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The air crackled with tension as I descended upon the battlefield, my massive wings casting a shadow over the advancing hordes of Helheim’s army. With a mighty roar, I unleashed a torrent of poisonous green flames down upon the ranks of orcs and trolls, engulfing them in a deadly inferno. Their anguished screams echoed through the battlefield, their bodies quickly charring as they fell to the ground. But even though I’d taken out more than a hundred with that single attack, I’d hardly made a dent in their number.
Aware of a new, dangerous threat to their continued march, several stone giants approached me, their towering forms shaking the ground beneath me. They loomed over the battlefield, their massive forms hewn from rugged boulders and weathered rock. Towering pillars of strength and endurance, their bodies were chiseled with deep crevices and rugged edges, resembling ancient statues come to life. Each step sent tremors through the earth, resonating with a terrible power that commanded the attention of everyone around them. Their eyes, glowing with an otherworldly violet light, surveyed the chaos I had rendered with a stoic determination until their gazes finally settled on me.
With a deep breath, I maneuvered with precision and agility around the stone giants. When I drew close enough, they struck out at me, but my scales deflected their mighty blows with ease. With a flick of my tail, I sent one crashing to the ground, its immense weight causing tremors that reverberated through the ranks of the enemy. Another raced at me, but I grasped its shoulders with my talons, lifting it off the ground. Using immense strength, I carried the giant up several stories into the air before I let go, allowing it to crash down into a large group of orcs.
As I descended back towards the ground, a pack of hellhounds charged at me, their blazing eyes filled with bloodlust, but I swirled in a graceful dance, avoiding their snapping jaws and striking with swift precision with my talons. One leapt at me with a rumbling growl, and I caught it in my jaws. With a harsh snap, I rendered the hellish creature nothing more than a pile of broken bones and blackened blood.
Amidst the chaos, I surveyed the battlefield with a mix of fury and determination. My green flames continued to lick at the enemy, devouring their forces one by one. The ground was strewn with fallen foes, their bodies twisted and broken. With renewed vigor, I spread my wings wide, ready to unleash further devastation upon the creatures that dared to challenge me.
I’d held onto my sanity thus far, but I’d been fighting it for far too long. I pictured Sophia’s face in the forefront of my mind, the image immediately calming. Back under control for now, I soared above the army as Eldoria’s forces gathered at the edges of the city. Every elf was outfitted in beautifully crafted armor. Even their bows and swords were exquisitely fashioned, from the sharpened tip to the handcrafted helm. There was a large battalion that was stationed on the ground, but many others had taken to the trees.
There were other segments of the army clustered at the center. Various creatures such as dwarves, humans, fae, and warlocks stood at the ready. In the middle of the army was a group of mages that were prepared to weave spells and attack at a moment’s notice.
I recognized the lead mage, Lady Seraphina. She was half elf, half human and wielded more power than any sorceress in the history of Terraheim. There were only a handful of wizards that could stand against her, and even then, I wasn’t sure who would come out the victor.
A wild roar sounded in the distance, and I turned my head to see a pack of three infernox making their way through the trampled forest.
With a ferocious roar, I locked eyes with the menacing infernox monsters before me. Flames flickered in their dark, malevolent eyes, a reflection of the darkness that fueled their relentless assault. Embracing the feral, animalistic instincts coursing through my veins, I lunged forward, venomous green flames billowing from my jaws. The first infernox met my onslaught with a frenzy of claws and fiery breath, but I moved with the agility of a predator, evading their attacks with precise maneuvers. With each counterstrike, my talons tore through their hellish hides, their pained howls echoing through the battlefield.
The infernox retaliated with a vengeful fury, their flaming appendages whipping through the air. Dodging their ill-timed attack, I countered with a swift flurry of tail swipes, sending them sprawling across the charred terrain. The acrid scent of burning flesh filled the air as my poisonous green flames engulfed the terrible creatures. They fell, each one in kind, and the curse settled momentarily, temporarily replaced by the primal satisfaction that comes with victory in battle.
The armies of Eldoria roared their approval behind me. Then something inside me snapped, and the curse took hold.
With a feral roar, I spiraled up into the air and shot across the battlefield, raining down fire on our foes.
I’d lost control.
CHAPTER16
Sophia
I followed Mais up the dark path. The trees were thick on either side of us, creating an ominous tunnel devoid of light. Not even the sun broke through the thick overheard tree cover. Our torches flickered, casting dancing shadows that seemed to mock our trepidation with our every step. The towering trees loomed overhead, their twisted branches reaching out like skeletal fingers, as if eager to ensnare unsuspecting wanderers like me.
I kept my quest at the forefront of my mind. With every step, I reminded myself that not only the realm, but Roken, needed me.
Neither of us spoke a word. It felt too dangerous to even utter a sound. With the trees closing in on us, it took everything in me just to put one foot in front of the other. Silence reigned, which was even more unnerving than the encroaching darkness. There was no chirping of birds or buzzing of bugs. There was no wind to rustle the leaves either.
I trailed behind Mais, my steps quickening as we ventured deeper into the forest on the foreboding path. The air grew thick with an inexplicable tension, the once-muffled sounds of our footfalls magnified in the unnerving silence. I kept my arms close to my chest, careful to avoid the sharp brush should it slice my vulnerable flesh like a knife.
I took a step and a rock tumbled to the side, bouncing off a thick tree root. The pendant around my neck blazed hot, and with a sharp cry, I wrapped my fingers around it. Magic blazed through me with a sharp buzzing tingle as though it was warning me of what was coming.
All of a sudden, an invisible force constricted around us, immobilizing our feet in place. Panic surged within me as I struggled against the invisible restraints, my heart pounding in my chest. Mais, her eyes wide with fear, began scanning our surroundings. When she came up empty-handed, she reached into her pack and pulled out a small velvet bag. She searched inside and cast her arm out, throwing dust into the air. In an instant, a string of glowing magical threads illuminated right in front of my eyes, surrounding my body, and closing in as the seconds drew by.
In my time in the treetop village, I had read a number of books about magical spells out of sheer curiosity. I had never in my wildest dreams thought I would encounter one. But in this moment, I was extremely thankful that I had been such a voracious reader in my time there. One of the books had suggested that sometimes magic could be fought off with a spelled weapon. I glanced down, and the sword at my waist was glowing an otherworldly green again.
I thanked my lucky stars that I’d stopped and dug out the blade when I had.
I grasped the sword tucked into my belt and pulled it out. The emerald around my neck grew warm, and magic tingled deep in my belly as I hefted the sword and slashed down, cutting the mystical threads before they could close in on me. I had to move fast in order to disentangle myself from the magical web. Mais followed suit, and in less than a minute, we were free.
I breathed a sigh of relief when the trap gave way and collapsed to the ground in a glowing cloud of dust. There was barely enough time to catch my breath because Mais started moving again, and I cautiously followed her. Neither of us dared make a sound.
We ventured further into the perilous depths of the tunneled labyrinth. The air grew thick with our anticipation, and my heart pounded in my chest as I waited for what came next.
Abruptly, the trees around us started to shift, morphing into an array of twisting and turning patterns. A sense of foreboding washed over me as the trees started to close in on us, the path narrowing in from both sides. Panic threatened to consume me, but I forced myself to stay calm, at least as much as I could manage.
“Any other tricks in that little pack of yours?” I called out, my tone fraught with anxiety.
She shook her head, her expression frantic, and I looked around, desperate to find anything that might free us from this trap.
