their fire raced toward the walls. Smoke unfurled like demons. The farmers were shifting into dragons, taking flight, and heading toward the city.
"Everyone move calmly!" Lyana shouted below, still in human form, herding the people into lines. "That's right, form lines, head into the tunnels one by one. Stay calm and move quickly."
Father, Elethor thought. Where are you? Why don't you fly here too?
Shrieks sounded behind him, and Elethor turned to see the phoenix army fly over the walls.
The inferno stormed with heat, sound, and fury. It felt like a sun exploding over Nova Vita. Fire howled around Elethor. He reared and flapped his wings to blow back the flames. He only fanned them. The phoenixes swooped, larger than him, wings crackling and beaks flowing with fire. Their claws reached toward him, shards of lightning.
Below him, the people screamed. They ran through the streets, blazing. Cries of pain and fear rose across the city, muffled under the crackle and shrieks of the firebirds.
Elethor blew fire. The jet spun and slammed into a phoenix. The great firebird screeched, unharmed; the dragonfire only seemed to enlarge it, as if it sucked up the fire's strength. It dived and slammed its claws into Elethor.
He screamed. It felt like hot irons pressed against him. He soared, spun, and swooped. His claws tore into the phoenix's head, and he cried in pain. Its fire blazed across his legs; he thought his scales might crack from heat.
"Elethor!" rose Bayrin's voice somewhere in the distance. "Elethor, come, into the tunnels!"
The phoenixes swarmed everywhere. Houses cracked in the heat. People fell burning. Some Vir Requis became dragons and tried to fly, only to crash into the phoenixes. A young girl ran from her house, shifted into a lavender dragon, and took flight. Before she could fly ten feet, phoenix claws tore her apart. She crashed back onto the cobblestones as a girl, her neck and chest slashed open.
Smoke unfurled and flames filled the night. Elethor flew, dodging phoenix claws and beaks. He crashed through one's flaming wings, and the heat seared him. His eyes and throat burned with smoke.
"Bayrin, where are you?" he shouted. He could see nothing but fire. "Lyana! Mori!"
He heard Bayrin's voice again; it rose from the flames below. "Elethor, down here, into the tunnels!"
Elethor dived through flames and flew down the streets, wings beating back fire. People were still running toward the tunnels, some of them burning. Many lay dead; Elethor could see their seared bodies through the fire. The phoenixes were swooping, burning the fleeing people. Some Vir Requis were shifting, taking flight, and fleeing into the night. The phoenixes flew at them, caught them in their talons, and bit with fiery beaks.
One phoenix surged between buildings toward Elethor and slammed into him. It felt like a furnace door opened and the flames knocked him back. He hit a building, cracked the stone wall, and howled. He clawed and blew fire, but could not hold back the phoenix. Could nothing kill these beasts? Around him, dragons soared, only to be slammed down and burned. Bodies littered the streets.
"Into the tunnels, go!" Elethor shouted to the people. "Don't try to fight, just run!"
A long, green dragon soared from the inferno, howling. Leathern wings beat back the flames. Bayrin roared and grabbed Elethor's shoulders.
"El, we must go!" he shouted. "Now!"
Elethor shook himself free. "There are still people in the houses! We must get them into the tunnels. We must find Mori!"
"We can't help anyone if we're dead!" The flames burned around Bayrin; his scales blazed red. "The phoenixes are—"
Three firebirds dived and slammed into them. Elethor shut his eyes under the flame. He felt weight and heat pushing him down. He crashed against a road, cracking the cobblestones. When he opened his eyes, he saw bodies everywhere. No more people ran through the smoke. Bayrin was gone. The phoenixes screeched above him, beaks and claws lashing him. Elethor leaped aside, dodging the flames, and soared.
"Mori!" he called. "Mori, do you hear me?"
Was his sister still alive? Had she managed to flee the temple where Mother Adia had taken her? He'd already lost a brother; if he lost his sister too, there would be no meaning to his life.
Elethor looked around, but saw only phoenixes, an endless swarm of them, and smoke, and fire, and bodies burning into bones. Nova Vita flamed. The smoke was so thick, and the light was so bright, he could barely see.
"Elethor!" rose a voice from the distance.
"Lyana!" he cried.
"Elethor, we're