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I could feel she was close. She was here. She had to be here. I could feel her. She was here. She washere.

“Elara!”

Hair, like corn silk, and stained with blood, was suddenly under my hand. I pulled away charred remains and broken tiles, and then her face was looking up at me, smeared with soot.

“Oh Gods.” I scrambled to pull away the pillar that was pinning her down, my fingertips torn open. “My love, I’m here, I’ve got you.” She coughed as I pulled her out, and I wrapped her in my arms. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

She held onto me, shaking. “Rook.”

“I’m here. Now, come, we have to go.” I lifted her into my arms, and exhaled heavily as I extended my wings. The pain in my head returned, but I clenched my teeth together and with a swoop, we were in the air.

A searing pain hit me in the side, and Elara yelped as we were thrown sideways, out of the air. I shielded her in my arms as we hit the ground. Blood was running down my side.

“Rook?” She clutched my face in her hands. “Rook, what happened?”

“Going somewhere?” Caedmon’s voice sounded loud and booming. I twisted to look at him advancing.

“Elara,” I said, clutching her hands. “Run. Get out of here now. Run.”

She shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.”

“He’ll kill you. Get out of here. I’ll follow.”

“Rook!”

“RUN.” I pushed her away and turned towards Caedmon, clutching my side as I rose to my feet. “Looking for a fight, Caedmon?”

“Let’s call it revenge for my son.” Caedmon’s dragon form was truly enormous, and he bared his teeth as he moved closer to me. His eyes flickered towards Elara, who was backing away along the wall.

“Look at me, you ugly fuck.” I summoned a pool of darkness before me, and Caedmon’s gaze shifted back to me. The wound in my side stung as I extended my arm, but I bit through the pain. “Your son was a useless bastard just like his father, and killing him did this Realm a favor.”

Caedmon roared, smoke swirling from the back of his throat. “I’m going to tear you to pieces, Norahi.”

“Come and get me then.”

Caedmon rushed at me, his taloned wings darting towards me. I lifted my hand, swinging the shadows around one wing and jolting it to the right, causing Caedmon to stumble. With my other hand, I sent a black tendril to tear his other wing to the left. He growled as he pushed forward trying to break free of the shadows.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Elara edging towards my ax.

What are you doing? I told you to run.

Before she could respond Caedmon tore open his mouth and a flare of flame shot through the air towards me. The darkness dissolved with a hiss as I threw myself back on to the ground, wincing as the impact shattered though the wound in my side.

“Your kind, Norahi,” Caedmon said with a sneer, moving towards me with serpentine ease. “Your kind should have been killed off, not just restricted. And now, now that there will be a new order, they will see to it.”

“They will, will they?” I asked, pushed myself up on a hand. I grinned at Caedmon, licking the blood off my teeth. “And who is they? More lords who promised you power? More nobles who’ll use your strength to their own ends and leave you up on your barren lands to rot for all eternity?”

Caedmon chuckled, his yellow eyes disappearing briefly in a slow blink. “No. This time, the dragons are on the right side. This time, we will have our power. We will stand at the side of the new King, and all shall be right in this Realm.”

I got to my feet, and laughed. “Your judgment will always be impeded by your thirst for power.”

“Enough of this.” He took a deep breath, and unleashed another tornado of flames in my direction.

I leapt out of the way, the flames catching my right arm. I hit the ground, the gritty sand flying into my wounds. I sent a cloud of night at Caedmon’s face, disorienting him long enough to scramble towards Elara, who now had a hold of my ax.

Gods, it was almost as tall as her. She clutched the handle, her white knuckles visible even from this distance. Her eyes flashed from Caedmon, to me, and back. She couldn’t throw it, she could barely lift it. Shit.

Caedmon shook his head violently, the shadows around his face dissolving in another flurry of flames. With a snarl he was on top of me, and I cried out as a talon pierced my thigh.