AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gone.
Just like that.
“Nephilim!” Aracelia shrieks, warning the dragons who are farther back and didn’t just see the loss of one of our own. They felt it though. The pure terror as the dragon dropped from the sky.
“Fuck…” Vivia gasps and I don’t think she meant for me to hear it, but I do. Despite my better judgment, I lift my head in hope of getting a better look at what made the dragoness panic.
Immediately I wish I hadn’t.
On the horizon, just past a thicket of trees, stand creatures who appear to have walked out of the darkest nightmares. Some stand as tall as the trees while others are high above. They are human-like, but all their features are elongated. Arms. Legs. Torso. Their skin looks as if it has been charred and is stretched taut around their bones. They also have wings, or rather what may have once been wings. Black feathers on their back, heavy at the top, but the feathers are nearly nonexistent the lower it goes. Just ripped or bruised skin.
They are nightmares come to life, sent to destroy everything in their wake.
Unfortunately, their sights are set on us.
Aracelia starts barking out orders to dragons, giving them places to go and defend. By the looks of it, she’s no stranger to war, so I’m happy to let her direct the dragons. Vivia and I have our own goal, which seems more impossible by the second.
A Nephilim ventures closer, breaking away from their group. Their high-pitched groans are nails on a chalkboard, making me shudder uncomfortably. The Nephilim come closer, far too close for comfort, before they run into an invisible shield.
It flickers, only momentarily, but I see it. The wards. This is why we are here. The Nephilim screeches. The sound is so loud and my ears ring with the sound of the creature’s displeasure. Stick-like fingers curl into a fist before banging down on the wards.
The air around the wards ripples, a faint light flickering into existence and out again. The magic keeping up the wards is breaking down in front of us.
“Vivia, hurry!” Sheer panic engulfs me. It’s so unexpected and raw, and I feel like crying out for help. But it’s not my emotions I’m feeling. It’s almost as if the wards are begging to be restored.
What did Vivia say about the royals from the past? That strengthening their kingdom wasn’t a learned trait, but something that came instinctually. Ender, in his own roundabout way, taught me I possess some sort of magic within Mescos. He also assured me that I’m exactly where I need to be. Did he see this happening?
I have no time to think about the mind of Ender because Vivia is flying faster and heading toward the ground. The closer we get to the wards, the more I feel a budding connection with them. It’s energy, coursing through one entity into another. Except the energy around the wards feel wrong. All wrong. Like the power is flickering and any moment will leave completely.
Vivia lands and all the air whooshes out of me. Landing fucking sucks, but the whole experience has been terrifying. I’m in no rush to ride on the back of dragons again, anytime soon.
“We need to go, My Queen.” Vivia’s words get my ass in gear and I carefully climb off her back. My feet hit the ground with a sound of relief. Yes, I’m definitely meant to be firmly on the ground. Less chances of falling to my death.
However, from my new vantage point on two legs, the enormity of the nightmarish Nephilim are overwhelming. Their feet alone are as big as me. One carefully placed step and I would be little more than dust beneath them.
Focus, Rose. Stop thinking about being crushed to death.
More Nephilim have joined the first one, hitting their fists against the wall. Each fist to the wards jostles something deep within me. The integrity of the kingdom’s protection is waning quickly, giving me very little time to figure out how to restore them.
Vivia steps up next to me, human and completely naked. I try not to stare, since nudity isn’t a big deal among the dragons, but it’s still shocking each time a naked dragon strolls by.
“Do you feel the wards?” There’s a tightness to her voice that hadn’t been there before, as if she’s afraid of my answer.
“I do. They are failing quickly though.” As I say that, a rip rumbles the foundation. Vivia reaches out to steady me and a loud screech has us both jerking our heads to the side. “Holy fuck,” I gasp.
It shouldn’t be possible, but two Nephilim have broken through our invisible barrier, and have stepped foot into Dragon’s Keep. A few dragons are on them in an instant, but more will follow.
The Nephilim are lethal in battle, cutting down dragons with makeshift weapons or their bare hands. Two more break through, with an entire army behind them. If the majority of the Nephilim are able to break through, Dragon’s Keep will fall.
“Vivia, what am I supposed to do?” There’s a panic in my voice I can’t hide, desperate for any answers or solutions she can provide.
Vivia’s attention swivels between me and the intruding Nephilim, body braced and ready for action when the time calls for it. “Open yourself up to the magic. Malix says it feels like opening a door, letting the magic of the wards enter your body. Once he has the door open, I’m able to help him strengthen the wards. It feels like you are stitching a protective blanket tightly together, making sure not to leave any loose threads.”
The first half, at least, is something I’m a little familiar with from waking the dragons. I dig deep inside me, searching for the magic behind the door. It’s a faint call, but it’s there all the same.
“I feel it,” I gasp. A sigh of relief leaves Vivia’s lips, proving my suspicion from earlier is correct. She is just as nervous as I am about my connection with the wards.
I picture myself opening a door, letting the cool air meet me. Energy and unclaimed power wash over me, but not in a way that overwhelms me. It’s subtle, a stranger, but a friendly one in need of help.
