Page 47 of Oath of War
The hours blurred in the bitter cold, each gust of wind cutting deeper than the last. By the time Vahin descended back through the clouds, exhaustion radiated from his body. He’d pushed harder than ever, and I felt a pang of guilt for asking so much of him.
‘Where do you want to go first?’ he asked, his voice laced with fatigue.
‘The Rift,’ I said, my answer ready.‘ We need to see what’s emerged after the fall of the Barrier. If the Lich King has lost control of the monsters, the land will be swarming with them. Then we should fly to Roan Fortress, where you can rest and eat. Roan’s commander can send word to the other fortresses while we return to the capital.’
Vahin grunted in agreement and adjusted his course. It took us another hour to arrive at the Rift, and I instructed him to stay high in case Cahyon had released any spectrae. Surprisingly, both the sky around us and the ground below were calm. The semi-transparent barrier that had guarded our kingdomfor centuries was gone, and below us stretched a wasteland—gnarled, rotting trees and barren earth.
I sheltered my eyes against the sun as we circled lower until Vahin’s wings almost scraped the top of the dead trees.
‘I don’t like it,’ I muttered. I’d expected chaos, not complete silence. It was as if the shattering of the crystal had erased the army beneath it. ‘Take us to Roan.’
‘Varta is closer,’ Vahin countered.
‘Yes, but my men know how to fight and keep watch. Besides, they already know what to look for. The other posts are blind and deaf to the danger thanks to Ihrain and the chancellor’s interference.’
Vahin was quiet for a long time, but I could feel an undercurrent of restlessness in his thoughts.
‘What is it, my friend?’ I asked. ‘Your feelings are seeping into my consciousness; I know you’re unsettled.’
He hesitated. ‘I fear for Annika, as you do,’ he admitted. But there was more—something he wasn’t saying.
‘I know you love her, but she’s human,’ I said cautiously, ‘and you’ll eventually lose her, just like you’ll lose me. If not to the war, then to the passing of time.’
‘Ani’s connection with me has increased her lifespan and likely yours, but even if you both only live a short while, I’ve already decided. When her light fades, I’ll return to the mists,’ he said, his voice heavy with finality. ‘I’m tired of being alone, Ormond. I’ve existed for millennia, and bonding with you and meeting my Little Flame has brought me joy I never thought possible. I cannot go on without it, without her. Just ... I’m not ready for this yet.’
The raw emotion in his words and the darkness I glimpsed in his mind was worrying, but I couldn’t coax another word from my dragon. We rode in silence until Roan Fortress appeared on the horizon, and he prepared to land.
I straightened in the saddle, my gaze fixed on the fortress ahead. Its black turrets reflected the fiery hues of the setting sun, a stark yet mesmerising contrast. All fortresses except Varta were named after their first commanders, and I often marvelled at what kind of person the original builder was to raise the walls from polished black stone.
From a distance, it was a striking sight—a tranquil stronghold with closed gates, clear skies, and flags dancing in the breeze. Yet, apprehension prickled at the edges of my thoughts. As I stared at the crimson-streaked horizon, the realisation struck me like a blade.
There were no dragons.
‘Vahin, gain altitude,’ I commanded, my gut churning with apprehension.
‘Why?’ he asked, tilting his head to look at me.
‘There are no dragons.’
Vahin’s vertical pupils narrowed. ‘Spectrae?’
‘Most likely.’ I nodded, knowing there was not much—besides the vampiric ghosts—that could empty a fortress of their dragons. ‘Circle from above. We need to scout from a distance before landing.’
Vahin’s powerful wings carried us higher, his agility allowing for a near-vertical ascent. Hidden in the clouds, we circled the fortress. The silence was unnerving—there were no birds, no life. When my dragon dipped below the cloud line, the truth became painfully clear.
Roan Fortress was a tomb.
Spectrae could not feed on the dead, and the outpost I’d known so well was now a desolation of broken bodies and shattered wings. Dragons lay strewn across roofs and courtyards, their scales dull and wings torn. Soldiers’ remains were barely recognisable, their swords and scraps of chain mail the only signs of who they’d been.
Vahin’s roar of anguish split the air, a long, keening cry that pierced my heart. His grief was overwhelming, eclipsing even my own.
Maybe if I had been lucid enough to send them a message, Roan’s commander would have been able to avoid this carnage.
‘This is a graveyard of my kin,’ he said, his voice thick with sorrow.
I tightened my grip on the pommel, my throat dry. ‘I’m so sorry.’
He descended slowly, his massive body trembling with emotion. I’d seen death before, but the sheer scale of destruction here was paralysing.
