Page 7 of Klauth
The best way toexterminate an enemy is to learn their patterns. For the past three days, Thauglor and I have been perched high in the mountains, silently watching the blue dragons come and go from their nest. Every thunderous wingbeat they make, every route they take across the craggy peaks—I note each one, storing the details for our eventual strike. By the end of the week, we’ll be ready to move.
On the fourth day, the last piece of evidence I need arrives. A small flight of wyverns lands in the courtyard below and shifts into human forms—right there in the open. I grit my teeth, my blood pounding in my ears. A furious roar nearly escapes my throat, and Thauglor has to wrestle me back, pinning my shoulders into the loose scree. My claws rake the stones, sending gravel scattering down the slope. I want nothing more than to rush in and incinerate them on the spot.
We remain still and watch the exchange. By the looks of it, money changes hands, then the wyverns launch themselves into the air and head south. Thauglor and I share a look; this is the break we needed. We quietly shift into our human forms and tailthem at a distance until we discover their lair in the southern isles—a deep, dark cavern that swallows the sunlight by day. Our plan is set. When the sun rises tomorrow, their time on this earth will end.
An eerie excitement courses through me, like a hatchling about to experience the bustling city markets for the first time. It reminds me of the solstice celebrations I used to look forward to—before everything changed. But now, this is my private celebration: the extinction of a den of wyverns. It won’t bring back my clutch, my tiny hatchlings torn from this world before they could even squeak out a cry, but maybe it will dull the edge of my grief for one fleeting moment.
When the sun finally breaks over the horizon, Thauglor and I shift, our scales rippling in the early light. We take flight, skimming close to the water. My belly scales nearly brush the surface, each wave sending a salty spray into the air. The sting on my lips only fuels my determination, and the pounding of my heart matches the rhythmic crash of the surf below.
Thauglor dives in first, a streak of shadow against the dawning sky. He unleashes a torrent of acid in the cavern’s mouth. I watch it eat into the stone, hissing, and spitting like a wrathful beast. He follows with a second breath, flooding the cavern floor. The acrid stench burns my nostrils, and I have to blink against the searing fumes.
As soon as Thauglor veers aside, I suck in a breath, feeling the heat coil in my chest. Then I exhale the fiercest fire I can muster. The blaze meets the acid with a deafening boom, a flash of light so bright I see spots. Jagged chunks of rock explode outward, nicking my scales. The impact throws me back, and I crash onto the rubble-littered shore, the impact jarring every bone in my body. My limbs tremble as I stand, each breath rattling withpain. I can already feel several new wounds burning across my hide.
Screams and roars echo from deep within the cavern, echoing off the stone walls until they ring in my ears. My vision blurs with fury, and I hurl another wave of fire inside. The intense heat washes over me, forcing me to step back or risk singeing my own scales.
I glance up in time to see Thauglor spot plumes of black smoke curling out of the cliff side above the cavern. With a powerful beat of his wings, he ascends, and a moment later I hear the telltale snap of his ignitor. The rush of his acid follows, thick and sloshing. Fire bellows at the cave entrance again, roaring higher with the fresh fuel.
My heart hammers, and my throat clenches with a heady mix of satisfaction and grief. I can almost imagine the shattered eggs of my lost brood, the tiny bodies that never got the chance to take flight. No matter how much destruction I cause, that ache remains searing and unrelenting. Yet in these flames, for a few moments, I find release.
If anything survives the onslaught we unleashed, I’ll be surprised—perhaps even impressed. But I doubt there’s anything left to crawl out of that inferno. My ears still ring with the echoes of our fury, and the scent of burning acid clings to the back of my throat. The memory of my lost clutch weighs heavily on my chest, pulsing with each ragged breath.
I swallow hard, forcing the bile down. Nothing will bring them back, but I’ve taken one more step toward avenging them—and for now, that will have to be enough.
I leadThauglor out of the cavern, the heat from the flames licking at our backs. My lungs fill with smoke, and each breath burns like I’m swallowing embers. Even with the fire’s roar, I can’t drown out the hollow ache in my chest. I’ve never known fury so potent—or grief so cold. Losing my clutch was a blow that left a raw wound inside me, and I swear I feel it bleeding still.
The night air outside hits like a slap to the face. The isle is still ablaze behind us, a haze of smoke and ash twisting up to the sky. We both know the inferno will draw attention soon, so we take wing, leaving the devastation we caused. I push harder than I should, my wings aching with every beat, but I can’t stop. I need the distance. Need to hide this seething rage until I can unleash it again.
We find refuge in a maze of jagged rocks on the mainland. The stone is cool against my back as I press myself into the shadows. The acrid stench of burnt flesh clings to my clothes, but I barely notice it. Rage is all I smell, all I taste, all I feel. Thauglor watches the skies, and I do the same. We don’t have to wait long.
Just as we suspected, a group of blue dragons arrives, spiraling over the island, their silhouettes black against the fire’s glow. My lips curl in a snarl as I spot a lone wyvern among them, screeching for its lost den mates. They have no clue how thorough we were, how we wiped out every last one. Part of me wants them to see me here, to recognize the beast who cost them so dearly. But I fight the urge to attack. Now isn’t the time.
We wait until darkness deepens, then slip out of the rocks and fly to the mountains. The wind whips my face, cool, and biting, a stark contrast to the inferno we left behind. Over three days of careful observation, Thauglor and I discover a distasteful alliance: a small den of greens is working with the blues.
My mind roils. If they’ve all banded together to strike at me while I’m distracted by vengeance, I might return home to find it razed to the ground. The thought stokes the embers of my grief, but I hold steady. I lost everything once; I won’t let it happen again.
“It’s another den,” Thauglor says quietly. He doesn’t need to say more—I can see them for myself.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” I mutter. It tastes bitter on my tongue, but it’s true.
My gaze sweeps over Thauglor. His posture is tense, ready. The memory of my destroyed clutch gnaws at me like a starving beast, and I grit my teeth. “We’ll deal with the greens, then hit the blues.”
He nods. “They’re immune to my acid, so it’ll mostly be your fire. I’m not sure how much damage the flames will do to them.”
A low growl rumbles in my chest. “Buy me the time, and I’ll raze the entire lair.”
We spot a lone green taking flight and follow at a distance, our wings blending with the night. When we’re close enough, we shift back to human form and hide among the rocks, scanning the nest. The place is crude—two wooden huts, a handful of shacks, a pathetic cooking station. My eyes narrow on a female with a malformed wing. She’s propped against the cavern wall, presumably guarding her nest.
I smirk without humor, recalling the moment I saw that wing. “She can barely fly,” I whisper to Thauglor. A pang of pity threatens to surface, but I bury it under my rage. I refuse to let compassion cripple me again.
Thauglor murmurs, “This used to be blue territory. Maybe they gifted it to the greens—along with that female.”
I nod, scanning their makeshift camp. “They’re all so young. A small part of me almost pities them.” I clench my fists, my claws itching to draw blood. “But not enough to let them live.”
He’s right. Winter will ravage them if we don’t. And I have no mercy left to spare. My claws extend, and I let out a trembling breath. “Let’s end this.”
I sprint forward, leaping off the cliff. My body shifts midair, bones popping and skin tearing as my wings explode outward. The moment the wind cradles me, I unleash my fire—an all-consuming inferno that pours from my jaws. The compound ignites in an instant; the flames roaring high enough to blot out the moonlight. I choke on the smell of charred wood and burning flesh, but I don’t relent. My grief and fury fuel every breath of flame.
Thauglor takes flight behind me, circling the nest to cut off any escape. Against two mature drakes, these half-grown males stand no chance. I’ve become an unstoppable force, a living weapon honed by the anguish of losing what was mine. They chose to stand with my enemies, and now they pay the price.
