Fort Squall

Davi looked out over the pairs assembled across the field. Nearly half their forces were patrolling the wilderness, scattered over the extensive territory of Vestur. His chest reverberated with a growl. A plume of smoke seeped from his nostrils. Only one hundred and fifty-two Drengr today. One hundred and fifty-two! Gods! Some were so old they would tire quickly, while others were too green to have any business taking part in this attack. Like Byron.

His lids closed over his eyes for the span of a breath. A dark calm in the chaos of his mind. A moment of peace.

"I am with you, Brother," Reyr said. "We are in this together. We will see it through."

"Aye. We have no choice."

He had always wondered if something in their twin bond allowed them to sense the other's emotions. That theory held true today. He swung his head to the right, looking over at Reyr. Thank the gods Reyr was even here. The king's own Drengr Fairtheoir, flying beside them into battle. Still, it did not guarantee victory. Far from it.

He turned back to the bay, back to the enemy dotting the horizon. He mastered his fear and spoke, "Fort Squall, I call upon you! The day has come to meet our enemies in battle!" All around him, the Drengr clawed the ground with their talons, anxious but eager. "We will not allow these beasts, these kingdom destroyers, to harm the innocents we are sworn to protect. We have a pact with humanity, a pact as old as an age. We were created to destroy this clan. To bring peace to Dragonwall. And destroy them we will!" Roars shook the ground beneath him. He thrashed his head, letting his agitation show. "They must not reach the city. We will meet our foes over the bay. Are you with me?!"

Increased bellows from his kin pierced the morning air. "We are with you!" came their words.

"I am with you, my love, until the very end." Emmy's voice wrapped around his mind, warm, enduring.

"And I with you," he returned. "Until the very end."

The bells in Squall's End continued to toll, to sing the song of impending battle, to cry out in fear, in warning. So many people within its high walls. So many refugees from all over the territory who had fled south from the dragons' pillaging and burning. All helpless.

He hoped its people were shut away behind closed doors, their windows shuttered. Those of higher birth would be deep within the bowels of the city's keep. As if the deep places would offer solace from dragon fire. Opening his jaws, he let forth a battle cry.

It was time.

He had made good use of their share of the Ice Metal from Captain Bennett. It had been melted down with the help of Lord Averaen's skilled smiths. It now graced the heads of the dragon lances along the city and fort's walls. It also kissed the shafts of the arrows nestled in the quivers of every Rider.

Crouching low, he mustered his energy and sprang from the earth. His body catapulted upward, heavy but powerful. Around him, the others followed his lead, moving as one. Hundreds of years of practice, of drills, of growth. For this moment.

He was overly aware of Byron, flanking him on the right, taking up third position. His heart tightened. He couldn't keep his son from this fight no matter how much he wanted to. But he was proud to have him here. Would they survive it?

"Byron's fierce heart makes up for what he and Tamara lack in training," Emmy said. "They will fight well."

The fort's Drengr were skyborne now. They maintained their formations, advancing. Each set of wings beat steadily against the morning chill. The sun climbed from the horizon, bathing the world in a fierce golden glow each time it peeked from a distant cloud.

The clouds.

That would complicate things. The wild dragons would use the cloud cover to their advantage. His pairs would need to do the same.

Their enemy advanced. Individual shapes came into view.

At the sight of them, a frenzy gripped him. Ancient. Instinctual. He wanted to taste blood. He wanted to rip their bodies to shreds with tooth and claw. Hatred pounded against his chest. These were beasts he despised more than all else, even more than he had hated the Kalds responsible for killing his parents and Reyr's Gemma.

The wild dragons offered them challenging roars across the sky, guttural and raw. The same hunger he felt was echoed in their cries. His forces answered. He answered. And then he faltered, blinking, blinking again. A deeper sense of dread took form in the pit of his stomach.

These dragons carried weapons in their forearms, tightly tucked against their scaly bodies.

"Ice Metal," Emmy said, reading his thoughts.

Ice metal in its virgin form was blueish grey. Often with swirling grain lines, giving it the appearance of marble. Virtually indestructible. Perfect for breaking through the hardest materials, like dragon scales.

Mixed with steel for Sveraks, Ice Metal lightened up in color turning a cool grey, able to be shined and polished. Less crude.

He had expected weapons but hoped against it. These were half spear, half sword, sharp on both sides, with a large arrowhead on the tip for carving easy passage into bone and sinew.

"Be wary of their weapons!" He sent the warning out, trying to think through a way to avoid the death traps.

"Focus, my love." Emmy brought his mind into clarity, and then there was no more time to think about it, no more time to give orders or commands, no more time to make decisions.

Their lines met like waves crashing upon a cliff face. Both sides powerful. Both struggling to push the other back. Cries erupted all around him and the world descended into chaos.

A dragon flew for him, its weapon extended for a deadly strike. He reacted, rolling left. The roll put him in the path of a second dragon. He was forced to drop in altitude. Emmy took aim and fired, striking the dragon's underbelly. The arrowhead sank into its scales. It screamed from above, writhing around. Hot droplets of its blood sprayed him.

He changed direction, aware that Byron and the rest of his wing were still with him. Their minds were connected to his, ready to project when the need arose. Already, a trickle of images were pouring in. He sifted through them quickly.

They circled around. Another wing of wild dragons dropped from overhead, obscured by clouds. The collision was jarring. Water droplets scattered everywhere, sparkling in the sunlight as they evaporated.

His wing engaged, doing what they had been trained to do. They fought with tooth and claw, using their powerful hind legs to kick at their enemies. As quickly as possible, they disengaged, regaining formation. Roars echoed in his head, some of pain, some of anger. The noise was deafening.

He didn't need to glance behind him to know Emmy's actions. She fired arrow after arrow at any dragon within range. Battle cries were commonplace now, sounding at random as other wings collided and engaged.

The other Riders in his wing followed Emmy's example. They nocked, pulled, and fired. Their movements blurred. Each arrow sank deeply into the scales of the enemy, but they were little more than hindrances. He prayed to every god he knew that the poisoned tips of the arrowheads would be enough to quickly wear the dragons down. As long as his Drengr could keep them engaged, there wouldn't be time to remove the shafts.

"I need a clear shot at its head," Emmy cried, bringing his attention to an orange dragon. He swept upward, angling himself to give her a clean shot. She fired. The arrow sank into the dragon's skull. It thrashed, trying to dislodge it. She released another. The dragon gave one final roar before it spiraled down into the sea below.

Success!

He roared, pride lacing his challenge. "Well done, my love! Well done!"

"Good work, Mother!" Byron's cry came seconds later. "You did it!"

Byron was still close behind, with Tamara fighting from his back, letting loose a constant stream of arrows. She moved slowly, clumsily, nothing like a seasoned Rider. But even now, he watched as one of her arrows soared through the air and sank into a blue's scales. His chest swelled. She would make a fine Rider someday. If such a day came.

"It will," Emmy said. "You and I know it will. We will ensure that it does."

Davi brought his wing around for another confrontation, hoping to keep the dragons from pushing closer to land. His breaths came in great gasps as he strained against his muscles, pushing his body to the limit. The air was already thick with smoke from dragon flames. Though fire was useless for both sides, most breathed it out of instinct.

The wind whistled over his scales. Mental projections flashed through his mind as a constant stream. He did his best to split his focus between the fort's progress and his own movements. Emmy was a huge help in that regard, helping him organize his thoughts.

"We've got trouble!" she cried, directing his gaze toward the city. Two wings of wild dragons had escaped their clutches. They worked their way around the edge of Davi's defenses and raced unhindered towards Squall's End.

"Gods! Not the city!" A chill doused him. The wing leader of the second wing carried more than just a weapon. Sitting on its glittering red back was a lone figure. His stomach plummeted.

"Kane!" Emmy hissed. "He's here—with them! We must protect the city, Davi." Despair seeped into her voice. They hadn't noticed the sorcerer amidst the chaos. With him here, how could they possibly hope to win?

"None of us is powerful enough to fight him."

"I'm on it!" Reyr cried, sensing his thoughts. Reyr's wing swooped past Davi towards Squall's End and Kane.

"Be careful, Reyr!" he called. There was no way Reyr could take Kane alone, King's Shield or not. He needed Davi's help. "With me!" he cried, giving the order to his wing. They turned, moving into a sweeping arc to follow after him.

A screech sounded above. Another cluster of wild dragons crashed down upon his wing from the clouds. He roared, infuriated by the thwart. They engaged, kicking and biting.

"I will eat you alive, fort leader." The feral voice was filled with hate, with promise, heavily accented.

Davi tensed. The taunt had come from the dragon before him, heading straight for him.

"Ignore it, my love."

He tried to follow Emmy's advice, focusing instead on the task at hand. His body slammed against the dark blue of its scales.

"You may call me Terror!" It said, sending the words hissing into his mind.

"Terror?" He snorted. "What a stupid name. Hope you don't think it makes you more terrifying."

Terror let out a high-pitched scream. "I will bring you down." It bared its weapon, sweeping it around. Too slow.

Davi used his hind legs to push the dragon away, careful to score Terror's hide with his talons. He felt the scales rip apart beneath his claws and growled with satisfaction. Terror screamed and moved away to recover, but not before another dragon latched onto his tail with its teeth. "I am Panic. I will show you no mercy."

Pain—hot, searing pain—erupted up his tail and into his body. His vision darkened before he bellowed into the sky, letting his agony be known. His lower body thrashed, writhing about as he tried to shake himself free of Panic. Emmy cried with him, feeling all that he felt. He twisted around and freed his tail. The end of it was missing. He would mourn it later.

Terror recovered and was flying directly for him again, roaring and bathing him in flame. Their shared magic would protect Emmy from the flames. She coughed and sputtered as the smoke filled her mouth, but the sound of her coughing was drowned out by something else. A scream he knew well. Something that turned his hot scales cold.

"Reyr!" He faltered.

His hesitation left him vulnerable. Terror collided with him, sending them both spiraling off course. His shoulder screamed in agony as something sharp pierced his scales. He didn't think about it. His eyes were turned upon Squall's End. Along the eastern wall, dragon fire erupted in the city clearing a path several blocks wide. Enough to kill hundreds.

"No!" Emmy's frantic voice echoed his fear.

All it took was a single dragon to burn the entire city to the ground. A single one. Yet, there were nearly one hundred. And if someone didn't stop them now, thousands upon thousands would die. He couldn't let Squall's End burn.

But...it was already happening. He caught a brief flash of gold over the city. Reyr.

"Focus, Davi!" Emmy's mental shout had him turning his attention back to Terror and Panic. The blue was grappling with him, clawing at him. He tried to gouge Terror's eyes out, thankful that its weapon had been knocked free. All they had now were their teeth and talons. A fair fight.

His anger made him bold. His fear for Reyr made him bolder. He snapped at Terror's neck, sinking his jaws into the dragon's scales. Hot blood, acidic on his tongue, gushed through his mouth. He shook his head back and forth with two forceful flicks. Terror was smaller than him—a much younger dragon—and couldn't take such a thrashing. He felt Terror's neck snap and the dragon went limp, so he released him to the sea.

Panic attacked, sinking his own jaws into Davi's hind leg. His vision flashed from red to white and he howled.

"I will make you pay for that, Drengr scum!"

He dived and rolled, dragging Panic with him. In his peripherals, he caught a glimpse of the green dragon. Emmy fired what was left of her arrows, forcing Panic to disengage. The pain receded somewhat, but blood could be felt dripping down his foot.

An earsplitting scream made him forget what he was feeling—the scream of a Rider in peril. A projection that spoke of fear and death flashed before his vision. It was followed by a Drengr roar, cut short. Pain seared his chest like the plunge of a knife into his heart. Selwin, his oldest Drengr, was dead. Another set of roars followed these. He felt two more sharp pains. Two more deaths.

More wild cries from the city floated out over the water. Smoke billowed up into the sky over Squall's End. His Drengr needed him, but the people needed him more. "To the city!" he cried, giving up their fight over the water. His wing roared in response, moving to follow orders. After that, there were too many death pains to count.

Time seemed to run together.

"Davi!" Emmy's scream distracted him. He felt an isolated pressure against his scales. A red-orange dragon had come up beside them. It tried to rip Emmy's harness from his body. He struggled against the beast. Emmy screamed again before trying to cast an incant that might help her. Pain erupted across his chest. Emmy's pain. She slid off the other side of his body with the harness still attached to her legs. "No!" His heart leapt in his chest. He tried to grab her, to snatch her from the air. A force sent him sideways and he missed. He missed!

"Davi!" she screamed, reaching up for him with her arms as she fell. They'd performed thousands of trust falls for this very moment.

But a single image flashed through his mind—a memory from a dream.

He was frozen in terror, in shock. He tried to go after her, but something held him back. At first, he thought it was simply his dread, but then he realized it was something much worse.

"We will kill you, fort leader! She is lost to you!"

A cluster of enemy dragons had converged upon him, isolating him, holding him in place. He was caged, helpless. Below, his vision was filled with Emmy. Her face was turned towards him as her body fell, eyes wide. Across her front, a large gash had opened her up, staining her tunic deep red. The wound was trying to close, to heal itself, but it was too slow. She was too tired. And he was too wounded. Their shared magic had been all but drained.

He screamed. With a mighty jerk he twisted in the air, working to kick free of his assailants. How had it come to this?

"Emmy!" he screamed.

The dragons were too strong. There were too many. He writhed within their grasp, scratching and biting.

The seconds ticked by in slow motion, drawing out his agony. There were others around him, helping him, fighting against the dragons, fighting to free him. He heard their voices in his mind. He saw their projections. None of it made sense. All he could think of was Emmy. She was far below now, nearly lost to the world.

A new bugle split the air. Byron's ice-blue scales plummeted past him, wings tucked tight as he dived to save his mother. Davi had but a moment to rejoice.

A pain unlike anything he ever felt erupted in his neck. Sharp teeth sank into his scales. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His last thought was of Emmy, of her face as she fell away from him.

"I love you, Davi." Her words were in his mind again, weak, faint, as if death was already taking her. "Until the very end."

His own vision was fading, growing dark at the edges. Was this the very end? If so, then he had failed her. He had failed them all. There was only darkness. And then...there was nothing at all.

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