Page 266 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

And they did.

Black flames appeared at the same time as flames of red and orange and hottest blues. They tangled together, winding and twisting, until something burst from the center of it. One would expect a dragon, but it wasn’t. It was a giant bird of dark flames, his eyes the bluest of fire, while its wings and tail were tipped in oranges and reds.

Razik yanked Eliza back with an arm around her waist as the bird let out a shrill call before soaring above them. Luka ducked, feeling the heat blaze down the back of his neck.

“What is that?” he barked.

Cienna was standing tall, watching the flaming bird. “A dark phoenix,” she answered. “Anala favored phoenixes. Interesting that is what their magic chose to form.”

“Yeah. Interesting,” Luka muttered. This was anything butinteresting. It was going to announce their fucking presence.

The bird circled again, seemingly with no sense of purpose.

“Control the fucking thing!” he yelled at Razik.

His brother met his gaze with glowing eyes, flipping him off before focusing on the magic. Eliza straightened, doing the same, minus the vulgar gesture. Luka didn’t know what they did, but the bird made a sharp turn before diving. It pulled up a second before colliding with the glass of the cell, its wing brushing along the length. Luka watched as the glass cracked, spider-webbing in red and orange. Then he was throwing himself in front of Cienna as the window exploded.

His own flames burst forth, surrounding him and the Witch as it incinerated the glass shards raining down around them. Luka peered through the falling ashes, then he cursed. The flames hadn’t only incinerated the glass in front of Xan’s cell, buteverycell down here.

Luka rushed forward into his father’s cell, glass that hadn’t been burned to ash crunching under his boots. His father hadn’t been spared either, cuts and burns marring his skin and clothes. Luka winced, reminding himself he would heal once they got that collar off of him. He didn’t know how they were going to manage that. All he cared about right now, though, was severing the chain connected to the wall. They could remove the shackle once they were out of here and safe.

“The chains?” he asked, avoiding looking at his father as he studied the silver links.

“Not the same, but dragon fire will not work,” Xan answered.

Luka nodded, once again finding himself useless as he stepped aside so Razik and Eliza could approach.

“You do it,mai dragocen,” Razik said, keeping a healthy distance away, but he sent a small tendril of black flames to her. She wound her own magic around it, producing only the smallest amount, before carefully twisting their joined magic around the chain. It sparked, heating to a glowing orange, then red, then blue before it snapped apart.

Razik didn’t move, but Luka did, extending a hand to pull his father to his feet. His hand wrapped around his forearm, his touch far too cool for a dragon. He stumbled on his feet, as if he hadn’t stood in ages. Maybe he hadn’t. But surely he’d bathed recently, and his clothes didn’t look aged. They seemed relatively fresh, and there wasn’t an odor like he was sure he’d find with Valter.

Shit.

Valter.

His cell would be open too.

“Are you steady?” Luka asked, gaze darting down the hall.

“Yes,” his father answered. “I will be slow though. I apologize.”

He whipped his head to look at him. “Don’t fucking apologize.”

The answering smile was a grim one. “I fear I have much to apologize for, Luka. To you and your brother.”

“Our time is up,” Cienna said. Luka had no idea where she got it, but the Witch was holding a blade, twirling the hilt in her hand.

“We can’t Travel out of here,” Razik said. “I just tried.”

“So we need to get back to the main hallway,” Luka replied, throwing an arm around his father’s waist to take some of his weight.

Razik’s eyes grazed over them, but he didn’t offer any assistance. If that was how he was going to be, then he would need to take on the responsibility of getting them out safely.

“Either help our father or lead the way,” Luka said. “But expect company.”

Razik’s smile was sharp. “Eliza’s been dying to spill some blood.”

“I have not,” she scoffed, but that was excitement in her eyes as she drew her sword.

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