Chapter 47
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
PHOENIX
The wind at the top of the mountain is harsh as it tears through me. The Ezkai leathers I wear for the trial don’t offer much warmth or comfort. I can barely keep my teeth from clattering.
All the participants stand, scattered all over the rocky clearing. The naked black rock is wet and slippery under my feet. Anytime I take a step, I have to be extremely careful not to fall. I tense my core and leg muscles to keep myself stable and grounded.
Farther away, high above the clearing, a crowd of spectators gathers. I squint, trying to make out the faces, but the figures blur together. Only Taaslord Noire stands taller than everyone, so I can tell it’s him. I can’t see his eyes, but I can feel his gaze on me.
My heart pounds in my chest, and my breathing is labored. I look around. There is not a single sign of life here, just hard rocks and lumps of snow. I listen, but there is nothing apart from the howling wind.
We wait. Time moves slowly. Nothing happens. I bet the tension while we wait for the dragons to grace us with their presence is part of the damn trial.
The dragons are probably watching us all, hidden from sight.
Maybe part of their hunting technique is to wait until the prey is weakened.
If we stand here like this long enough, we’ll lose our sharpness.
When the darkness falls over the mountain, the dragons will strike.
Then the creatures can take us out one by one.
These thoughts do me no good. I take a deep breath and let the fresh mountain air reach every corner of my lungs.
My eyes fall closed. I conjure an image of a burning flame in the middle of my chest, warm and soft.
A moment later, the flame travels through my arms into my palms, to the very tips of my fingers.
Then it slides down my torso, over my legs to my feet and the very tips of my toes.
When I open my eyes, my body isn’t shivering anymore. I’m warm from the inside. The harsh wind whipping over my body doesn’t bother me anymore.
Sudden movement at the edge of my vision catches my attention. I whip my head to my right. From behind a huge boulder, a tiny hand appears. My heart drops. A moment later, the tiny figure of a child crawls from behind it.
I cover my mouth with the palm of my hand. No way is this happening. The child is a girl, no older than seven or eight years old. Her face is dirty, clothes ripped to shreds. The girl’s knees are bloody when she scrambles to her feet.
Oh dear gods.
“Help,” the girl cries out, reaching a hand towards the Ezkai closest to her. “Please, help me. I’m so cold.”
The little girl’s voice carries through the clearing, desperate and pleading. I inhale a sharp breath. Blood pumps in my ears.
The Ezkai, a short and muscular man with a beard, hesitates. I want to scream at him to move towards the girl, to help her. The dragons can show up at any moment, and that girl stands no chance of survival if we don’t help.
Nobody moves.
I’m about to open my mouth to scream at the Ezkai next to the girl when the sound of lightning crackling pierces the air. It startles me, and I look around. Not a single storm cloud is anywhere close.
White smoke tendrils weave around the child’s body. The mist swallows the child, and the scream that reaches my ears makes my blood freeze in my veins. The crackling sound continues. I have to cover my ears as I hunch over, the sound is too loud.
Just as quickly as it appeared, the white smoke evaporates.
Instead of a ragged child, a long serpentlike creature stands by the rock.
It has four legs with large pearlescent claws and two large bat wings on its back.
Metallic scales cover the length of its body, and with each movement, the color of the scales alternates between dark grey and silver.
The dragon’s square head moves from side to side, golden eyes observing the participants. Finally, it zones in on the Ezkai closest to it.
Spectators gasp. I’m speechless for a moment. The dragon exhales, and the warm air wave reaches even where I stand, warming up my cheeks.
I inhale a deep breath, steadying myself against the terror that threatens to overwhelm every sense in my body. I get a hold of my emotions and mold them into a small ball before I tuck it away.
I don’t feel. I don’t experience. I simply exist.
The dragon opens its toothy mouth and strikes at the Ezkai with full force. Somehow, the Ezkai is faster than the dragon, jumping out of the dragon’s path just in time. Unfortunately, he lands on his back on hard rocks.
Even from where I stand I hear the crack of his skull.
The Ezkai is still alive, though, as he scrambles back to his feet.
But not for long. The dragon snaps his jaw at the warrior and then flicks its long tail so quick I don’t see it.
The tail slams into the Ezkai’s side and throws him against the boulder.
Another crack of the bones as his body slams against the hard rock.
Screams echo all around me. My mind and body are still, and my senses are sharp.
I turn my head to the side and our gazes meet. The Ezkai wears a determined look on his face. He’s not here to play. He’s here to win. I look away. I don’t want to indulge. It might cost me my life.
Somewhere in the distance, the sky rumbles. A moment later, three more serpentlike creatures with different shades of metallic scales appear in the sky. When their screeches pierce the air, a shiver runs down my back. It’s terrifying and thrilling all at the same time.
“Oh shit,” I murmur under my breath when they reach the clearing.
Three dragons circle the sky above our heads, their powerful bodies weaving elegantly through the air. I doubt they feel the harsh wind threatening to topple them over. It’s a breathtaking view. Something I never even dreamed of witnessing.
Before they make a landing, I force my feet to move forward. I can find cover behind a huge rock nearby. It won’t save me for long, but at least my chances of survival will be higher if I’m to face these creatures head-on. Not yet, anyway.
My feet slips on a wet rock and I tumble down on one of my knees.
I hiss when sharp pain shoots through my knee and thigh.
A wave of nausea rises inside me, but I swallow it down.
Just as I am about to scramble to my feet, a strong wave of hot air hits my back, pushing me forward.
I lose balance and fall forward, rolling down the sharp, slippery rocks.
That’s for taking the cover.
I’m still on my stomach when I hear wings flapping next to me and a chilling roar envelops the air around me. I lift my head just as a black-as-coal dragon lands in front of me, mere feet away. It’s regal, and powerful. Time stops.
Our gazes lock.
The intensity of the creature’s golden eyes freezes me in place. It’s like I can’t make my muscles function. The dragon’s gaze is fiery, and it resonates with the hot fire burning deep within me. The creature cocks its head to the side, sniffing the air between us.
The sounds of fighting and screams of pain that ring around us dull.
A low growl rises from deep within the creature’s chest, but I don’t feel threatened. At least, not as much as I should be. Its eyes narrow and the dragon lowers its square head to the ground.
Slowly, I push myself to my knees. The dragon observes me without attacking. I’m so confused. It allows me to rise to my feet without making a move. Maybe some dragons are honorable fighters?
Before I can find out, a blade glitters at the edge of my vision and lands mere inches away from the dragon’s snout. I glance in the direction of where the dagger came from.
Daegel watches us with his lips pressed in a tight line. Stay alive, Phoenix.
I turn back to the black dragon in front of me. Its gaze is hot as coal, no more kindness left there. It raises its big head to the sky and spews a gulp of hot, white flame with a loud roar. The heat from the flame hits me like a wall of bricks. A sweat breaks over my brow, my cheeks flaming hot.
Without wasting any more time, I whirl on my heel and run. If I put enough distance between me and the dragon, I can shoot it with my arrow. Vera was right.
But Daegel told me to never turn my back on a dragon.
I curse myself as I run through the sharp, wet rocks, trying not to slip and fall. I’m so careless, marveling at these creatures. I need to be thinking about ways to win against them without killing them.
A growl behind my back sends a chill down it. I don’t turn away, nor do I stop. Wings flap in the air behind me, but I reach a large boulder and duck behind it. My breathing is labored as I press my back to the rock wall and try to center myself.
Next to my knee is a small ledge. A little bit higher there are three more ledges. I can use them to climb on top of the boulder to get into a better position to use my bow and slay the dragon. With one more inhale and exhale, I push myself off the wall and climb the boulder.
The side of the boulder is not as slippery as the rock under my feet, so I manage to reach the top easily.
The last ledge is quite far from the top, though, so I have to push myself up and over the edge.
My muscles are screaming, but I ignore the burning and the pain in my knee and pull myself up the damn boulder.
A roar echoes very close to me.
I look up.
The black dragon circles above my head and strikes.