Chapter 53 #2
“Alright, then,” I say in a determined voice. Then I raise my hand to point to the mountain up ahead and a little to the left. “That’s our exit point. We need to get there at the same time as the rest of our forces who are approaching from other sides. So let’s get going.”
They all lurch into motion.
Since most of us are here because we need to give our magical energy time to build back up, we all just walk in silence as we make our way through the barren valley.
I try to relax and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other, but every few steps, my gaze keeps getting drawn to the mountain range on our left.
Towards where Draven is. Flexing my hand nervously, I desperately wish that I could at least see what is happening on the other side.
“I’m sorry,” Trevor suddenly blurts out. “Can we just… Mabona’s tits, I just need to catch my breath. Can we just stop for like five minutes?”
I turn towards him. Fenriel is still bracing him with his own body, and sweat trickles down both of their necks.
“We should have taken a break right after we got out of the mountain,” Fenriel says, looking up at Trevor with stern eyes. “You already needed the break back then.”
“I know.” He draws in another deep breath. “But I didn’t want to slow us down.”
Twisting my head, I look back at the progress we’ve made and then towards the mountain that will be our exit point.
We’re only partway through the valley at this point, but we’ve been making pretty good time.
I flick another glance towards the left, as if I can see Draven through the mountains.
Stress and worry pulse through my veins.
But Trevor really does need a break. Otherwise, we will never make it back out through the mountain again.
So I turn back to him and Fenriel and nod. “Alright, let’s take a five-minute break.”
Trevor immediately sits down on a rock. Resting his elbows on his knees, he rakes his fingers through his hair and heaves more deep breaths.
The other fae settle down on the ground to rest as well.
A brown-haired woman, whose name I think might be Juliette, summons a small stream of water in the air.
We all drink deeply from it before she lets her magic fade out again.
With my hands now wet, I rake them through my hair and then re-tie the braid that keeps part of my hair out of my face.
And every few seconds, my gaze keeps darting to the mountain range.
Stress streaks through my veins like lightning.
Draven was right. We shouldn’t have split up.
We’ve been splitting up too much lately.
Logically, it makes sense. We’re wasting time and resources when two people as powerful as us are doing the exact same thing.
But I still don’t like it. Because I can’t shake that awful feeling that I have somehow made a terrible mistake.
“They’ll be fine,” Isera says.
I snap my gaze to her, quickly trying to hide my worry. But she saw it all of course.
Her gaze is steady as she holds mine. “Both Orion and Draven act as if they’re nothing but ruthless villains, but they’re actually incredibly protective of their own.
And now that they consider each other brothers, they will never let anything happen to the other.
” Her voice is full of confidence as she repeats, “So they’ll be fine. ”
I draw in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing pulse. She’s right. They will protect each other.
But then why do I have this feeling that something bad is about to—
A gasp rips through the air.
My heart leaps into my throat, and I whirl around while everyone scrambles to their feet. I sweep my gaze over the valley before us, looking for the source of their reaction.
Dread explodes inside my chest like cold poison.
Ten silver dragons have crested the mountain ahead. They stop, looking surprised to have found us here as well. My mouth dries out as I watch them hover there in the air.
Fenriel and Trevor stumble back, their faces white with fear. On my other side, Juliette lets out a terrified whimper.
There are only fifteen of us, and all of us are practically completely drained of magic already. There is no way we will survive an attack by ten dragons from the Silver Clan.
Panic screams inside me as I snap my gaze from side to side, looking for anything that can save us. But the valley is completely barren. There is nothing to hide behind. Nothing to use as a shield. The tunnel we came in through is closed, and Trevor is too drained to open a new one.
My heart pounds like a battle drum.
We are trapped here.
“We’re going to die,” Juliette cries, saying what we have all already realized.
Fear ripples through the entire group, and everyone except me and Isera stagger backwards.
For a few seconds, all I can do is to just stare at those silver dragons while my mind refuses to accept the reality of the situation.
At first, my brain tries to deny that the dragons are even there.
Then it tries to bargain that we can still survive this.
But at last, it accepts that there is no chance in hell any of us will live through this.
And then comes the anger.
Fenriel and Trevor stumble another step back, passing me and Isera. The others shrink back even further, and Kevlin lets out a desperate whine.
Fury roars through me. At them. At the world. At myself for making this stupid decision of splitting up from Draven and the other dragon shifters.
“Stand your ground!” I bellow.
Shock pulses through our group, and they all jerk to a halt. Panic and terror flicker in their eyes as they all whip around to stare at me.
“But we’re going to die,” Juliette cries again.
“Yes, we are going to die!” I snap back at her, rage roaring through my veins.
“Then what was it all for!” Kevlin screams back at me. Despair pulses in his eyes. “What was this fucking war even for if we’re all going to die here? We’re not even sacrificing our lives for a cause right now. This won’t help the others win the war. We’re just going to die here. For nothing!”
“You’re right!” Furious determination and searing rage burn in my eyes as I sweep my gaze over all of them. “Our deaths won’t matter. They will not make a difference to the war.”
“Then what the hell are we doing here?”
“We are making a choice! All our lives, we have been trapped and controlled. We have never been allowed to make our own choices. So we are making one now!”
The silver dragons surge forward.
Juliette’s knees buckle. Fear crashes over Fenriel’s features, and he bends over and vomits.
“We chose to be here!” I scream at them all. “We chose to fight for our freedom. And now we will choose to die on our fucking feet. So get up!”
Ten massive dragons speed across the sky, heading straight towards us.
“We are going to die, but before we do, we are going to take some of those bastards down with us!” I bellow and stab a hand towards the storm of dragons barreling towards us. “So get on your fucking feet and get ready for one last charge!”
Next to me, Fenriel wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and straightens. His blue and gold eyes begin to glow as he summons Talon. Tears roll down his cheeks, but he keeps his chin up as he pets his beloved hawk.
“Sorry, Talon,” he says. “Looks like we won’t be able to go on all those adventures after all.”
Talon lets out a small noise and bumps his beak against Fenriel’s cheek.
Fenriel smiles through the tears and draws his hand over the hawk’s feathers. “So let’s make the afterlife our greatest adventure of all, yeah?”
Beside him, Trevor drags in a choked breath. “I just wanted to open up a bakery. Oh Goddess, I wanted that bakery so badly.” Tears slip down his face. “I wish I could’ve tasted at least one of those pastries I’ve been reading about all my life. Just one.”
Wings boom through the valley as the dragons draw closer.
“At least I will see my mom soon,” Isera says softly. Her face is stoic, but she swallows thickly as she adds, “Do you think she will forgive me?”
Kevlin sucks in a desperate breath. “I regret—”
“No regrets!” I scream. “Our friends will carry on this battle after our deaths. Our memories will live on through them. They will make our hopes and dreams reality in our stead. And when we see them again in Mabona’s evergreen garden, we will all raise a drink together and they will tell us all about it! ”
A surge of determination pulses through our ranks.
I yank out my dagger and point it straight towards the death that is flying right towards us.
“No regrets!” I bellow.
“No regrets!” they all scream back.
“CHARGE!”
We surge forward.
Boots thud against stone as we sprint right towards the row of dragons. Their booming wings echo between the mountains, beating in tune with my hammering heart and our pounding feet.
They speed through the air, closing the distance rapidly.
Gripping the knife tightly, I scream in rage and fury as I run towards my death with my friends next to me.
Everything inside me tastes of blood and iron.
My magic roars as I summon it.
One last time.
All ten dragons open their massive jaws. A pale shimmering starts at the back of their mouths.
“DEATH!” I bellow.
Ice flames shoot through the sky.
Juliette and Isera yank up shields of water and ice while Kevlin sends a blast of light magic right at them. They screech, twisting their heads to the side. But the magic is not enough to stop the dragons or the attack.
I throw myself to the side as a torrent of ice flames crashes down over the ground. Juliette screams. Rolling across the stones, I whip my head towards her as the sound is abruptly cut off.
Pain sears through me as Juliette’s entire body disappears into the stream of ice fire. Kevlin screams as his left leg is caught in it as well.
Summoning my magic, I slam a flame of fear into one of the dragons while leaping to my feet. It jerks back right before it can bite Fenriel in half. But the other nine don’t hesitate.
Cries of agony rip from my companions as the dragons swoop down over us and slash their claws. I throw myself sideways right before one of them can slice my chest open. Ice shoots through the air, smacking into another dragon as Isera dives and throws a shield up at the same time.
Blood sprays into the air as a dragon’s claws cut right through Kevlin’s chest where he’s still lying trapped halfway in ice. I scream as his lifeless body crashes back down on the ground, his vacant eyes staring up at the sky.
The dragons swoop around.
My pulse pounds in my ears as I try to run from the next wave of attacks.
But the dragons barrel forward mercilessly.
Talon screeches and swoops through the air, trying to distract them while Fenriel desperately tries to hack through the ice that is trapping Trevor in place.
I shove another blast of fear at the dragon at the front.
It jerks back, causing the others to bump into it.
The move buys Fenriel enough time to get Trevor’s foot free.
Isera rushes up next to me, throwing ice spears at the charging dragons. I slam my magic into them again and again, trying to stop their assault. But I don’t have enough left to make the emotions strong enough for them to flee.
Wings boom around us as the dragons surge towards us again.
“Down!” Isera screams.
I dive forward as claws slash through the air right above me.
Trevor screams.
Clutching my knife to my chest, I roll across the ground while a massive draft whooshes past above me from the squad of dragons. My hair ripples in the wind that their huge wings create.
Ice shoots through the air as Isera tries to bombard them with spears and shards aimed at their wings, but she barely has any energy left either.
I snap my head up right as a heartbreaking scream rips from Fenriel’s throat.
Trevor hangs in the air, stabbed through by a dragon’s claws. Blood runs down from the holes in his body as the dragon shakes its leg. Trevor’s body slides off the sharp claws and lands with a thud on the ground.
“NO!” I scream.
But the dragons swerve around in the air again.
“Take them down!” Isera bellows. “We’re going to take at least one of them down!”
Talon screeches as he swoops through the air towards Fenriel. He, Isera, and I are the only ones still standing.
My voice is broken and everything inside me hurts. But I raise my knife and scream in defiance as the ten dragons surge forward again.
Fenriel and Isera join in, our voices echoing through the air like death itself as we throw everything we have into one final suicide charge.
Our feet pound against the ground as we race towards our death.
Ten silver dragons open their jaws. Ice flames shimmer at the back of their throats as they let out bellowing roars. Their wings boom through the air as they speed right for us.
I scream for revenge and freedom and a choice that is finally mine as the dragons smash right into us.