Draconess

Chapter 39

The flaming sword is lighting up my face and as I lift my head to meet Reyn's swing – I see his silver orbs contract while the pupils pause in recognition. The Hellfire King knows there is something wrong with my bravery.

Andoll was helping to surge that boosted confidence through me as I see her walking behind Reyn, preparing to circle around the Goblins next, to whisper terror into their ears.

While Reyn is paused above me, I take my wrists from the ropes very, very slowly. I hold his gaze without flinching, confident my own expression has triggered some kind of memory in his.

Reyn's eyes shine inward and the Moon shines down on my skin, allowing me some extra information. I have a few seconds to hold his sudden trance. I stand, while watching the sword frozen above the enemy, Reyn seems to realise... this was everything he didn't see coming.

Draconess, breathe through me, I attack by striking out a sharp hand into Reyn's rib cage, into the soft flesh. The King bends over and I leap up, stealing the sword out of his grasp, while the Goblins are confused by Andoll's whispering, I swing the flaming sword right through their waists, one at a time.

The nameless mother centaur watching on with her daughter, Zest, screams in a fury – but as she rears up on her hind legs, about to retaliate – she's pushed down violently by the blast of powerful magic that consumes me as I shift.

I become smoke, before I become scale and talon and fangs and horns. My tail is long with super sharp edges, and it's already slashing violently through tents and unsuspecting soldiers as I use my talons to free both of my Mystifyers from their iron chains.

Kill with me, I drool over the top of them, my tongue lolling out and licking over Zarcar's wounds, then Lixar's wounds. It's instinct, but it seems to help them stand and shift for me on command.

Direction? Zarcar snarls into my mind while I watch his scaly beast form from the smoke on my left, while Lixar appears to my right.

No direction, just kill everyone... my eye randomly catches Zest as the Demons start screeching a war cry... kill everyone except the demon pups.

The mother centaur below me has regained her balance upon her hoofs, reaching for her bow and arrows.

My eyes gaze over the camp and I see spellbound, entirely shocked demons even as they scream. They were waiting for my first move.

I give it to them.

My head strikes down, my jaws opening and closing around the top half of the leading centaur, breaking her in two.

Venatores. Rip them in two, rip them all in two; in memory of Andoll, I speak while half the centaur is melting on my tongue. I whip my head back and snap it forward so the top half lands in a heap before the largest bonfire; almost igniting the war.

However, all bad demons await their direct command from their King.

I look down to Reyn now, on his knees, clawing at the dirt, writing symbols.

"Fight! Fight now before my return! I'm calling on the rest!" Reyn orders his already huge battalion, while the ground cracks apart and Reyn disappears into steaming mist below the surface, even as my talons slowly pass through the vapour to try and catch him.

Zarcar and Lixar charge straight into bonfires, eating alive the demons with ferocious snarls and pulsing magic that knocks any attacker right off their feet. The winds, with Zarcar's help, also increase to help push the enemies off balance.

But then I look down.

And I see red eyes in the lava below... but as I glance up... I see a silent child centaur.