96. Levi
LEVI
“We need to find a path down this cliffside and pray for an outcrop or something stable we can bunker under. If we’re going to have any hope of eating food tonight, we need to stop soon so I can set a few nearby traps in case my hunting is fruitless…”
My words drift as the wholly unfamiliar but distinct sound of wings distantly pounding the air reaches my ears.
My heart thumps in my chest as my arms spread to guide us backwards into the exceedingly sparse shelter of the skeletal trees.
The sounds grow louder, closer and my lungs cease to breathe as a dragon soars past us, above the clouds.
Its scales are a silvery, pearlescent gray made bright and glittering in the sun.
Black and gray horns halo its enormous head that is at least the length of a bus and twice as wide.
My heart leaps into my throat as its head cranes to meet our gaze. And even from far away, I can feel the intelligence behind it, followed by what I can only describe as a knocking at the door of my mind.
Intuition guides me to cautiously open...
“Halastos.”
Hello.
The voice is distinctly feminine, speaking in what I recognize clearly, thanks to Violette’s elixir, as Selcarimi. I am stunned to silence. When I don’t reply, she flies past us, shrinking into the distance before diving beneath the clouds.
After several moments, Violette grips my arm. “Levi... Are you ok?”
My mouth snaps shut. I hadn’t even realized it was open. Violette doesn’t look half as impressed, and Azrael looks downright morose.
“Yeah. I just... have never seen a dragon before.”
“Oh... Right.”
“Drakonati,” Azrael corrects, “Dragon would imply she was merely a dinosaur.”
Did he hear her too?
“Drakonati have a fae-form,” he adds.
As if I couldn’t possibly be more stunned, though my shock remains concealed by my neutral expression.
“As in... It can shift to look like a human with pointy ears?”
Azrael and Violette’s mouths both twitch with amusement.
“Something like that…”
Holy. Fuck.
“How could you tell it was female?”
“Outside of her size, her crown of horns. Males do not have crowns, but two enormous horns that they sometimes use to gore their prey or enemies.”
Somehow, my expression remains neutral. “Excellent. Stay away from the males, duly noted.”
Azrael chuckles, the sound unmistakably sad. “Oh no, the females are the ones you have to worry about. They’re far more hot-headed.”
I arch a brow at him in question. He sighs, shaking his head. “It’s a story far too depressing to burden our morale with right now, but one of my realms no longer has drakonati.”
“They went extinct?”
He huffs a mirthless laugh. The words that follow sound hollow.
“No... They left.”