Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
She hit the ground with bone-breaking force, and the remaining riders swarmed toward her.
The other drakkons were desperately trying to reach her, but there were birds in the air, many of them unmounted, and they were using claws and beaks and their smaller size to dart and weave across the drakkons’ paths.
Kaia bellowed and dropped low again, sweeping her flames left and right, destroying anyone and anything in her path in a desperate effort to reach the younger drakkon. I scanned the ground, looking for Hannity, looking for any gathering of riders that might suggest where she’d fallen.
There was nothing. Absolutely nothing, and I really didn’t want to think about that. Really didn’t want to believe the bright, bubbly woman who’d been so eager to ride her own drakkon could be dead.
Even if I knew it to be the truth.
Above us, a war raged as the drakkons fought the remaining swarm of birds. Acidic rain fell all around us, hitting my coat and Kaia’s wings, raindrops that pockmarked skin and scale and membrane but didn’t cause enough damage to stop our flight or our speed.
Rua was desperately sweeping her flames right and left, but there was a huge chunk of scale, skin, and muscle missing from the area where Hannity should have been, and it seemed to be hampering her ability to move her neck.
The riders had her surrounded now, and they were pumping their acid at her, burning her tail and her body and.
.. oh Vahree help her, she was a raw and bleeding mess.
Kaia...
Burn them , she said furiously, ignoring what she saw in my heart, what she knew we would have to do. Burn them all.
Kaia, Rua is dying.
Healers help.
No. Hannity is dead. Look at her neck. Look at the wound.
Hate them. Kill them. She swung right savagely and began a fire run, cindering every single rider and acid tube on the right side of Rua with such precision that no heat touched the younger drakkon, then swung around and repeated the process on the left.
She circled Rua again, her head snapping left and right, looking for movement, looking for someone, anyone, else to kill.
There was nothing and no one left on the ground. Nothing but smoking ruins.
I glanced up. Saw Yara and Aarvi catch the final two birds with their flames.
Kaia, tell the others to spread out and sweep the island for possible strays.
There was a pause, then, I land.
It wasn’t a question. Yes, please .
She landed in front of Rua, then hunkered down and stretched out her nose, gently touching the younger drakkon’s. She didn’t respond.
I hastily unclipped my harness, half slid, half fell down Kaia’s leg, and ran to Rua. Her head was on the ground, her eyes were closed, and her pain was so fierce it just about swamped me, even though I no longer had direct connection.
“Oh Rua,” I said softly, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
Kin dead .
Rua wasn’t replying directly to me; I was hearing her through Kaia. “I know. I’m sorry.”
I hurt. Deep inside.
“I know?—”
You fix.
“I can’t fix this, Rua. I can’t bring her back to life.”
No. Stop the hurt.
“Rua—”
You must end pain.
Tears spilled harder, and my heart ached. She was asking me to kill her.
“Rua—”
Must , Kaia said softly. She in great pain. Better you help die than she die like this.
Die like Ebrus had, slowly, painfully. She didn’t say that, but it was uppermost in her mind.
Please came Rua’s plea. Please.
A sob broke loose. I bit my lip so hard I drew blood, but knew if I let the grief go, I wouldn’t be able to stop it.
Resolutely, I turned and scrambled back up Kaia’s leg to get my sword.
Once I’d unsheathed it, I threw the scabbard to the ground and walked back to the younger drakkon, barely able to see through the tears.
Rua opened one eye. It was filled with heartbreak, filled with pain, filled with pleading. The tears got worse.
I join kin , she said. I be happy. No be sad for me.
I sucked in a shuddering breath, gave her a final eye scratch, then scrambled up onto her nose and made my way toward her eyes.
The most “humane” way to kill a courser was a bolt or long blade at the intersection of two imaginary lines drawn from the eyes to the opposite ear, as that was the nearest point to the brain.
Drakkon heads were far bigger, their skulls much thicker, but.
.. A sob escaped, and I swiped at the tears coursing down my face with my free hand. It didn’t help.
I reached the imaginary point and gripped my sword with both hands. Fly free, sweet Rua. Be with Hannity, and soar together through the open skies of the afterlife.
I brought the blade down, driving it through her skull, into her brain... and felt her die. Felt the life leave her body. Felt the wave of grief and pain fade.
I dropped to my knees and cried, my tears splashing onto red scales that no longer contained life.
Must go , Kaia said softly.
I cannot leave without trying to find Hannity. I have to sing her soul to the afterlife so she can be free to fly with Rua.
Saw where fell. She sent me an image.
I sucked in another of those useless breaths, then rose, drew my sword from Rua’s skull, and wiped it clean on my coat. Then I tore off the coat, placed it over the eye that remained visible, and scrambled down her nose to the ground.
“You have to burn her, Kaia. I won’t let whatever scavengers remain on this island defile her body.”
Will.
I nodded, collected the sword’s sheath, and walked toward the area where Hannity had come down. Above me, the drakkons circled and began to keen, a haunting and heartbreaking sound.
I sheathed my sword and plowed on through the destruction; a few minutes later, I found Hannity. Or found her torso. The acid that had caused so much damage to Rua’s neck had similarly eaten away at Hannity’s body.
I called fire to my hands and sang our song of mourning, commending her soul to the afterlife and whatever journey was planned for her and Rua. Then I unleashed my flames and reduced her remains to ashes. Behind me, the drakkons did the same for Rua.
As their ashes rose and danced together on the gentle wind, Kaia landed so I could mount.
As one, the seven remaining drakkons turned and flew toward Jakarra.
The night was young, and our work was not yet done.
We still had Halcraft—the island closest to Ezu—to check and Jakarra to clear, and the fucking soldiers encamped there would pay for our loss here on Ezu.
We flew on into the night. The moon started out bright but soon became lost to the gathering clouds, and the wind picked up, harrying our tails, urging us on.
There were no signs of occupation on Halcraft, just the destroyed remnants of what had once been a lovely port city. It seemed the riders were intent on simply erasing any possibility of opposition from some of the islands.
As the Jakarran mountains slowly grew in prominence on the horizon, I ordered Yara, Aarvi, and Cansu to sweep over Zergon to check the status of that island and then approach Jakarra from the rear.
As the three of them swept away to the right, I drastically slowed our pace to give them time to position themselves.
The storm unleashed as we drew closer. I didn’t have a coat and was instantly soaked to the skin, but there was a part of me that welcomed the numbness that came with the cold, even though I knew the danger of it.
Yara says small island empty and they ready , Kaia said after nearly an hour.
Have they come across any riders patrolling Jakarra?
Saw two. Killed two.
And hopefully hadn’t warned the soldiers manning watch stations on the ground of our approach in the process. Then let’s attack.
She issued the order, and the four of us dove through the clouds and the rain, heading for the harbor, the boats, and the sea of metal tents and buildings that filled what had once been Illistin.
The six boats were our first target, and the full fury of the drakkons hit them, rendering the first four into explosive ashes and sinking the others a heartbeat later.
We swept on into the harbor proper as Yara and the younger drakkons swept down from the mountain.
Between us all, we burned their soldiers, their buildings, and their tubes—be they small hand ones or the larger mounted ones—leaving no one alive and no building unlit.
And us—or at least me—exhausted.
We should land and rest for a few hours, I said, rubbing my forehead wearily in an effort to ease the ache. I can’t be the only one ready to drop.
What of boats past empty islands?
They’d be too far away now to chase, and two boats are nothing compared to what we destroyed tonight. Besides, it would be both foolish and dangerous to go after them when everyone is so tired. And, more to the point, I just didn’t want to lose any more drakkons or kin.
She sniffed. Which in Kaia speak meant she agreed but that didn’t mean her need to destroy was in any way lessened.
Tell Yara Kele is in charge of setting up the encampment here. We’ll stay until dawn. Make sure there’s at least one drakkon and kin keeping watch on high, but rotate so everyone gets a chance to hunt and rest.
What we do?
Could you fly me up to the cavern entrance on this side of the Helvede Mountains so I can check in with Katter?
She swept around and headed for the distant dark mountain. You need rest.
I will once I see Katter.
I wait.
No. You should go hunt.
You need eat too. Strength low. No like.
I smiled. Are you nagging again?
No want to lose kin.
It was said with such ferocity that my smile faded. And I do not want to lose my drakkon, so let’s make sure both of us maintain our strength and don’t do anything foolish.
Am queen. Never foolish .