Chapter 50 #2
Silver armor gleams in the red afternoon light as the entire horde of soldiers suddenly whirls towards us. Abandoning their efforts to get to Rin, they scream as they all charge towards us instead.
Lightning crackles across Draven’s muscular body as he spreads his arms wide, his massive, bloodstained sword in one hand. Black clouds billow out around him like a rippling cloak.
The soldiers barrel towards us but fear washes over their features as they stare at the Shadow of Death before them.
Storm winds crash into them as Draven throws his magic right into their charging ranks.
I slam my magic into their chests, blowing their fear into wildfire.
The world around me sways as my energy drains further with every passing second.
Twisting and slashing, Draven keeps the soldiers away from me as the first rows reach us.
Lightning splits the air, and they scream as they fall. But more soldiers keep surging forward.
Drawing on all my strength, I shove bursts of magic at them. Pain. Panic. Fear. Exhaustion. Soldier after soldier drops. My legs shake with exhaustion, but the enemies just keep coming.
“Ryat!” Rin Tanaka yells across the crowd.
Then the horde of soldiers reaches us.
Streaks of black shoot through the air and crash into the ranks of soldiers right before they can smack into us. I gasp, stumbling back in shock as massive black panthers leap through the air and slam straight into our enemies.
They scream in panic as the panthers claw at their faces and sink their teeth into every bit of exposed flesh.
Dragging in a deep breath, I stagger upright and whip my head around to find Diana Artemisia charging forward with her sword raised. A horde of black panthers follows her like a rippling sea.
Draven draws in a shuddering breath of relief. Blood runs down his imposing sword and stains his hands red. He rakes one of them through his hair anyway, pushing it out of his face before falling into a battle stance again.
As soon as Diana reaches him, we sprint forward together.
Cries of panic echo across the red-stained grass as the panthers Diana has summoned with her clan magic tear through the rows of enemies.
Draven’s storm magic slams into them from the other side while he and Diana shear through them with their swords.
Gripping my dagger tightly, I watch Draven’s back as we make our way towards Rin at the center.
A screech of agony splits the air.
While still fighting back-to-back with Draven, I whip my gaze up towards the sky.
Gremar Fireclaw roars in pain as a fireball burns a huge hole in his left wing. His lava shield falters for a second. Alistair attacks.
With a scream that seems dragged from the bottom of his soul, Alistair stands up on Lyra’s back and shoves both palms towards Gremar. Magic, boosted by Lyra’s through their union bond, explodes across the heavens.
I gasp in shock as a torrent of fire so wide that it blocks out the sky bursts from Alistair’s palms.
It slams into Gremar before he can recover his lava shield.
Screaming for death and fury until his voice echoes between the mountains around us, Alistair pours every drop of magic into that one massive attack.
Everyone on the ground throws their arms up to protect their eyes as the blazing torrent of fire turns blue. Heat washes down over the ground. The silver clan soldiers scream as they cut and run from the sheer terror that fills the sky. Black panthers hunt them with merciless fury.
The blue fire crashes over Gremar Fireclaw.
He screeches.
Draven pulls me into his arms and spins us around so that his back is to the fire. Darkness envelops us as he wraps his wings around us protectively. It helps block out the worst of the light as well as the heat and allows me to see what is happening in the sky through the gap between his wings.
The huge red dragon thrashes in the air as the blue torrent of fire consumes him. But the screech of agony is quickly cut off as his entire body is incinerated.
Still standing atop Lyra’s back, Alistair is screaming his lungs out while that massive torrent of fire roars through the heavens. The very mountains themselves seem to shake before the intensity of the rage that he has been carrying in his soul all his life.
Goosebumps spread across my skin at the primal sound.
Draven pulls me tighter against his body, his wings still wrapped protectively around us as waves of heat roll down over the landscape. I press a hand over my mouth as Gremar’s huge dragon body melts, still kept in the air by the endless torrent of fire.
Lyra hovers in the air, keeping her body steady while Alistair burns Gremar until there is nothing left but bones.
Then the fire stops. The intense heat fades and the blinding light dies as Alistair’s magic runs out.
Charred dragon bones fall from the sky and crash down on the burned grass below.
A ruthless smile spreads across Alistair’s face.
Revenge at last.
Then he sways to the side.
And his unresponsive body falls straight off Lyra’s back.