The Elemental by T. B. Wiese

Author:T. B. Wiese [Wiese, T. B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798985885002
Published: 2022-04-25T16:00:00+00:00

16

RAELYN

Kem glances over his shoulder then turns back to me. “I’ll be right back.”

He storms off toward the castle, and I fidget in place for a few minutes that turn into half an hour. I can’t stay here. Alone. I feel exposed. Raw.

I turn away from the castle. Picking up my pace, I practically jog through the gardens, barely registering the light scent of the blue and yellow flowers lining the path. The soft buzz of insects hums through the air, competing with the hum of adrenaline coursing through my body.

My boots leave the crunch of the gravel behind and fall silent against the thick red grass now underfoot as I leave the castle grounds. Climbing a small rise, I stop, wrapping my arms around my middle.

“Raelyn!” I close my eyes as Syphe jogs up behind me, stopping at my side. She’s silent for a moment before asking, “Are you okay?”

I shrug. “I have to be, don’t I?”

“Raelyn, I—”

“Any tips on how to keep Ziza from killing me?”

I catch her frown from the corner of my eye. “Kill her first.”

My heart skips a beat, but I smirk to hide my utter lack of confidence in myself. “Sure.”

She faces me, but I avoid eye contact. Instead, I look forward, watching as grey clouds slowly move in with the scent of rain. Syphe reaches out, grabbing my arm to turn me toward her. “I’m serious, Raelyn. You have to kill her, and as quickly as possible. She is stronger than you, and she’ll wear you down. She’ll play with you, make an example of you.”

I hear it in her voice, the sadness. She knows I can’t win. So do I, so I don’t respond.

The village is just over the slight ridge in front of us, and the top half of the castle peeks over the hill behind us. Rain starts to fall, and the scales of the few dragons flying overhead shimmer, making their colors more intense, more alive. One by one, the dragons fly off, leaving the sky a depressing grey without their bright colors. But a single dragon remains. It’s bright red, and I imagine it’s dancing in the rain as it circles, loops, and dives above us.

We stand there for several minutes in silence when I notice the red dragon is coming closer. I expect it to veer toward the village or the castle, but its course doesn’t shift, and Syphe tenses.

She wraps an arm around my waist and shifts me behind her, just as the red dragon lands before us. The ground shakes like an avalanche at its impact, and a gust of wind from its wings sends me back a step. Its molten eyes bore into us, and Syphe’s back stiffens, her hands spread like claws, and her bronze nails rend the air at her sides.

The red dragon flicks its tail, and I’m thrown to the side as Syphe shoves me. I land hard, a rock digging into my hip, and I mutter, “I just can’t catch a break.

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