of the wild dragons Jinhai hadn’t convinced to stay in the tower circled high up, seeking cleaner air above the smoke, but Leyra’s deep calls kept them from straying too far.
Red roof tiles slipped under Leyra’s claws and tumbled down, shattering in the street. The council building was the only structure large and solid enough to hold her weight, and despite it, wooden support beams creaked under her.
The guard had cleared the streets, people hiding from the smoke inside their homes, leaving the city deathly silent.
Ahead, near the guard grounds, a mighty shadow stirred.
Excellor was still outside. Possibly Valeron, too. Tauran had to be careful. Excellor had killed the mightiest dragon Tauran had ever seen. Leyra was no match for him.
“Any sight of Emilian and his men?” Tauran called, his voice carrying easily to Kalai in the eerie silence. Everything around them was already covered in a thin layer of gray.
“Nothing yet,” Kalai answered. His eyes were wide on Tauran. “Tau, the skies are red as blood. We have to make a move.”
Tauran took a breath, then nodded. The air burned his throat. “Wait here.” He didn’t linger to hear Kalai’s protest, but nudged Leyra forward. Tauran’s stomach flipped uncomfortably when she took off from the roof, beating her wings once and soaring toward the Sunrise Tower.
Even the guard grounds were silent. The sound of Leyra’s feet hitting with ground inside the walls bounced off the surrounding buildings. Visibility was so low, Tauran could barely make out the farthest walls. “Falka!” he shouted, resisting the urge to cough when the ashy air filled his lungs.
To his right, a door opened. But it wasn’t Falka. People in the black and bronze Ground Guard uniform filtered out, crowding near the doorways. Tauran searched their eyes above the cloths wrapped around their faces. They watched Leyra warily, their expressions difficult to read. Tauran couldn’t see Emilian among them.
A shrilling roar rattled Tauran’s bones. He whipped around in time to grab Leyra’s neck strap before she leaped back, landing with her tail pressed against the eastern wall. In front of them, Excellor landed on his hind legs, wings spread wide in a threat display. When he fell onto his front feet, the human on his back came into view.
“We didn’t come here to fight,” Tauran shouted.
The two titans filled most of the outdoor space of the grounds, dwarfing the dining hall and the office buildings. Excellor shifted, his pale eyes focused on Leyra. Tauran could feel her puffing up, her muscles tensing beneath him.
A smaller dragon landed on the roof of the barracks, yet another on the tower’s lowest platform. Recruits. No, riders. Despite the haze of the ash and smoke, the fear in their eyes was obvious. They crowded in around them, Tauran’s eyes lingering on an elegant fawn statera crouching near the west wall. Flora. Jasper sat on her back, his eyes focused on nothing, his grip on the saddle white-knuckled. Falka was keeping all the riders outside to fight, even the youngest.
“How many eggs did the wild dragons bring to Valreus?” Falka called.
Tauran swallowed the tight knot in his throat. So much at stake. And still, Falka only cared about building his damn dragon army. “We need shelter! The Sunrise Tower can keep all the dragons safe!”
“Shelter,” Falka shouted back. “In exchange for every egg and hatchling in your possession.”
Tauran growled in frustration. “The wild dragons will never abandon their eggs to you. And neither will I! Falka, by the skies, they could all die!” Tauran looked to the guards lining the buildings, to the riders around them. He sought solidarity in their wary eyes.
“You’ve heard my terms,” Falka said. “The rest is up to you.”
Leyra growled, a breeze blowing a cloud of ashes in their direction. In the distance, the volcano answered her rumble, so deep underground that Tauran felt it travel through Leyra to him. “No deal,” Tauran said.
Excellor charged before either of them were ready. Despite his size, he was fast, three-foot long front claws extending toward Leyra’s face and throat, but Leyra was faster. She twisted sideways with such force Tauran’s seat slipped and he hung for a terrifying moment from the neck strap before finding his balance, pressing his calves against the raised scales at the base of her neck. His battered ribs protested, stars dancing before his eyes.
Wide expanses of wings obscured Tauran’s vision. Far too close, Excellor roared. “Up, up!” Tauran’s command came out raw and hoarse, but Leyra didn’t hesitate. She pushed off