Page 120 of Wrath of the Dragons
It snaps its head forward, and I spin out of the way, slicing one of my swords below its neck. It screams again, jerking its head away from me before I can cut its throat again, but I slice its wing, adding moreblood to the already red ocean. It swings its tail again, and I sacrifice a blade to jam it through the armored flesh, pulling my hand down just before venom is injected into my wrist.
In one last effort, it snaps its head forward, skimming my shoulder with its canine as I shove my final blade through its second eye. I jam it to the hilt and keep pushing until I spear its brain. The final roar dies on its lips, and it crashes into the waves as I fall to my knees to catch my breath.
I don’t often experience pity, but I do now while looking at the beast. I know what it’s like to be caged, to be controlled, but I made it out.
I press a hand to its snout. There are no winners at the end of a battle, just haunted survivors. I caught Elowen crying on the ship after the first battle where she had to kill wyverns, and the memories have chased her from sleep on more than one night. She had to choose between the survival of her dragons and them, but the wyverns aren’t acting of their own volition; they’re being controlled.
“May your soul cross the river and find peace,” I say while removing my blades. I move to stand beside the beast and dig my boots into the sand, pushing it farther into the tide to give it the only burial I’m able.
Chapter
Fifty-nine
Cayden
I walk through puddles of bloodas I step over dead bodies, listening to people call out for loved ones. The battle is over, and despite us being able to defend Galakin from invasion, the death toll on both sides is substantial, and that’s not accounting for the citizens in the streets.
Where is my wife?
A knifelike sensation twists my gut as I look at the sky void of dragons. They often circle wherever Elowen is. My mind is my own worst enemy, conjuring images of her either dead or captured, and madness thrums within me. I’ve prepared for this war my entire life, and yet I know I’d give it all up for her. I’d find a way to live with hating myself if it meant she’d be safe.
I whip my head in all directions, my heart pounding so fiercely it nearly drowns out all the shouting. I don’t catch a glimpse of her curls or colorful markings anywhere. It’s always been easy for me to spot her. My gaze is often drawn to her in any room she enters and even seeks her out when she’s not there. It doesn’t matter how many people separate us. I was blessed with the ability to see only to catch sight of her; it’s wasted on anything else.
Fucking hells.
I follow the curve of the beach, keeping my eyes sharp. Once, I found peace in violence and felt a sense of tranquility at the end ofbattle. My muscles would burn, and my body would be too tired to listen to my mind, but a storm rages within me that won’t be quelled until I spot her.
My breath rushes from me all at once. “Elowen!”
She doesn’t hear me, speaking heatedly with Finnian who rubs his hands down her arms before she kneels in the sand, flipping over another dark-haired soldier with shaky hands. Her shoulders slump after she takes in his features.
Oh, angel.
“El!” I call out again, louder this time. Finnian sees me first, and even from here I note the way the tension leaves his body. Ryder stands from where he was crouched looking through the bodies and presses a hand to his chest.
But it’s Elowen I can’t move my eyes from once she whips toward me. Her brows knot, and her face coats in an emotion I’ve never seen before. It’s too powerful to be relief. Trembles rack her body as she rises to her feet and begins sprinting toward me.
My knees go weak under the weight of what it feels like to be loved by someone like her, and yet I remain standing. I step forward like I’m in a trance, only breaking free of it when I sweep her off her feet and crush her body to mine. Her heart beating against mine is the reassurance I need right now, and it still doesn’t feel like it’s enough.
She chokes on a sob as she buries her head in my neck.
“It’s all right, angel. We’re all right.” I skim my hands over her body to make sure there aren’t any wounds.
“I couldn’t find you. Nobody knew where you were.” She pulls back enough to look at me, and she frames my face with her hands as I set her on her feet and apply pressure to the back of her neck, massaging it slowly to ease her anxiety.
“I’ll always find my way back to you. No matter where you are. Never doubt that,” I say, pressing my blood-covered forehead to hers as the dragons circle the air around us. “I don’t plan on dying in battle now that I have someone waiting for me when it’s over.”
I drag my thumb over her bottom lip once, twice, and then shesmiles, and it feels like everything will be all right. She remains close to me as Ryder and Finnian reach us, pressing her back to my chest to face them.
“There is talk that the king of Galakin joined the battle and that he’s wounded,” Ryder says. “He was going to accompany us to Imirath but now it’ll probably be Prince Zale leading the force.”
“Zale will be easier to deal with,” I respond.
Ryder nods. “I want to get back to the castle to check on Sas.”
“She’s in the stronghold and has Ser Rhys to protect her,” Elowen says. “She’ll be more worried about you.”
Ryder shakes his head. “I don’t trust him or the prince.”
