Page 92 of Night Meets the Elf Queen (The Elf Queen #4)

VALEEN

T he air was fresher up here. Wind whistled through the gaps in her winged helmet. Starborn and Night soared alongside Presco in his beast form and Hel with his wings. Ronan, Piper, and Dax flew just above, and behind them were Ronan’s battalion of dragons.

It wasn’t just the sheer number of the enemy on the ground surrounding the Valley’s edge that took her breath away but the dragons circling above them.

They looked like groups of dark clouds on the horizon.

The roars and bellows rumbled through her chest. Not all of them were shifters either. There were wyverns among them.

The wall will hold, she chanted or prayed, she wasn’t sure which.

Below, Thane, Fennan, and Leif were on the physical wall. “Archers ready!” his voice carried all the way up to where she was.

If this goes south, I won’t let them take you again, Hel said. Don’t try to fight me if I tell you we’re leaving.

I’m not going to abandon everyone. This army is here because of us.

Or do fight me then, but you won’t win.

She knew he meant it too. He would leave everyone to die and take her away kicking and screaming if he had to. Then I won’t let us lose.

They flew through the shimmering magical barrier and her heart started hammering.

Valeen raised her sword and turned to face the battalion behind her.

“You are the bravest dragons there have ever been. I’d rather fight beside you than a thousand of them.

If you want glory, this is where you get it!

There is no surrender… for them! We kill them all. ”

The roars back filled her with a wild energy.

“We’re with you, my queen,” Presco said. “No matter the cost.”

“It’s an honor to fight beside you, Presco. Always.”

She turned and gripped the reins, steering her winged horses straight into the first line of dragons.

They dipped down under the swiping talons, and she shoved her blade upward and dragged it along the belly of a beast, spilling open his guts.

Presco swung his giant paw, smacking another dragon’s face aside and sunk his teeth deep into his neck.

Hel dodged a stream of fire and cut the wings from the beast then the others clashed.

With wings tucked, a smaller navy-blue dragon bolted down, straight at her.

Starborn and Night cut left, and evaded a hit.

Valeen backflipped out of her chariot and dropped into a freefall.

Bracing herself, she curled her legs as she landed on the dragon’s back.

It roared and twisted. Valeen’s stomach dipped and she gripped the dragon’s spike with both arms and held on through the barrel roll.

Once she evened out, Valeen drove Zythara straight into the back of its neck, severing the spine.

There wasn’t even a dying roar, the dragon’s body went limp, and it plummeted.

Starborn and Night came back around, and she leapt from the dragon’s back to her chariot.

She gripped the reins once again and caught her breath.

Whew. It’s been a long time since I did something like that.

“Up, up,” she said in the primordial language.

When her boots started to slide from the steep incline, she gripped the sides of the chariot.

She needed to get a better view. A roar made her twist. Two dragons pursued her, one black, the other a charcoal.

Both had massive gold horns at the tip of their snouts and riders on their back.

The rider on the left wore no sleeves or pants and decorative gold armor; it wouldn’t protect her from anything which meant she was a goddess, not afraid to die.

Rich auburn hair and bronzed skin… Eliza, the goddess of fury.

The rider on the dragon next to her was her husband, the god of serenity. “I didn’t think you were one for war, Lennox,” she shouted at him.

“Only when war is necessary, Valeen. Attacking Pricilla forced my hand.”

“Even out,” she commanded her horses. She turned to Lennox. “And her killing me, Hel, and War, didn’t?”

“You look alive to me,” Eliza said and chucked a spear.

Valeen dipped and it whistled past her head and between Night’s ears.

Clenching her jaw, she pulled Soulender and gripped Zythara in the other.

Threatening her was one thing but her horses were another.

They were eternal but they could be injured.

Eliza and Lennox split and flew up on either side of her chariot.

Her dragon snapped at Starborn, and he squealed and chomped back.

Lennox saluted and raised a pair of golden cuffs. “Surrender is an option. Our armies will leave if you come with us. The elves don’t need to suffer.”

“And you don’t need to die, but you will.

You chose the wrong side.” She tapped the left side of the chariot, and her horses turned, forcing Eliza’s dragon to tilt.

Half-shadow, she launched herself over the side of her chariot and landed behind Eliza.

The goddess of fury ducked under her swing and threw her leg back at Valeen’s feet.

She jumped and hacked downward, but Eliza turned and blocked the strike with her sword.

“She has Soulender!” Lennox bellowed.

They both swung, metal clashing against metal.

Throwing a boot into Eliza’s gut, she kicked her back and she stumbled over the saddle.

She had to make this fast before Lennox got closer.

Valeen jammed her blade into the dragon’s side.

He jerked in surprise and took a sharp downward turn, sending them both toppling.

“ Shit , level out!” Eliza shouted at her dragon and grabbed hold of the stirrup of her saddle.

Valeen managed to hook her elbow around Eliza’s neck before she fell.

Curling her thighs around the back of her hips, Valeen sent Zythara to the aether, switched Soulender to her other hand and shoved it into the side of Eliza’s neck.

She screamed and let go, dropping them both into a freefall.

“Eliza, no!” Lennox screamed.

Turning half-shadow slowed her down but she needed her chariot. The horses were still far above.

Below you, love.

A moment later, she slammed into Hel’s arms. She circled her arms around his neck as he flew them rapidly upward straight to Lennox, whose dragon was careening down at them. He lifted her onto his shoulders, and she pressed her ankles tightly to his sides for balance.

“You got this?”

“Always,” she said, and he turned left just in time to miss the dragon’s jaws, and they flew straight at Lennox, and she gripped her weapon hard and shoved Soulender into his chest. With the momentum, it tore through him, cutting up through his shoulder and out.

“Fuck.” Hel slowed to a hover and held onto her thighs beside his head. “You cut him in half.”

She took several deep breaths, but it wasn’t because of exertion.

She felt more powerful than ever. Searching among the fight below, she watched several of Ronan’s dragons get teamed up on and dragged down.

Half of them were already dead on the ground or had dropped out of the sky.

“We’re going to have to send them back inside the wall or they’re all dead. ”

“Look to the north.”

Valeen turned and her heart leapt. “It’s Drake Drakonan!” She knew by the red and gold collars they wore, matching Ronan’s. And he had a thousand strong. She looked to find Ronan. Below and to the left, he and Dax still flew together, a team of their own. “Ronan! They’re here!”

“Keep fighting! The king is here!” Ronan commanded his dragons. Their viciousness intensified, harder strikes, spiked tails crashed, and more fire arched through the air.

Searching among the hundreds of dragons below for pearl scales and powder-blue horns was harder than she thought. They moved too fast and there were several light-colored dragons. The longer she looked the more her heart rose in her throat. “Where is Presco?”

“I was just with him…” Hel pointed right. “There.”

He fought off three dragons, tearing into a wing with his back talons while biting the neck of another. The third hacked into his side, forcing him to release his bite. His back and neck were covered in thick red gashes. “Hel, go!”

She jumped from Hel and dove for Presco.

The wind tore past, tears rolled up the side of her face into her hair.

She screamed with rage, landing on one of his attackers and drove her sword into the back of his head.

Then dragged herself down and sliced clean through, cutting his head off.

Hel cut through the throat of the other, and Presco snapped the final dragon’s neck.

Hel swooped her up as the dragon she stood on started to fall.

Presco’s eyes were unfocused. His snout horn was broken in half. His wings beat too slowly. “Hel, help him.”

“You need to land and shift,” Hel said.

He nodded but his body went limp.

“Presco!” Valeen screamed. “We have to stop him from hitting the ground!”

“I can’t hold you and stop him.” Valeen shoved herself out of Hel’s arms and let herself fall.

Hel dove for Presco and flew up under his chest and pushed.

It slowed him but not enough. Panic that she’d held at bay this entire time fought its way free.

Turning to shadow she drifted to Presco and reformed. “Wake up! Wake up!”

He groaned.

“Ronan! Help!” But where was he? The ground was coming too fast. “Presco! Wake up! Shift!”

“He’s too heavy to stop!” Hel screamed with effort then he flew out from under Presco. The ground was feet away. All she could do was watch in horror as she took her half-shadow form to hover.

Boom .

Presco hit and dirt billowed up around him. She dropped beside his face and, with tears, pressed her hands to his snout. “Presco?”

Hel landed next to his chest and laid his ear against his pearl scales. “His heart is still beating.”

With her chin trembling, she ran her hand over his smooth scales. “You’re going to be alright.” Smoke rolled out of his nostrils and a low rumble in his throat vibrated her hands. “I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore.” The wall was fifty yards away. If they could just get him inside…

“Hel, Valeen, watch out!”

Thane stood at the top of the stone wall, pointing.

Valeen whirled to face the council’s army running toward them.

Thousands of boots and hooves stampeded.

Weapons in both hands and shadows rolling off her, she stepped out in front of Presco with Hel at her side. “I won’t leave him to be torn apart.”

“They’ll have to get through us first.”

Valeen’s shadows rolled out, her deadly vines curled out of the ground.

“Archers, fire!” Thane shouted.

The first enemy soldiers—giants, dragon shifters, feline shifters, men, even dwarves and elves, all on the front line—were a few yards away, wearing the colors of their god; greens and oranges, pinks and blues.

Valeen took several sharp breaths and braced herself, her magic roaring in her veins.

Throwing up her shield, she waited for the impact.

Then black armor glinted in the sunlight and the Ravens, with Thane at the front, rushed past her and met them.