Not lightning.
Fire.
I threw myself sideways, and Deimos’ blade slid across my flesh. Heat and pain merged into one searing line. My shoulder struck the balcony hard enough to rattle teeth.
Kallias landed between us in a spray of embers, spear raised toward the palace.
Egath moved in a blur of pale skin and dark cloth, but my king—my husband—did not falter. With a flick of his wrist, he redirected Egath’s charge—and with a brutal thrust, his spear’s tip burst from Egath’s chest in a blood-wet gleam.
I shoved Deimos with my heel, scrambling backward as dragonfire bathed the sky in violent orange. Egath collapsed, lifeless, crumpling like a discarded rag.
Kallias seized Deimos by the hair, gauntlet tangling in silver strands. He wrenched him upright, face turned to the sky.
A torrent descended.
Heat detonated across the balcony. I crawled, palms scraping stone, eyes wide as flame consumed them.
Gyrak hovered above, wings beating thunder into the air. Thick strands of oil stretched along his gaping maw, his fire pouring in an unbroken stream. His earth-shattering roar drowned every scream. Flesh blackened and split, melting from bone. Pieces of charred meat fell from the Velli king’s body. Kallias’ armor glowed white-hot, radiant as fresh-forged steel.
The dragon snapped jaws shut and banked, diving toward the city with a shriek that rattled glass.
What remained of Deimos sagged in Kallias’ grip. He hurled the charred heap over the rail without ceremony, then leapt through the dying flames to retrieve his spear.
Moments later he reached me, smoke curling from his armor.
“Up, my queen.” His voice cut clean through the chaos. “This is your rescue.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
Kallias
Bloodlust thundered through my veins. Nienna’s arms wrapped around my neck, clutching me tight. I grabbed her legs, hauling her against me, spear in hand. No going back. I heard the shouts over the crackle of flames behind me. In the time it would take to turn and face the Velli, they would be on us.
So I jumped.
Plate armor clanged against stone as I tumbled off the balcony. The heavy weight yanked me downward, pulling at a dizzying speed.
Before I slammed into another wall.
The impact drove the breath from my lungs. My boot slid along green scales until it caught a spike. Tsunami screeched, wings snapping out to coast over the city, where desperate screams tore through the night.
Nienna’s grip choked me. I dropped her legs, catching another spiked ridge along Tsunami’s back, wedging my body between them.
The only thing holding us was the tension between my limbs and the dragon’s good graces.
“Fly,” Nienna whispered, her words brushing my ear.
Tsunami’s chest swelled as she sucked in a deep breath. The roar she unleashed rattled her scales, vibrating with rage and defiance. She pumped her wings, climbing into the sky, pulling us away from the Velli palace.
Every wingbeat tested my strength. Our weight yanked on my arm and leg with each shift of the beast. My teeth ground together, focus pinned to my grip. One slip and we would plummet to our deaths.
In the distance, Gyrak and the other bulls filled the night with fire and vengeful roars.
Nienna’s nails dug into the nape of my neck, short claws biting into my skin. The sharp pain refocused me, tightening my hold on the spike.
The screams and roars faded. I hoped Tsunami would rest where we camped, not try to fly back to the Craggs in this state. A ripple of leathery wings assured me we weren’t alone. I could only hope it was Gyrak, asserting his dominance to force her down.
The dragon beneath us screeched in complaint, then twisted, dodging through the air.
