Page 136 of A Rising Hope

“They are above us, aren’t they?” Priya narrowed her eyes at the ceiling, watching it quake. I nodded slowly. My mind split between the ethereal and mortal. The world was so much more beyond this. “This is not the fucking time to ponder, Freckles,” she snapped in my direction, and she was right. “Ponder when we get out of this dungeon,” Priya hissed, looking around for a way out.

I closed my eyes, diving far into the depths of the ocean of fire within me, until every inferno was at my fingertips. I lifted my arms up and let the flames burst free.

The insatiable fire burned mercilessly. The stone crumbled above us until the ceiling caved in completely. A ray of sun burst through the smoke, accompanied by loud, hateful screeching that rumbled through the sky. Screeching accompanied by the thunderous roaring of my two giant dragons. Talons, claws,bone and scales all woven into a deadly dance between the clouds of smoke.

“They are too far,” Priya murmured as we watched the terrible fight unravel high in the sky. I nodded, calling to the part of me connected to the dragons I’d created.

“Run,” I calmly said, my only warning before I yanked Priya’s wrist, scaling the crumbled walls and ceilings, climbing as high as possible. One of the dragons dove straight for us, freefalling into a nose dive. Raw fire burst from his enormous jaws.

“Now!” I shouted to Priya through the loud screeching. Priya swore but leaped after me into the smoke. The dragon soared back high into the sky after catching our falling bodies. Wind rushed past my ears, blood drumming with the thrill. I scaled the magnificent creature until I reached the spot between his wings, holding on to the tall spikes on his back. Priya swore a rain of profanities but settled behind me.

“Time to shine.” I glanced at her paled face.

“Keep me alive,” she said. I wasn’t sure whether it was to me or my dragon, but before I could ask, her eyes closed.

Here, far from human eyes, between the ferocious fighting of the dragons and the creatures, she let her powers soar through the sky, finding their mark one by one. The eyeless monsters fell, their bodies crashed atop the green hill, far away from people and their homes.

Second after second, Priya’s powers reached every single one of them, turning the sky silent as their unnatural shrieks fell dead.

A trickle of blood ran down from her nose as her eyes rolled. I twisted, holding her body tight against mine as she swayed.

“No falling allowed.” I smiled, commanding my dragons to land.

The earth shook as their large claws found the ground.

“You did it, Priya,” I murmured, still holding tight to her as she slowly blinked awake.

“Consider it my wedding gift to you.” She wiped the blood off her perfect lips.

“Here.” I reached in my pocket for the pack of candy I brought for her.

“These are crap,” Priya complained as she stuffed her mouth full. “Absolute garbage.” Her hands shook, and I helped her unwrap the sugary treats as she shoved them whole into her mouth, color quickly returning to her face.

A loud horn exploded through the city. I twisted around towards the horizon, heart skipping a beat as I recognized the sound of our armies.

The second dragon circled above us in the smokey sky, impatient and eager to return to the savage fighting.

My eyes darted to the other side of the city. My mouth turned dry as I thought of Zora and the Ten fighting alone. Xentar’s shadows, as their only cover, slowly disappeared each second we wasted.

Priya sat up, adjusting her braid and the golden pins in her hair.

Another loud horn sounded. The inner-city walls had been breached. Then another sounded. The City Hall had fallen.

“Go, Freckles,” Priya murmured, shaking her arms and stretching her neck before she slid down the large wing.

“Priya?” I called out, but she was already strolling away. “Wait, Priya,” I called out again.

“Live a happy life for me, Freckles.” She looked over her shoulder, but didn’t meet my stare, her copper eyes lacking their usual spark. Another horn sounded, and I glanced back to see another wave of heat roll through the city.

“Priya?” I asked, returning to look where she was just moments prior, only to find her gone.

She left.

The dragons would get the glory and fame for taking down the large creatures, their carcasses splattered on the green hill, and nobody would know of her irreplaceable contribution to the victory today. She would disappear as a nobody, sauntering down the streets, making her way to her manor, soon to be lounging in a bubble bath as the world broke and rebuilt itself again.

A part of me knew Priya was never going to change. She held on to her wounds, ripping off the scabs each time they healed to feel the comforting zing of pain. She craved the lulling darkness and the taste of blood on her dagger. And yet, somewhere, somehow, deep inside of her, she cared for someone beyond herself.

I nodded to the dragons, holding on tighter to their scales as they soared through the sky, tearing through the clouds towards the exploding front lines.

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