From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(163)
“Not good,” Vosha said sadly. “They are in a frenzy now.” The boy shook his head and his earlier excitement seemed to evaporate.
“Do they seem to be getting rather close to anyone else?” Sovann asked quietly.
“I think we should move back, Jala,” Valor said in agreement as the fight above them continued to rage.
Another screech split the air as Margundrak wrapped his massive claws around the ruby dragon. With a snarl the larger dragon shook her savagely and threw her toward the trees below. The ruby dragon tumbled twice, frantically beating her wings as her body crashed into the forest. Trees snapped beneath her as her body plowed a path through the limbs before disappearing into the forest below.
“Oh shit,” Neph whispered beside her and Jala’s eyes snapped back up to the air in time to see Nigel hit the larger dragon from above forcing him from the air, and directly toward the small hill they watched from.
“Move now!” Valor bellowed to those behind them as the two dragons plummeted. Jala stared in silence as Nigel raked at the other dragon with his hind legs while his massive jaws locked tight around Margundrak’s throat. At first she had thought Nigel would break off the assault and the aerial fight would continue. Now she could see he was ending the fight one way or another. Jala could hear the soldiers behind her retreating but at the speed the dragons were falling it wouldn’t be fast enough to get everyone clear. Silently she dropped from her saddle and moved forward, her magic already flowing through her. Raising both hands she summoned a wall of force. That in itself wouldn’t do alone, however. The walls of force spell was designed for stopping small objects such as arrows and they were attached to their caster such as a soldier’s wooden shield would be. If the dragons collided with the single wall the full impact would be reflected on her. Quickly, Jala wove a wind wall and then another wall of force repeating the process as many times as she could as she watched the massive forms grow closer by the second. If she could get enough layers it might cushion the blow that was reflected back on her. If not she was about to shatter every bone in her body in an effort to stop the dragons.
Margundrak hit the ground with such force that the earth beneath Jala bucked in protest. Time seemed to slow as she watched the two dragons slide toward her, their bodies tearing a trench through the earth as they slid out of control. Frantically, Jala added another layer to her cushioned wall and then dropped to one knee, her hands held out before her as she braced for the impact. By the nature of the spells she would feel them hit, there was no avoiding it. The wall of force spells were not designed for such use, but it was the only spell she knew that would stop everything. She might have managed to raise the earth to form a barrier to stop the dragons themselves, but then the debris from the impact would have rained down over her people. Margundrak hit first and his massive body seemed to fold in on itself. Pain shot through her and Jala squeezed her eyes shut as the dragon’s body rolled hard against her barrier forcing her back.
“You are f*cking insane!” Neph bellowed behind her.
Her hands shaking, Jala rose to her feet and let her spells fade. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared at the lifeless body of the dragon that lay inches in front of her. With a nervous breath she stepped back, testing her arms as she moved. Nothing seemed to be broken. “Check our dragons in the forest. If they are still alive they will need to be healed,” Jala called over her shoulder as she moved toward Nigel’s massive form. To her relief she could still see his sides rising and falling as he struggled for breath. He was injured and most likely dying, but he was still alive and that was all she needed. “You know when I was younger, I always wanted to see a dragon,” Jala whispered to Nigel as she carefully laid her hands on his scaled sides and called on her healing spells.
The white walls of Avenesh gleamed in the morning light. The stone that had been used to build the city was heavy with crystal, making the entire place seem to shimmer before her eyes. “It’s beautiful,” Jala said softly, her mind reflecting back on the fallen cities that War had shown her. They had been beautiful as well. Now they were nothing but rubble, and soon Avenesh would join them if the Avanti chose defiance. “Wait here,” Jala ordered and kicked her horse forward. She stopped the gelding just out of arrow range and stared up at the gates of the city. Pulling on her magic she cast a simple spell to amplify her voice. “I give you one hour to surrender the city. If the gates are not opened within that time I will bring them down and any who fight will die. This is the only warning you will get and I will show no mercy to those who stand against me,” Jala called, her voice ringing clearly through the morning air. Turning, she rode back to join her friends.
“Why exactly are we giving them an hour to prepare?” Neph asked with a frown.
“They’ve had two bloody months to prepare, Neph I don’t think another hour is going to hurt us,” Jala replied dryly as she turned back to watch the city. If Sovaesh kept his word it was possible that Truce would surrender. After the reports she had received this morning she was really hoping he would. If he didn’t, she had no choice but to finish Avenesh as quickly as possible and that meant brutally. She couldn’t afford to waste time on a siege if her information was accurate. Delvay had fallen to the combined forces of Nerathane and Rivana and if she didn’t get to Arovan soon to stop the Blights they would fall as well. “Valor.”