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We had fought them off at Meridium, but had been forced to seek shelter inside the ruins. How would Draven fare against them now, poisoned and wounded as he was?
The harpies' bodies were sinewy and gaunt, covered in mottled feathers of red, gray, and brown. Their razor-sharp talons were out as they flew towards the pair on the bridge, their wings beating with a relentless fury.
Lyrastra stood ready, her knives in hand. As the first harpy flew over, she leaped into the air, slicing through its wings with swift and precise movements like the ones I had seen her practicing in the training arena what felt like ages ago. The harpy plummeted past her into the chasm below with a furious scream and was swallowed up by the rushing waters.
She leaped again, a jump that left me holding my breath as the bridge shook underneath her and she poised midair. Then bloodied feathers floated past as two more harpies fell, screeching, their wings hanging at their sides.
Draven seemed frozen. He was slumped against the ropes of the bridge, barely standing. He had made no move to unsheathe a weapon.
Lyrastra glanced at him nervously as she took down another harpy.
My heart was in my throat. Would she abandon him there?
The largest harpy I had ever seen flew through the air, cawing loudly. Her face bore the remnants of feminine features, high cheekbones and a pair of lovely eyes. But a sharp, jagged beak protruded from where a woman's mouth should have been, curving downwards menacingly.
I watched as the harpy spread her wings wider then circled high above Lyrastra, avoiding her high leaps and sharp knives.
The harpy’s eyes gleamed with a yellow eagle-like hue as she stared down at Draven with malice.
I understood what she saw. Draven seemed like the weakest link. The easiest prey to pick off.
The harpy dove.
Lyrastra moved forward, her knives already extending.
In a flash, Draven was upright.
He let go of the ropes, placing his body between Lyrastra and the enormous harpy.
As the harpy screeched and lunged, her wings beating and flapping, Draven slowly raised his hands.
He lifted his arms towards the sky.
My heart was beating wildly. What was this? Some sort of plea to the gods? Draven had never seemed devout before. What was he doing? Why wasn't he pulling his blade?
His own claws had extended.
But compared to the harpy's talons, Draven's claws seemed decorative. Not deadly. His horns were gone, too. He couldn’t slash with those.
What was his plan?
His palms stayed up.
The harpy swooped towards him.
A burst of fire crackled around the winged monster, engulfing her in a blaze of heat.
She spiraled past Draven, her fearsome form swiftly becoming a charred remnant as she hit the water with a splash and went under the swirling blackness.
“What the fuck?” Odessa demanded. She turned to me, her dark eyes huge. “What the fuck was that? How did he do that? Did you know he could do that?”
Mutely, I shook my head.
More harpies were diving towards Draven and Lyrastra. The dark-haired woman was staring at Draven, her mouth agape. She seemed as shocked as we were.
Draven, on the other hand, was radiating perfect calm.
With a twist of his body, he extended his hands again, shooting flames at the two harpies closest to him. They screeched and sizzled, their feathers bursting into flames.
