“Get out of here, Mia.” She jumped off the throne and started toward Elijah. She’d go through the savages if she had to.
Mia ran after her and grabbed her arm. “You have to come. Now.”
She pulled free. “I can’t leave Elijah.”
The door flew open and Cymmeran Guardsmen poured through.
“Chayce,” Ryleigh called.
He turned away from Elijah and faced her as savages attacked Cymmeran soldiers, trying desperately to hold them back.
“Leave him alone. It’s me you want.”
“You’re right, but I’ve learned to finish what I start.” He turned his back on her and lifted his sword again.
Mia grabbed her arm and tried to drag her away.
“No! Chayce!” Ryleigh shrugged free of her grip. She brought the flail back as she ran.
His sword plunged toward Elijah.
Ryleigh put every last ounce of her strength into the swing.
The blow tore through Chayce’s upper back and neck above his armor. Damn. She’d aimed for his head.
With a primal scream, he rounded on her. His sword ripped through her side.
Blood gushed down her hip. She backpedaled, expecting he’d follow.
He spun back toward Elijah.
She started after him.
Flames burst from Elijah’s body in every direction. They threw Chayce to the ground and drove back the closest of the savages.
Ryleigh ducked and covered her face against the wall of fire. Heat singed her face and arm.
Mia dragged her toward the corner behind the thrones. “Go. Now.”
“I won’t leave—”
“It’s too late.” Mia pushed her toward an opening Ryleigh hadn’t even known existed. “We have to go.”
“Elijah.”
“You can’t save him.”
Chayce rolled over, swatting the flames engulfing his shoulder and one side of his head.
“If we get him to the healer, maybe—”
“No.” Mia gripped her face in both hands. “No, Ryleigh. We can’t save him. He knew, Ryleigh. He knew he’d give his life to save you, to protect Cymmera.” She shook her. Hard. “We have to evacuate the castle. Don’t make his sacrifice have been for nothing.”
A portal opened and before he’d even regained his footing, Chayce escaped. Again.
The Cymmeran Guard gained the upper hand and another portal herded in more savages.
There was nothing left for her to do but watch her kingdom fall.
“Go.” She crawled into the tunnel behind Mia.
* * * *
Ophidian skimmed the icy surface of the long frozen lake. The sleek black dragon weaved through scattered mounds of snow and icebergs, keeping as close to the ground as possible, a phantom in the black night.
Jackson could see through the blackness as easily as Ophidian, and he tried to focus on the barren miles ahead of him. His black armor absorbed light, allowing him to blend with the night. Few, if any, inhabitants should be in this brutal part of Argonas. It would be better not to cross those who were strong enough to survive such a harsh habitat. Better to slip through unseen and make it to the mountains before daylight.
Jackson lay close to Ophidian’s back in an effort to keep warm. Even though Cymmerans could regulate their body temperature while in Cymmera and the human realm, they didn’t have as much control in Argonas.
At his side, Dakota kept pace, his dragon, Draco, moving in synchronization with Ophidian.
The other eighteen Death Dealers held a V formation in pairs behind Jackson and Dakota, sliding across the desolate landscape, shadows in the raging storm. With any luck at all, they’d reach the base of the mountains by first light and climb to the summit before night fell again.
Frigid wind pelted his face with ice crystals, coating his eyelashes, impeding his vision. He covered his face and blew into his hands to melt some of the ice. No use. His black leather gloves were encased in a thick coating of ice as well. They were going to have to stop. He held up a hand, and the Death Dealer team led their dragons toward a section of frozen lake.
Ophidian landed silently.
The dragons landed in a circle, blocking some wind. Their riders leaped to the ground and huddled in the center. Dragons emanated warmth, but Jackson didn’t dare allow the team to start a fire for fear of being discovered.
“I don’t understand why it’s so cold.” Dakota’s teeth chattered as he spoke. “This is nothing like training.” He took off his gloves, chipped snow from inside his sleeves, and pressed his hands against his dragon’s side.
Death Dealers trained for every eventuality, and they were forced to drop their temperatures and train in battle, but it wasn’t the same. In training, you could always hold back a little, keep yourself from being too uncomfortable, keep yourself from freezing to death.
Alec Ranger slapped the back of Dakota’s head. “Welcome to reality, newbie.”
Dakota, the newest Death Dealer, took the teasing in stride and shot Ranger a grin. “You’re shivering pretty bad too. Need me to come over there and keep you warm?” He waggled his eyebrows.
Ranger laughed.
Dakota was right. Ranger was shivering. And, unlike Dakota, Ranger wasn’t new to cold, or to suffering. He’d spent his fair share of time in the torture dungeons beneath Argonas.
Icy wind exploded through the dragon circle, screaming in his ears, whipping snow from the lake into a tornado. This level of cold was something completely different from anything Jackson had experienced before—even in Argonas. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up in a lame effort to shield himself from the biting wind.
“Hey.” Ranger stilled, squinting at the mountain in the distance. “Did you see that?”
“What?” Jackson hadn’t seen anything but swirling snow. He scanned the horizon in the direction Ranger indicated, but his vision was too limited by the storm. “I don’t—”
A light flashed, turning the driving snow a sickly shade of green.
“Seems like it came from the base of the mountain.” Jackson slid off one glove and tried to wipe the snow and ice from his face. Having a conversation in the gale-force wind while trying to keep the poisonous snow from getting into his mouth was pointless. They’d have to check out the light source, and it would be better to do so under the cover of darkness. “Let’s go.”
A new sense of urgency rode him as he leaped onto Ophidian’s back and kept his head tucked behind the dragon’s neck. With the Death Dealers in formation, Jackson headed toward the base of the mountains.
Ophidian glided low, silent as death. He undulated and turned, Jackson moving with him as if man and beast were one. In a sense, they were. The slim, black dragon increased his speed.
The others followed.
Thoughts of Ryleigh tried to creep into Jackson’s awareness, but he shoved them aside. She’d handle whatever she had to in Cymmera. Allowing her to fill his mind clouded his thinking. Of course, it had also saved his life. Images of Ryleigh had been the only thing that could have dragged him through those tunnels in Argonas.
A green flash lit the night.
He slowed Ophidian. Better to figure out what was going on before charging into a massacre. He guided