Page 87 of Blood of Dragons

The other elves followed suit.

The queen glanced at me over her shoulder. “Kneel.”

I moved down the stairs and took a knee a few feet away from the queen, feeling my leg touch the cool grass.

The music stopped—and then it was silent.

The fireflies that illuminated the clearing suddenly dispersed, bringing the area into formidable darkness.

I didn’t know what was happening, but I didn’t dare ask.

The darkness remained for minutes, a star or two visible in the opening of the canopy far above. The march of the Behemoths became louder, the vibrations from their boots sending tremors through the earth and reaching my knee in the soil.

Then there was a glow, golden in hue and warm like fire.

It started off as a single light in the darkness, then slowly grew, becoming powerful like the sunrise, bringing the clearing into a vibrant light. It became so bright that it hurt my eyes to see, so I closed them tightly as it grew warm.

And then the light faded from my closed eyelids instantly.

I opened my eyes and looked ahead, seeing a woman outlined in golden light. She had red hair and green eyes, wearing a white gown that only covered one shoulder, adorned in gold jewelry. Like Queen Eldinar, she was beautiful…but also terrifying.

She stood there, nonexistent wind blowing through her hair, her eyes on the queen. When she spoke, there was an echo to her voice, as if several beings were speaking at once through her. “Evil marches upon your borders. Ten thousand strong with a vile leader that desires bruised flesh. They come with fire—and they will burn this forest if you fail.”

Queen Eldinar held her stare. “Help us, Riviana. Help us protect the Realm of Caelum.”

“It’s not my place to interfere with the living, Queen Eldinar. You know this.”

“I ask you to protect the forest, not our people.” She remained on one knee but continued to conduct herself like a queen who stood in a beautiful gown. “We’re expendable, but the trees that have been here since the beginning of time are not. Help, not us, but yourself.”

Riviana stared at the queen before her, staring with unblinking eyes just the way Talon did. The golden light continued to encase her outline, making her shine like a fallen star. “Every able-bodied elf must report to the front. Many of you will die, but that’s the only chance you have of success. Your army will not be enough.”

“And what will you do?” Queen Eldinar asked.

“I will fight their fire with my own.”

My sword and armor were returned to me, but instead of feeling safer clad in the protective gear, I felt more vulnerable. When I’d come to this forest, I felt safe in my tree house, felt safe amongthe people, even if they weren’t particularly kind to me. But now I realized there was no place in this world that was ever safe. Danger lurked behind every corner, on the other side of every mountain, and you only lived long enough to fight another day.

Queen Eldinar seemed unafraid to march into battle, like she’d done it before or simply had no fear of death. She ordered every able-bodied elf to arm themselves with a weapon and armor and to march to the border where the battle would take place.

I didn’t speak a word to anyone, too afraid to form words. I’d dueled Talon several times, but when he unleashed his true strength, I was greatly overpowered—even when I was fused with a dragon. As a regular person with no experience, I would die the second I stepped into battle.

But I refused to stay in the forest like a coward when no one else objected to the queen’s call. If I wanted to call this place home, I needed to serve it like it was my home, like it meant as much to me as it did to everyone else.

I smelled the smoke before I saw the fire.

It wafted through the trees, chasing the fireflies and birds away. The song of Riviana was stronger than before, but even higher, more distressed. I coughed as I moved forward, hearing the sound of battle cries just minutes later.

The cries of the dying.

I thought of Commander Luxe…and my uncle.

I didn’t think about myself anymore.

Queen Eldinar wore such an angry look on her face that she didn’t seem to share those same thoughts.

The fire became visible, the tops of the trees ablaze, some already felled and catching others on fire. It was chaos as we approached, elves and orcs on fire, running through the forest and rolling on the ground as they desperately tried to put out their flames.

Queen Eldinar unsheathed both of her blades. “Calista.”

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