My heart leaps into my throat, and I whirl around while everyone scrambles to their feet. I sweep my gaze over the valley before us, looking for the source of their reaction.
Dread explodes inside my chest like cold poison.
Ten silver dragons have crested the mountain ahead. They stop, looking surprised to have found us here as well. My mouth dries out as I watch them hover there in the air.
Fenriel and Trevor stumble back, their faces white with fear. On my other side, Juliette lets out a terrified whimper.
There are only fifteen of us, and all of us are practically completely drained of magic already. There is no way we will survive an attack by ten dragons from the Silver Clan.
Panic screams inside me as I snap my gaze from side to side, looking for anything that can save us. But the valley is completely barren. There is nothing to hide behind. Nothing to use as a shield. The tunnel we came in through is closed, and Trevor is too drained to open a new one.
My heart pounds like a battle drum.
We are trapped here.
“We’re going to die,” Juliette cries, saying what we have all already realized.
Fear ripples through the entire group, and everyone except me and Isera stagger backwards.
For a few seconds, all I can do is to just stare at those silver dragons while my mind refuses to accept the reality of the situation. At first, my brain tries to deny that the dragons are even there. Then it tries to bargain that we can still survive this. But at last, it accepts that there is no chance in hell any of us will live through this.
And then comes the anger.
Fenriel and Trevor stumble another step back, passing me and Isera. The others shrink back even further, and Kevlin lets out a desperate whine.
Fury roars through me. At them. At the world. At myself for making this stupid decision of splitting up from Draven and the other dragon shifters.
“Stand your ground!” I bellow.
Shock pulses through our group, and they all jerk to a halt. Panic and terror flicker in their eyes as they all whip around to stare at me.
“But we’re going to die,” Juliette cries again.
“Yes, we are going to die!” I snap back at her, rage roaring through my veins.
“Then what was it all for!” Kevlin screams back at me. Despair pulses in his eyes. “What was this fucking war even for if we’re all going to die here? We’re not even sacrificing our lives for a cause right now. This won’t help the others win the war. We’re just going to die here. For nothing!”
“You’re right!” Furious determination and searing rage burn in my eyes as I sweep my gaze over all of them. “Our deaths won’t matter. They will not make a difference to the war.”
“Then what the hell are we doing here?”
“We are making a choice! All our lives, we have been trapped and controlled. We have never been allowed to make our own choices. So we are making one now!”
The silver dragons surge forward.
Juliette’s knees buckle. Fear crashes over Fenriel’s features, and he bends over and vomits.
“We chose to be here!” I scream at them all. “We chose to fight for our freedom. And now we will choose to die on our fucking feet. So get up!”
Ten massive dragons speed across the sky, heading straight towards us.
“We are going to die, but before we do, we are going to take some of those bastards down with us!” I bellow and stab a hand towards the storm of dragons barreling towards us. “So get on your fucking feet and get ready for one last charge!”
Next to me, Fenriel wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and straightens. His blue and gold eyes begin to glow as he summons Talon. Tears roll down his cheeks, but he keeps his chin up as he pets his beloved hawk.
“Sorry, Talon,” he says. “Looks like we won’t be able to go on all those adventures after all.”
Talon lets out a small noise and bumps his beak against Fenriel’s cheek.
