Page 165 of House of Embers
“Hadrian,” she got past her lips. “D-Darby…”
This was her great regret. She hadn’t seen her loves one more time. The two loves of her life. And she was going to die without them.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
The Aerial Assault
Audria
Audria brought the eastern front into the battle, cutting off the Society exit. Fallon would be shoring up the western front and the access to Elsiande. Just a quick glance told her that before they’d arrived, the battle had been equal but disorganized.
Kerrigan was right. Without the bonds, the Society was fractured. Audria wasn’t sure how many of the dragons she recognized in the skies over the city of Kinkadia, but it didn’t feel like the bulk of the Society dragons. Had some fled once the bonds broke? That would be good for them.
“I’ll take the left,” Noda yelled over the noise of the wind. Her Concha teal scarf was tied over her dark hair.
Audria’s honey hair was in a braid down her back, and she already wished she had something to keep the flyaways in place. The winter winds were crashing against the dragons, promising the oncoming first snow.
“Good luck,” Audria called to Noda.
“See you on the other side,” Noda said.
Audria veered right, heading around the northern bank of Draco Mountain and toward the heart of the battle. Her eyes snagged on Dyta and Wynter battling another dragon in the skies, her white-blond hair flying free behind her, shadows in her hands and fire in her heart, Dozan behind her, wielding from an amulet at the dragons at her back. That pairing still terrified her.
Audria left them to their fighting as she dove into the fray. She targeted a dragon to her left, using water to wrap around the wing and tug. A snap sounded that made her cringe. Gods, she hated hurting the dragons. But she was trained too well to do anything else. They had to take out their biggest competition. Since killing the riders wouldn’t kill the dragons any longer, she had to do her best to take out their greatest strength.
No one was certain whether the dragons would retaliate at the deaths of their riders. And a rogue dragon on the battlefield could cause irreparable harm.
Even as she scanned the battle, engaging with riders as they got in her way, she found herself looking for one person in particular—Roake.
She’d said she would kill him if she saw him, but part of her hoped they didn’t find each other. She’d wanted to change his mind in that clearing. She wanted to believe that he wasn’t too far gone. Did that mean she loved him?
She shook her head. This wouldn’t help anything.
Her water took out another dragon, wings snapping like twigs. She had to pull herself back from trying to heal them as they went down.
Why had they stayed with the Society? Were they like Roake, who had aligned with the Red Masks since birth? Or like Gerrond, who thought he could work within the confines of the Society? Or did they just believe in the system that had stood for so long?
She had no answers. She loved the Society. As third in her house, she had been raised to adhere to it. And still she had turned instantly when it became clear that Kerrigan was in the right.
In a world where it was easier to do nothing, it was an act of rebellion to speak out.
And then, there he was.
Audria’s heart stopped at the sight of Roake on the battlefield. She’d thought maybe he wouldn’t be there. He’d be at Bastian’s side, and Kerrigan would get to decide what to do with him. But no…this was her choice.
She watched helplessly as he threw an arrow of earth at one of their fighters and the Fae toppled off their dragon. The dragon screeched and dove for their rider.
This was who he was.
A killer.
She couldn’t do nothing. Not as he killed her people. Not when he was in the wrong.
Her star-crossed love meant nothing in a war.
“Go, Evien,” Audria said as she hardened her heart and engaged Roake.
She threw her water first, reaching for Luxor’s wings. The dragon roared, spewing fire as he evaded her.
