Page 96 of Dragon Blood

What of Kymri and Elora? Were they turned so thoroughly that they would willingly join in this attack? Or had they been set aside, or worse?

Zayli swallowed, casting another look through the open window. “Grandmother,” she urged, voice soft and full of regret. “You must join the other matrons. We will handle this. I will protect you.”

Zadora cast Zayli an assessing glance before turning back to the approaching dark mass.

“In a moment of weakness, I let that usurper into my head, so that I would hand over my greatest power.” Zadora sighed. “And look where it’s led us.”

Zayli didn’t know what the old woman was talking about. “Those invaders are here because that Aeleftherian traitor’s dealings with the enemy led them to us. If not for her, they’d have never infiltrated us.”

“That traitor?” Zadora’s face twisted as she rounded on Zayli.

“I still find it hard to believe that Kolina would conspire so deeply with the enemy. But you were right, she had grown soft, as has Kymri.” Grief twisted Zayli’s chest.

She always seemed to have, or be, everything that Zayli was not. Everything just always seemed to land in the palm of her hand. And she just threw Aeleftheria away to go and rule over a mountain full of males. After everything they’d been through… Just tossed it all away. For a male. For power.

That final thought didn’t sit right in Zayli’s mind.

No. Not for power.

Zayli’s eyes flicked to Zadora, who still watched the approaching enemy.

The older woman turned her back on the mass, striding toward the door. “Come granddaughter, I will show you what Aeleftheria is about.”

Kolinaheardthefootstepsapproaching long before the figure appeared before her cell door.

On seeing Marli Fleetwing’s face hovering before her between the darkened bars, a smile played at her lips, but the situation was too dire to allow any sense of relief to flood her.

“Everyone is in the air,” Marli confirmed, pressing the royal signet to an embedded crystal on the outside of the cell. “Astred left it to me, just in case.” She held up the ring as she turned to race back toward the exit.

“She’ll want that back,” Kolina followed close behind as roars echoed back down the narrow, curved stairwell, followed by the unmistakable sounds of something very large flying very fast directly overhead.

“Of course. Who else is there for me to break out of imprisonment?”

Just as they emerged from the base of the tower, an errant tail smashed through the structure, sending stone blocks crumbling to the ground. Kolina shoved Marli aside and rolled in the opposite direction as several toppled from the upper levels above the door.

Regaining her footing, Kolina’s gaze swept the skies over Aeleftheria.

Chaos.

She caught sight of whatever impacted the prison tower as it banked with two, much smaller guardians snapping at its wings.

“What the fuck is that?”

“I don’t know Kolina, I’ve never seen a dragon like it—if it’s even still a dragon. Astred’s crew alerted the island that the Consortium was on their way. As many of the townswomen as could flee did so on the fishing boats. The vaults are sealed, but with fuckers that big bearing down on us, I don’t know if they’ll hold.”

“We need to force it down into the ocean. Do what you can to help any remaining civilians reach safety,” Kolina shouted over another deafening rush of wings overhead, then started running toward the nearest clearing. Shifting as soon as there was enough space, her human flesh pinched as clothing and boots gave way under the pressure of erupting steely scales and expanding claws.

Her powerful wings drove her upwards.

Her suddenly heightened senses were momentarily overwhelmed with the chaos of battle, drawing her attention in every direction, assessing.

This… beast that she’d first seen from the ground was the closest to the citadel and a primary threat. It’s—his scent was wrong. Dragon, but not. He stank of a mixture of shifters, difficult to discern… and rot. Illness.

Ignoring that information, she twisted her body, wings working. She joined the pursuit. The scales covering her body were hard as steel, yet light as paper, adding to her speed. Reaching her target, he swiped at one guardian with a lion-like paw while his great bear-like jaws snapped at the other. He turned in a wide arc as they reached the edge of the island.

Kolina surged forward, jaws open. Using her speed and full body weight, she clamped down hard on his tail, dragging him further off balance, working his own bulk against him to spin him out and down toward the sea.

The guardians got a few slices into his wings, inhibiting his ability to right himself.

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