Page 77 of Empire of Death
Xivin, are you alright?Callum’s voice was in my head, and he was nowhere to be seen.
Yes. I spoke in my mind just the way I did with Zehemoth and assumed it would work.
The fleet is engaged in battle.We’ve already lost many ships. Defeat is certain.
Fuck.
Even if you raise a mighty creature to serve you, there are too many.
Are you hurt,Sunieth?
“No…I’m okay.”
The battle is lost. Can easily be seen from the sky.
“We’re about to lose our fleet. They’re being chased down. I tried to distract them by participating in the battle, but it didn’t seem to work. I thought our ships could destroy theirs before they realized what was happening.”
Zehemoth turned toward the coast, soaring over the clouds of smoke caused by the battle.
“What are you doing?” I said with trepidation in my heart, knowing exactly what he was doing without needing to ask the question.
I can be that distraction.
“Zehemoth, no.”
A lot of good men are on those ships,Sunieth.
“But I don’t love them the way I love you,” I blurted. “They’ll shoot you with their golden spikes?—”
I won’t let them hit me.
“You’ve never done this before?—”
Your whole life, people have underestimated you because of your size and your sex. Don’t you dare underestimate me.“Rooooaaaaaarrrrrr!”
“It’s not that I don’t believe in you, Zehemoth. I just can’t let anything happen to you.”
And I can’t let anything happen to you or our men. Because those Barbarians will come for us again,Sunieth. And we need every ship and able-bodied man we have. Decision has been made. Now strap your legs down.
Xivin, what’s happening?
Zehemoth is going to lure the Barbarians away so our fleet can escape.
He said nothing, like he understood how difficult this was for me.
I secured my legs in place and locked my sword across my back, knowing that Zehemoth would fly with speed and agility I’d never witnessed before in order to survive the onslaught of golden spikes aimed at his hide.
I gripped the horn tight and tried to calm my breathing, seeing the sea become closer and closer because Zehemoth flew faster than a falcon at the bottom of a dive. I could see the smoke from the battle, see the broken pieces of defeated ships in the sea. “Zehemoth, I’ve already lost my father. I can’t lose you too.”
You can’t talk me out of this,Sunieth.
“I’m not trying to. I’m just begging you to survive this.”
We crossed from land to sea, the air immediately different when we were over the water, the smell of salt in the air even this high over the surface.
I’ll survive this, Lily. Not for my sake—but for yours.
He dived down over the ships and released a stream of fire that set some of the sails ablaze. Then a mighty roar came forth, loud enough for all the world to hear. “Roooooaaaaarrrrr!” He gave a harsh turn then another, maneuvering through the air as if he were as weightless as a swallow rather than an enormous dragon.
