Chapter 11 Evira
~Evira~
We rematerialized in Magnor City.
It was the main city of the Dracoryn Realm, which was situated at the center of all four Quadrants—Ice, Fire, Water, and Wind. It was neutral ground for all dragon houses.
At the center was a four-pointed star and from it, four grand avenues speared outward in the direction of each Quadrant.
Around that centerpoint was a circular ring of buildings—embassies, markets, museums, stores, entertainment facilities. There were influences from all Quadrants throughout the city and it all came together in a cool eclectic mishmash.
Glacial sculptures and white granite buildings with a faint frost haze from the Ice Dragon aspect, plus sweeping arches that were a tribute to Vortimer Palace.
From the fire-influenced side, there were black and vibrant-red spires upon buildings, some twisting magical trees melding with that look.
The most prominent aspect was in Ember Gate—two twin onyx arches carved with flame etchings.
They served as the entrance to one of the picturesque parks that was a hell of a thing with charcoal mountains and snowy ones too, wind funnels to play in, swirling pools.
The Water Dragon aspect came through in the buildings made of sea-glass tiles and stone patterned like wave ripples. And, of course, the many spectacular decorative waterfalls positioned all around, along with the Lavadon Reflective Pool.
The Wind Dragon features were chimes and banners, along with hollow flutes singing when the wind hit them, and also the stunning sky bridges, some connecting certain buildings.
It was usually such a wonderful place to visit.
But it was all being tainted right now with what was taking place at the focal point of the city in the circular plaza.
To my left, Torvek tensed.
I heard a shocked curse from Zayn to my right.
Five hundred members of the Dracoryn Army had been mobilized and they filled out the spacious area, warriors standing arranged in four units—one for each Quadrant.
And they were facing off against… nightmares come to life.
Nightmares that kept being… created.
Midnight-blue humanoid forms of solidified magic that kept bursting onto the scene in eruptions of smoke and coming down the mountains on the outskirts of the area, headed straight for Magnor City. Their faces were just oval blurs of nothingness.
“A thousand and coming,” Torvek reported, cataloguing quickly.
“Holy shit,” Zayn exclaimed.
I swung my head back to our army.
Luzan “Flame” Seffalyn flanked them.
Trainer of so many of dragonkind.
War general.
Warrior Supreme.
His daughter, Fanor, stood beside him in red tactical gear with gold threading through it. Flame had gone his trainer route in black tactical gear, obviously his focus having been on making sure the troops under his charge were kitted out properly in Dracoryn armor.
My grandmother, Elyrren, was positioned in dragon form in front of Flame. The First Regent. Her alabaster frost scales glistened in the daylight, her wings patterned like cracked ice.
And at the absolute forefront was my dad, the almighty Draven Vortimer, High Regent of the Dracoryn Realm.
He was in human form currently, like Flame and Fanor.
Unlike the troops who were in their armor, breastplates and all, he’d clearly been in such a rush he’d just remained in his regular clothes.
We were actually both in our favored furry winter coats.
Torvek rubbed my shoulder, then burst over to the frontlines and took position to my dad’s right.
Flame noticed Zayn standing with me and gestured for him to join the Fire Dragon unit. His Ifrit flame would meld very well with their abilities.
Zayn looked a little startled that he’d been offered to be a part of it, despite not being dragon. But he also looked fired up—pun definitely intended.
He hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave my side.
This was battle, though.
“Go for it,” I encouraged. “One thing first, though.” I grasped his hand, and his eyes widened as my power sparked briefly, and he let out a serene moan.
“What was that, icicle?”
“I temporarily spelled you with the ability to both understand and speak Draconic Tongue. It’s what they defer to in battle.”
“Wow. Thanks.”
I smiled and gave his hand a squeeze, then sent him off.
As I watched him settle amongst the Fire Dragons, some of them slapping his back and welcoming his courageous decision to fight among the likes of dragonkind, my dad’s voice gravitated toward me through the noise of the battlefield.
“Daughter.”
I looked to see that he’d registered our arrival, and he was holding out his hand, beckoning me over. I smiled. Of course he’d want me to be part of the fight. Overprotective father played out very differently with him and he’d never disrespect me by benching me for my safety.
“This is Ruxnoth,” I told him, as I burst over to him.
“Yes. He made himself known, burst into our Realm, tearing through the wards and shattering them to pieces, hence why there’s only a portion of our army here.
Other units are reinforcing the borders on all sides.
Vorzyr intervened with his Primal Celestial Resonance ability and drove back Ruxnoth’s power when that depraved True Celestial tried to nuke us all as we arrived on scene. ”
I jolted at his words, a shudder rolling down my spine. “Shit, Dad.”
“Where’s V now?” Torvek asked.
“He strategically forced Ruxnoth out of the vicinity, but he took a hit.” Dad gestured at one of the ice mountains far in the distance—the top now missing, char marks all over it.
“They’re over there. Vorzyr was buried beneath the entire thing, Ruxnoth drove him into it.
They’re still beneath it right now. Ariana and Kai are over there assisting and ready to put Ruxnoth down the moment they’re dug out. ”
Torvek started forward. “I need to help my brother and—”
“No,” Dad told him. “You could expose too much, given the nature of the help that would be needed.” He spoke carefully not revealing the actual reason. Thankfully there was a lot of chatter from the troops, and Flame barking out information to them, so it would be difficult to discern anyway.
I caught Zayn’s eye as he stood back there with the Fire Dragons and he blew me a kiss.
Blew me a kiss.
In the middle of all of this.
It had a bunch of the troops around him laughing, a few ruffling his hair good-naturedly.
He was just… incredible.
I winked at him, then rubbed T’s arm. “Vorzyr has some hefty backup over there already, flame bite.”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “Plus, he’s one tough—”
His words caught in his throat as Fanor slipped her hand into his.
He swung his head toward her, stunned.
She smiled, a sweetly intense look passing between them.
And then he smiled back and squeezed her hand.
The enemy suddenly burst forward, breaking from their marching pattern.
I assumed a fighting stance.
I felt a ripple of movement, the troops doing the same thing, readying themselves.
“Athyras!” Dad bellowed over the battlefield, signaling Flame behind us.
He was going for the least damaging option to our surroundings first.
Dad was working the battle strategy, while Flame worked the tactical aspects.
He directed half of them to shift, guided their path forward, signaled trajectory.
Those in dragon form soared overhead, slamming their wings together to create immense rushes of hurricane-force wind battering down upon the enemy.
Those in human form burst forward in front of us and blew furious rushes of wind forth, tearing into the marching thousand. They hit them with mini-tornadoes, lashing whips of wind, swirling gusts.
And it… did nothing.
It just rolled over the strange constructs.
It didn’t even stop them marching toward us.
Not for a fucking second.
The enemy started firing shimmering balls of blue at the three dozen Athyras dragons flying overhead and still trying to impact them.
But as they connected, it didn’t blast any of them back.
Instead it traveled all over their wings and… started turning them to glass, or crystal, it was hard to tell which, but it had the same effect regardless. It spread so quickly, over other areas of their bodies, too.
A collective gasp from us all rang out as it fucked with their ability to stay in the air and they crashed toward the ground.
No! If they hit, they would shatter to pieces.
“Wind funnels!” Dad and Flame called out in unison, and then the Athyras members in human form below spun their arms rapid-fire and enveloped them in swirling wind containment, guiding them down to the ground carefully.
But not all of them. And those on the ground were blasted too, this time with streams that blew them back—right into us.
Curses and screams rang out and my stomach churned violently as several dragons now partially transmuted to glass crashed into the ground, parts of them shattering to pieces, and their ear-piercing screams of agony sending a shockwave through our troops.
It was absolutely gut-wrenching.
Dad and Flame sent in troops, ordering them to move with rushes of dragon speed toward the wounded, then get clear to the Medical Hub immediately.
The moment the brutally wounded were off the battlefield, Dad called out for me and several other Vortimer dragons to execute a collective Thunderstep “with acute ground damage”.
I shifted into dragon form in seconds, Dad doing the same, and the two of us led the way. We knifed out, him going with troops to the left of the enemy, me to the right, several dozen taking position on each side.
Dad lifted his snout at me.
I growled back.
Then we both signaled our people.
We shot forward, speed and might colliding, violent pops and cracks in the air erupting at the instantaneous brutal displacement, a moment before we drove our feet into the ground, frost pulsing, cracks of thunder sounding as we tore into the earth, carving out craters and trenches and flash-freezing them in the process.