Page 1 of Shadowborne: Reckoning

1. Devil on My Back

SOUNDTRACK: Widowmaker by Night Argent

~ BREN ~

Would this be the moment that bastard finally destroyed me?

My hands shook on the harness straps. I flattened myself as close to Akhane’s neck as I was able, my cheek abraded by her scales on every frantic down-flap. The clearing we’d walked through just moments earlier, receded into darkness—except for the cone of a single lantern’s light which silhouetted the slowly shrinking form of a man. A man unmoving, watching us fly away.

My heart shrieked a plaintive plea to God—let that be Ruin we’d left behind!

‘Hold on, Little Flame! I’ve got you!’

Akhane tore through the sky, urging me to calm. But a roar shook the darkness behind us, and I flinched. Akhane banked steeply towards the city, which even at her top speed, remained long minutes of flight away.

Forcing myself to look over my shoulder, I couldn’t miss the huge dragon, his form dimly lit by the glow of moonlight, neck extended towards us and mouth open to reveal shining fangs… and a small, dark shadow hunched between his massive wings.

Ruin. Ruin was on his back.

We’d gotten into the air well ahead of Carnage, but he was huge, his wing-flaps booming as he forced his bulk into the air, pursuing us. I prayed he was tired from whatever flying he’d done before he landed in the clearing and discovered us.

But would it even matter?

I couldn’t remember how large Carnage had been months ago—all the dragons had seemed impossibly large to me in those first days. Yet, now he looked as big as Kgosi.

He roared again.

Chittering terror threatened to send me shrieking over the edge, but I gripped that thick leather at Akhane’s neck like it was the hand of God Himself, and pressed myself into her scales.

‘Shroud, Akhane. As best you can… douse your fire. He’ll struggle to see you in this darkness.’

‘But… if he catches us… Bren, I’ll have no fire!’

‘If he can’t see you clearly, he’ll have to slow to follow your scent—please, Akhane.’

She made a strangled noise, as if she swallowed a scream, but I ducked my head against her neck, clinging, focusing entirely on her so we moved as one—whipping left and right—and prayed as the light under her scales slowly flickered… then died.

I reached for her with reassurance I didn’t really feel, unable to think clearly enough for words as those wingbeats behind us didn’t slow. And grew inexorably louder.

He was gaining. Slowly.

Akhane panted heavily, but flew like the wind.

I could sense her fear, the battle she fought with her instincts. I felt her fear, because it mirrored mine: A dark blanket of horror coming for us, like a faceless beast of gleaming fangs and talons—

Talon.

I huffed at the thought, my body shaking with hysterical laughter.

Dear God, I was losing my mind.

‘No, Little Flame. You’re here. With me,’ Akhane panted in the bond. ‘We will evade them. Kgosi will come—I’m calling for him. As soon as he senses me, our mates will come.’

I nodded, but knew that Donavyn would have to reach Kgosi and harness before they could even take flight. And I didn’t know how close we’d have to be before Kgosi would sense her alarm. I couldn’t see how they’d make it in time. But there didn’t seem any point in saying so.

I stroked her neck, ducking tighter when she banked suddenly, an evasive maneuver, praying Carnage would lose sight of her and be forced to slow. But every cautious glance over my shoulder only revealed the glowing bulk of the monster pursuing us, a hair closer than last time. A predator on the tail of his prey.

No. Please, God, no. Not like this.