Page 132 of Heart Cradle
The old bridge came into view slowly, a hulking stone serpent arching across the chasm. Its foundation was ancient, threaded with moss and old bone and reinforced with new Avelan stonework. A military asset, a direct threat and it had to burn.
“On my signal,” Aeilanna even whispered in her mind.
Her runes were already spinning through the air, five linked coils twined with soft green thread. She released the spell, and a veil of glamour folded over them, light-bending, scent-blinding and magic-silencing.
The sky broke open as Solirra dove from the clouds, her fire a sweeping, blinding torrent of gold-white flame. The southern half of the bridge erupted, stone cracking beneath the heat, enchantments screaming as they unravelled in a heartbeat.
“Now,”Aeilanna commanded through mind-talk. “Nol,cut the line.”
With barely a sound, Hervour tucked her wings and surged down the ridge, violet fire pouring from her throat. Her flame was colder in colour but searing hot, licking across the bridge’s centre line. The structure gave a deep, grinding groan as the middle supports split and fell, chunks of enchanted stone tumbling into the river below. The flame spluttered and then failed totally as a single arrow arced up and struck deep into Hervour’s wing joint.
“Fuck!”Nolenne barked. “We’ve been hit!”
There was movement in the trees and soldiers charged. Eight Avelan fighters, masked and trained, not panicked or feral. They were ready.
Hervour landed hard on a slope, growling low, wing half-tucked. Nolenne slid free from her saddle, pulled the arrow from the joint and then leapt fully, blades already in motion. A soldier lunged, she stepped aside, caught his wrist, drove her dagger up beneath his ribs, twisted and let him fall. Another came from behind, she pivoted low, blade slicing cleanly through his thigh and blood fell in a rush.
Aeilanna dismounted, both runed daggers in hand, her motions fluid. She weaved intention spells between dodges, her movement a blend of combat and spellweaving. One scout raised a spear, but froze mid-motion, encased in a sudden column of glowing runes and Aeilanna’s knife found his heart a moment later.
Solirra barrelled low and slammed into three more, wings spread wide, fire ripping outward. Hervour, despite her injury, charged forwards with silent wrath, flame bursting from her throat to engulf two more figures in heat and ruin.
“Leave no survivors!” Nolenne shouted, catching Aeilanna’s eye.
The bridge crackled behind them, half-collapsed and glowing with embers. The entire gorge and river below now smoked, the Avelan path severed completely.
Hervour landed heavily, wing stiff but steady.
Nolenne swung back into her saddle, breath heaving.“You good?”
“The wing will mend,” Hervour said. “My pride will not suffer a second shot.”
Aeilanna climbed back onto Solirra’s saddle, her runes still glowing faintly. “Let’s go before anymore appear.”
The two dragons rose again, wings pushing against smoke and soot, disappearing into the night. Behind them, fire devoured the last remnants of the bridge, and the bodies below were already turning to shadowed memory.
?????
Fenric had always loved a bit of danger, but flying into enemy-held territory with a woman who could out-shoot him, out-joke him, and out-bed him, too?
Shit, that was a new religion.
Laren sat behind him on Rivakar’s back, her bow slung lazily across her shoulder, long curls now plaited and flicking in the wind like a banner of war.
“You’re leaning too far to the right,”she said into the mind-link, voice amused.
“I’m leaning into my fate, Moon,”Fenric replied. “Which, at the moment, involves you pressed against my back and possibly saving my life… again.”
“If you die on me, I’ll find a fucking way to resurrect you just to kill you properly.” She said while brushing a kiss to his neck.
“How did I get so lucky?”he said with a grin.
“Poor judgment,”Rivakar answered without hesitation.
The mission was simple, disable the network of transport and relay stones used by Avelan scouts to report and regroup. The stones were small and scattered, most embedded in rock or buried near outposts. They were attuned to local command, so cutting the link and severing the signal would confuse the entire enemy web.
This was exactly the kind of chaos Fenric and Laren thrived in.
They flew low before circling down into a thicket of twisted pines. Rivakar landed silently, Laren slid off first, her boots making no sound as she stooped beside a scrub covered rise.
