Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
S torm winds barrel across the mountainside as Draven summons his magic and blasts the arrows out of the air. But before they have even finished clattering against the rocks, the six men from the Purple Dragon Clan loose another volley of arrows.
“Fucking hell,” Draven growls.
Dark clouds billow around him as he sends another blast of wind straight at the attackers. They duck down behind jutting rocks but shoot more arrows before Draven has even managed to knock the previous ones aside. I leap to the side as one almost gets all the way to us before another storm wind manages to blow it aside.
“Just shift into a dragon and fry them!” I snap as I scramble upright again.
“I can’t,” Draven forces out between clenched teeth while he sends winds barreling across the mountainside. “If I shift, they will shift.” He jerks his chin in the direction of the palace. “And then they will see it.”
“What—”
“Just trust me!”
There it is again. Trust me . And for some strange reason, I do.
So instead of arguing, I jerk my chin down in a nod of acknowledgment.
Lightning cracks into stone as Draven shoots consecutive bolts at the men hiding behind the rocks. Their yelps are drowned out by the rushing winds as they throw themselves to the side. Five of them make it. One doesn’t. His body collapses to the ground, his limbs twitching uncontrollably after being hit by a lightning strike.
The other five scream something that sounds like a furious battle cry.
Wood clatters against stone as they toss their bows to the side and sprint towards us while drawing their swords.
Draven lets out another curse and pulls his own sword from the scabbard strapped to his spine. He flicks a glance at me.
I brace myself for the moment I know is coming. The moment when he orders me to run and hide.
“You owe me nothing.” He slides his gaze back to our attackers and drops into a battle stance. “But any help you can provide will be invaluable.”
It takes me a second to process his words. Help. He’s asking me to help.
I broke down and cried and had a panic attack not an hour ago, and yet he still doesn’t see me as weak. He knows how dangerous and powerful I can be and he’s asking me to help him fight.
That thought sends a pulse of steady warmth through my soul, and I feel like my whole chest is expanding.
Dark clouds thrash in the rushing winds and lightning cracks through the air around us while I call up my own magic. Draven launches himself at the first attacker. And I go with him.
Even though I don’t have a weapon, I dart to the side and swing as if I’m attacking the guy with a massive sword. He whips his gaze between me and Draven, who is swinging an actual sword at him, and confusion pulses across his whole face.
I shove my magic at it, turning it into a wildfire.
With his confusion now blown out of proportion, his movements are slow and uncoordinated as he tries to evade Draven’s very real weapon while I stop my attack with my fake one.
Spinning around, I shove at the worry in the other four people’s chests while the tip of Draven’s sword makes contact with the first guy’s throat. Blood streams down his skin and stains his purple armor as the guy drops his own blade and reaches towards his throat. But Draven’s cut was too deep, so his knees buckle while wet gurgles spill from his mouth.
Then the stunned moment breaks, and the other four attack all at once. Three of them go for Draven. The last one lunges at me.
I dive to the side as he swipes his sword at me. Steel whooshes through the air over my head as I roll into a crouch. Twisting around, I find Draven trying to fight three people at once while the fourth whips back towards me.
The one behind Draven rams a knife towards his spine.
Panic blares inside me.
While leaping to my feet, I blast the worry that the guy is feeling into a huge wildfire. It makes him hesitate instead right before his knife can strike, giving Draven the second he needed to whip around. Draven cuts the guy’s head off with one powerful strike. Relief washes through me. But it’s short-lived as my own attacker swings at me again.
I suck in a sharp breath through my teeth as I find him much closer than I expected. His sword glints in the gray light as it barrels straight for my neck.
A blast of wind slams into his side.
The sword is knocked off course right before it can hit me as the guy stumbles to the side from the force of Draven’s wind. I scramble out of reach while Draven sends lightning strikes at his own two attackers. They leap back to avoid it.
But right as it strikes, I shove my magic at the bone white sparks of fear in their chests. Pouring a furious torrent, I blow it into sheer blind terror.
They scream, stumbling over themselves to get away. Draven knocks one of them down with a blast of wind while he rams his sword through the other’s chest. Then he whirls towards the one he knocked down, but I don’t have time to see what he does, because my own attacker has recovered. And he is furious.
Rage burns in his green eyes as he swings at me hard and fast.
Switching tactics, I latch on to that already raging flame of anger and make it even bigger, which makes him put even more force into his swing. I duck, and because he put too much blind anger behind his swing, the missed strike forces his entire body off balance. I dart to the side, aiming to get out from between him and the boulder. But he recovers quicker than I expected.
Alarm blares inside my skull as he thrusts his sword towards my side. Diving forward, I barely manage to escape the sharp edge. Air explodes from my lungs as I hit the ground hard. I try to roll over on my back so that I can see where he is, but a boot slams down on my cloak.
A choked huff makes it out of my mouth as the clasp digs into my throat when the cloak stops while I continue moving. I gasp in a breath and try to yank the cloak out from underneath his boot.
Steel glints above me.
Panic pulses through my veins as a sword speeds towards my chest.
Metal clangs against stone as the sword flies from the man’s grip and slams into the boulder next to me at the same time as he staggers to the side. The blast of wind forced him off my cloak, and I suck in a deep breath as I yank the fabric back and roll out of reach.
Black clouds twist around Draven like thrashing demons and lightning crackles through the air as he advances on the remaining soldier from the Purple Dragon Clan. The soldier staggers a step back, his gaze flitting to his dead comrades around him.
I pour a massive torrent of magic into his fear.
A bloodcurdling scream rips from his throat, and he drops his blade.
Draven just rams his sword through the man’s heart.
The scream is cut off by wet gurgling. Then a sliding sound as Draven yanks his sword back out. Pieces of purple armor that cracked from the insane strength in Draven’s thrust fall to the ground and hit the stones with faint clinking sounds. They’re drowned out by a loud thud as the man collapses to the ground as well.
Then everything is silent.
Draven turns to me and holds out his free hand. I take it and let him help me to my feet. He keeps hold of it for another few seconds while he flicks an appraising look up and down my body.
“Azaroth’s flame,” he says, sounding both surprised and impressed. “For someone who has spent her life avoiding conflicts, you sure know how to read a battle.”
A surprised laugh erupts from my chest. “I have?—”
Black smoke explodes across the mountainside. It’s blown away as another strong fall wind sweeps over the landscape.
Dread seeps through my veins like ice as the smoke clears to reveal six more members of the Purple Dragon Clan standing on the mountainside a short distance away. Except these are no longer in their human form. They have shifted into dragons.
My heart slams against my ribs as I stare at the six purple dragons before us.
Draven heaves an endless sigh. “Fuck.” Then he gives me a quick look before he starts striding towards them. “Watch out for the flames.”
Before I can so much as open my mouth to reply, black smoke once again explodes into the air. I scramble back as it washes over me.
A second later, Draven in his massive black dragon form shoots out of the smoke and up into the air.
The six purple dragons roar as they take flight as well. The combined booming of all their wings sends blasts of wind slamming down towards the ground and throws me off balance. I stumble towards the closest boulder as seven dragons hover in the air above.
Draven is massive, and dark clouds that crackle with lightning surround him. But there is still only one of him and six of them. I have never seen Draven fight other dragons, so I have no idea what kind of odds these are for him.
My heart pounds in my chest as I stare up at the seven dragons above. The moment seems suspended in time as they all just hover there, watching each other.
Then a massive torrent of fire shoots through the air.
Instinctively, I duck down behind the boulder as the sky above me turns red and orange. Even from this distance, the heat of it washes down over me. Everything inside of me is screaming at me to run and hide, but I force myself to straighten again as I gape up at the scene above.
Draven’s massive jaws are open, and he is breathing that endless storm of fire that shoots straight at the six purple dragons. They immediately try to scatter, but one of them gets hit by the flames.
Otherworldly cries cut through the air as the purple dragon is engulfed by Draven’s flames. It thrashes desperately while trying to escape into the clear air. The dark storm clouds spread wider over the mountainside as the other five arrange themselves into some kind of formation. Draven snaps his jaws shut, cutting off the torrent of fire and swings his head towards them right as they all speed forward.
With two booming flaps of his wings, he shoots upwards right before they reach him.
More animalistic screams echo through the air as Draven sinks his claws into the backs of two of the purple dragons who were flying past below him. They cry out and whip their heads back and forth, frantically trying to bite Draven’s legs as he shakes them hard. The claws buried in their backs make their flesh rip open with each vicious shake.
Blood falls from the sky, splattering on the ground before me.
I scramble back as a chunk of flesh hits the stones only a stride in front of my boots.
Draven at last releases the two purple dragons, who fall towards the ground before they manage to spread their wings again, while the other four dragons make a coordinated attack. They speed through the air, coming from all sides.
I gasp as fear streaks through me.
Purely on instinct, I reach for my magic. I have no idea if I can even manipulate their emotions when they’re in full dragon form, but I have to do something. I can’t let them hurt him.
Throwing my magic out, I reach for the sparks of worry that I hope I will find in the purple dragons’ chests after what Draven did to their other friends. To my shock, it connects. It feels slightly different than it does with a person. Wilder, in a sense. But it’s still there. I shove my magic at them.
But apparently, I didn’t need to.
Before the four purple dragons can get within striking distance of Draven, the black storm clouds explode around him, blanketing the whole area. White bolts of lightning flash relentlessly. In the otherwise almost pitch-black darkness of the clouds, it’s so blinding that I have to squeeze my eyes shut.
Releasing the sparks of worry in the dragons’ chests, I instead reach for their fear. Just as I suspected, it’s already burning high. I pour even more magic at it.
Once the lightning has stopped flashing behind my closed lids, I release the grip on my magic and pry my eyes open again.
A scream rips from my lungs.
One of the purple dragons is speeding right towards me, jaws open and fire building at the back of its throat.
For one single second, it’s as if time itself stops moving. All I can do is to stare at those open jaws full of gleaming teeth and the vibrating orange light that builds at the back of the dragon’s throat. Because I know that there is no way in hell that I will be able to evade that torrent of fire.
Then something black and massive slams into it from the side.
I gasp and stagger back as Draven snaps his jaws shut around the purple dragon’s neck.
And rips its head off.
Blood rains to the ground from the severed neck as Draven unclenches his jaws. I stare dumbfounded as the now headless body crashes to the ground with a boom that makes the stones underneath my feet shake. The head falls from Draven’s jaws and lands next to it a second later.
With massive wings booming through the air, and his huge body like a shield between me and our attackers, Draven swings his head back towards the other five and lets out a bellow so furious that it makes the very mountain tremble.
My heart slams against my ribs.
And suddenly, I understand exactly why even his own people call him the Shadow of Death.
The surviving five dragons, two of whom are bleeding heavily from Draven’s earlier attack, hesitate where they hover a short distance away.
But they never get the chance to decide if they’re going to attack or flee, because two massive silver dragons suddenly shoot out of the black storm clouds around them.
I stumble back as Empress Jessina and Emperor Bane in their dragon forms crash into the purple dragons, ripping the throats out of the two who were already bleeding and who were too slow to dodge. The other three immediately swerve and try to escape across the mountain.
Bane and Jessina swing their heads towards them and, in a terrifyingly synchronized move, open their jaws and breathe ice flames at them.
A rushing, crackling sound fills the air as the two massive torrents of ice fire hit the fleeing dragons.
My jaw drops as the ice wraps around their bodies, freezing their wings and trapping them inside of it. They plummet to the ground.
And shatter .
Shock clangs inside my skull as I watch the bodies of the three ice-encased dragons break into pieces on the sharp rocks below. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest that I can barely hear anything else.
This is why the Silver Dragon Clan has managed to bring all the other dragon clans to heel. This is why they rule. I always knew that their rare ice flames were dangerous, but I didn’t realize just how devastating they could be to other dragons.
Completely stunned, all I can do is to stare at Draven and the Icehearts while a wave of hopelessness crashes over me. The humans back in that tavern were right. The dragon shifters might as well be gods. How the hell are we, a bunch of fae who can’t even leave our court and humans with no magical abilities, supposed to win a war against an army of dragons who can do that ?
The storm clouds disappear from the sky as Draven instead shoots straight towards the ground. I jump back in shock as he slams down right in front of me, creating a huge black cloud as he shifts out of his dragon form.
A second later, he stalks out of the dark mist in his half-shift form.
“What the hell was that?” he bellows at me, his voice filled with rage.
It shocks me so much that I actually flinch. But when I snap my gaze to his face, there is no anger there. Quite the opposite. His eyes are pulsing with panic, desperation, and pleading as he comes to a halt in front of me and grabs me by the collar as if he is furious with me.
I flick a glance towards Jessina and Bane, who are now landing on the ground behind Draven’s back. Smoke explodes across the mountainside as they shift as well.
The moment that the smoke obscures their view, Draven yanks out my iron collar from his belt pouch and snaps it closed around my neck before they can see that I wasn’t wearing one.
“No matter what happens, don’t interfere,” he whispers, his voice laced with the same panic and desperation that I can see in his eyes.
I open my mouth to reply, but before I can get even one syllable out, Draven presses on.
“If you care about me in any way, don’t do anything. Don’t say anything.” He tightens his grip on my cloak while his pleading eyes sear into mine. “Please. I’m begging you.”
His words hit me like a blow to the chest.
Please. I’m begging you.
Draven doesn’t beg. Ever. What the hell is going on here?
Footsteps thud against stone as Jessina and Bane stride out of the disappearing smoke. Their silver garments and their huge silver wings gleam in the gray light of the overcast sky.
“Now, fall as if I threw you down,” Draven orders in a hurried whisper. “And stay on your knees.”
My stomach lurches as he uses his grip on my cloak to shove me back. I do as he says and let myself tumble to the ground. Pebbles dig into my shins as I scramble up to my knees while Draven wipes the desperation off his features and instead lets a mask of fury descend on his face.
“If you ever get in my way like that again, I will fucking kill you,” he snaps at me, his voice now once again only filled with merciless rage.
“I’m sorry,” I reply, playing along and making sure to sound scared.
“Draven,” Empress Jessina says from where she and Bane are still standing behind his back. Her tone is sharp.
But Draven shows no fear or dread as he turns around to face them. From where I sit on my knees, I can see them fully now that Draven’s body isn’t blocking the view. Worry washes through me when I notice their expressions.
Displeasure pulses in their eyes as they fix them on Draven. He only walks up to them and bows his head in acknowledgement and greeting.
“Yes, Empress?” he replies as he raises his chin again.
“Drop the arrogance,” she snaps back, her pale gray eyes flashing with cold fury. “You know exactly why we are here.”
Draven closes his mouth and just looks back at them in silence.
“It has been weeks, and you still haven’t been able to capture the Red Hand,” Jessina says, her tone laced with that freezing rage. “Half of the humans in the city have now suddenly started refusing to work. And now this …” She stabs a hand towards the corpse of the purple dragon shifter that Draven bit the head off. “The Purple Clan is rebelling! You’re supposed to keep them all underneath our heel, and yet you let them attack you like this.”
Still, Draven says nothing.
“You know the cost of failure,” Emperor Bane says. His black eyes glint, and a slow and bone-chillingly cruel smile spreads across his mouth. “Don’t you, Draven?”
My heart pounds as I watch them. For a few moments, Draven only stands there. Then he dips his chin in the shallowest of nods and walks a short distance to the side. Turning his back to the Icehearts, and to me, he spreads his wings wide.
I stare in confusion at the strange gesture. Emperor Bane removes something from his belt and then moves so that he is standing directly behind Draven, but still a short distance away. Then he pulls his arm back and snaps his wrist.
A gasp rips from my lungs as a thin metal whip cracks against Draven’s right wing.
He flinches and squeezes his hand into a fist but says nothing.
Clenching my jaw, I press my mouth shut to stop the threat that I was about to scream at Bane when he snaps the whip across Draven’s other wing as well. Draven asked me, begged me, not to interfere. If I do, it will probably only make things worse for him. So I force myself to do exactly what he told me to. Nothing.
Still on my knees, I sit there and watch uselessly as Bane whips Draven’s wings over and over again. That thin metal whip cracks against the thin membrane of his wings until it tears through it. Blood slides down the few untouched parts of Draven’s wings as the metal whip rips them open, leaving jagged holes and torn shreds.
I squeeze my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms to keep myself from launching across the stones and ripping Bane’s throat out with my bare hands. Fury, the likes of which could burn down hell itself, roars inside me like a thunderstorm.
Next to Bane, Empress Jessina is simply standing and watching her mate whip Draven’s wings into bloody shreds. There is a mildly entertained look on her face. As if this is a common pastime for her.
Draven’s muscular body jerks with each strike of the whip, and he is clenching his fists hard, but no sound escapes his lips. No screams. No cries. No groans of pain. No whimpers. Nothing.
Cold hands wrap around my heart, strangling it so hard that my chest aches, as I watch him flinch with each strike. It’s followed by intense guilt that twists between my ribs like cold snakes. Because this is my fault. I’m the one who has been destroying clues that would lead to the Red Hand and I’m the one who has been manipulating the humans’ emotions every time I sneak down to the city, causing them to protest and refuse to work. And now, Draven is paying for that.
My heart cracks a little more every time the whip strikes.
Only when Draven’s wings have been rendered completely useless does Emperor Bane finally stop. Torn strips of membrane hang down in shreds, and blood coats everything that remains. It slides down the tips of his wings and drips down on the ground below, painting the gray stones red.
Draven remains standing completely still while Bane rolls up the thin metal whip and hooks it to his belt.
“Don’t fail us again,” Emperor Bane declares.
“Or do,” Jessina adds. A slow and vicious smile curls her lips. “Because next time, it’s my turn with the whip.”
Bane chuckles. Then the two of them spread their gleaming silver wings and launch into the air.
My head is pounding with so much rage that I can hear the blood rushing in my ears as I watch the two Icehearts fly back to their palace. Then I drag my gaze back to Draven, who still remains standing in the exact same spot. I want to rush over to him, but I don’t dare. If he’s not moving, there is a reason for that.
In the sky, Bane and Jessina grow smaller as they close the distance to the castle. Then they at last disappear from view.
The moment they’re gone, Draven sucks in a shuddering breath.
Then his knees buckle.