Black Sapphire | Zilphyer

XL

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     "Zilphyer!"
     My back slams into the rocks and I scream.  Liam is heavy; the rocks are jagged; his blood is hot, smeared against my exposed knee.  Everything in my body seers for one reason or another as I scrape my heels against the stones desperately.  
     We keep slipping as the tiny footholds fall away.  My arms tremble trying to hold under his limp ones.  I close my eyes, wasting precious moments to keep myself awake so we don't both tumble away down the slope.  

     I have no idea where to go.  I didn't have time to think about what I would do after I left the relative safety of my dragon and leaped through the air like I could fly.  I look down, hauling Liam's body against mine again to reestablish my grip.  There's nothing by empty rocks all the way down with a variety of bumps and grooves, but nothing I could reasonably hope to stay on for any amount of time.  

     "I'm coming, hold on."  I sigh as Xaden's words fill my head.  I open my eyes, but Tairn is trying to hold off two dragons. 
     I can see Sgaeyl swooping in from the side but my eyes stay on Tairn, watching anxiously.  Her tail swipes across the sky, glinting in the sun, and crashes into the rocks until it catches.  We sink a dozen more feet slowly before landing on her smooth navy scales.  
     I look down when movement catches my eye and see Xaden has stood, running down her back toward me.  I pant as I finally lower Liam's body down.  My back sinks into the rocks and Liam sits up against my shins, getting the weight off my torso so I can breathe.  
     "Come on," Xaden says quickly.  He lifts Liam easily, throwing a limp arm over his shoulders and beginning to haul him away.  I jog down Sgaeyl's spine after him.  

     Xaden takes a moment with a nod of his head.  
     "She's gonna bring us up toward Tairn.  Can you get down to him?"  I nod.  I quickly sit in front of the pommel, letting it take most of my weight, and watch over Xaden's shoulder as she yanks her tail free.  She swoops down first, narrowly missing a dragon falling out of the sky.  Thankfully, with the other turning away to flee, Tairn is open and not locked into battle.  
     Sgaeyl brings us to a hover just over and offset of Tairn.  I thank her as I stand, then move to her shoulder where I can slip down it and land on shiny black scales.  
     "Continue.  I'll take him."  I nod my head but Xaden can't see as he's already taken off.  We follow suit with a strong thrust of Tairn's wings.  
     "Thank you for trusting me," I say quietly.  

     Tairn turns his head and blasts a stream of scolding fire at a squad of First Wing's dragons that are getting too close. 
     "I must.  You did well."  
     I look toward the tower again and the sight fills with me with anger my heart can't handle.  Jack Barlowe is standing at the top of it, brandishing his bloody sword flat over his head like it's a trophy.  
     His head turns as we sweep the skies and I watch with horror as his blade moves.  He angles his arm just enough and turns, pointing the glint straight at me and keeping it on us as we travel.  The blood drips off the raised hilt and onto his wrist, contorting his twisted joy even deeper on itself.