Page 50 of Empire of Wrath and Ruin
Then she was moving toward Sirrax, accepting a boost up onto his back with practiced ease. I felt that familiar twist of protectiveness as she settled into the saddle. She looked so small against his massive frame, though I knew better than most how deceptively fragile she could appear.
"Take care of her," I said to the dragon, looking directly into those intelligent golden eyes. "Bring her back to us safely."
Sirrax rumbled something that might have been agreement, and then they were moving. I stepped back as the two dragons spread their wings, the powerful beats stirring up dust and loose debris in the courtyard.
One by one, they launched themselves into the sky, their forms quickly dwindling as they flew south toward Imperial territory. I watched until they disappeared entirely, shading my eyes against the morning sun and hoping with every fibre of my being that Livia was right about everything working out.
The courtyard felt empty without them, too quiet after the thunder of dragon wings. Around me, the others stood in similar poses of watchful concern, all of us united in our worry for the woman we loved.
Maybe she was right. Maybe if we could all be here together despite the impossible odds, then anything was possible. Even hope.
I held onto that thought as I turned back toward the temple, knowing it might be all we had to sustain us until she returned.
17
The wind beneath Sirrax's wings felt like freedom itself.
I closed my eyes and let the sensation wash over me—the familiar rhythm of his flight, the bond between us singing with contentment, the vast sky stretching endlessly in all directions. For the first time in what felt like months, I felt truly myself again. Whole. Complete.
It had been so long since I'd been able to fly like this, just me and Sirrax cutting through the air with nothing but open sky ahead of us. The weeks of separation, of not knowing if my mates were alive or dead, of feeling like half of my soul had been torn away—all of it seemed distant now. They were safe. We were together. And despite everything that had happened, despite all the impossible odds we'd faced, we'd somehow found our way back to each other.
I believed what I'd told Marcus before we left. If we could survive everything that had tried to tear us apart, if we could all be standing together in that courtyard despite the forces aligned against us, then anything was possible. Even hope.
The despair that had been eating away at me for so long, leaving me feeling hollow and lost, had finally lifted. With my mates back, with the bond between us restored, I felt powerful again. Like I could face whatever was coming and find a way through it.
Sirrax rumbled beneath me, his pleasure at being airborne again flowing through our connection. He'd missed this too—the freedom of flight, the joy of being together without walls or guards or the constant tension of uncertainty.
It feels good to fly with you again,his voice whispered through my mind, warm with contentment.
It feels like coming home,I replied, leaning forward to rest my hand against his neck.
To our left, Tarshi kept pace with us, the dark blue dragon's scales gleaming in the morning light. Despite his playful nature, he flew with steady precision. Taveth sat on his twin brother's back in brooding silence, his pale eyes scanning the landscape below with the practiced attention of a scout, his expression as serious and watchful as always.
The contrast between the twin brothers was stark—Tarshi's underlying enthusiasm for flight held in check by Taveth's sombre focus on the mission ahead. Even in this moment of relative peace, Taveth remained alert and guarded, the weight of his responsibilities never fully leaving his shoulders.
The mission itself was straightforward—fly south toward the border, gather intelligence on Imperial movements, and return with whatever information we could find. The council needed to know how close the Empire's forces were, how quickly they were advancing, what kind of resistance they might be planning to encounter.
But for now, in this moment, I let myself simply enjoy the sensation of being exactly where I belonged. The bond with my mates hummed in the back of my mind like a constant song,reassuring me that they were safe and waiting for my return. Sirrax's strength beneath me, his joy in flight, reminded me of who I was when I wasn't afraid or grieving or lost.
This was what I'd been missing. This sense of completeness, of purpose, of being more than the sum of my parts. With my mates beside me and Sirrax beneath me, I felt capable of anything.
The landscape below us was beautiful in the crisp morning air—rolling hills covered in early snow, forests of evergreens that stretched toward distant mountains, streams that caught the sunlight like ribbons of silver. It was peaceful, serene, the kind of vista that made it easy to forget there was a war brewing.
Which was why the smoke on the horizon hit me like a physical blow.
At first, I thought it might be cooking fires from a village, the normal signs of life and activity. But as we drew closer, the smoke grew thicker, darker, carrying an acrid smell that made Sirrax's nostrils flare with distress.
Something's wrong,he said, his earlier contentment vanishing.
I could see it now—not the thin wisps of hearth smoke, but the thick, billowing clouds that spoke of destruction. Lots of it. Fresh destruction, from the way the smoke was still rising.
"Taveth," I called, gesturing toward the source of the smoke.
He followed my gaze and his expression went grim. Without words, we adjusted our course toward the disturbance, though something in my chest was already beginning to clench with dread.
The village—or what had been a village—came into view as we crested a ridge. My heart stopped.
Everything was gone. Houses reduced to smouldering rubble, streets littered with debris and worse things I didn't want to look at too closely. The snow that had been falling steadily allmorning was mixing with ash, creating a grey slush that coated everything in a layer of desolation.
