Page 47 of Eluvonia (Rift of Ages #1)

Another creature shoots upward, its body still caught in a grotesque state of flux.

Its chest splits down the middle as scales tear through skin, ribs cracking outward like broken bone wings.

Its head remains human but twisted, jaw unhinged like a snake, its teeth uneven and rotting.

Its human eyes stare out, but they are void—lifeless, cursed.

Then a voice bellows from the ground, chilling my blood.

“Do you like our new creations?” The commander’s voice drips with sadistic glee. “They are stronger than any Dragon you have faced! Infused with the blood of demons from Eldrathir!”

I choke on a gasp. Demons from Eldrathir? That cursed realm of corruption? The very blood that spawns hellish creatures now fuels these abominations?

Declan curses under his breath. “They turned them into hybrids,” he growls. “Half-man. Half-Dragon. Infused with demon blood…”

I feel bile rise in my throat. “That’s why their bodies look—unfinished.” My gaze snaps to one of the abominations whose lower half still clings to human shape, skin mottled and torn where scales erupted .

Kaida’s fight on the ground becomes desperate.

One of the creatures lunges, its mouth open unnaturally wide, teeth dripping with blackened saliva.

Kaida twists, driving his blade through its throat, but another barrels into his side, sending him sprawling.

His wings flare open to steady himself—but instead of flying, he stays grounded, still protecting me.

“Kaida, fly! ” I scream, my throat raw.

As if hearing me, Kaida’s gaze snaps upward—locking with mine.

For the briefest moment, pure desperation flashes across his face.

But then his jaw sets, his grip tightening around his blade.

He cuts through another abomination, his body moving like liquid death.

Yet more are coming, the sheer number staggering.

No. He’s not going to make it.

“Declan! Turn around—”

“We can’t—”

“ I don’t care! ” I scream, my voice cracking. “He’s going to die!”

Something primal flares in Declan’s expression. Without hesitation, he tucks his wings and dives. The momentum slams my body into his chest, but I don’t care—I keep my eyes locked on Kaida.

A creature lunges, its claws slicing toward Kaida’s throat—

And Kaida finally moves.

His wings snap open with a deafening crack, and his body launches upward with the force of a hurricane.

The creature’s claws graze his leg, drawing a deep gash, but he doesn’t falter.

Blood streams from the wound, but Kaida keeps rising, his shadows wrapping around his form like armor.

His teeth bare in a snarl as he tears past the remaining guards.

I feel my entire body unclench, relief slamming into me like a tidal wave. “He made it—”

One of the abominations lunge towards us, its claws catching my ankle. I scream, and Declan snarls, his dagger flashing. He drives the blade into its wrist, severing the limb with a sickening crack. The creature howls as black, tar-like blood spurts from the wound.

“Declan! There’s too many!”

His jaw tightens. “I know.” His wings beat harder, faster, his muscles straining as we break through the cloud of creatures. “We’ll find Kaida—”

A deafening roar echoes from below. Another abomination launches upward, this one larger, its body fully corrupted. Its wings beat like thunder, its eyes locked onto us. It opens its maw, spewing a column of sulfuric fire.

Declan spins, his wings curling around me as the flames graze his back. A pained grunt escapes him, but he doesn’t stop. With a hard thrust, he ascends, his face contorted with determination.

Below, the commander’s laughter rises again.

“Run, little prince!” he taunts. “You can’t escape my creations! Not when they crave Fae blood!”

Terror lodges in my throat. They’re coming for me.

Declan’s grip on me tightens as he pushes higher, his wings straining. The wind rips past us, the sound of battle fading as we climb, but not far enough. The shadow of the guards still looms above, relentless in their pursuit.

Kaida barrels through the air, his shadows whipping around him, pulling and tearing at anything that dares come near him.

He crashes into a guard gaining on us, his claws and shadows working in harmony to rip through the creature’s defenses.

The guard’s body is torn from the sky, blood spraying like a gruesome fireworks display.

Declan glances back, his golden wings straining. “We’re almost there,” he grits, his voice strained.

The horizon stretches before us, vast and empty, a promise of escape. But the sounds of pursuit remain close, the roar of Dragons and the beating of wings a constant reminder of the danger still at our heels.

Kaida rejoins us, his wings bloodied but unyielding. “They’re relentless,” he says, voice tight. “We need to split up.”

Declan’s eyes narrow. “Not a chance. I’m not leaving you.”

Kaida doesn’t argue. Instead, he positions himself just behind us, his presence a shield against the oncoming wave of fury. Together, we fly, the sky a battlefield, the city below a haunting reminder of the price of defiance. “We need to get her out of here,” he says, glancing at Declan.

Declan nods, his grip tightening around me. “Hold on.”

The wind rushes past us as Declan climbs higher, the city shrinking below. I close my eyes, pain and fear overwhelming, but the steady beats of their wings give me a fragile sense of hope.

The guards pursue us relentlessly, their shadows looming closer. Kaida twists mid-air, slashing at one who ventures too close, sending him spiraling downward. Declan veers left, the sudden motion jostling me.

“Faster,” Kaida shouts, his voice strained.

Declan’s wings strain against the weight, the horizon stretching endlessly before us. The cries of the guards grow fainter. I grip Declan’s tunic weakly, my fingers barely able to curl around the fabric.

“We’ll make it,” he says, his voice resolute, though I see the worry etched into his features.

Kaida flies closer, his jaw set in a determined line. “We have to.”