Page 63 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
“Retreat!” Ignis bellowed to his force, his command filled with alpha rage. “To the mountains!”
A blur of bronze scales streaked across Sora’s fading vision—Ember, diving with reckless abandon toward the platform. The female guard’s wings tucked tight against her body, transforming her into a living missile that crashed through the line of royal guards with bone-shattering force.
She landed atop Coal’s cage, talons scrabbling against metal bars as she tore at the structure with desperate strength. The metal groaned and twisted, but held against her assault. Coal’s face pressed against the bars at his raging mate.
“Go!” Coal’s voice carried across the distance. “Save her!”
Ember hesitated, torn between her mate and her duty. With a roar that carried anguish beyond words, she unleashed a torrent of flame around the cage, creating a barrier of fire that momentarily drove back approaching soldiers.
The bronze dragon’s tail lashed out, wrapping around the nearest figure—Prince Markth, whose eyes widened in shock as he was yanked off his feet. In one fluid motion, Ember swept her tail in a devastating arc that sent Princess Jewels and her guards flying back.
“Ember!” Ignis’s voice cut through the chaos with commanding precision. “Now!”
With Coal’s cage still resisting her efforts, Ember abandoned her attempt, clutching the struggling prince in her talons as she launched skyward. Her wings beat furiously against the air, creating violent downdrafts that scattered arrows meant to bring her down.
Around them, the sky darkened as dragons converged, their massive forms blocking the morning sun. As one, they exhaled—streams of multicolored flame raining down to create a wall of fire between the retreating dragons and the Celestorian forces.
The heat washed over Sora in waves, yet somehow didn’t burn—unlike the painful anguish in her body.
Through the flickering curtain of flame, Sora caught a final glimpse of Coal. He stood upright now, pressed against the bars, one hand extended toward the retreating Ember.
The world tilted sideways as Ignis launched into flight, his powerful wings creating concussive force that scattered smaller Celestorian soldiers like leaves in a tempest. The sudden acceleration drove daggers of pain from her wound throughout her body.
Darkness eclipsed the edges of her vision, creeping inward like spilled ink. The poison burning through her veins was unlike anything she’d felt before.
Am I finally dying?
The last sensation she registered before unconsciousness claimed her was Ignis’s voice, no longer the commanding roar of a king but the desperate plea of a mate:
“Stay with me, my Luna. Stay with me, please.”
Then darkness swallowed her completely, and she knew nothing more.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
IGNIS
Ignis dived from the sky, Sora’s limp form clutched tightly against his chest. Wind screamed past his scales, but all he heard was her ragged breathing, growing fainter with each passing moment. The princess’s blade had pierced more than just armor—it had carried corrupted essence directly into Sora’s blood.
“Asher, Zalaya—my chambers, now!”he commanded through their mental link, his thoughts lashing across the mountain with desperate fury.“Life hangs in the balance.”
He tucked his wings closer, increasing his speed as the mountain stronghold grew larger below. Blood—her blood—slicked his scales, hot then cooling against the rushing air. Too much blood for such a small frame to lose.
A bronze blur shot past him—Ember, clutching the struggling Celestorian prince in her talons. She banked sharply, adjusting her trajectory to match his.
“A royal captive?”
“Insurance,”Ember spat.“They took Coal, we take—”
“Not now,”Ignis cut her off.“Place him in the east guest chamber under double guard. We’ll deal with him after.”
Ember’s mental acknowledgment carried reluctant acceptance as she veered toward a different entrance.
Ignis crashed through the balcony opening to his chambers, stone cracking beneath his forceful landing. He didn’t waste precious seconds placing Sora down before transforming—instead, he pulled his draconic form inward, scales flowing like liquid fire as he shifted to dragoon form with Sora still cradled in his arms.
Her head lolled against his shoulder, skin ashen where it wasn’t smeared with dirt and blood. The silver scales that had shimmered so brilliantly in the dawn light now appeared dulled, tarnished by poison. Her breathing came in shallow, uneven gasps.
“Blaze! Enixa!” he bellowed, knowing the Wing Leaders waited just beyond the balcony. Their presence was unmistakable. Within moments, they appeared in the doorway in their dragoon forms, expressions grim as they took in the sight of their king cradling the fallen Luna.
