This finally gained the other army's attention. They paused, even those fighting free of magic, and stared at me as I transformed in midair. Skin reddened and scales emerged. Horns shot from my head and down the back of my neck. A barbed tail extended and slashed through the air. My neck elongated, bones stretching and muscles enlarging. It was glorious. Especially when my wings unfurled and caught the air.
As soon as I was airborne, my parents followed. Then our flying forces descended, roaring their battle cries as well.
None of our enemies had thought to shift yet. We weren't following the rules of battle. But those were their rules. And they were all doubtlessly shocked that we hadn't surrendered yet. Despite this, they were trained warriors, and when I dove to snatch a Dragon out of a cage of vines, he fought me, shifting even as I lifted him. It made killing him more difficult, but hewas still at a disadvantage. I popped his head free of his body before he could complete the transformation.
Around me, other dragons dove for their prey. But below us, the Dragon soldiers quickly shifted into dragons as well. They knew this war would be won or lost in the sky. So did I.
“Now!” I roared.
The fifth wave rose amid sounds of wonder, Eljaffna floating up from the street to fly above the city wall. My soldiers shouted in delight, none of them expecting this. And they didn't even know what those Eljaffna could do. Imagine the cheers if they did. Still, I prayed that they wouldn't figure it out, that they would think the magic-users were behind it all. They were obviously the power behind the Eljaffnas' flight. Or rather, one of them was.
I glanced back at Risarren and saw his focus on our ground troops, not the Eljaffna. Right. He commanded spirits. They carried the Eljaffna, freeing him to work other spells. It sent a shiver down my spine to see the proof of spirits among us, and that those spirits could touch the living. But after living with the Eye in my head for so long, fear of such things was fleeting.
As the enemy dragons took to the sky, wingless Eljaffna were there to meet them. The dragons were focused on what they saw as the greatest threat—other dragons. They righted themselves and flew toward my dragon soldiers to intercept them before they could snatch more vulnerable troops from the ground. But many of them were intercepted first.
I roared encouragement when the first Eljaffna soldier landed on a dragon's back and used a blade to lift a scale. The dragon swung his neck around, searching for the source ofthe sting, but the Eljaffna had flattened himself to the dragon's back and struck. As that first man drank dragon blood, others mounted their targets and soon, the most powerful beast blood on Serai flowed down Eljaffna throats. I didn't forget that in addition to giving them control over the dragons, the Eljaffna would also get a surge of strength and a boost to their immortality. Fuck, they deserved it.
Then someone screamed, the sound turning into a gurgle.
I spun to see one of the Eljaffna in the talon of a dragon. Not the dragon he'd been drinking from, but another who had gone to help his comrade. That other dragon had plucked the Eljaffna off his mount. I flew for him, but it was too late. The dragon crushed the Eljaffna and tossed him aside.
“Protect the Eljaffna!” I shouted at my dragons.
The speed at which my troops obeyed me made me proud. Dragons dropped their prey instantly and rushed to guard the mounted Eljaffna. For their part, the Eljaffna rapidly drank so they could fly free of their targets. I saw the blood-drinkers rise from dragon backs, taken once more by our spirit friends who rapidly transported them to the safety of the city wall. My soldiers guarded them on their journey, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
All the Eljaffna had made it back but the one. Soon, the dragons they drank from would be changing sides. But we were limited to one per Eljaffna. Unless their puppet dragon died, they would only have one target. That realization had me altering our plans.
I flew by the wall so I could give my new command to the Eljaffna. To the group of them, I said, “Use them hard. If you cankill them in the process, all the better. When your target dies, take a new one.”
All I received were nods, but I understood. Their attention was fully on their targets. Good.
I returned to my targets—any of the grounded Dragon warriors within my reach. It was as I dove that another dragon barreled into me. I wasn't a king who would remain at a safe distance while others risked their lives for me, but that also made it difficult to command my army. I had to rely on my mate and General Kleves to know when to release the rest of our forces. I was too busy fighting for my life.
With a roar, I rolled with the other dragon and crashed into the remains of one of the war machines. My vision narrowed to my opponent, focused on his—no, her—weak spots. The female snarled, smoke billowing from between her teeth, and her eyes lit with magic. What a waste. Why bother with Fire or even Water when you fought me? I had just displayed my skill with both. But I didn't need to use that skill with her. The moron had bared her throat when she inhaled.
I took it in one bite.
Then I ensured she wouldn't get up by tearing her head from her body. Blood dripping down my long neck, I looked up. Day had turned to night. Dragons filled the sky, and all of them clawed and bit at each other with desperate ferocity. The only ones who remained on the ground were those trapped by spells. Without us to kill them, they'd soon be free. But my faith was well put in those I'd left in charge, and I was only just thinking that we'd lose our advantage when the city gates opened and my foot soldiers poured forth.
Most of them were not Dragons, but that didn't matter when they so outnumbered the enemy Dragons stuck on the ground. Roars of fury came at first, then were dampened by pain, and, at last, silence. My soldiers didn't celebrate their kills but moved on in deadly groups to the next and the next. A celebration would come later. If we survived.
But I took a moment to enjoy their success. A single non-Dragon soldier couldn't hope to kill a Dragon, but ten of them against a restrained Dragon was another story entirely. It was almost too easy.
So foolish to take that moment. Apparently, my troops were wiser than I was. Because in that second of smiling, another dragon dove into me. I grunted as we slid across the ground, taking topsoil with us in a gathering heap.
“You think you can win with tricks and magic?” the dragon snarled as he gained the top position. “You are nothing but an overgrown farmer. We should have assassinated you in your first year.” He slammed his talon down on my throat and leaned his head over mine. “But we thought you were harmless. Why not let you lead until you bored us? Our mistake.”
A wheezing laugh came, and I was a little surprised to find that it was from me.
The other dragon jerked his head back and narrowed his golden eyes. “You are insane.”
I bucked him off me and rolled to my feet to face him. “Once, yes,” I said. “But I got over it. Now, I see things very clearly. And I see that it's time for a culling in our dread. Time for old animosity to die. Literally.”
Instead of going the normal route of claws or teeth, I struck out with my tail, driving the barbed tip between the scales of my opponent's chest. The great bronze beast screeched and several other dragons roared in dismay. I felt the barb slide past bone and into beating muscle. Then, with him clawing at my tail and lashing at my face, I jerked out. The barbs did their duty, clinging and tearing. Taking that muscle with them so that when I lifted my tail, the dragon's heart clung to the end, dripping and ragged.
With another roar, I brought the heart to my mouth and ate it.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
