The last thing I saw before the world shattered was Kayne's face—eyes wide, his mouth forming my name though no sound reached me through the roar of cracking ice. Then the surface gave way beneath me, and I plunged through, the shock of the freezing water knocking the breath from my lungs.
As I drifted in the cold, endless dark, everything slowed. The world above became nothing more than fractured light bleeding weakly through the ice, bending in distorted ribbons of gold and blue. My limbs felt heavy, the cold sinking deep into my bones until I could barely remember how to move. My heartbeat thudded dully in my ears, frantic and hollow, the only sound left in the silence that surrounded me.
"Twoleg!" Naxan's voice pierced my mind with desperate force, cutting through the numbness.
"Naxan, don't!" I shouted through our link, terrified of what would happen if he exposed himself.
Through the shimmering haze, I saw Baylen. He was beneath the ice too, fighting against it with both hands pressed flat against the surface. His mouth was moving—shouting something—but all I could hear was the muffled roar of water in my ears. Then faint light flickered around him, and I realized he was using the fire within him, trying to melt through the ice. Steam hissed into the water, clouds of warmth swirling like smoke, but it wasn't enough. The ice only bubbled and groaned, cracking in small, uneven lines that froze again almost instantly.
The sound built—a low, splintering moan that vibrated through my chest. My lungs screamed for air, the pressure behind my eyes mounting until I thought my skull would split. I tried to move, to rise toward the surface, but my body was too slow, too heavy. My heartbeat stuttered.
My mind spun in panic. Then, from above, something moved—something immense and alive. Shadows streaked across the ice as a massive shape lunged downward.
A set of enormous, jagged teeth shattered the ice above Baylen, snapping through the frozen layer with a deafening crack. The dragon's white-and-blue maw gaped wide, glistening with the pale light filtering through the ice. In an instant, Baylen's body was swallowed whole, vanishing into the cavernous mouth, and the ice quivered where he had struggled moments before. My heart lurched violently, the water around me turning into a chaotic whirlpool as panic surged through my veins.
Bubbles clung to my skin, swirling and twisting me in dizzying, unpredictable circles, the cold numbing every limb while adrenaline screamed through my body. My lungs burned for air, my chest heaving as I tried to kick upward, but the dragon's presence was everywhere—massive, unyielding, impossibly fast. And then, before I could even comprehend the motion, I felt the same crushing pressure as Baylen had, and the dragon's jagged teeth closed around me. I screamed, the sound muffled by water, pure terror clawing at my throat, my body suspended in the crushing, icy embrace of those enormous jaws.
Time stretched, fluid and disorienting, until suddenly I was propelled upward, expelled from the dragon's grasp and spat out onto the ice with a heavy, shuddering impact. Snow and shards of ice bit into my skin, and my chest heaved violently as I gulped in air, my fingers digging into the frozen surface for support. Beside me, Baylen lay sprawled, coughing and sputtering, his lungs greedily drinking in each desperate breath. His wide eyes reflected the enormity of what had just happened, fixed on the massive shadow looming behind me, the white-and-blue dragon that had torn through the ice and saved us both.
The others were frozen in stunned disbelief, their faces pale, eyes wide with shock and terror. The youngest of the group fumbled for their weapons strapped to their bodies, hands shaking as they lifted swords, daggers, and crossbows, aiming shakily at the dragon. Kayne's hand twitched over his sword, but did not draw his weapon toward the beast who just saved his friends life. Hames' wrinkled brow was set into a look of disbelief as he squared off the dragon, getting in front of the younger generation. The air felt taut with tension, a fragile thread between awe and panic, and I could see the fear ripple through them like electricity.
YOU ARE READING
Through Smoke and Ashes
Fantasy*Undergoing editing. Half of these chapters were written when I was a child.* Book One: There is no prophecy. There is no tell-tale legend. There is no scripture written down in a book or a hidden cave. There is only the spoken word of the Gods. Dar...
