screaming as the fire cascaded across the metal disk. Amity
kept spewing down her flame. The fire reached around the griffin's armor and
ignited its wings. Feathers blazed. Amity let her fire die, grabbed Shafel's
shield, and tugged it free, exposing the man beneath. She lashed down her jaws,
prepared to rip him apart.
His
griffin swooped, then soared again. Shafel's lance drove into Amity's wing.
She
cried out in pain, in fear, in rage. She swiped her claws and shattered the
spear's shaft, but its top half still pierced her. She tried to beat her wings.
She could barely fly.
Shafel's
griffin burned, wings ablaze, but would not fall. The beast rose higher and
slammed into Amity.
She
yowled and tumbled through the sky, spinning madly. The hundred other griffins
spun around her, a sea of endless wings and beaks and talons. They grabbed at
her. They scratched her. They bit her. Their riders laughed and fired their
arrows, and Amity knew she was going to die.
Fire
blazed.
Gray
scales flashed.
With
a roar like thunder, Korvin soared into the sky, leading a host of salvanae.
The
true dragons bugled, a cry like stones falling into subterranean pools, like
silver trumpets, like ancient songs. Their crystal eyes shone, large as human
heads and topped with long lashes. Their beards streamed like banners, and
their scales glimmered, bright as polished coins. Lightning bolts blasted out
from their jaws to slam into the griffins attacking Amity.
Korvin
flew at their lead, blowing fire. His flames slammed into Shafel and his
griffin.
"He's
mine!" Amity roared. She was bleeding, hurt, maybe dying, but still she
swooped. "Back off, Korvin!"
His
dragonfire kept blazing across Shafel and the griffin. Amity dived right
through the flames, reached out her claws, and plucked Shafel out from the
inferno.
She
soared, crashing through griffins and salvanae, clutching the burnt Shafel in
her jaws. She rose higher and higher, emerging from the smoke and flame, then
flew over the battle until she glided above the army below.
She
spat out Shafel and caught him in her claws. He was still alive, his face
melted away, his molten armor dripping over his red flesh. He was nothing but a
chunk of metal molded with skin and muscle and burning blood, his ruin of a
mouth gasping, his charred fingers twitching.
Amity
tossed back her head and roared.
"See
me, Horde!" she cried out. The lance still pierced her wing, and her flank
still bled, but still she cried out to the people below, to the griffins who
still flew behind her. "Hear me! I am Amity, Queen of the Horde! I hold
the dying ruin of Shafel who defied me. So shall be the fate of any who
challenge the Queen of the Horde!"
With
that, she tossed Shafel into the air and blew out dragonfire. The jet slammed
into Shafel, melting what remained of his armor, burning what remained of his
flesh, extinguishing what remained of his life. The burning corpse fell like a
comet. People rushed aside below, and the charred ruin slammed into the ground.
"Kneel
before me!" Amity shouted, scattering flame all around. "Worship me!"
Below
her, the deserters knelt. A chant rose among them.
"Queen
Amity! Queen Amity!"
Smoke
rising from her jaws and nostrils, she spun in the sky toward the surviving
griffins and salvanae. The flying beasts stared at her, many burnt and
bleeding.
"Lead
the people back to the mountains," Amity said, blasting out sparks of
fire. "We travel north. Across the desert. To the coast, then across the
sea." She sneered. "To the Commonwealth."
She
spun around, the lance still in her wing, and flew until she reached the
mountains again. She landed on the mountaintop, a dragon wreathed in fire and
light, and resumed human form.
She
collapsed onto the stone, shivering, bleeding.
I
did it, she thought, trembling, her blood staining the stone. They're
mine. The Horde is mine.
The
sun set around her, its light gilding the army below. Her army.
Wings
beat and Korvin landed beside her.
kept spewing down her flame. The fire reached around the griffin's armor and
ignited its wings. Feathers blazed. Amity let her fire die, grabbed Shafel's
shield, and tugged it free, exposing the man beneath. She lashed down her jaws,
prepared to rip him apart.
His
griffin swooped, then soared again. Shafel's lance drove into Amity's wing.
She
cried out in pain, in fear, in rage. She swiped her claws and shattered the
spear's shaft, but its top half still pierced her. She tried to beat her wings.
She could barely fly.
Shafel's
griffin burned, wings ablaze, but would not fall. The beast rose higher and
slammed into Amity.
She
yowled and tumbled through the sky, spinning madly. The hundred other griffins
spun around her, a sea of endless wings and beaks and talons. They grabbed at
her. They scratched her. They bit her. Their riders laughed and fired their
arrows, and Amity knew she was going to die.
Fire
blazed.
Gray
scales flashed.
With
a roar like thunder, Korvin soared into the sky, leading a host of salvanae.
The
true dragons bugled, a cry like stones falling into subterranean pools, like
silver trumpets, like ancient songs. Their crystal eyes shone, large as human
heads and topped with long lashes. Their beards streamed like banners, and
their scales glimmered, bright as polished coins. Lightning bolts blasted out
from their jaws to slam into the griffins attacking Amity.
Korvin
flew at their lead, blowing fire. His flames slammed into Shafel and his
griffin.
"He's
mine!" Amity roared. She was bleeding, hurt, maybe dying, but still she
swooped. "Back off, Korvin!"
His
dragonfire kept blazing across Shafel and the griffin. Amity dived right
through the flames, reached out her claws, and plucked Shafel out from the
inferno.
She
soared, crashing through griffins and salvanae, clutching the burnt Shafel in
her jaws. She rose higher and higher, emerging from the smoke and flame, then
flew over the battle until she glided above the army below.
She
spat out Shafel and caught him in her claws. He was still alive, his face
melted away, his molten armor dripping over his red flesh. He was nothing but a
chunk of metal molded with skin and muscle and burning blood, his ruin of a
mouth gasping, his charred fingers twitching.
Amity
tossed back her head and roared.
"See
me, Horde!" she cried out. The lance still pierced her wing, and her flank
still bled, but still she cried out to the people below, to the griffins who
still flew behind her. "Hear me! I am Amity, Queen of the Horde! I hold
the dying ruin of Shafel who defied me. So shall be the fate of any who
challenge the Queen of the Horde!"
With
that, she tossed Shafel into the air and blew out dragonfire. The jet slammed
into Shafel, melting what remained of his armor, burning what remained of his
flesh, extinguishing what remained of his life. The burning corpse fell like a
comet. People rushed aside below, and the charred ruin slammed into the ground.
"Kneel
before me!" Amity shouted, scattering flame all around. "Worship me!"
Below
her, the deserters knelt. A chant rose among them.
"Queen
Amity! Queen Amity!"
Smoke
rising from her jaws and nostrils, she spun in the sky toward the surviving
griffins and salvanae. The flying beasts stared at her, many burnt and
bleeding.
"Lead
the people back to the mountains," Amity said, blasting out sparks of
fire. "We travel north. Across the desert. To the coast, then across the
sea." She sneered. "To the Commonwealth."
She
spun around, the lance still in her wing, and flew until she reached the
mountains again. She landed on the mountaintop, a dragon wreathed in fire and
light, and resumed human form.
She
collapsed onto the stone, shivering, bleeding.
I
did it, she thought, trembling, her blood staining the stone. They're
mine. The Horde is mine.
The
sun set around her, its light gilding the army below. Her army.
Wings
beat and Korvin landed beside her.
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