worriedly.
I realized then that my golden dragon was half stained with red.
My insides ripped all over again. “Aura, is dead.”
Kyr thrust his wings, finally able to hold his own, and settled beside me. His eyes bored into mine as my agony poured into our bond. “You loved her?” he asked, astonished, and I nodded.
“Are you ready?” Ash asked, calling our attention, and we looked at him with a nod. There was no time for my pain. We needed to end this.
The next second, we were free falling just like our ancestors had done in the memory Father shared with us. Ash flew above us and Kyr and I exchanged a glance, praying this worked. Suddenly, the energy inside us became blazing hot and we were abruptly pulled into Ash like magnets. Our bodies slammed against the other, and tingles erupted along our skin as we connected to Ash. Our dragons smoothly fused together, becoming one, our consciousness turned into one.
One set of wings, one heart beat, one thought remained.
Free the realm.
Our wings glided as we swooped down, directly towards Revyr. Before he could take his next breath, our mouths opened in unison, and we fired our power at him. Acid, lightning, and blue fire shot out at once—a unified force—and crashed into the evil dragon’s chest. His eyes widened, filled with horror at the sight of us, his image engraved in our mind as his strangled screams died in his mouth before they began. He disintegrated before our eyes, becoming nothing, and leaving only a scorch mark on the frozen ground, engulfed in
blue fire.
Without a moment to waste, we swerved left, returning towards the fight.
“You can’t kill me!” Laeroth shouted in the midst of the raging battle that surrounded us. “I am the Dark King, the magic of the Duergar runs through me. I am invincible, and I will rip you apart!” he yelled at Selenia.
Except, the Duergar began to run at the sight of the dragon with three heads, retreating from the fight, and dropping their protection on Laeroth. All he had left was the magic they had already infused into him. We swooped down towards the Dark King as our grandmother thrust both hands at him. A crimson energy erupted from her palms, blasting him back and away from her.
Our mouths opened and we shot him in that instant. Selenia barely had a chance to jump away as our attack hit its mark. Laeroth. The Shadow Curse expanded out of him, trying to protect him, but it wasn’t strong enough. Our breath powers went right through it. The lightning seemed trapped inside the black mist, striking him over and over, his skin blistered and disintegrated while the acid and FrostFire consumed him mercilessly.
His bloodcurdling screams filled the air—never to be erased from our memory—and the black ribbons began to swirl uncontrollably around him, the mist becoming darker. The sound was suddenly sucked out of him and he imploded, into nothing.
Cheers came from below with the renewal of hope in war, and when I turned to the east forest, I saw the Summer Queen and her Light Army, engaging with the cursed, taking them out as she fought with us. Pain traveled through me.
“She came, my love. She believed you after all. Your mother came to fight for you.” I sent the thought to my lost love, to my Aura, wherever her soul was.
Ash glided and landed a little too hard. Our dragons came apart, as we tumbled down the snow, rolling uncontrollably until we hit the mountain. I rose first and shook my head to clear the haze, only to realize that the mountain was disappearing before us, the illusion gone, uncovering the temple, once and for all. My heart stopped and I turned around looking to where our Father and Revyr had been.
Everlasting Kingdom (The Winter Court Chronicles Book 3) Page 22
