Page 94 of Don't Fae With Dragons

We’re in a remote area of the woods, far enough from the original clearing where Kar was last spotted, that it will take him a moment to find us, should he try to. Hopefully, though, Aurora will come alone.

“Let’s start, Cory,” Port says quietly.

If he’s nervous, he’s doing a good job hiding it; I’m normally the stoic one, but my hands twitch slightly as I reach into the sachet and begin to pace around Mili.

I exhale deeply and close my eyes, silently petitioning the wind to guide my steps. Chrysthinia told me that if my eyes are closed, my other senses (and the elements themselves) will be able to detect psychic forces more easily. I have the spell memorized for that reason; the paper is just for show.

As I follow the silent urging in my mind telling me where to step, I hear Port and Max’s footsteps around me. They set to work lighting the candles circled around Mili –they’re not purified, so they hold no power. Mostly they’re here because they make Mili more visible in the dark woods; she’ll glow like a beacon for her jealous ex-lover.

I hum quietly, following my instincts on what tones to hum, as I circle Mili and dust herbs around her. After I’ve made a full circle, I stand in front of Mili and try to ignore her nervous, panting breaths. I stand still and move my hands in the wind, playing with the lightness of the air as I begin the fake chant.

Guardian of the Night, oh, Black Lady

We beseech you, forgive us

Forgive the faery, oh, Black Lady

Forgive the dragons, oh, Black Lady

We beseech you, claim what’s yours

Before I’ve even finished the chant I feel a certain tingle of energy in the air around me. It moves in a violent spiral, frantically whirling between Max, Port, and myself, then finally landing on Milica.

I try to suppress my frown as the energy grows; the Black Lady was supposed to arrive after several rounds of the chant and several rounds of circling Mili with the herbs. If Aurora comesnow, while the Moon is still out –this is going to be a harder fight than we anticipated.

A loud, howling whoosh sounds from deep within the forest, and my eyes shoot open just as a curtain of darkness flies out from the trees and smothers the candles in one fell swoop. The clearing is suddenly plunged into darkness, and Mili calls out to me in panic as I whirl around to check on her.

Then Max cries out in surprise as a tendril of darkness slithers up his ankle and yanks him to the ground. He just barely covers his head before his skull crashes to the ground, yelping in pain as his back lands flat on the earth. Port falls next as a pillar of black hits him square in the chest, knocking him ten paces backwards until he hits a heavy tree trunk.

“Godsdamnit!” I shout, throwing my body to the side to avoid a writhing mass of dark energy that shoots at me. “Mili, unbind yourself!”

Mili immediately moves her hands to pull the trap knots and free herself, releasing herself so quickly that she shrieks and falls forward to the ground. I leap forward to catch her, but a ribbon of black wraps around her waist and yanks her up harshly into the tree canopy.

“Cory!” Mili screams as she’s flung up to the forest ceiling.

I bellow with rage and my wings fly open, launching me violently into the air. As I shoot directly up towards Milica, a dozen shadowy tendrils fly out from behind tree trunks, branches, and bunches of leaves, all aiming straight for me.

Thinking quickly, I spin and let myself plunge to the ground to avoid them. As I fall, I see Port and Max have righted themselves and are helping each other battle black pillars and writing ribbons on the ground.

As the tendrils above me crash into each other, a woman’s angry shriek rings out through the clearing. Mili screams for me again, and I feel the wind shift as she’s thrown sideways, deeper into the forest.

I roar furiously and launch a column of blazing flames up at the mass of darkness above me, listening in feral ecstasy as they hiss and burn, falling to the ground as a pile of black ashes.

Once that’s done, I scan the treetops for any sign of Mili. I hear her muffled cries from above me and to the left, and I spot her struggling against a half-dozen shadowy limbs holding her hostage.

“Mili!” I howl, launching myself again through the clearing to reach her.

This time as I rise, I anticipate the black tendrils coming for me, and I spit fire sideways in every direction as my wingsfly me to my faery. They sizzle and shriek as they turn into nothing but ashen dust clouds that fall to the ground and coat the clearing below us.

I reach Mili mere moments later and unsheathe my claws to sever the forces binding her. She screams and starts to fall to the ground, her wings still in their protective encasing (another recommendation of Chrysthinia’s –in case Kar arrived and tried to destroy them again). I dive through the air and catch her, holding her tightly to me as we spiral to the ground, my wings cushioning our landing.

Mili gasps and clings onto me, and I clutch her desperately as I whip my head around and scan the clearing. It’s dark,toodark, but the Sun must be rising soon. Aurora’s powers, borrowed from Kar, will weaken as soon as the Moon falls for the day.

As I’m looking around, I see how well Max and Port have done at batting away the dangerous powers Aurora has launched on us. They’re both coated in the black ash from the destroyed tendrils and their own slain darknesses, but they fight valiantly.

Then Mili screams again, and I whirl around with her in my arms to see Aurora as the Black Lady standing, wiggling her fingers in some taunting greeting.

“Very tricky of you four, wasn’t this?” she hisses. “I’ll be taking Mili now, and we’ll beleaving.”

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