Page 30 of Oath of Betrayal
I barely knew her, but the wild magic, the darkness I caged in the depths of my soul, awakened, stirring in response to her courage and flooding me with the most unexpected feeling of desire. I wanted to kiss her—so fucking much.
As my hands tightened around her waist, Ani murmured words I couldn’t understand, and the battle was drowned out by Vahin’s roar. I felt my dragon’s shock and pain as a power beyond any I’d ever witnessed burned into his mind, forging a magical tether.
Through my own connection with Vahin, I could see and feel each moment, wishing I could help, as magic tore into his spirit and then withdrew, taking a shard of his soul and leaving a piece of hers behind. Ani gasped when they fused, but something felt wrong—the process was causing them both immense pain.
Vahin’s body quaked beneath me, short gasps of pain broken by eruptions of fire, and I could feel his confusion even as he allowed forces I couldn’t understand mould him in new and frightening ways. All the while, Ani’s body grew hotter with each passing moment until it felt as if I was holding a burning torch against my chest.
‘Ra’shina’ta Vahin.’2
Ani’s voice thundered with a pulse of power that hit me like a hurricane. As if on command, the spectrae stopped, and I watched in disbelief as even those connected to the furthest dragons withdrew their tendrils, rushing towards Vahin as if pulled on an invisible leash.
Tomma’s eyes reflected shocked relief while the other riders chased the oblivious, half-solid forms of the spectrae, burning several to ash. I had never heard or read about anything like this. All of my instincts told me to fight, to force Vahin into evasive manoeuvres. But Ani had asked for my trust—so I held back, even as dozens of monsters swept towards us.
I could feel the power surrounding us, crushing the air from my lungs. Could see the distorted faces of the spectrae coming for us, their endless suffering dragging tears from my eyes. Pity mixed with fear as I watched on, helpless, wishing I could erase the existence of the man responsible for this abomination. The Lich King. The one who broke fate’s contract to prolong his life and his reign, destroying everything he touched.
Vahin jerked, roaring in pain when the first tendril pierced his chest, then another and another. It looked like hundreds of spears were peppering his armoured body, the assault coming from so many directions that I couldn’t follow them all. I knew what to expect, had braced for the pain from our shared connection. This time, however, it wasn’t a dozen buthundredsof tendrils latching onto the dragon’s vital force. Our bond was wide open, and as much as I tried to ease his suffering, to share it, I felt my strength melt away under the relentless assault.
‘Ani …’ I croaked through a suddenly dry throat, but the woman in front of me was rigid and unresponsive. Doubt crept in, but it was too late for that now.
Thunder crashed, deafening everyone, while unnatural, crimson lightning blinded us, burning the air left in our lungsand the skin of our bodies. I clenched my teeth, trying to hold Ani in place as I fought overwhelming weakness.
Fuck, we’re going to die.
Vahin’s heart stuttered. Ani took one hand from the dragon’s skin, raising it in the air. Somehow, miraculously, I heard her speak, her voice as gentle as a summer breeze, whispering a single word that set the world ablaze.
‘Išatum.’3
Though I didn’t recognise the word, my body did: it was etched into every fibre of my existence. A living flame was unleashed upon the undead. A wave of cleansing fire erupted from the surrounding air, consuming everything it touched. I looked down, expecting to see my body turned to ash, but the fire flowed past, warming my skin as it connected with the spectrae’s tendrils. The flames poured into the monsters’ ethereal bodies, incinerating them almost instantly.
I could feel Vahin’s pain ease with each passing moment, but his concern for Ani rose as she swayed.Tell her to let me in. She can’t control the fire without me. Tell her, Orm!He shouted in my mind as Ani’s breathing became so shallow I could barely feel it. I reacted to Vahin’s fear and tried to call her back from wherever she had gone.
Vahin’s panic grew as the skies cleared. The last of the spectrae disappeared into nothingness, revealing the bruised light of dusk as I held the unmoving mage in my arms. Then everything stopped, and the silence that replaced the thunder was just as deafening.
It was as if the attack had never happened. I still had an entire unit; maybe one slightly dishevelled, but I hadn’t lost a single man, dragon, or passenger. Even if Ani wasn’t able to seal the Rift, she was a godsent miracle; the first mage since the Necromancer’s War who had fought the spectrae on dragon back.
Orm, hold her.
Vahin’s voice rumbled in my head, and I instinctively tightened my grasp on Ani’s waist. She fell back to my chest bonelessly, the ending of the magical spectacle seeming to have cut all the strings that had held her up.
‘Ani?’ I asked, gently touching her cheek. She was still burning up, the heat radiating through her clothes, but the hands resting on my thighs were ice cold. ‘Ani, please talk to me. What is going on, Nivale?’
The word had slipped out so naturally, the nickname fitting the woman I held so close. Thenivalewas a flower that only grew on the highest mountain peaks next to the unblemished snow. They had iridescent, white petals streaked with veins that shone like fire, their leaves prickly and hard to grasp, with tiny needles that irritated the skin of whoever touched them.
Despite their rarity—or possibly because of it—the plant was highly sought after. Sometime in the past, it was discovered that the roots, bitter and difficult to swallow, could lessen the pain of those beyond salvation, easing their steps into the afterlife.
I felt the hope that Ani had given me twisting, becoming something I couldn’t describe, but the prickly miracle before me was silent and pale. Only her shallow breath and burning body reassured me that she was still alive, and I knew I couldn’t lose her.
‘Fly to the stronghold as fast as you can!’ I ordered the riders, and we surged forward. The fortress wasn’t far, but the woman in my arms didn’t look like she had much time left … and I had no idea what to do.
She is fading from my mind, Orm. Talk to her. Give her something to hold on to. She still can hear you.
‘Canyouhear her? Can you talk to her?’ I asked because as soon as he had mentioned her presence in his mind, I had thought about the dragon rider connection.
No. If I could, I wouldn’t ask you to do so. The Anchor bond is not complete; something is preventing the connection from solidifying—Orm, she channelled dragon flame. I accepted her. I can feel her in my soul, but she didn’t take mine. She will die if the bond fails.
The flames that played under her skin, creating a darkening pattern, and the tone of panic in his voice set me on edge. ‘Ani, please open your eyes. Vahin needs you to let him in. Please, allow him to help,’ I begged, noticing her eyelids flicker at the sound of my voice.
‘You did it, you stubborn woman. You saved us all. Your friends are safe, so you can’t give up now. We are so close to the fortress. Just hold on. Don’t you dare leave me with a life debt I cannot repay. Don’t you dare leave me … Ani, please.’
