Page 140 of Wings of Ash & Flame
It looked like a skeletal wolf—a nightmare given flesh.
The stench closed in from every direction, followed by countless pairs of glowing eyes peering from the cavern.
“Give me your daggers,” Dawson said. He took them, turning his back to her. When he returned them, they emitted an onyx glow, runes flickering briefly along their edges before vanishing. He drew a broadsword from his back.
Adrenaline flooded her veins. A dozen bloodravagers blocked their path, claws clicking against stone, the sound setting her nerves on edge.
The one in the center caught her attention—larger, meatier, with a presence that radiated command. This was their leader.
The alpha.
Dawson stood perfectly still, gripping his sword tight. The creature stalked forward, eyes locked on him.
He spoke low and steady. “Listen carefully, Alaire.”
She gripped her daggers, angled outward. “I’m listening.”
“Bloodravagers are pack animals. They respect hierarchy. The challenge their leader is laying down—they’ll honor it.”
“Challenge?” Alaire blinked.
“The alpha has to prove it’s still worthy to lead. The pack won’t intervene. When I defeat it, they’ll be too busy fighting over who takes its place to stop us. That’s our chance to escape, find Solflara and Beck, and get the hell out of here.”
When, not if.
Alaire turned away, watching as the alpha lowered itself to its haunches while she tried to process everything Dawson was saying.
Dawson turned her chin back toward him, turquoise eyes darkening. “Under no circumstances can you intervene.” His tone brooked no argument. “You do exactly as I say. Listen to every word, heed any command. And if I tell you to run?—”
“I’m not leaving you.” She tried to turn away.
But he held her firm, his other hand still on his sword. “Youwill. If I say run, you run. No hesitation. Got it?”
“Got it,” she lied.
Satisfied, Dawson strode toward the alpha.
The creature’s lip curled as it lifted one skeletal paw and etched symbols onto the cavern floor. Alaire was too far away, and it was too dark to see exactly what they were.
The air grew hazy. Then came the screech—the same one that had driven her into the cave earlier, the one she swore belonged to Solflara.
Aether. It’s using magic.
She stepped forward without thinking, instincts screaming to find her phoenix.
Dawson’s hand shot out, keeping her in place.
“Alaire.” His voice cut through her panic. “It’s not real. They were never here.”
“How do you know? They could be deeper?—”
“Because that sound was meant to make us come to them.” His gaze landed squarely on the alpha and its pack.
The truth crashed over her, receding the panic. The bloodravagers had lured them in.
Her blood turned to ice.
It was a trick. A trap.
