As if it were weightless, the water dragon climbed the wall without breaking it. Carelessly, its huge feet stomped over the city and its long tail and body lashed around the streets, not crushing like something solid, but drowning anything in its path. Buildings were washed away; people were fighting for air, scrambling to flee.
As I watched it head toward Fedora, the trident was glowing. So were the dragon’s icy eyes, as though hypnotized to obey the power.
Fedora wasn’t bonded to it; she was only controlling it with the trident.
Fedora was too high for me to reach. My attacks with shadow would be negligible from here. I searched for Astraea, and my chest fucking tightened when I couldn’t immediately see her. Feeling for her, I raced through the streets to find her.
The enemy had broken within our walls because of Fedora’s quick slashes at all our meticulous defenses. My rage grew with every vampire and celestial I had to slay in my path to reach Astraea. My blade tore through them like paper and water as I became an unfeeling reaper of steel and shadow.
The next set of celestials, five of them, approached me with their swords drawn, herding me as though they stood a chance against me in their little group. I was about to enjoy proving them wrong when their stances slackened and their gazes flicked up behind me one by one. Their harsh expressions of determination blanked to stunned fear.
When I saw what made them lose focus on the death I was about to deliver, I understood how I’d become an insignificant threat compared to the stunning display behind me. I heard them running off, but I couldn’t look away from the giant wolf made of pure glimmering starlight.
I’d seen it before, though in far smaller form. Astraea’s light wolf. I’d been in complete awe the first time, but now I couldn’t explain the magnificent sight. Astraea was glowing too, standing upon a rooftop as a beacon of heavenly power. Her skin, her hair, her eyes all shimmered like she was the moon given breath.
With a tilt of the trident, by Fedora’s command, the water dragon lunged for the wolf.
Astraea’s hands moved as she focused on this powerful conjuring of her magick as she used Lightsdeath to its full, unrestrained power.
I had to help her. While Astraea battled the water dragon, I had to sever the control Fedora had over it before they wrecked the city entirely. Their fight shook the ground, and they quickly tore through the walls of all three city levels.
Racing toward Fedora’s whirlpool, I had to act fast. Astraea didn’t have herkey in hand, and I reached through the void. As I was part of Astraea now with our bond, it answered me.
In my grip, I didn’t hesitate to throw myself into the lethal whirlpool that caught me, surging me high toward Fedora. Plunging to the surface I was airborne only for a second, swiping the key, which was infused with light and dark under my influence, erupting like a beautiful diffusion of the night sky.
Fedora’s scream barely emitted before the key cut clean through her neck. Her last wide-eyed look of shock froze permanently on her face before her head toppled from her shoulders.
The trident slipped from her hand, and the magick stopped channeling through the water. I was falling in an instant, then was caught just as fast.
Light shone around me, beneath me. I was on the giant wolf’s snout as it moved gently toward a building, and I eagerly jumped off onto more solid ground.
Astraea watched me from across the rooftop. No, it wasLightsdeathwho considered me, her expression emotionless. I stiffened, bracing in case she saw me as the enemy right now. A darkness to eradicate under the influence of Lightsdeath.
She didn’t advance. Instead, Astraea’s dark wings came out. We had promised not to separate, but Astraea’s calm wrath as Lightsdeath only knew her own objective.
To seek out Dusk.
“Wait—!” She wouldn’t listen to me. Astraea splayed her magnificent wings and shot to the sky.
I was about to call for Eltanin, but the water dragon captured my attention.
It had stopped attacking, but out of the water it was still causing suffering by flooding the city. I jumped across several buildings, racing down until I reached the ground again. Picking up the trident, I was about to attempt to command it back into the river, but the dragon was so still, its attention fixed on something. Not something, someone.
Balthezar stood in the middle of the street as if he challenged the water dragon. My body tensed.
Until it began to bow its head and a familiar sensation rippled over me.
A dragon bond was being forged.
Yet it was not Balthezar who reached to claim it. It was a hand much smaller…
His son, Brody.
There were few times in my life I found myself this taken, but witnessing the bond forging between the young boy and the last water dragon was a memory worth storing safely. The dragon rattled gently now, and it turned, heading back to the ocean where it belonged.
I had to tear myself away from the sight, following a tug that had me racing through the streets toward the castle.
Astraea was calling for me. I felt it through our bond. Heard it in my soul.
