Page 9 of Eluvonia
I nod stiffly, fingers clenching around the warm wood. The fire in front of me flickers, the twisting embers casting jagged shadows across the cavern walls. My glare is fixed on the flames.
“He wouldn’t even let me finish,” I grit out. “We saw a Dragon, Esra. A real Dragon.” The words tumble out, my frustration spilling over, sharp and uncontained. “But no, of course, what I say doesn’t matter.”
Esra hums, stirring her own bowl absently. “He’s just… set in his ways.”
I shake my head, the anger bubbling hotter. “He’s blind,” I snap. The loose rock beneath my boot is the unfortunate target of my rage. I scoop it up and fling it hard. It clatters loudly against the stone, skipping across the cavern floor—
And nearly hits a Fae hanging wet clothes nearby.
She turns, her glare sharp as a blade.
“Sorry!” I call, raising a hand in apology. The Fae huffs, her expression icy, and returns to her task.
Esra bursts out laughing, the sound bright and unbothered. She elbows me, her grin widening. “Aer, you almost brained her! I swear, you’ve got terrible aim when you’re mad.”
I groan, rubbing the back of my neck. “Didn’t mean to throw it that hard.”
Still chuckling, Esra hands me a spoon. “Here. Eat before you throw something else and start another war.”
The stew is thick and hearty, the tender venison melting on my tongue. I eat quickly, savoring the warmth as it settles in my stomach, as it dulls the edges of my frustration just enough.
When I finish, I pass the empty bowl to a nearby Fae collecting dishes, offering a quiet word of thanks.
Esra watches me as I stand, her eyes soft but shadowed with something unreadable. “Don’t let it get to you too much, Aer,” she says gently. “He’s… well, you know how he is.”
I force a small smile, barely lifting the corners of my mouth. “Yeah. Thanks, Esra.”
She gives me a tiny wave as I turn toward the darker tunnels, her voice carrying after me. “Aer. Don’t punch anything, okay? Or anyone. You know how that turned out last time.”
I roll my eyes, pretending not to hear the barely contained laughter in her voice.
I don’t answer. My thoughts are already spiraling.
Chapter 3
AERIS
Early the next morning, I jolt awake, coughing against the acrid bite of smoke clawing at my throat. My nostrils sting as the air thickens, heavy with ash that swirls like restless spirits against the faint, flickering light from the cavern ahead. Sweat slicks my skin, a cloying sheen that the cool stone beneath me can’t temper. My chest seizes as I lurch upright, sleep tearing away like fragile threads at the unmistakable crackle of flames.
My hand darts to my bow, snatching it up along with the quiver slung beside it. The sound of distant screams reaches my ears as I fumble to secure my dagger to my waist, the leather strap slipping through my trembling fingers. My breath hitches as I lurch to my feet, the urgency coursing through me like a wildfire of its own. My bare feet slap against the rough stone as I sprint toward the main cavern, each step pulling me closer to the stifling heat radiating from ahead.
When I round the final corner, the scene before me yanks theair from my lungs. Flames twist along the walls, serpentine and alive, casting grotesque shadows over the chaos they’ve birthed. Collapsing tents fold in on themselves, embers exploding outward in bright arcs. The cacophony of screams, roaring fire, and the guttural sobs of the dying blend into a symphony of despair that fills the cavern. My knees falter, threatening to buckle beneath me, but I force myself forward, my gaze skimming over charred bodies scattered like broken marionettes across the floor.
“Esra…” Her name scrapes from my throat, a hoarse whisper drowned by the noise. Panic knots my gut, propelling me into the fray. “Esra!” My shout rips through the smoke, raw and desperate as my gaze darts frantically, searching for her amidst the chaos. “Leynard!” My voice cracks as I stumble over debris, the echo of my pleas swallowed by the relentless roar of the inferno.
A harsh cough wracks my chest, the metallic tang of blood rising in my mouth. I press on, stepping over twisted limbs and shattered weapons as the cavern’s jagged maw looms ahead. Firelight spills out like molten gold into the forest beyond, a cruel contrast to the suffocating darkness behind me. Gulping the fresh air as I burst outside, I nearly collapse from relief—until I see the carnage waiting beyond.
The forest is a hellscape. Trees burn like funeral pyres, their branches collapsing in fiery avalanches that spew sparks into the night. Above, Dragons wheel and dive, their massive forms silhouetted against the inferno. Wings the size of sails beat the air, sending embers spiraling.
Their scales shimmer like molten metal in the firelight. Each bellowed roar a bone-shaking thunderclap as streams of fire cascade from their maws. Below,males with different-colored leather wings folded against their backs, carve through the fleeing Fae, their curved blades dripping with fresh blood.
My knees buckle, my body trembling as I struggle to stay upright. Smoke scorches my throat, each breath searing like a blade.This was home. These were my people. My friends, my family—burning, bleeding, falling one by one. The scent of charred wood and flesh clings to the air, thick and suffocating, turning my stomach.
I had grown up in these trees, knew every twisted root and hidden path. Now, they are nothing but kindling for a war we never stood a chance of winning. The forest, once a place of safety, of whispered laughter and shared secrets, is unrecognizable—agraveyardin the making.
My knees buckle, my body trembling as I struggle to stay upright. The weight of it all—the flames, the screams, the loss, the unbearable heat—crushes me like a vice.
Then, I see her: a flash of blonde hair darting between the trees.
