Page 36 of Bound in Flames (The Savage Hearts #1)
Chapter 36
Dex
T he air was thick with the stench of blood and dark magic, each breath burning in my lungs as I swung my axe with ruthless precision, the blade cleaving through another of the twisted creatures that clawed hungrily at the stronghold walls. The clash of steel and the guttural roars of battle melded into a deafening symphony of chaos. The ground beneath us trembled with the force of the shadow dragon’s wrath, its power thrumming through the stone like a living pulse. But then, abruptly, the tremors subsided.
I stilled, my grip tightening around the haft of my axe, muscles coiled and ready. Something had shifted. My gaze snapped to the source—Cleo. She stood atop the ramparts, an ethereal beacon against the night, her hands outstretched, her body vibrating with raw magic that radiated in waves. Roots—thick, ancient, and gnarled—burst from the earth below, weaving through the crumbling stone, sealing cracks and reinforcing the stronghold with a force that seemed almost sentient. I could feel the energy rolling off her wildly, a manifestation of the earth itself bending to her will.
The dragon’s roar split the night, a soul-rattling cry that made my bones tremble. Its titanic body thrashed as vines coiled up around its limbs, but Cleo’s power held it fast, trapping it down with a strength I had never imagined she possessed.
But hope is a fragile, fickle thing.
The bond between us flared—searing, blistering, as if the very air between us had ignited. A violent heat pulsed through my veins, staggering me, nearly driving me to my knees. Cleo’s magic surged through our bond, wild and unchecked, a storm raging inside her that threatened to devour me. I could feel her desperation, her need to protect, but beneath it lurked something darker—an insatiable hunger for more. The sharp edge of it clawed at me, filling me with an unfamiliar dread.
I scanned the battlefield as my heart pounded with urgency. There she was, moving down from the safety of the wall, each step radiating danger.
The warriors nearest her, hardened veterans who had faced horrors beyond reckoning, stumbled back, their faces tight fear. Gornak hesitated as she passed, his knuckles white around the haft of his axe. To my left I heard someone mutter a prayer to the Gods. She looked like a goddess of war and destruction, and they did not know whether to bow or flee.
A cold sweat slicked my skin beneath my armor, a raw fear curling in my gut. This power—this terrifying, boundless force—was more than I had ever prepared for. She had warned me. She had pleaded with me to understand, but I had underestimated it. I had underestimated her . And now, watching her unravel before me, watching her lose herself to this magic, the weight of my failure crashed over me.
“Cleo!” My voice was desperate, but she didn’t hear me.
She moved with eerie grace, power bleeding from her every pore, the air around her thick with magic so potent it made my skin crawl. I couldn’t tear my gaze from her. Every step she took fed the fire within her, the glow intensifying until it was blinding.
The shadow beasts stilled, their grotesque faces contorting in agony as their bodies withered, shriveling into dust that the wind carried away. Her magic was a tempest, furious, all-consuming, and starved for release. It was destruction incarnate, a wildfire burning beyond reason, and I could see it consuming her.
I pushed forward with renewed urgency, my heart slamming against my ribs. "Cleo!"
Her head tilted at the sound of my voice, but her vacant eyes didn’t meet mine. Instead, she took another step forward as golden light bled from her fingertips, magic curling around her hands she fell into darkness.