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Lightning cracks. The eyril field is ablaze, a mesmerizing inferno of blues and whites and oranges and reds.

I’m floating. Falling. Spiraling downward.

Blissful darkness claims me as flames engulf me.

* * *

Darkness envelops me, caressing my skin with the tenderness of a mother’s touch. My heart beats a slow rhythm, matching the pulse of this endless void.

I’m dead. This must be the lands of the next world.

And yet, the comforting embrace of warmth seeps into my bones.

“So dramatic, little human.”

I recognize the voice of darkness that wraps around me like a blanket. Nyc. The darkness isn’t just a place. It’s her, the goddess of night herself.

“Am I…” I can’t bring myself to finish the question.

“Dead? Oh no. You’re very much alive. That was quite a stunt you pulled, burning the eyril field.” Silvery laughter follows, though there’s something in her tone I can’t place. Sorrow? Regret? “But your fire didn’t burn deep enough. The eyril roots remain, and the drachen are still alive.”

My eyes feel heavy, my brain sluggish as I struggle to process what I’ve learned. “Sterling. Is he?—”

“He lives, though the maintain their drachen control over him.”

Sheer defeat weighs my body down, like an alicorn sitting on my chest. “How am I supposed to get him back? I feel so hopeless.”

“There is always hope.” Nyc’s voice soothes me like a gentle caress. “Never forget that.”

My eyes snap open, and I startle as the starry night sky materializes before me. Several moments later, I register that I’m flying…on Mygist’s back. His mighty black wings beat the air in powerful thrusts, and I catch a hazy glimpse of other dragons and riders around us.

I’ve always heard the night is darkest before the dawn, and our night just turned black as pitch. The coming days will bring war to our doorstep, along with all the inherent bloodshed and loss that accompanies battle.

I could let that knowledge wreck me. Instead, I draw from an inner core of strength and sit taller with every dragon’s wingbeat.

Because if there’s one thing I should know given my heritage, it’s how to rise from the ashes.

To Be Continued…