Chapter 51
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The Red Clan erupts in rage. Across the battlefield, the red dragons who were trying to break through Galen’s disciplined lines roar in fury and charge right into our forces in blind rage.
Ice flashes there in the distance as Isera no doubt tries to push them back, and Galen lets out a roar.
Rows of black dragons surge forward, crashing into the attacking red dragons.
Above us, dark smoke explodes in the sky as Lyra shifts out of her dragon form. Her smaller black wings beat the air hard as she speeds through the heavens in a half-shift, racing towards Alistair’s plummeting body.
Draven sends a blast of wind at him from below, slowing his fall enough for Lyra to reach him.
Alistair doesn’t even react as Lyra wraps her arms underneath his shoulders and pulls him up right before he can hit the ground.
Flying the final few strides, she gently sets him down so that he is lying on the grass instead.
“We need to take out Empress Jessina!” Diana yells while black panthers are still racing across the landscape, tearing our enemies apart before they can shift into dragons. “All of this is meaningless as long as she hides there at the back!”
Rin Tanaka tosses her long black hair out of her face as she runs towards Alistair and Lyra. “I’ll take care of him and all the other wounded.” She flicks her gaze over the injured fae and dragon shifters who survived the attack before looking to me and Draven. “Go kill that fucking bitch.”
Draven nods and then turns to Diana. “I need you to take charge of the other clans and hold our defenses so that their army won’t break through. I’ll take parts of my clan and rush them. If we can just create an opening, we should be able to get through to Jessina.”
“Got it,” Diana replies. Then she turns towards the edge of the forest and yells, “Fenriel! Time to go!”
Fenriel comes rushing out of the woods while his hawk Talon sweeps down from the sky where he was no doubt surveying the area for more enemies.
Dragging in a deep breath, I turn back to Draven.
His expression softens as he turns to me, almost looking regretful.
“I know you have no more magic to give, but I’m going to ask for it anyway.
I need you, Selena. The extra boost of strength, speed, and storm magic that I get from our union bond will be crucial.
This will never work without you. So I hate to ask it, but are you up for one more push? ”
A smile blows across my lips, and I draw my fingers along his jaw. “You never even need to ask, Draven. I’m always with you.”
Love shines in his eyes as he looks back at me.
From the front of our armies, Galen roars as the rows of furious red dragons try to break through to avenge their fallen clan leader. Both of us snap our gazes towards him and heave a synchronized sigh.
“Let’s do this,” I say.
Draven nods.
Shoving his sword back in his scabbard, he runs a short distance away so that he won’t crush me when he shifts.
I slide my own dagger back in its sheath as well while smoke rolls across the ground.
Storm winds wash over the grass, clearing the smoke and revealing Draven in his massive dragon form. He turns his head towards me.
“We’ll join you as soon as he wakes up,” Lyra calls from across the grass, where Rin is now working on Alistair.
Her healing magic won’t be able to refill his magical energy, but it will at least make him recover physically after that massive exertion, which in turn will help his magic build up quicker.
I give her a wave in acknowledgement and then run up along Draven’s tail and spine until I reach the spot where his neck meets his shoulders. After sitting down, I grab the spikes tightly and open our union bond. Draven has already opened it from his side, so the connection establishes immediately.
He launches into the air.
My stomach lurches as we shoot up into the sky and speed through the battlefield.
All around us, our allies are fighting waves of red, white, and silver dragons while our front ranks are desperately trying to push deeper into the enemy army.
Teeth snap and claws flash through the air as the dragons battle.
Ice flames stream through the air, crashing into dragon fire so violently that it sends explosions shooting out around us.
The fae dragon riders throw attacks back at our enemies, filling the heavens with crackling and sizzling magic.
Keeping my head down, I grip the spikes tightly as Draven maneuvers through the battle, dodging enemies that try to focus on him instead. But our allies quickly press the advantage and attack with merciless fury, allowing Draven to fly through the battlefield almost without interruption.
Once we draw closer to the front lines, Draven opens his jaws and lets out a bellowing roar.
Black dragons immediately untangle themselves from other battles and fall in behind him.
I draw in deep breaths as we speed towards the front lines.
Since the union bond doesn’t actually require any magic from me, it just boosts Draven’s own magic like an echo hitting a rock wall, my energy at last starts to build up when I can just sit there on his back.
I know that he is going to need my help to break through once we reach our enemies, but until then, I preserve as much magic as possible.
Up ahead, Isera is throwing spears of ice at the furious red dragons from where she still sits atop the soldier from the Black Clan. Even without a union bond, Isera’s magic is insanely powerful, and she hammers the red dragons with attack after attack.
A short distance from them, Galen slashes at the wings of another enemy before turning to roar at Draven.
“Galen says that Orion will hit them with his magic the moment we reach the front lines,” Draven says into my mind. “The memories will cause fear, and he wants you to back him up.”
“Will do,” I reply.
“Selena.”
I can hear the worry and the question in his tone. He knows that I’ve been using too much magic too quickly. But this is it. We need to break through their ranks. If we can’t even reach Jessina, this war will never end.
“I can do this,” I tell Draven. “Trust me.”
“I always do.”
Galen and the black dragon that Isera is seated on break away from the onslaught of red dragons as Draven closes the final distance.
Our enemies immediately try to surge forward through the gap.
Lightning crackles along Draven’s wings as they boom on either side of us, and dark storm clouds gather around him.
I summon my magic and then hold my breath.
We crash into the front lines right as Orion hits them with a blast of his nightmare magic.
Dragons screech in fear and throw their heads from side to side as their vision is drowned out by whatever nightmarish memories Orion is showing them all. I don’t hesitate a second. Slamming my magic at them, I latch on to those bone white flames of fear and blow them into infernos.
The rows of dragons jerk back in fear.
And Draven barrels into them.
Galen and Orion, Isera and her dragon, and fifteen members of the Black Clan with Unseelie fae atop their backs crash right into the terrified ranks of enemy dragons. They scream in pain as claws slash across their wings while they’re still blinded by Orion’s magic.
With a roar, Draven throws a massive lightning storm out in front of him.
The other dragons screech in panic as wind and rain and black clouds slam into them while lightning splits the air.
I release my grip on the front lines we have now passed and hit the rows farther in.
They twist and thrash, trying to flee in fear, but only crash into their own companions.
Dragon fire shoots through the air as the entire front line of Draven’s clan opens their jaws and breathes torrents of flames at the enemies.
Isera shoots spears of ice at the wings of dragons blinded by Orion’s magic while the Unseelie fae behind us throw attacks of water and stone and fire at the mass of enemies as well.
Another black dragon surges up next to Draven.
“Malachi’s balls, you’ve gotten strong, kid!” the Unseelie fae atop that dragon yells.
My mouth drops open as I find Jocasta sitting there. Her white hair billows behind her and her pink and gold eyes glitter in the light of the sinking sun as she grins at me. I laugh.
Jocasta. The owner of the Black Faction that plays in the Great Games in the Unseelie Court. The one who trained me and the only other person with emotion magic that I have ever met.
I grin back at her. “That’s what happens when you have a great teacher!”
She laughs and gives me a salute in appreciation. Then a devilish glint appears in her eyes as she jerks her chin towards the ranks of enemies that are trying to re-form ahead. “Let’s hit them together!”
“Yes!” I call back, wicked delight in my own eyes as well. “Let’s show them why emotion magic is the most dangerous magic of all.”
Draven lets out a roar.
Dragon fire shoots through the air as his clan members attack at the same time as Draven throws a vicious thunderstorm right into the ranks of enemies before us.
Jocasta and I slam our magic into them.
Cries of pure terror echo across the entire landscape as the mass of red, silver, and white dragons flees in fear.
Next to me, Jocasta lets out a villainous laugh.
“When this war is over, you and I are gonna have a drink, kid!” she yells at me, her eyes glowing with magic.
“Deal!” I call back.
A hole opens up right in front of us as our combined emotion magic forces our enemies to panic and flee from us in pure terror.
And suddenly, the route to Empress Jessina is clear.
Only a long stretch of open sky now separates us from the massive silver dragon at the back.
Imposing mountains flash past on our right as we speed straight for her.
Empress Jessina jerks back as if in shock.
Then she throws her head back and breathes a torrent of ice flames straight for us.
But Draven, Galen, and the other black dragons just open their jaws and shoot real dragon fire back at it.
The ice flames crash into the fire, making the air before us explode into hissing steam.
Hope surges inside me. We can do this. We can—
A deafening rumble comes from the mountains on our right. My heart leaps into my throat as I snap my gaze towards it and find that the tops of the mountains are moving.
No, it’s not the mountains that are moving.
Dread stabs through my chest like a searing blade.
Using her ice magic, Jessina has yanked out the mass of ice that covered the peaks. It rips the snow with it too and crashes out into the air right above us.
“Isera!” I scream as the avalanche of ice and snow slams straight down over us.