Inthis form,Icould channel the mana, andIsaw whyTorihad hesitated.Ifelt a disturbing void.Theearth beneath my feet, once a vibrant source of my power, now seemed drained, as if the magic had been leached from the soil.
Thereis barely any mana left.Howdid this happen?
Fightnow.Discusslater.
Torinodded and spun, her swords clashing with those of a man nearly twice her size.
Whathad been chaos in the streets before was now pure panic.Thesight of a dragon in the midst of the city sowed chaos amongHadeon'ssoldiers.Somefled, while others regrouped and attacked with renewed vigor.
Aroar amplified in my chest and a fiery bout of flame erupted from my jaws, sweeping across the advancing troops.Theair blistered with heat; the screams of our enemies briefly overpowered the din of battle.
Morecontinued to come, andIneeded to conserve whatlittle mana was left, especially ifIwanted to be able to change back.Luckily,Istill had my fangs.
Icrashed through the approaching cohort, knocking bodies to the ground and trampling them as they tried to strike me.Mostof their blows bounced off, but every now and then, pain would lance through my legs as a blade found its mark and a scale was pried loose.Buteach soon met his death as my jaws clamped around them and ripped them to shreds.Thetaste of blood was leaching into my very soul, andIcould feel the madness of violence rising.Ihad to be careful.Ispun quickly, making men fly and buildings crumble as my tail smashed everything in its path.
“Abraxas!”Toricalled.Shehad gotten most of the citizens who were still alive to the bridge, but another barrage of arrows had been sent skyward toward where they ran unprotected.
Tome.
Sheran to me without hesitation.Iflapped my wings once, and the wind threw the nearest soldiers back as she launched herself off a nearby toppled market stand and onto my back.Sheclung to me asIbeat my wings again and we took off into the sky.
Together.
Inthis form,Icould channel mana, just like her.Weboth drew from the limited pool that was left.Icalled it into my heart, and she wrapped it around herself as she pulled dragonfire from me.Mywings beat as we rose into the air after the volley of arrows.Together, we shot fire over the bridge and incinerated all of them before they could fall.Together, we were enough, and not a single arrow escaped.Iwatched as the last of the civilians ran through the mist district gate.
Ourfoes were prepared, andIwas now a much larger target.Avolley of dark-tipped arrows arced through the sky again, and we had no mana left to give.Theyflew true, strikingmy vulnerable wings.Thepain was wicked, andIlost control, crashing against a nearby building, which crumbled under my weight.
Tori, are you alright?
Shehad already thrown herself off me and darted forward, slashing at a soldier who aimed a spear at my bowed head.Herblade met his with a shower of sparks, and with a quick twist, she disarmed him, driving her sword through his armor.
Morewere coming.Thearchers from the ruined building were pushing out of the rubble, and like this,Iwas too big of a target.Ipushed myself up, my wings dragging as crimson blood soaked the streets and ruined buildings around me.
Wecan’t stay here,Abraxas.
Anotherset of arrows flew and ripped through my wings.Ilet out another bellow that shook the stones in the street.Mylong tongue snaked out and wrapped aroundTori’swaist.Shegave a surprised yelp but didn’t fight asIbarreled forward, knocking down another building asImade my way towards the bridge.Ihad cleared it halfway when another set of arrows flew, butIwould not let the pain slow me.
AsIcrested the center of the bridge, shouts met me from the gate.IsawAvlynandJunwaving frantically at us.Ileaped; my ruined wings were barely able to help me glide the remaining distance as more arrows rained down.Thegate wasn’t large enough for me, andIneeded to change forms to prevent taking the entire thing down with me.
Luckily, changing back into my fae form took significantly less power than the other way, andIpulled the last of what the earth had to give, letting myself shrink.Ipulled my wings in aroundToriandIas we flew through the gate.Welanded with a smack on the stones just inside the threshold.Myhorns and wings disappeared asIdripped blood all over my mate.
“Abraxas!”Herwarm hands were on my face as she rolledme over.Icould feel the wounds on my arms and legs struggling to heal, the wounds that had once been on my wings.
Ilooked up into her eyes and she was covered in blood, but it was mine.
“Lookslike we’ll live just a little bit longer.”
Chapter 40
Tori
Mycohort stood around me.Kaleoswas on my left, andRaulaandNokihad my back.Welooked down from the top of the gate above the closed portcullis.Abraxas’ wounds were still unhealed, his blood soaking the hastily placed wraps on his arms and legs.Ifthe pain bothered him, he didn’t let it show.Hisface was locked down with determination.Itried to mimic his resolve.
Mylegs shook, and my arm throbbed.Iplaced the two halves of my sword back into one.Iwasn’t as strong of a fighter, butIknew my left arm would give out ifIkept dual wielding the blades.
Ishook my left arm violently, willing it to obey my commands, butIcouldn’t overcome the fatigue with will alone.Junstood to my left, andIsaw his eyes dart to the limb at the movement.Hisusual calm demeanor was replaced by an intensity that made my skin prickle. "They'renearly here,"Iwhispered, more to myself than to anyone else.
Thesun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of bruised purple and deep blues.Thedistant clash ofmetal sounded like the relentless drumming of fate, an ominous beat that heralded the opponent we had yet to best.Besideme,Abraxasstood like a statue, his jaw set, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.Hiseyes were fixed on the advancingGoldenArmy, their armor reflecting the last dying light of the day like a river of molten gold—an ironically beautiful sight.
