Page 7 of Eluvonia (Rift of Ages #1)

AERIS

E arly the next morning, I jolt awake, coughing against the acrid bite of smoke clawing at my throat.

My nostrils sting as the air thickens, heavy with ash that swirls like restless spirits against the faint, flickering light from the cavern ahead.

Sweat slicks my skin, a cloying sheen that the cool stone beneath me can’t temper.

My chest seizes as I lurch upright, sleep tearing away like fragile threads at the unmistakable crackle of flames.

My hand darts to my bow, snatching it up along with the quiver slung beside it.

The sound of distant screams reaches my ears as I fumble to secure my dagger to my waist, the leather strap slipping through my trembling fingers.

My breath hitches as I lurch to my feet, the urgency coursing through me like a wildfire of its own.

My bare feet slap against the rough stone as I sprint toward the main cavern, each step pulling me closer to the stifling heat radiating from ahead.

When I round the final corner, the scene before me yanks the air from my lungs.

Flames twist along the walls, serpentine and alive, casting grotesque shadows over the chaos they’ve birthed.

Collapsing tents fold in on themselves, embers exploding outward in bright arcs.

The cacophony of screams, roaring fire, and the guttural sobs of the dying blend into a symphony of despair that fills the cavern.

My knees falter, threatening to buckle beneath me, but I force myself forward, my gaze skimming over charred bodies scattered like broken marionettes across the floor.

“Esra…” Her name scrapes from my throat, a hoarse whisper drowned by the noise.

Panic knots my gut, propelling me into the fray.

“Esra!” My shout rips through the smoke, raw and desperate as my gaze darts frantically, searching for her amidst the chaos.

“Leynard!” My voice cracks as I stumble over debris, the echo of my pleas swallowed by the relentless roar of the inferno.

A harsh cough wracks my chest, the metallic tang of blood rising in my mouth.

I press on, stepping over twisted limbs and shattered weapons as the cavern’s jagged maw looms ahead.

Firelight spills out like molten gold into the forest beyond, a cruel contrast to the suffocating darkness behind me.

Gulping the fresh air as I burst outside, I nearly collapse from relief—until I see the carnage waiting beyond.

The forest is a hellscape. Trees burn like funeral pyres, their branches collapsing in fiery avalanches that spew sparks into the night. Above, Dragons wheel and dive, their massive forms silhouetted against the inferno. Wings the size of sails beat the air, sending embers spiraling.

Their scales shimmer like molten metal in the firelight.

Each bellowed roar a bone-shaking thunderclap as streams of fire cascade from their maws.

Below, males with different-colored leather wings folded against their backs, carve through the fleeing Fae, their curved blades dripping with fresh blood.

My knees buckle, my body trembling as I struggle to stay upright.

Smoke scorches my throat, each breath searing like a blade.

This was home . These were my people. My friends, my family—burning, bleeding, falling one by one.

The scent of charred wood and flesh clings to the air, thick and suffocating, turning my stomach.

I had grown up in these trees, knew every twisted root and hidden path. Now, they are nothing but kindling for a war we never stood a chance of winning. The forest, once a place of safety, of whispered laughter and shared secrets, is unrecognizable—a graveyard in the making.

My knees buckle, my body trembling as I struggle to stay upright. The weight of it all—the flames, the screams, the loss, the unbearable heat—crushes me like a vice.

Then, I see her: a flash of blonde hair darting between the trees.

“Esra!” I stagger forward, my voice cracking as I shout her name again. My heart pounds, a frantic rhythm in my chest as I spot the hulking shadow gaining on her.

The shifter moves with terrifying speed, closing the distance with each stride. My hand drops to my dagger, the hilt solid against my palm. Instinct takes over as I hurl it.

The blade finds its mark, embedding itself in the brute’s chest. He falters mid-step, his face contorting in shock before he crumples to the ground with a heavy thud.

Esra turns, her soot-streaked face pale and drawn. She stumbles into my arms, her small frame trembling as she clutches me like a lifeline. “Aeris,” she sobs, her voice breaking. “There’s so much blood… so many dead…my parents…”

I cradle her against me, pressing my chin to the crown of her head as her tears soak my tunic. My throat constricts, the weight of her despair pulling at my own tenuous composure.

Forcing my hands to steady, I cup her face, tilting her tear-streaked features toward mine. “Esra,my father, Leynard—have you seen them?”

Her head jerks in a violent shake, her words tumbling out in panicked gasps. “Leynard? No—I don’t-—Aeris, I didn’t see him!”

A curse escapes my lips as I grip Esra’s wrist, pulling her along, my heart hammering in my chest. We have to get to the edge of the forest, away from this madness.

“We’ll find him and my father,” I say, trying to sound confident, though the fear clenching my chest twists painfully, choking my words. My eyes dart around, taking in the carnage that surrounds us.

Dragons rain down from above, their wings cutting through the night like harbingers of death. The fire they breathe lights up the trees in brilliant orange and red, their flames devouring everything in their path.

Fae scream in agony as they’re ripped from the earth, their bodies torn apart in midair.

I see a male with green leather like wings sprouting from his back, land behind a Fae, and with a sickening twist, he sinks his claws into their chest, blood spraying out in a brutal arc. My stomach churns, but there’s no time to dwell on it. We have to move.

Each step feels like a gamble, the ground beneath us shaking with the weight of destruction. The air is thick with smoke, every breath tasting of ash, and I can feel the heat of the flames licking at the back of my neck.

The forest is alive with screams, with the crunching of bodies beneath talons and claws, the relentless thud of Dragons landing, and the hiss of flames as they consume everything in their wake.

The scent of burning flesh is everywhere, mingling with the charred wood and the blood-soaked earth.

Flames lash out from fallen branches, scorching the air around us as we weave through the wreckage, our footsteps muffled by the crackling fire. The trees that once stood tall and proud are now twisted and burning, their branches snapping and falling as the fire spreads, turning everything to ash.

The world around us is a nightmare, a vision of hell I can’t escape. I don’t dare look back, don’t dare stop, because I know if I do, we’ll be consumed by the flames.

Esra’s grip on my arm tightens and I hear her cry—a sound of pure terror that slices through the chaos, sending a shiver down my spine.

“AERIS!”

I spin around just as the air trembles with the roar of a red Dragon diving toward us. Its wings blot out the sky, and its enormous body casts a shadow over everything.

My heart leaps into my throat as fire pours from its open maw, molten and blinding. The heat hits me in waves, and before I can think, I shove Esra aside, throwing myself in her path to protect her.

The blistering heat singes my skin, and the flames crash into the ground where we stood only a moment before, turning everything in its wake to ash. The air warps with the intensity of the fire, the ground beneath us cracking and shuddering with the impact.

“Run!” I shout, my voice barely audible over the deafening roar of the Dragon, as I grab Esra’s arm, pulling her to her feet. Her body shakes beneath my grip, but I don’t give her a choice. We have to go, we can’t wait.

The forest is a relentless gauntlet, every step we take is a battle against the destruction that surrounds us. Trees collapse all around us, sending plumes of smoke and dust into the air, the earth beneath our feet crumbling like it can’t hold the weight of the world.

But we push forward. Every step is survival; every breath is a desperate plea to make it out alive.

I can hear the crack of bones as Fae are crushed beneath the weight of the Dragons, the sickening sound of blades slicing through flesh, and the horrifying gurgles of those whose throats are torn out. The carnage is endless.

A Fae to my left, a female this time, is caught by the claw of a Dragon, lifted into the air with a scream that fades into nothing as her throat is ripped out, her body thrown aside like it’s nothing more than a ragdoll.

Esra stumbles beside me, her steps unsteady, but we keep moving, pushing forward through the smoke and flames. The crackle of fire and the sounds of screams begin to fade behind us as we weave through the forest, the chaos slowly growing distant.

The forest around us begins to quiet, the heat from the fires dimming as we run further into the woods. My breath comes faster, but there’s something else now—a shift, a subtle change in the air.

The overwhelming sound of destruction, the screams of those who were lost, begins to fade into the background, swallowed by the distance between us and the inferno.

I glance over at Esra, her face pale, her breath labored, but there’s something in her eyes now—a flicker of hope that mirrors the one growing in my chest.

We’re getting away.

We’re actually getting away.

But then Esra trips.

Her cry cuts through the chaos, and I stop short and turn just in time to see her sprawled on the ground, her ankle twisted at an unnatural angle a few feet behind me.