How is he always a step ahead of me?
I glance around me, trying to formulate a plan, before I return my gaze to my father, smirking. One hundred magic-wielding elves against the five of us doesn’t seem great, but they don’t realize what they’re up against.
Suddenly, an angry scream pierces the air, and my father leans to the side, dodging one of Rhydra’s knives.
He smirks, his chest bouncing with a short laugh.
She’s a trained warrior, why would she do that?
“Keep your emotions in check, Rhydra,” Raef says quietly. “We need you.”
“Well, let’s not waste any more fucking time,” Daegan says so that only the five of us hear him. He glances back at me one last time, giving me a reassuring look. “Keep yourself guarded with water and try to stay to that side, please.”
This clearing is about to become a battleground—a fray of flames, steel, and death.
With one last lingering look, my whole heart transforms before me into a deadly, lethal beast that dwarfs everyone on this field. Raef is already transformed beside him. black and red and just as menacing.
I watch as my father jolts back. Shock, fear, and uncertainty cross his face.Now thatis the most shock I’ve ever seen paint his features. It’s one thing to hear about the ancient dragons and see the old illustrations. It’s another to see them in their terrifying form, towering over you.
Good.
The dragons don’t wait.
With two ground-rumbling roars, they light half the army on fire from all the way across the barren land, and the battle begins. I’m surprised they didn’timmediately go for the king, but maybe it’s because we’re still too close to him.
The army begins to scatter as water, ice, arrows, and twisting vines and plants are all sent after the two dragons in the middle of the onslaught.
None of that is causing any damage. So far.
They might call for reinforcements, though, if they’re not already on their way. We need to clear out of here quickly.
I turn and create some distance from the dragons to avoid everything being thrown at them, and to stay out of their way so they can fry anyone near them.
Kezra remains by my side, buzzing with palpable energy.
“Come on,” I say to her and Rhydra, running at the army that’s now scattered. Half of them appear absolutely terrified, and half of them are so focused on throwing everything they have at the dragons that they’re not even paying attention to us.
With my knives in hand, I grit my teeth as I encounter the first group of soldiers, all focused on the dragons’ backsides from a distance. This is the moment I can’t come back from. I grew up around these people. Some of them, I might know. But I have entirely too much to lose.
Maybe I can try, just one last time…
“The king is the bad guy in this, you know… and so are you if you fight with him.”
A dozen armored heads whip toward me. I sense Rhydra’s confusion beside me.
“You don’t have to do this,” I continue.
“Fuck those filthy dragons. They want to destroy us. They want our land,” one of them yells.
“They’re dying! They only want to survive!”
“Yeah. Survive and see our castle burn to the ground.”
“You’re wrong!” I shout, though no one is hearing me.
“Elysande,” Rhydra says with surprising gentleness.
“Stay out of it, princess,” one of them hollers. They ignore us and face the dragons again, throwing all their elements at them.
