In book four of the Torrent Skies Saga, Kryrial is scouring the lands, tormenting not only the people of his kingdom but those outside of it. His reach is nearly as vast as his ability.
Lodyne continues her insistence that she is the purpose of Kat...
Fykes turned as Katerin threw her weapon, and he watched her disappear from the room. Before he could make any choices, though, soldiers began appearing around them, coming from side rooms, and ready for a fight.
Kryrial had never meant to let them escape.
He tipped Brazen off his shoulder, into Colin's arms, and stood in front of the prince, while he grasped Ahlindrion with both hands. Now, soldier's filled the hall before him, and he heard a definitive crack as one of the throne room's pillars fell across the hall behind him.
"I don't suppose we get to talk about this, do we?"
His answer was a definitive no, as the soldier's charged.
Come on, he thought, gritting his teeth. And then something happened. Ahlindrion glowed, as it had not done in some time. The warmth filled him, and the sword spoke to him. Not in the same sense that he could speak to the guards. But, as the first soldier approached him, he felt the sword guiding him, making subtle adjustments to his form and footing.
Before the soldier's could overwhelm him, he jumped, and instead of falling back to his feet, he could feel the spectral wings upon his back, holding him upright, and they were large enough to block the hall behind him, and maybe, jeep the prince and Brazen safe.
As the soldiers fell in to attack, he was in awe. Every strike of his blade was an effort from himself and the sword, as if they had never been a separate entity. The sword's assurance, its subtle adjustments made a difference he could not dispute, and he felt comforted, by it. As if it would not let him fell. It knew him to be worthy of it.
But that did not change the fact that he was one man. Though the sword seemed to know how to protect him, the soldiers still hurt him. When he was as far back as he could be, his leg bleeding and armor dented with aching ribs and shoulders beneath, sweat poured from his brow. Colin and Brazen were just behind him. Hesnort heard a loud shout at the opposite end of the hall.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Before Katerin could slow her fall, Kryrial moved with the agility of a much smaller creature, and clasped her in one claw. She saw now the damage she had done to one eye, and it was blacked around the edges, filled with liquid in the center. Before he could crush her, knowing he would try, she screamed the words to a spell she had used only a few moments before, and appeared on his face. She threw her arms desperately around one of the horn like protrusions along his snort, and saw the hatred in his eyes.
He shook his head, and she had nothing to do but hold on, until he ceased.
When ceased his attempt to shake her free, they were much lower, near the center of the city. Katerin could not look around her, for when she did, she only had to fight for breath. Finding her footing on Kryrial's snout, she cast a hand to the sky, where the clouds had darkened.
She did not ask for help, no matter how much she wanted to beg someone to rescue her from her current predicament.
Before the sky heeded her call, warmth rose around her, and her lungs felt as if someone had glued them closed as Kryrial opened his mouth, and let flames fall like a curtain onto the city below. The heat around his snout was unbearable. She could feel her skin blistering. Every movement tearing it open. The snow steamed below, and for as long as he exhaled, Katerin could only stare, and hope she was not melting. Finally, lightning arced to her, as if had been delayed, and slammed into Kryrial's head in a shower of sparks.
