He drank in the sight of her—delicate wings, wind-tossed hair, the female who had stolen her way into his heart of stone—and turned away before his resolve could crumble.
Every step away from her tore at something sacred. The cave trembled with his fury as he let his beast free. He had a promise to uphold.
The dragon dove into her storm.
3
NOBLE CAUSES
THAREN
Tharen slashed his way through a tapestry that had fallen from the hooks on the walls, blocking his way. His blade cut through it like butter, the icy blue ends drifting to the watery ground.
The castle was flooding.
The water had seeped through the cracks of the throne room doors, filling the halls. The shaking was random, with cracks in the stone walls that webbed up to the ceilings, splintering out every so often when the wind grew too violent.
"Which wing are Ina and Osa in?" Bastian asked from behind him, slogging through the water.
Graves, in raven form, flew overhead near the slowly slanting ceilings as they made their way down into the servants’ quarters. His amulet had been stored in his pocket, and the male had wasted no time fitting it back around his neck and shifting as soon as Luella had gotten out.
The demon barreled ahead, lifting fallen chunks of stone with ease and throwing them out of the way, clearing the path.
A large piece crashed against the wall as Azgorath threw it without care.
"Fuck, careful, beast. You want this place to come down quicker?" Tharen warned.
The demon merely looked back with fury in his eyes. None of them were taking this well—any of it. Like a nightmare since her wings had emerged in the Temples…
"Sorry if I want to get out of here before we drown—or get crushed." Azgorath punctuated his words by lifting another chunk of fallen stone and throwing it out of the way, but Tharen noted he was a bit more careful this time.
The sloping floors diverged, and Tharen jerked his head to the right, toward Ina and Osa’s room. The water rose, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted them to be here or hoped they had already fled.
He tried to turn the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. The icy water now reached his thighs. "Azgorath."
Tharen stepped back, and Azgorath lifted a foot, slamming it against the door.
Once, twice.
It rattled, water sloshing around them. And finally, it gave in. Water rushed inside as soon as the door was opened.
Tharen hurried in, relief making his shoulders sag as he found Ina and Osa huddled on the floor together.
Ina’s eyes were wide in fear as she clung to Osa, and even the fiery maid seemed scared.
"Master Tharen, you’re here." Osa disentangled herself from Ina, tugging the smaller maid up with a hand on her shoulder.
"Get up. No time to gather your things. We have to get out. Now." Tharen’s words were clipped.
Osa nodded, and she and Ina both followed after him, steps slow from the way the water dragged them down. Bastian helped them, wrapping an arm around both females as he urged them on.
"Where is Ori?" Osa asked, fear creeping into her words.
The sound of cracking stone echoed. Tharen glanced up at the ceiling; it was growing.
"The stables. He’s safe and waiting for you."
They had gotten to Ori first, finding the impish youngling huddled in the stables, consoling the skittish horses. Dyara, Lya, and Akira were with him. Tharen’s wolves were smart; they did not need to be told where to go and what to do.
