Page 56 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
She moved without conscious thought, her body suddenly remembering techniques she’d never learned—somehow she instinctively knew. The historian’s mind retreated beneath instincts older than conscious memory—dragon blood awakening in her veins.
Her first strike caught Ember by surprise, connecting solidly with the guard’s shoulder. The second followed instantly, a sweeping kick that nearly toppled the larger female. The third was a combination that drove Ember back three steps, genuine shock flashing across her scarred features.
“You don’t get to judge me,” Sora growled, pressing her advantage. “You don’t know what I’ve lost. What I’ve lost. What I was forced to sacrifice.”
Each word punctuated another strike, her body moving faster with each passing moment.
“I never asked to be a part of this war!” Her fist connected with Ember’s jaw, snapping the guard’s head back. “I never wanted anyone to suffer! Especially on my behalf!”
Ember attempted to counter, but Sora was beyond defensive tactics now. She slipped past the guard’s strike, inside her reach, and delivered a punishing combination that sent Ember staggering backward.
“But I’m here now.” Her voice dropped lower, something ancient—something powerful—resonating beneath the words. “And I willnotbe broken.”
The next exchange happened too quickly for conscious thought. Ember lashed out; Sora parried, twisted, and suddenly the guard was on her back, Sora’s forearm pressed against her throat, silver scales burning against bronze.
“I don’t want to fight,” Sora growled, tears mingling with blood on her face. “I don’t want any of this. But I won’t let you or anyone else tell me what I’m worth.”
Strong hands suddenly seized her shoulders, pulling her backward with irresistible force. Sora struggled instinctively until a familiar scent enveloped her—midnight stone and ancient fire.
“Enough!” Ignis’s voice cut through her rage, his arms encircling her from behind, wings partially unfurling to create a barrier between her and Ember. “What is happening here?”
Reality crashed back with jarring force. Sora blinked, the supernatural strength flowing from her as swiftly as it had arrived. The luminescence of her scales dimmed, leaving her trembling in the aftermath of fury.
Suddenly, pain erupted through her in waves from the wounds that covered her body—once muted—settling deep in her bones.
Ember rose slowly, one hand touching her jaw gingerly, as she slowly shook her head. Rather than anger, Sora was startled to see something like respect in the guard’s amber eyes.
“Female business,” Ember answered, straightening as she rolled her shoulders and flexing her wings. “Testing the Luna’s resolve.”
Ignis’s arms tightened around Sora, his body radiating protective heat. “This goes beyond training.”
“It needed to.” Ember’s gaze never left Sora’s face. “I needed to know if she had what it takes before it’s too late—before you bond with her completely.” A hint of a smile touched her scarred lip. “Before you fall even deeper for her.”
Fall deeper for her?
Sora leaned into Ignis, her weight no longer held by will alone. The tension drained from her limbs, leaving her heavy, breathless. Her head moved in a slow shake against his chest, strands of hair catching on his scales as disbelief rippled through her. “This was a test?”
“I would never truly harm you,” Ember replied, her voice gentler than Sora had ever heard it.
Sora gestured to her split lip, the bruises forming on her arms and legs, the blood drying on her chin. “And this isn’t harm?”
Ember shrugged, the movement rippling her wings as she flicked her hair back. “A little blood means nothing. The dragon blood in your veins ensures you’ll heal before nightfall.” Her gaze shifted to Ignis, something like deference in her stance despite her previous ferocity. “I would never truly endanger your chosen, my king. No matter if she wasn’t a gift from the Moon Goddess.” Her voice softened further as her gaze drifted to the skylight. “But even the most precious omega must be prepared for what awaits. Celestoria will not test with training blows.”
The crystalline light from overhead caught in the sweat beading on Ember’s brow, refracting into prismatic patterns across her copper scaled skin. For the first time, Sora noticed a myriad of old scars beneath the guard’s scales—testament to battles survived, pain endured.
“What have you determined?” Ignis’s voice cut through the air, low and taut, his arms still wrapped protectively around Sora. Heat rolled off him in steady waves, each one pulsing with the effort it took to hold himself back. A deep rumble stirred in his chest, vibrating against her spine.
Ember inclined her head, the gesture carrying unmistakable deference. “She’ll do.” The guard’s eyes met Sora’s directly. “You fight for more than yourself. That’s a start.”
Ember turned, her tail cutting a precise arc through the air.
She hadn’t made it two steps before Ignis spoke.
“Coal.”
Just one word. Quiet. Weighted. It hung there—sharp as regret, soft as memory. Ember froze, the tip of her tail twitching once before going still. When she turned back, her amber eyes held a vulnerability Sora hadn’t witnessed before—the mask of the hardened warrior briefly slipping to reveal the friend beneath.
She closed her eyes, pain flooding her features. Tension gathered in the muscles of her throat as she struggled for composure.
