No one contradicts my statement.
I turn to Max. “I’m going alone. Dragon style.”
My skin ripples, the beast surging forward to answer the call. Bones snap and lengthen, scales replace skin, and then, with a powerful thrust of my haunches, I launch into the air.
From this height, the world should be teeming with life. I scan for movement—a bird, a squirrel, anything to prove this realm isn’t completely empty.
Nothing.
The further I get from the group, the deeper the silence becomes. It’s not peaceful; it’s the silence of a terrified hostage. The trees below are frozen, their branches twisted into unnatural angles like broken fingers.
My dragon growls low in my throat, a vibration that rattles my teeth. He doesn't like this. He wants to turn back to the hoard—to the girl.
Shut up,I tell him.Find the twin.
But there is no sign of Wes. Just mile after mile of graying grass and a sky that seems to be pressing down on me.
On the horizon, dark clouds flicker with unnatural lightning. Some instinct tells me that’s the path I need to take. Why Wes would choose to head towards a storm, I don’t know, but I bank left, trusting my dragon’s gut.
The air temperature plummets. Ice crystals form on my scales, and a deep feeling of revulsion grows in my chest.
Cosmo—join us.
The voice isn't in my ear; it's in my marrow.
You can have everything your heart desires.
The wind whispers, sibilant and cold. It almost sounds like my father.
The power, the glory… what do you want, Cosmo?
A black and red haze clouds my vision. The answer rises up, unbidden, violent and hungry.
I want it all. To kill. To win.
A brutal blast of wind slaps my muzzle, almost like a sentient force blocking me from going further. The shock of the icy strike interrupts the hatred boiling in my belly.
Why am I so angry? What do I want to destroy?
Beat this wind, then join us,the storm tempts.Have everything you ever wanted…
I hover in the gale, buffeted by winds that smell of ozone and rot.
What do you want, Cosmo?
I want power. I want glory. I want…
I want…
…not to be alone.
The thought cuts through the red haze. This lure of darkness inside isn’t natural. It isn't me.
No.
I roar, a plume of fire erupting from my throat to tear a hole in the clouds. I spin away from the storm, banking hard, putting the darkness behind me.
My head spins. One moment I wanted to roast the world alive, the next I’m gliding over the faded grass, the air current gentle beneath my wings.
