A Night of Dragon Wings - By Daniel Arenson Page 0,69
city for the children of Requiem, a new haven. Now they relive the destruction of Nova Vita. Now again they are refugees.
She stepped toward Dorin and bowed her head.
"Lord Dorin," she said softly; for the first time, she gave him the honor of a title. "You fought nobly. You saved my life." She held her sword before her, blade pointing down. "Fight by my side. Fly with me to Confutatis, capital of this kingdom you hide in, and speak with me to the king of men. Let us Vir Requis form an alliance with Osanna." She raised her sword. "We will not just flee. We will not hide. We will fight."
Dorin stared up at her from his seat, eyes narrowed and shrewd. His lips tightened and he clutched the armrests.
"How can we fight such evil?" he said, voice low.
She grabbed his shoulder. "We fly south. We fly to Tiranor. Solina is sending her wrath north, emptying her lands. We will fly to those lands and rain fire upon her." She tightened her fingers around him and stared into his eyes. "Fly with me, Dorin. The days of hiding are over. Fly with me, sound your roar, and blow your fire with mine. A dragon needs no legs, only fire and wings."
He glared up at her, lips tightened and trembling. Finally he coughed, spat sideways, and stared back at her.
"I will not serve you as some man-at-arms." His fists shook around his seat's armrests. "My sons served your husband, the Boy King Elethor. They fell upon his towers. I flew for Elethor. I lost my legs in his service. No, girl. My days of serving Elethor are over. Requiem is fallen, and he has no titles in these lands, nor do you."
Her lip curled. "Requiem did not fall. She lives in the west, in Salvandos, among tree and stone, a light in our hearts."
Dorin snorted. "Then let Requiem remain in the west." He swept his arm around him and spoke louder. "This is Second Haven! This is a free realm. Look at our banners upon the trees; they fly still." He looked back at her with narrowed eyes and spoke softly. "But yes, Lyana. I will fly with you. And I will rain fire upon those who destroyed our camp. I will not bend the knee before King Elethor even if I still had knees to bend. Let Requiem and Second Haven fly together, two free nations aligned, and together we will crush this desert queen."
Lyana stared at him silently. The man still spoke treason. To secede from Requiem meant to hang from her walls.
She lowered her head. Yet those walls are fallen. And I cannot fight this entire camp, nor will I kill my own people. She heaved a sigh. Bloody stars, but Elethor will kill me when he hears.
She nodded. "We fly together, Dorin. Requiem and Second Haven. Let us seek what allies we can in these eastern realms—men and griffins who will fight at our side." She gripped her sword and snarled. "And then we will set the desert aflame."
ELETHOR
She lay nude beside him, golden in the dawn. The light cascaded through the window, dappling her with pale mottles. She smiled at him—the smile that showed her teeth—a smile so rich and full and singing of purity, and a smile so rare these days, so precious to him. Her platinum hair cascaded like a moonlit river, hiding her breasts, so pale it was almost white, and Elethor ran his fingers through it. He touched her nose, marveling at the golden freckles he loved, and ran his hand over her body, tracing her curves from shoulder, down her ribs, into the deep valley of her waist, and finally up the hill of her hip. He had caressed her landscape countless times, and every time he lost his breath at its beauty.
"Solina," he whispered her name. Daughter of sunlight, the name meant in her tongue. Sun of his life.
They lay in his bed upon blankets of green and silver wool—the colors of Requiem. Around them stood the statues that filled his small house upon the hill: marble elks with antlers of gold; a wooden turtle with jeweled eyes he had carved for Solina; and statues of Solina herself, nude or clad in flowing robes of marble.
"They are all away," she whispered, leaned forward on her elbow, and kissed his lips. "Today is ours."
He looked outside the window above and breathed in the clear air. A free day. A day for