Chapter 2
Bahar
Hundreds of shipswaited in the distance, all of them poised to attack Drakous. Winged dragons made of magic flapped idly over them, the creatures seemingly tethered to the unmoving ships.
They hadn’t struck yet, but I could see the display for what it was. This was a show of power. Meant to intimidate and overwhelm. It wouldn’t work. The Fae King’s ego was already getting the best of him. He’d waited to attack until I returned. He wanted a battle. He wanted to say he defeated me.
I flapped my wings harder, the fear for my kingdom dissolving as I moved closer to land. The sun glinted off the scales of my army. Let the fae see us. Let them see what five hundred dragons looked like as we blotted out the newly returned sun. Let them feel fear.
Instead of banking toward land, I aimed for the waiting hoards. The wingbeats behind me didn’t hesitate as they followed my lead. Words weren’t necessary. The second I unleashed my fire, they broke into attack positions and we charged.
The strange magic dragons launched toward us, breathing their unnatural flames, their aim awkward and inconsistent. They were easy enough to avoid, so I rolled to my side, focusing on the ships below us.
Archers filled the sky with a cascade of arrows, some clattering against my tough scales before they fell to the sea. I swooped down, releasing fire at the attacking ships.
Men screamed, leaping from the boats into the sea. More scales glinted in the water, and the survivors screamed as they were pulled under. For the first time, I started to think that maybe it wasn’t so bad that Ceto’s child was my ally. Having her for a sister-in-law might be beneficial.
The dragons around me attacked the ships with the same fervor, using flames and claws to send the sailors to watery graves. Some of my dragons went after the magical creatures, exploding them into a burst of dust as their fire engulfed them.
The Fae King had tried once before to take my city, but he couldn’t win. This wasn’t going to be any different.
I made another pass over a row of boats, launching a blast of fire as I flew over them. The sailors screamed. Some tried to put out the flames while others took their chances in the water. Ceto’s monsters were getting a feast. After this battle, I would be sure to burn offerings for her. I might even do like Athos and commission a temple. Having her as an ally rather than a concern in the sea could make Drakous even more powerful.
Flames tore through the air and I twisted, my wings just missing the unnatural fire. Heart pounding, I turned, facing down the abomination that had released the gruesome fire. These dragons were deadly, but they were false creations. An insult to all dragons.
The sun dimmed as hundreds of dragons coming from the city flew toward the battle. More of the magical dragons flooded the sky, quickly outnumbering my own warriors.
The massive creatures had a wingspan twice as large as mine. They moved forward as a unit, creating a shadow over the sea as they charged. Below, I heard the cheers of the sailors, who’d apparently been expecting this.
A wall of fire exploded from the creatures and I watched in horror as dragons fell to the sea. My people. My warriors.
These creatures might be made from magic, but their fire was still as deadly as mine.
A glint of gold caught my eye, and I noticed my brother heading straight toward our new challengers. Fuck.
Kabir was charging with his unit, the dragons dodging the bursts of fire as they got closer to the monsters. These were not the same as the magical dragons we’d fought before. I could feel the heat of their flames, the wind coming from their wingbeats. And there was something else, something that sent a shiver right down my spine. Whatever it was, these new monsters were not going down easy. The first ones we encountered were weak, but they seemed to have improved the magic on these new additions.
I joined the ranks, flying with my warriors, all of us falling into the battle formations we’d practiced so many times. Claws glinting, fire at the ready, we rushed toward the hoard of massive creatures.
One by one, we released our fire, orange flames merging with the fire of our enemy. Dodging and twisting, I flew into the waiting masses, tearing my claws through their flesh, releasing fire where I thought they might be more vulnerable.
My dragons followed, completing attack patterns of their own. We fought with claws and teeth and flame. One of the massive creatures lunged for me, its jaws just missing my neck. I slashed along its face, drawing dark green blood.
It screamed, but didn’t hesitate as it snapped at me again. When I avoided it, the creature attacked with claws, tearing through my scales as if it were human flesh.
I growled, then released a fireball into its face. The dragon shook it off. No turning to dust, no sign that I’d injured it at all.
These things weren’t going down. Not a single one fell to the water. Not a single one had turned away.
A roar tore through the air, the sound making my whole body tense. I hurtled a burst of flame at my attacker, then launched upward, breaking free of the throng. Below, I saw the masses surrounding the gold dragon. The attacking hoard closing in on my brother. I dove, with a roar of my own, drawing as many of the beasts to me as I could.
Just as I arrived, Kabir fell. My heart felt like it was torn from my chest and I let out a bellow I didn’t recognize as I plummeted after him. His dragon form was breaking and twisting as he neared the water, forcing him into shifting. I flapped harder, managing to swing below him, his weak human form landing on my back with a thud.
Two dragons flanked me, moving close, and I knew they were there to catch Kabir if he fell from my back. I didn’t feel any movement. He didn’t grab onto my scales.
With a roar of grief I bypassed the battle, wincing as arrows pierced my sensitive wings. As soon as I reached the shore, I slid my brother from my back. One of the dragons who’d followed me shifted quickly and raced to the fallen prince. It was Zarthan, our best healer. I didn’t even know he’d joined the fight. He shouldn’t be here. He was too valuable to risk.
My blood ran ice cold.
If the healers had joined the fight, the city had already fallen.
“I’ve got him. You go,” Zarthan yelled.
I nodded, then shot into the sky. My people were being annihilated. Dragons were dropping from the sky, their human forms hitting the water where, to my surprise, the creatures ignored them. But they weren’t splashing, they weren’t fighting for air.
We were being destroyed. One at a time, dragon by dragon; the fae were killing us off. Part of me wanted to rush back in and show the fae what dragons were made of. But that was pride, not leadership.
I made a sound I never thought I’d make. The call for retreat.
My warriors hesitated, some of them still fighting for their lives.
I roared again, then rose skyward so they could see me before making the final call.
Three times.
This was real. We were falling back.
The problem was, I knew we couldn’t fall back to our city.
I glanced to shore where Zarthan was loading my brother onto the back of the third dragon who’d joined us. Likely another healer, since he had a strap on his back to accommodate fallen warriors. No other dragon would allow anyone to ride them.
Hating myself, I retreated, flying away from my home. We’d regroup. This wasn’t over.
We reachedthe winter training camp just after sunset. It had been years since we’d utilized this space, but there were still buildings and some basic supplies stocked for emergencies.
I didn’t have the list of the fallen yet, but I knew we’d lost too many good dragons.
Healers and anyone with basic healing skills quickly worked to clean wounds and tend to the injured.
I walked around the makeshift hospital, offering encouragement where I could and placing coins on the eyes of those who were gone.
“How is he?” I knelt next to my brother, who was still unconscious.
“He’ll recover,” Nissa said. She stood, and I noticed the blood staining her tunic.
“You’re injured. You need to get that taken care of.”
She lifted a brow. “I’ve been healing longer than you’ve been alive. I’m fine. And your brother is going to be just fine.”
“You’re too valuable to lose to pride.” I couldn’t help but stare at the bloody tunic.
She lifted it, revealing a small cut that was stitched neatly. “I told you, it’s under control.”
With a grunt, I nodded. “Alright.”
“I know you’re worried,” she said. “But as soon as he is healed enough to shift, he’ll recover completely.”
“What about the others?” I asked as I looked around.
She pressed her lips into a tight line. “We lost a lot. I’ve never seen anything like those other dragons before. We weren’t prepared for that.”
“I know.” I couldn’t say it out loud, but I knew if we didn’t figure out how to eliminate whatever magic created those, we’d lose.
“We’ve faced worse odds,” she said, her tone full of false optimism.
“I’ve known you too long to think you actually believe that,” I replied.
She shrugged. “We’ll figure something out.”
“Sure.” I sighed, then walked away, leaving the injured behind.
There was no time for feeling sorry for ourselves. I shoved aside all the fears of failure. We would find a way to defeat the Fae King, even if it meant taking him to the afterlife with me.
“Your highness,”Zane, one of my best scouts bowed, then approached.
“What did you see?”
“They have completely taken the city. None of the dragons are fighting back.” He looked like he was struggling to remain in his human form. His whole body was tense and his hands were shaking.
“You’re certain?” I asked.
“We saw them patrolling. Nobody is in the streets other than their soldiers.”
I shook my head. “They lured our army away to Athos. But they severely underestimate us if they think they’ll be able to hold the city. It’s only temporary.”
Zane smiled and some of his tension eased. “Tell me what you need. I’ll get a team ready.”
“I need all my generals,” I said. “We’re going to make him regret everything.”
Most of my best fighters had gone with me to Athos. We’d been so certain that the battle would happen there, we’d left behind too few men to guard the city. They gathered around me, surrounded by rocks and dirt, a far cry from the expansive war room in my palace.
An eagle flew past and I watched as it dove toward its prey. The large bird rose with a squirming rodent in its beak. By the way the creature dangled, I could tell it was already dead. Nearby, I caught a rustle and saw another rodent dive into a hole, finding safety in the ground.
My lips curved and I looked over at Patro, an old friend who now fought by my side. “Do you think you could draw up a map of the tunnels?”
He lifted a skeptical brow. “You can’t be serious. Those death traps we played in as kids? They have to be collapsed by now.”
“Are you talking about the ancient waterways?” Jasmine, one of my newer generals, asked.
I nodded.
“Those haven’t been used in generations. There’s no way they’re usable.”
“We don’t need them to be usable. We just need at least one route to get us into the city. From there, we can eliminate the Fae King once and for all.” I balled my hand into a fist, imagining myself squeezing the life out of my enemy. He took my city, he threatened my mate, there would be no truce.
“Get me a scribe,” I called.
A younger dragon who’d been standing just beyond the circle of generals scurried away, then returned quickly, panting. He shoved the scribe forward.
“You summoned, your highness?” The scribe looked terrified. I’d argued with my father for years about the waste of having a scribe with us when we fought. He’d insisted it was necessary for someone to record our efforts. I suppose now I was grateful we had him with us.
“I need to make a map of the tunnels under Drakous,” I explained.
The scribe’s shoulders eased and his expression changed from dread to excitement. “Of course! I studied all the ancient maps. I think I have the entire system memorized.”
“That’s incredibly lucky,” Patro murmured.
“Or it’s proof that the monsters who stole our city don’t belong there,” Jasmine said. “The gods are on our side.”
“The gods don’t take anyone’s side but their own,” I replied.
“We’ll just have to make it work on our own,” Jasmine said. “Tell us what you need.”
“I’m going in with a small group. The rest of you, be prepared to take the city as soon as I kill the king,” I replied.
My generals cheered, and for the first time since I left Drakous, I felt hope. The Fae King might be near immortal, but all I needed was to get close enough to use my fire. Nobody could withstand dragon fire.
“You, what’s your name?” I called to the younger man.
“Doren, your highness,” he said.
“Doren, come with me. We’ve got things to prepare.” I led him away, gesturing for the rest of the generals to follow me.