Black scales rippled like oil under the dying sun.
Heat simmered in my lungs.
My wings unfurled — vast, ancient things that blotted out the light as they stretched.
The moment my talons touched the earth, I felt her.
Faint.
Distant.
Smothered beneath fear and hands that were not hers.
Seph.
My Seph.
A low growl rumbled through my throat, vibrating the stones at my feet.
I lowered my head, nostrils flaring, scenting the wind.
And with it — another breath.
A flicker of her soul.
Echo.
The little presence drifted at the edge of my senses, frantic and luminous, calling to me with a desperation that sliced through my ribs.
Help her.
Help her.
Help her.
I launched into the sky.
Wings snapped open and caught the wind, hurling my body upward in a burst of force that shook the treeline.
Trees bent beneath the gust.
Birds scattered like shadows.
From above, the school sprawled beneath me — a fortress cracking under pressure.
And then I saw it.
The wave.
Ferals.
Hundreds.
Running full-speed toward the walls like a flood sent by the gods themselves.
Drawn by her power.
Or her fear.
