Thayle cried out with tears in her eyes as her painfully broken arm hung limp at her side. She struggled to get to her feet as the towering man stalked across the yard, his red eyes blazing with sadistic pleasure. She had time to muster a quick heal, channeling enough to straighten her arm while standing up to meet him. He smiled at her futile effort as she glared at him with defiance.
“Don't look at me like that, girl,” he said as she lifted his massive blade. “We never wanted to harm your kind, but our hand has been forced.”
“We are only doing what the divines called us to do,” Thayle countered as she gripped glitteroot tightly.
“Maybe, but we cannot allow you to restore Balisha,” he said and stepped over some rubble as he came closer. “Now we have to erase her memory again, and the bloodshed will be terrible.”
Thayle felt the numbness in her arm subside and quickly wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand. This dragon-man was incredibly strong, and trying to block his swipes was out of the question. He had broken her arm by grabbing and twisting, then used the broken limb to hurl her across the yard. Now she needed to stall for time and hope Ayawa, Tavis, and Shadros were coming to the rescue.
“Killing thousands of people will not change the fact that Solesta was wrong,” Thayle taunted, but he didn't even flinch at the remark.
“They were both wrong,” he replied as he closed to striking distance. “We will fix their mistakes.”
Thayle channeled the power of her goddess, using the power of the sword to cause nearby vines to sprout from a stone planter. The writhed up and wrapped around his legs, causing him to shake his head as if it was only an annoyance. Thayle looked on in shock as he reached down and grabbed the vines; tugging with such strength, he pulled the stone planter from its base. She cried out as he swung it like a weapon, battering her as the planter shattered on her head.
If not for her helmet, Thayle would already be dead, but the crack made her vision go dark as she hit the ground numb. The side of her face was wet, and blinking did little to relieve the spots that clouded her vision. She struggled to lift a hand to touch her head but found the motion too much to manage.
“I admire your dedication,” he said as he stood over her twitching form. “But you stand against the salvation of dragons, and I will do what I must.” He picked up Thayle's dropped sword and turned it over in his hand before raising it to plunge it into her chest.
The ground rumbled and shook as blood-red lightning flashed to the ground nearby. All eyes looked skyward to see a huge red bird in the clouds as it flared its wings and let out a deafening wail. It vanished in a flash, leaving the dragon-man confused.
“What is this?” the man said as a black metal spear flew past his head. He turned to see something that made him pause and take a step away from Thayle while growling in a low rumble.
Thayle had trouble seeing clearly but fires burned in the streets as something walked toward them. It was taller than her opponent, with blazing red eyes and horns jutting from its head. It walked on two legs but dragged a scaled tail as two leathery wings folded at its back. It wasn’t until she recognized the dragon knight armor that she understood what she was seeing.
“Gersius!” Thayle cried and held out a hand, hoping he could save her.
“It can’t be?” the man said as he dropped Thayle’s sword and turned to face the new threat. “What are you?”
“I am Gersius, dragon blooded and twice blessed of Astikar and Balisha!” he roared.
“No!” the man snarled. “That’s impossible!”
Gersius raised the sword of Astikar as red lines of electricity ran up and down its glowing blade. His opponent raised his blade to meet him in battle, but Gersius threw out his free hand and formed an orange hammer. Before the man could react to the surprise, Gersius hurled it with such force it took the man off his feet and threw him into the far wall. He crumpled to the ground and fell to one side, blood dripping from his mouth.
“Thayle!” Gersius cried as he rushed to her side and began to channel healing.
Thayle felt her body begin to heal as the spots cleared and the pain started to subside. She had never felt such power flowing through her husband before, and over the bind, he felt more like a dragon than a man.
“No! Save your strength; he is too powerful,” Thayle urged as she tried to grab his hands.
Gersius channeled a moment more until he was sure she was stable and then stood up. He could feel Lilly was suffering too, and there was little time to waste.
“He is down, but I have to help Lilly,” he said and turned to look to the far end of the plaza. Lilly was pinned under the red dragon who was twisting one of her wings. He had her head trapped under a massive claw and was cackling in a deep draconic voice, taunting that he would soon breed her.
Gersius's sword glowed with supernatural rage as he channeled another hammer and let the weapon fly. It slammed into the side of the dragon's head, causing it to howl in pain as scales broke like glass. The beast stumbled off of Lilly before trying to regain its balance just in time to be struck again.
“Come, dragon!” Gersius roared as he marched toward it with his sword blazing like a red star. “Come and face your death!” The great red beast snarled with blood running down its face as it stalked over Lilly and headed right for him.
“What is this?” the dragon asked as it got a good look at him. “You have become the living embodiment of Balisha’s weakness.”
“Once again, you fools create the prophecy,” Gersius replied. “I have become blessed of two divines, and now you face me at my greatest strength.”
“Ha! You may have some of the blood, but you are no dragon,” it said in a rumbling voice. “Come face a true serpent of the scale. I was done with your weak blooded lizard anyway.” It broke into a charge and thundered down the street, taking a deep breath as it closed. The monster let loose with a torrent of fire, determined to reduce Gersius to cinders.
Gersius knew Sarah's love protected him, but even Sarah said that a direct blast of dragon fire would hurt. Acting fast, he grabbed a sturdy wooden door from the rubble and planted it against the deluge of flame. It served as a temporary barrier, but its surface was quickly ablaze, and the air around him was raised to blistering temperatures. Gersius drew on his dragon power and breathed a cloud of frost, chilling his protective pocket and buying him enough protection.
Lilly struggled to lift her head and see what was happening. She saw the red filling the plaza with fire but didn't know why or where her loved ones were. She could feel they were alive, but Thayle was exhausted, and Gersius was a blazing sun of power. Her eyes went wide when she felt that strength, and she desperately tried to spot him.
“Ah, ha ha ha,” the red cackled as it finished its fiery blast. “This dragon knight was weak. Hardly a match for a true dragon.” It caught sight of movement in the flames just as a burning door leaped from the fire. Behind it was Gersius with his sword raised high, using his dragon wings to carry him up, and with a mighty crash, he collided with the dragon's head and delivered a powerful slash that cut its face wide open. It roared and fell to the side, scrambling to face Gerisus just in time to catch another hammer of Astikar. Now it was truly dazed as it fell into the walls of a nearby building, snarling and trying to shield its head with a wing.
“Your hammers do nothing but annoy me!” it boasted while wobbling on its feet.
“Then you won’t mind a few more,” Gersius answered.
Thayle struggled with the pack at her hip. She prayed silently to Ulustrah as she fumbled with the tie strap. Inside was a single object heavily wrapped in cloth. She pulled it out with trembling hands and unrolled it, praying it was still intact. A crystal vial of the blessed water Prime Arlin had given her rolled into the palm of her hand. She began to chant the blessing of healing over the water as she struggled to get to her feet. Orange flashes followed the bellows of an angry dragon filled the night air. She had one purpose now, and that was to get to Lilly, whose connection to the bind was slowly fading.
The red dragon roared as Gersius flew at it and cut its leg, causing a spout of blood to pour. The beast beat at him with a wing, but Gersius cut that too, sending it into a rage. By luck, it spun around, and its tail caught Gersius, the impact knocking him from the sky and sending him flying through an open window into a fire gutted building.
“Now I have you,” the dragon roared and limped after him to glare through the empty windows. “Come out, little mongrel!” he demanded. “You cannot hide from me.”
Gersius climbed to his feet as he heard the deep inhale outside. He quickly dived behind a thick wooden table to use as a shield and breathed his own pocket of protective cold air. The room was engulfed with roaring flames, sending the temperature soaring to levels that left the stones too hot to touch. Gersius was protected in his little pocket, but he needed a plan to end the fight. When the breath ended, he dared to look over the edge of the smoldering table and survey the scene.
The dragon was hunched down with its head close to the street, glaring through windows to see if he was dead. The entire inner structure was gone, the wooden walls and ceiling having burned away in a previous fire. All that was left were the outer walls, and these rested on two thin support columns. They were easily three stories tall, and without the inner structure to hold them, all their weight was just waiting to fall. Gersius saw his opportunity and reached for a hammer of Astikar, throwing it with all his might at one of the pillars. It shattered in a hail of stones as the wall shifted and produced a cloud of dust.
“Ha!” the dragon laughed. “Your aim is failing you.”
Gersius smiled as the dragon shifted its head from side to side to avoid being hit. He let loose with another hammer, striking the second pillar as it took cracked and came apart. Now all that was holding those walls up were the sides, and they only needed a little push.
“Another miss!” the dragon laughed. “But I grow weary of our game. You have no more doors or tables to hide behind.” It said and started to take another deep inhale.
Gersius stood tall and held out a hand, focusing the power of Astikar into a blessing of Balisha. A silvery dragon's claw formed, and he focused his might on pushing against the wall. He strained as the power of Astikar was magnified by the sword, his body glowing with red light as brick and stone began to crack. The whole outer wall pitched forward as stones began to rain down.
“What?” the startled dragon said as it looked up to see the building coming down on its head. The sound of crumbling stone echoed through the city streets. Dust and smoke belched out in a great cloud as several tons of stone crashed onto the wounded dragon's head. As the dust cleared Gersius Gersius saw the body of a dragon sticking out from under the rubble pile. Nothing moved but its long tail, twitching as if in the final throes of its life.
“Look out!” Thayle cried just in time for Gersius to duck under a hammer of Astikar.
You are a greater annoyance than I had anticipated,” he growled while stalking toward Gersius. “I never believed the divines would stoop to blessing a weakling with dragon blood.”
“The divines didn’t bless me with your blood,” Gersius roared back as he walked out to meet the threatening man. “This is what happens when a dragon truly loves a man.”
“More of the weakness of Balisha,” the man retorted. “Proof that what she wishes for us only dilutes our strength while shattering the roles of dragon and man.”
Gersius called on divine power, strengthening his already powerful frame with the might that only Astikar could offer. His eyes flared with heightened energy, and the divine blade glowed with channeled rage.
“You think you can channel enough strength to match me?” the man roared as he too started to glow with might. There was a great ring as sword met sword, and the two poured their strength into the attacks. Neither could gain the upper hand as dragon, and divine power was channeled into every attack. Now evenly matched, it came down to skill with a blade, and Gersius had bested even mighty Sarah this way.
Thayle staggered along the ghostly walls of empty buildings as what looked like two gods dueled in the nearby streets. The ringing of their weapons was nearly painful to hear, but she focused on getting to her destination unseen. Her power was spent, and it would be days before she was fully recovered, but she had one last gift she could offer poor Lilly. She clutched the vial of blessed holy water, already enchanted with the last of her power into a blessing of healing. It was a violation of Ulustrah's law to use it in such a way, as water this sacred was meant for things like blessing an entire region to drive away a blight or consecrate a new temple by blessing its holy basin. It was never to be drunk as it was considered a waste of the water to bless a single individual.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
However, this was a struggle of titans, and Lilly was badly broken. Already her aura looked faint, and the dragon hadn't moved in over a minute. Thayle didn't have the strength to draw more power for healing, but with the water, she could restore Lilly in seconds.
She knew there would be another mark on her face for this transgression, a third tear to show she had been forgiven. She silently prayed to Ulustrah, begging her for forgiveness as she arrived at the wounded dragon.
Gersius cut upwards, forcing the man to step back. He spun around to launch into a quick low strike but threw a hand out and summoned a hammer instead. When he came around, his sword was high, but the hammer came racing out. The dragon-man took it square in the chest and was thrown back into the bricks of the building behind him.
“I grow tired of your hammers!” he growled as he held a hand to the breastplate of his armor.
Gersius realized he was healing. The hammer blow must have broken some ribs, and the man was trying to recover. Gersius ran at him, determined not to give him the time he needed, but the dragon suddenly threw his hand out, and an orange hammer raced back.
Gersius lifted his arm and uttered a prayer of defense. The red star shield of Astikar formed over his arm, and the hammer crashed off its surface in an explosion of power. He felt the jarring of the impact in his whole body, and his feet slid back a few inches. When he looked up, the enemy was standing while breathing heavily. The two men locked eyes as they panted, waiting for the other one to move.
“You defile our kind by taking that grotesque form,” the man snarled.
“Lilly and Sarah were overjoyed to see it,” Gersius countered as they circled each other.
“Your dragons are pathetic, and you have become a half-blood mongrel,” the man countered.
“I am blessed by the most powerful gift a dragon can bestow. Its love,” Gersius corrected.
The man snarled and formed another hammer of Astikar, hurling it at Gersisus blindly. It missed by a safe distance, but Gersius was intrigued at how this enemy of Astikar was using his power.
“How do you call on the power of a divine you hate?” Gersius asked.
“I call on the power, not the divine,” the man replied. “Your ignorance of the divines marks you as a fool. If you knew the truth of your divines, you would not be fighting me.”
Gersius lifted his sword high and held it straight out, so the tip pointed directly at the man. “All I need to know is that Astikar supports Balisha, not Solesta.”
“Yes, but why Balisha? Why would the gods want to see the dragons mingled with men? What do they have to gain from it?” the man challenged.
Gersius lowered his weapon a little as he considered the question. “I do not know. But what harm can come from Dragons learning how to love?”
“The Gods feed on love. No creature in the world is more powerful than a dragon, but they do not know love. Thus the gods cannot feed on them. So they cursed us with this human form and encouraged us to lower ourselves by learning your weakness. They want us to know this love so they can feed on us like we do a hoard of gold.”
“Knowing love does not make you weak,” Gersius countered. “Lilly isn't weak. She loves strongly, and it has only made her more powerful.”
“The defeated dragon who lies bleeding at the end of the street? She isn’t weak?” He shook his head in pity. “You have led her to this. You weakened her and brought her down to your level. Now she lays there bleeding and dying because of your so-called love.”
“I stand here because of that love,” Gersius replied and set his feet. “And that love will see you undone.”
“Then come, let us end this!” the man growled as they rushed in to clash once more.
Thayle staggered up to Lilly as the two men exchanged their war of words. She heard little of their comments, but it was clearly a debate over the perceived weakness of love. She was relieved to see Lilly was still breathing and ran a hand along Lilly’s neck.
“Thayle!” Lilly groaned as Thayle knelt before her head.
“Lilly, listen to me. I need you to drink this,” Thayle said and held out the vial of blessed water.
“Isn’t that the blessed water Prime Arlin gave you?” Lilly said as her one eye fixated on the vial.
Thayle nodded her head as she broke the seal and held it to Lilly’s jaw. “It is, and I need you to drink it to restore your strength.” Orange lights flashed in the night sky as the war of words behind Thayle ended, and the two men returned to a more direct method of conflict.
“Thayle, didn't you say that water was special? That it could only be used for certain purposes? I don't want you to be punished again,” Lilly wheezed.
“Lilly, please, we don't have time. I need you to drink it!” Thayle pleaded and held the vial out. Lilly looked at Thayle with a weak blue eye and lifted her head as high as she could to open her mouth. Thayle quickly poured the contents into the dragon's jaw and bid her to swallow it.
“For a dragon who considers the human form a curse, you seem to like to be in it!” Gersius yelled as he danced in with his blade, causing a shower of sparks when they met.
“I use it to mock you! I do not need to be in dragon form to crush an ant,” the dragon replied as he narrowly avoided a slash from Gersius. He tried to counter, but Gersius was inside his reach a second later, and wind razor punched down through his leg.
The dragon howled and rolled away, tearing the hateful weapon from his leg in the process. He swung up to catch an attack from Gersius while trying to channel a heal. Gersius stepped into the block and kicked him back, sending him sprawling to the dirt.
He looked up with a hateful glare as Gersius glared down at him, his sword glowing with anger.
“You think you have won this?” the man snarled.
“I won the moment you decided to stand against the prophecy,” Gersius replied.
The man smiled wickedly, and suddenly there was a flash of light, so bright Gersius was staggered. He had to blink for a few moments, but when his sight finally cleared, he looked up to see a towering red dragon.
“And now, dragon knight, you will die,” he snarled as something blue dropped out of the sky behind him.
The fang blade of Balisha bit through his back as Lilly drove it through with all her weight. He was thrown to the street in a deafening roar that echoed with fear a moment before his head fell lifelessly to the stones.
Lilly looked up from his back as her blazing eyes fell on the man who still glowed with red power.
“Gersius?” Lilly called and wrenched the sword free. “What happened to you?”
He looked up with a broad smile and raised a powerful hand to stroke his wife's jaw. She leaned in to sniff at him, then licked the blood from his face with an ice-cold tongue.
“I like you better this way,” Lilly said. “And that isn’t your blood.”
“No, it is the other red dragons,” Gersius replied as Thayle ran up.
“I hate to break up your tender moment, but our friends are still being hard-pressed, and we haven't recovered the seals,” she said.
Gersius nodded and quickly looked around to identify the temple of Gorrin. He led the way to a massive structure with broken statues standing inside tall square pillars. Inside, the grand hall looked relatively intact, with ornate stone pews arranged in neat rows before a massive forge and anvil at the far end. Banners of blue with white images of metalwork hung from an upper balcony as if the place had been used recently. Lilly was just small enough to squeeze through the door, and now she stood in the massive chamber looking into rooms on the upper floor.
“Where is the entrance down?” Thayle asked as they walked down the middle aisle.
“He said it was underneath,” Gersius replied and hurried for the far doors. Lilly was forced to change and follow naked or be left behind, the group racing through back halls as they searched for a way down. They found it behind a pair of sturdy metal doors that led to what looked like an ancient temple. All that was left was one wall and a crumbling spiral stair that descended into a lower chamber. Somebody had cleared the steps, even going to the trouble of replacing broken stones. They dashed below to find a vaulted chamber in which we're familiar dragon writings.
“It's a dragon temple!” Lilly said as she looked over one mural of a tall dragon standing with the sun directly behind its head.
“Does it say who it is dedicated to?” Gersius asked as they passed down a long hall, wide enough for a Sarah to pass.
“I would need more time to read the inscriptions,” Lilly replied.
“We don't have time,” Thayle urged. “For all we know, Ayawa and the others are about to die.”
“You are right,” Gersius replied and picked up the pace, running down the immense hall, searching for the missing seals. His tail left trails in the dust as his two wives hurried after him. The hall went down a dozen steps meant for dragon-sized feet, then entered a round chamber with a strange metal platform in the center.
It was perfectly round and made from gold that glittered in the light of magical stars high above it. The whole thing was as big as across as Gersius was tall and raised from the floor to be waist-high. They could see three metal rings laid out in a triangular pattern at the center as they approached. There were metal bands, almost like the bars of a cage, running across the surface. These were etched with runes that glowed with a yellow light. The table itself was covered in writing and decorated with complex symbols. A dozen places looked as if a seal could be placed into them, and all were labeled with a name. Some of the writing had been gouged out and in the very center was a large round depression where somebody had cut a more recent message.
“What is this? Thayle asked as they dared to lean over the table to see the three rings were divine seals.
“It's some kind of altar to the divine,” Gersius replied.
“But it’s been defiled,” Lilly said as she pointed to the metal bands. “The gold is the alter, but those were added later.”
“Whatever has been done isn't our concern,” Thayle urged. “Those are some of the missing seals.” She added and pointed to the large metal rings covered in intricate writing. They glowed with a soft bluish light that occasionally flickered as if something were drawing on their power.
“There are only three of them,” Gersius said as he leaned over the table. “But before we risk touching this, can you read what it says, Lilly?”
“I can't read the metal bands at all, but I am sure we saw some of this at those prison camps,” Lilly explained and carefully looked over the outer edge to read what she could. She said it was a story about the divines and how their order was divided into lessers and greater. She had trouble reading the parts covered by metal bands, but she was sure it said their order was governed by the she who sleeps in the sun. She moved on to the writing closer to the center and read something she didn’t understand.
“It says Tarnia created Estaisha to be the goddess of dragons, and Estaisha gave birth to the twelve divines. It says their law is written in the rings as laid out by the unknowable one. They are to keep the balance for the sleeping mother until the time of her awakening comes.”
“Is it talking about the earth mother?” Gersius asked as he paced around the table.
“That’s all it says,” Lilly replied and strained to see the center where much cruder writing marred the otherwise perfect surface. “That was scratched in later,” she said as she tilted her head to read it.
“What does it say?” Gersius asked.
“It says she has fallen,” Lilly replied with a shrug. She looked into the various round shapes to discover each one was named for a divine.
“We can't linger here any longer,” Thayle urged and dared to touch the alter and lean over one of the seals. “Oh, thank the goddess, this seal is Ulustrahs,” she cried.
“This one is Vellis,” Gersius said as he leaned over one with a red glow. “The last one appears to Gorrin.” He sighed and looked at the rest of the empty places, wondering where the seal of Astikar was.
“Wait,” Lilly said as she looked at the table. “Why is there no place for Balisha and Solesta?”
“What do you mean?” Gersius asked.
“I mean, it says there are twelve major divines, and they are all listed here, but neither Balisha nor Solesta appears,” Lilly pointed out.
“That is strange,” Thayle agreed but shook her head. “But we have to go; people are dying outside.”
Gersius agreed and looked at the rings as seconds started to count. He dared to reach out and grab the ring of Vellis, causing a loud ringing sound, but nothing else happened. Thayle snatched up the ring for Ulustrah, and Gersius grabbed the one for Gorrin.
“I wish we had more time to read all of this,” Lilly grumbled.
“I do too, but we must hurry,” Gersius insisted. “This trap has failed, and we have recovered what we were not meant to possess. Let us flee before our enemies realize the mistake they have made.”
They ran through the temple hall, wishing they had more time to read the writing all around them. Outside, the battle raged on, and their friends fell back into the yard. Shadros herded them through the archway and then stood his ground, daring the enemy to try and pass him. A dozen green shields of Ulustrah were raised to block his icy breath, but suddenly they faded away. The women looked confused until a nearby priest of Vellis called out that his power was gone.
“Something is happening,” Mingfe said from where she crouched near Tavis and Ayawa in the rubble.
A dozen or more priests suddenly turned and ran, fleeing the battle as their power faded. Shadros blocked a hammer of Astikar with a wing, only to cry out in pain as it tore open.
“You can’t keep taking this beating,” Mingfe cried as she stepped out to heal him.
“I am the only one who can take it,” he roared back. “Just stay where they can’t reach you.”
Mingfe placed her hands to his side and began to sing, calling on the Goddess's power. In a moment, the golden glow came to his injuries, and he looked back to see what she was doing.
“You have overspent your powers,” Shadros complained. “You can’t keep healing me.”
“Be silent,” Mingfe scolded and looked up to see the orange light coming. Before she could cry out, the hammer of Astikar struck her in the head and threw her into the street. She hit the ground with blood running from the wound as Shadros turned around in shock and hovered over her body to protect it.
“Mingfe!” he cried as she reached up a weak hand. “Heal yourself!”
“Shhh,” she cried and coughed as a trickle of blood came from the corner of her mouth. “I don’t have the strength.”
Shardros looked up in a panic, demanding that somebody heal her. Unfortunately, the priests of Balisha had no power to call on, and Gedris had spent all hers healing him. He looked down as Mingfe coughed some more and gently nuzzled her with his nose.
“You can’t leave me,” he said softly.
“Shh, be strong,” Mingfe said as her voice grew soft. “Remember, I will always love you.”
Shadros heard those words echo in his heart and finally realized what they meant. He let out a painful whine and slammed the ground with a fist before looking back at her fading eyes.
“I love you too,” he whispered back and looked up to see hope coming from a distant building. He realized he had to act fast and, at the same time, prevent the enemy from pursuing them. “All of you run down the street now!” he commanded as he carefully scooped up the battered woman.
“We can’t fall back now?” Ayawa cried. “The archway is the perfect choke point to hold them.”
“There isn't going to be a choke point in a moment,” he roared and climbed over the wall. With a mighty bash of his tail, he shattered the exterior of a nearby building, and everyone ran as it started to collapse into the street. He struck the one on the other side for good measure, creating a barricade of fallen debris. He then ran for the plaza to where he saw Gersius, Lilly, and Thayle coming out of a temple.
“Lilly!” Shadros roared and ran directly to them to stretch out his hand and reveal the motionless Mingfe. “Please, you have to heal her!”
“I don't have any power left!” Lilly groaned and looked to Thayle, who was full of tears.
“By the divines!” Ayawa cried when she saw the form of Gersius. “You are practically a dragon!”
“Give her to me,” Gersius said as he sheathed his sword and stretched out a hand. Shadros held her perfectly still as Gersius began to chant in a powerful voice, the sound echoing from the walls. In a moment, golden light swam across not only Mingfe but also the dragon himself as Gersius healed both of them.
Mingfe stirred in a coughing fit, and Shadros passed her to Lilly so she could put the woman on his back. He then ordered the other riders up so they could flee this place before anyone else was killed.
“How did this happen?” Tavis asked as he took a closer look at the man who now had scaled wings.
“That can wait until we are in the air,” Thayle said and turned to Lilly. “We have what we need to free Sarah. Let’s get out of here before something bigger comes to find out what happened.”
“Agreed,” Gersius said and recommended Ayawa and her family ride with them. They took to the air and headed out, flying over the city as Lilly looked down the plaza they were originally going to touch down in.
“We aren't done yet,” Lilly cried and went into a dive, stretching out a clawed hand.
“Lilly, what are you doing?” Gersius asked and then looked down to see the answer. The courtyard had indeed been warded to cripple a dragon. However, Lilly and Shadros had driven the enemy into it instead, and laying naked in the center of the yard was a red-haired woman. Lilly snatched her from the stones and flew off, carrying the incapacitated woman into the night. They now had a dragon of the enemy in their clutches, and Lilly was determined to make it count.