Against the backdrop of stars, the two massive creatures attacked one another. Sounds of ripping flesh echoed through the tower. Occasional bursts of flames blinded me as the dragons shot fireballs at one another.
Fan’twar drove his massive head into Silvestra’s chest. She shrieked as she tumbled from the sky, landing with a thunderous crash on the tower’s floor.
The dragon’s body blurred, and soon we no longer stood over a dragon, but a woman. Silvestra lay before us, bleeding and panting for breath. Her clothing was ripped and tattered in places. Blood dripped down her face, and she wiped it away from her eyes. Sweat slicked her dark skin.
Fan’twar landed beside her. My stomach soured as I took in his injuries. Several gashes looked deep enough to puncture organs.
“Why have you come here, Silvestra?” Fan’twar demanded.
She spat at him, though her breathing was still too labored for her to speak. “This,” she said and pulled something from her robes. She tossed the magic box at his feet, and it landed with a clatter on the tower’s floor.
“What is this?”
“A lotus cube. It is meant to test the magical strength of a practitioner. Your ward had but to break the spell and she would have freed herself and her companion. Instead, she tricked me and stole him from my castle. I will have my vengeance, Fan’twar.”
She stood slowly, and before I had a chance to blink she was at my side, her cold hand wrapping around my neck. The feel of her flesh sent shivers down my spine.
“Her blood is mine,” she said.
Kull pointed the sword at her. “You will not have her.”
“You cannot stop me, Wult.”
“Silvestra,” Fan’twar shouted, moving closer to us. He held the cube in his claws. The faint glow of the skull illuminated his face. “There is dark magic in this stone. How did you intend for my ward to break through its spell?”
“It should have been a simple task for her.”
“She possesses no black magic, and she never has. I fail to see how she could have ever accomplished such a feat.”
“She could have! It is within her power.” Her nails cut into my skin as she wrapped my neck tighter. “How else will the Deathbringer prophecy be fulfilled if not with the black arts?”
“You are making assumptions,” Fan’twar said. “The prophecy mentions nothing about black magic.”
“It does. See for yourself.” She flung a fireball at the floor where it exploded, a deafening sound that thundered through the room. When the fireball died down, words written in flame appeared on the floor.
Marked by death from the beginning—she will come in flame and ash, wielding the fire gifted to her of her fathers. She will cross worlds and mend the rift. She will bring death to the unbelievers, life to those marked by the ancient one. Her life will bring death, for she is the Deathbringer.
“There, that is proof. How can you deny it?”
“I fail to see how this proves your point.”
“I will have my vengeance,” she said. “It is well within her abilities to break the spell, and she tricked me. I cannot allow this to go unpunished. You know this, Fan’twar. It is our way. We have never allowed injustice. You of all dragons know such things. I demand retribution. She destroyed the sword gifted to me by the Wult, and then she took him from me. Never have I been so wronged. Her blood is mine.”
My heart pounded in my chest. She wanted my death, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop her. Not even Fan’twar had the ability to break his own rules. No matter how I looked at it, there was no way out of this situation.
Fan’twar’s pain-filled eyes met mine. “Is it true? Did you destroy the sword?”
“Yes,” I answered quietly. “It’s true.”
“Was there no other way?”
“No. I tried to open the box but couldn’t. She would have taken him if I hadn’t destroyed the sword. I’m sorry.”
“She is mine,” the witch said. “She has broken a sacred trust between us. She will meet her punishment.”
Silvestra struck out with her magic. Icy black bands wrapped my shoulders and legs. I gasped as the magical bands cut into my flesh, piercing my skin with a pain that radiated into my nerve endings. The bands buzzed with a magical energy that absorbed my magic. I could feel my energy seeping into the bands, a slow trickle that would soon take my life.
Kull lunged at the witch with the sword, but she blasted a bolt of magical energy at him, hitting his chest. He fell unconscious to the floor as the sword clattered uselessly away.
“Kull,” I called out, but as I did, the bands tightened, squeezing the air from my lungs. Tears sprang into my eyes as my vision blurred. I didn’t want to die this way. The only thought that gave me comfort was knowing that with my death, the Deathbringer prophecy would never be fulfilled.
Fan’twar, I thought, thank you for… for being my parent when no one else would be.
I knew he couldn’t hear me, but there were so many things I wanted to say and not enough time to say them. He was the only creature who’d cared for me when I was defenseless. He’d only ever shown me love and kindness. I couldn’t recall a time when he’d raised his voice to me. Betraying his own kind was a regret that would follow me to the grave.
“Silvestra.” Fan’twar stepped forward, his massive, spike-rimmed head blurring in my vision. “Stop this now. You must stop.”
“You have no power to stop me. You know this.”
The magic bands wrapped around my throat, cutting deep into my neck, burning through my skin, absorbing my magic. Energy buzzed through my ears. How long would I have to suffer before I died?
“I will not let you take her life,” he said.
“But you must.”
“No. There is another way. You will take me instead.”
The room grew quiet.
