Page 81 of Eluvonia
“Declan! There’s too many!”
His jaw tightens. “I know.” His wings beat harder, faster, his muscles straining as we break through the cloud of creatures. “We’ll find Kaida—”
A deafening roar echoes from below. Another abomination launches upward, this one larger, its body fully corrupted. Its wings beat like thunder, its eyes locked onto us. It opens its maw, spewing a column of sulfuric fire.
Declan spins, his wings curling around me as the flames graze his back. A pained grunt escapes him, but he doesn’t stop. With a hard thrust, he ascends, his face contorted with determination.
Below, the commander’s laughter rises again.
“Run, little prince!” he taunts. “You can’t escape my creations! Not when theycraveFae blood!”
Terror lodges in my throat.They’re coming for me.
Declan’s grip on me tightens as he pushes higher, his wings straining. The wind rips past us, the sound of battle fading as we climb, but not far enough. The shadow of the guards still looms above, relentless in their pursuit.
Kaida barrels through the air, his shadows whipping around him, pulling and tearing at anything that dares come near him. He crashes into a guard gaining on us, his claws and shadows working in harmony to rip through the creature’s defenses. The guard’s body is torn from the sky, blood spraying like agruesome fireworks display.
Declan glances back, his golden wings straining. “We’re almost there,” he grits, his voice strained.
The horizon stretches before us, vast and empty, a promise of escape. But the sounds of pursuit remain close, the roar of Dragons and the beating of wings a constant reminder of the danger still at our heels.
Kaida rejoins us, his wings bloodied but unyielding. “They’re relentless,” he says, voice tight. “We need to split up.”
Declan’s eyes narrow. “Not a chance. I’m not leaving you.”
Kaida doesn’t argue. Instead, he positions himself just behind us, his presence a shield against the oncoming wave of fury. Together, we fly, the sky a battlefield, the city below a haunting reminder of the price of defiance. “We need to get her out of here,” he says, glancing at Declan.
Declan nods, his grip tightening around me. “Hold on.”
The wind rushes past us as Declan climbs higher, the city shrinking below. I close my eyes, pain and fear overwhelming, but the steady beats of their wings give me a fragile sense of hope.
The guards pursue us relentlessly, their shadows looming closer. Kaida twists mid-air, slashing at one who ventures too close, sending him spiraling downward. Declan veers left, the sudden motion jostling me.
“Faster,” Kaida shouts, his voice strained.
Declan’s wings strain against the weight, the horizon stretching endlessly before us. The cries of the guards grow fainter. I grip Declan’s tunic weakly, my fingers barely able to curl around the fabric.
“We’ll make it,” he says, his voice resolute, though I seethe worry etched into his features.
Kaida flies closer, his jaw set in a determined line. “We have to.”
Chapter 34
AERIS
The air feels thin in the high altitudes, and every breath comes with a faint sting of cold. Declan’s golden wings beat rhythmically, though I can feel the strain in his arms as he holds me. His muscles are taut, trembling slightly under the weight of exhaustion. I blink against the rushing wind, my body heavy, my mind swimming somewhere between lucidity and darkness. Time has become a blur, and the horizon ahead feels both endless and impossibly far.
“We need to stop and rest,” I say weakly.
Declan glances down, his jaw tight. The exhaustion is plain to see in the set of his shoulders and the slight furrow of his brow. Despite his weariness, he offers me a small, cocky smile. “You worried about me?”
I manage to scoff, though my voice is more of a rasp. “Maybe. But only because your arms are about as comfortable as a pile of bricks. Too much muscle.”
His chuckle rumbles through his chest. “Noted. I’ll start skipping arm day just for you.” He repositions me slightly in his arms, careful not to jar me too much. “But you’re right. We need to stop and rest. Kaida!”
Kaida veers closer, his black wings cutting through the cold air with precision. He looks no worse for wear, despite the day’s chaos, though his expression is grim. “There’s a cave system in the Thaldrim Mountains,” he calls out. “I used it once during a mission. Got stuck there in a blizzard. It should still be secure.”
Declan nods. “Lead the way.”
