Page 87 of Of Blood and Banes
“Yield to me!”I scream as my head begins to catch up with my body, my skull pulsing with an uncontrollable dizziness.
The flames roar, desperate not to give into my control. The tips of the inferno spike, as if racing toward the sky to escape my grasp. I stop spinning, though the lingering sensation still has me staggering, my head lolling as I fight to regain my balance. I pull my elbows into my sides, dragging the flames closer andcloser to me, to where the wall of still spinning flames surrounds me.
I should be scared.
If I were in this exact situation a few months ago, I would have already pissed myself. Or passed out. The temptation to let go of the flames and rest flirts with me. But those two little words echo in the back of my mind:hold on.
My determination overrides any of the alarm bells, and I scrunch my eyebrows down tighter as I fight to keep my eyes open in the blinding whirl of flames.
Yield!
Trembling and shaking, I rake my fingers down from the top of the fire tornado as it screams with almost human objection.
To!
Just alittle further to the ground. But it refuses to bow before me, as if I’m not nearly worthy enough.
Me!
With a guttural scream, I fall to my knees and slam my hands down onto the heated cobblestone street. The deafening circle of flames roars as it swirls down and around in a whirlpool-like motion, as if sucked into the abyss beneath the streets. The fire disappears into the ground, and a bitter coldness snaps in with the lack of overpowering heat.
“You’ve done it.”Daeja’s grin is palpable.“That’s my two legger.”
Panting, I stare at my hands splayed on the ground before me, my arms shaking beneath me and threatening to collapse as I fight to catch up to my racing pulse. The Blood Ring glows with a soft blue before fading to its normal gray sheen.
My vision snaps black, and I collapse forward onto the ground, face first. But I can’t care about the slamming ache that meets my face. Only the exhaustion tearing at my boneslike a vulture stripping a carcass. As my consciousness fades, something slides underneath my belly.
I peek open my eyes. Daeja has her nose underneath me and lifts me off the ground. My feet flail weakly beneath me as I fight to regain my balance. My arms are strung limply over her snout as I try to lift my heavy head. My boots meet the street, and she freezes, allowing me to slowly pull myself up off her muzzle, my legs shaking underneath me.
When I turn around to assess the damage to the buildings, my head spins. Cole dives to me as I fall forward, catching me in his arms before I can smack face-first into the ground again.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers into my ear, lowering to his knees.
“Did everyone…everyone make it out okay?” I croak into his chest. “Did I save them?”
He pulls my head back gently, a small grin splitting his beard as he motions behind him with his chin. The buildings around us sizzle, a light gray smoke rising from the foundations and clouding the air. The bases of the homes are stained with black scars, but the wooden beams and brick columns still stand. And down the smoky street where the crowd slipped away, their distant silhouettes return.
I fucking did it.
A laugh breaks from my chest, tears misting my eyes the harder I smile. For once, I made a difference. For once, I saved them.
The street shakes under the heavy landings of A’nala and the other dragons with their riders. Sethan dismounts A’nala, who flicks her golden gaze between Daeja and me. Her expression is free from annoyance and could be mistaken for something resembling pride. The other dragon riders dismount. Sethan looks at me wordlessly, a serious calm drowning his features as he unsheathes his sword, stabs it down between two cobblestones, and kneels, dipping his head low.
One by one, the rest of the dragon riders follow suit, removing their weapons and kneeling. Each red dragon bows, with A’nala being the last, her eyes closing as she dips her maw. A swarm of pride and sheer amazement swallows me as I watch them all.
For Daeja.
And for me.
A patter of rapidly approaching footsteps steals my attention, and I turn to the sound. Corvin races up to us like a bat out of the hells from one of the side streets. Almost tripping over his own feet by how hard he runs. Once he reaches Cole and me, he hunches over, coughing as he tries to catch his breath, before looking at me with wild eyes.
“I…couldn’t…” He gasps, sucking in a large breath of air. “...get…Darian…out.”
CHAPTER 29
THE DEATH IN SYMPATHY
Corvin’s round eyes convey all the shock and fear I’m already swimming in. “I went back to set him free, as Sethan commanded, but didn’t have the key. I don’t think he has long?—”
