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The black dragon dodges the fire as his rider fixes us with a gaze that chills deeper than the storm.

His eyes, pools of darkness void of light, mirror Leesa’s when she was under the drachen’s vile control.

The sight ignites scorching fury within me.

“Careful, Lark!” Bastian shouts as the rider raises his hand, conjuring gusts of wind that violently buffet us.

There’s a harsh tug against my body.

The threat of being torn from Kaida’s back looms large as we dodge and weave.

The wind continues with its relentless gusts, each one a malicious whisper that promises the rider a fall.

Flames burst from my hands as I push against the bitter wind. Their bright, orange-red glow serves as a stark contrast to the dark magic wielded by the Aclarian rider.

The black dragon veers away, his massive wings cutting through the snow-laden air.

Nailah’s and Kaida’s snarls of disgust get lost in the howling storm.

I catch the black dragon’s eye, a gleam of intelligence within the abyss, and my heart stutters with recognition. I know him. He’s the very same dragon I inadvertently connected with and freed at Flighthaven. Later that night, he escaped.

Which only means one thing.

He was recaptured and drugged again.

“What has happened to you, friend?” I reach out with my mind, tendrils of thought snaking toward the creature.

Nailah joins me, spewing fire at the rider so he has to duck and take meager shelter along the dragon’s back.

I leave her to the attack and focus on a different tactic.

There’s a dance of flame and shadow in my head as I tap into the power I’ve used before.

A memory of freedom.

An echo of battles past.

The agony of confinement.

Confusion.

As the connection snaps into place, I am immersed in the dragon’s agony and the chains around his will.

We can break those chains.We’ve done it before.

I pour every ounce of determination into my mental grip.

With a surge of my magic, I wrest control from the rider, the dark influence crumbling like burnt parchment. The dragon bucks in a wild, desperate twist that flings the rider into the void.

His scream pierces the storm before an eerie silence swallows the sound whole.

The black dragon pauses midair, shivering off the last remnants of control.

Gratitude washes over me, so pure and profound it tightens my chest.Fly free! Fly far! Escape!

He does, swooping down in one smooth arc to snatch at the falling figure of his tormentor. The dragon crunches the rider between his sharp teeth before spitting him out to continue his fall to the snow-covered mountainside.

“What just happened?” Bastian doesn’t turn his head, keeping his gaze fixed ahead of us just in case of further attack.