Page 75 of A Dance of Water

The onyx dragon tipped back his head and let loose a thin stream of fire, sparking the frigid night and melting the ice that clung to the walls.

From the steady stream of light, everything was clear to her. Quiet beings prowled about the room. Males and females coated in thick, sludge-like darkness. It clung to their skin and dripped from their hair. Beings shifted in the shadows, crawling out of their depths.

Everything was happening too fast for her to keep up.

Graves gripped her forcefully, peering down into her eyes. "Go with him. He will take you somewhere safe."

"But what about you?" The words were torn from her lips.

Tharen gave a barking laugh. He was half-crouched, facing out at the shadowed room as he gave her his back, protecting her.

Vines shot from his fingertips, the ends growing barbed with long, spindly thorns. He pressed his hand to the roots, and flames burst to life, shooting down the length of the vines and wrapping around the ankles of the Umbra like fiery whips. Bodies turned to charred flesh, melting to ash and dust.

The putrid scent penetrated the air, and she gagged.

Torn-apart limbs, thrown asunder, blades stabbing through stomachs. Magic alight in the room.

The enchanted air grew soaked with the stench of violence, the floor coated in gore.

Through the shadows of his hood, Graves held her eyes. "Go."

Talons wrapped around her waist, a large claw scooping her up like she was nothing.

"Wait, no," she gasped.

The dragon lifted her, wings beating, air rustling her clothes. She struggled against his hold.

Careful or he’ll drop you, Bastian warned in her mind. She found the vampire amid the chaos of the room. His eyes were closed inconcentration. A female by his side swung out a hand drenched in shadows, clouds of air like a cyclone before her.

"Watch out!" Luella screamed.

Before her words were even finished, the female dropped in a heap. Dead.

The dragon’s wings flapped, and his whole body jolted as he lifted away from the ground, carrying Luella with him.

For the briefest of moments, Az met her fearful gaze as she was whisked away; he threw a deadly punch against a male’s stomach, blood splattering out from the force of the blow. And he looked away from her. The demon grabbed an Umbra’s neck and twisted, took the heads of two more, and smashed them together, skulls caving in from his preternatural strength.

Vale flew higher, the skylight loomed, and his talon-tipped claws cupped her closer to him, keeping her safe. Glass shattered around them, but she felt no bite of pain.

Cold air kissed her skin as they broke free into the night.

Wind roared around them, swirls of flurries dancing amid the ocean waves that crashed against the shore. Snow fell in a thick white blanket against the sand, melting as it touched the water that lapped along the shoreline.

The dragon released her on the snowy beach, her slippers sank into the sand and snow.

Hot breath melted the flurries around them. Luella turned and stared at the onyx-scaled beast before her.

Green eyes with slitted pupils took her in. He leaned his head down as he nosed the air before her. A low grumble emitted from deep within his chest.

She swallowed. "Vale?"

The dragon’s wings beat roughly at the sound of her hesitant voice, another grumble roaring to life. Smoke wooshed from his nostrils as he huffed, stirring tendrils of her white, windswept hair.

Those powerful, beating wings made the snow swirl harsher around them, carrying him away. Then, he left.

And she was alone on the snow-coated beach.

Luella watched as the onyx dragon flew back over the wall, headed straight for the battle that waged on within the castle. Screams carried to her on the wind.

---