15.

  Ash

  I watched her, Faelwen, as she drifted across the room, fragile and quiet, like the ghost of herself. Her fingers brushed the edge of the bed she’d only just risen from, and for a breath, she simply stood there, lost in a silence too loud to ignore.

  “How are we supposed to fight a dragon when Faelwen hasn’t even recovered from her miscarriage?” Spook’s voice cracked through the quiet, laced with worry. His eyes didn’t leave her. I exhaled, a weight behind the breath. My head dropped for a moment before I answered. “I don’t know. But we can’t afford to wait until she is.”

  “Can’t we?” Spook’s gaze shifted toward Elora, searching for back up. Elora rubbed her eyes, weariness shadowing her features as well. “I would need to reach my father. I don’t know how the war is progressing. But even if we do wait… it can’t be for long.”

  Spook frowned. “At least until she’s stopped bleeding?”

  “That could take days,” Elora replied, the words flat and practical. “Weeks even. I’ve known women to bleed for eleven days after a loss like that. And time is not a luxury we’re given.”

  My gaze returned to Faelwen, now curled beneath the thin blankets, her body small and still as if the world itself had become too heavy to carry. My voice softened. “She told me it’s already lessening. Another day, maybe two. Just enough for her to draw some strength back. We haven’t even let her heal.”

  “Glad we agree on that,” Spook mumbled, crossing his arms.

  “But Elora’s right.” I glanced at him, reluctant to admit it. “We don’t have time to spare. Once this is done, there’s still another Runestone to find, and the journey back to the Ancestral Region won’t be swift either.”

  Elora rose to her feet, the fabric of her tunic whispering over the stone floor.

  “Let me contact my father. Then we decide.” With that, she disappeared into the adjoining chamber, leaving just me and Spook in the dim light. Great.

  Silence hung, sharp and stretched.

  “We could leave Faelwen here,” Spook offered suddenly. “Let her recover in peace. You and I could get the Runestone ourselves. I could use my particular skill set to slip past the dragon, steal it from under its snout.”

  I raised an eyebrow, half amused, half horrified. Young men think they can take on the world. Not that I wasn’t like that when I was his age, but with time you become less brave. Seeing risks in everything.

  “Cute idea. But no. you wouldn’t make it halfway across the scorched ground before it caught your scent. And the Rune is embedded in the creature just like the last one, not resting on a pedestal.”

  Spook scowled. “Well, do you have a better idea?”

  “I do.” I met his gaze, serious now. “I’ve been refining a spell. Something that could manipulate the dragon’s mind, just long enough to extract the Rune. But I need Faelwen to help me channel it.”

  Spook stiffened, suspicion flashing across his face. “From that black spellbook of yours?”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s a spell I’ve used before with Faelwen. She was never in danger.”

  “Until the spell fails like your last one and a dragon turns us into smears on the ground,” he snapped.

  I smirked. “Then at least it’ll be a quick death.”

  He puffed up, ready to spit back a fresh dose of righteous indignation, but Elora’s return spared me the argument. Thank the hells. Her expression was calm, but there was something grim in her voice. “Still no major movements. The front is holding. Eryndalis is sending reinforcements to bolster the line, and Faywood is mobilizing. It won’t be long now. But the army still has to march over three hundred miles to the river bordering the Fae Lands and the Ancestral Region. They estimate three weeks with full provisions.”

  Spook straightened. “So… we have time?”

  Elora nodded slowly. “Two more days of rest won’t tip the balance. If fortune favours us, we may even secure a ride back with one of the dragonkin here, reach the Fae Lands within a day for our next search.”

  “Then it’s decided,” I said, the knot in my chest loosening just a little. “We stay two more days. Let Faelwen rest. And then we take the Runestone .”

  ? ? ?

  Two days had passed, and it had done Faelwen good.

  There was more colour to her cheeks now, a flush that hadn’t been there before, and a steadiness in her steps that told me her strength was slowly returning. She told me the bleeding had nearly stopped. Another day, maybe two, and she’d be whole again, at least in body. It reassured me more than I let on, knowing her body was healing, even if her spirit still bore the weight of what we’d lost.

  We’d agreed to follow through with my plan. Faelwen had convinced Spook, devils know how, that it would be safe. Still, I could feel the heat of his stare on my back as we crossed the endless sandbanks beneath a sky set aflame by the setting sun. His anger simmered behind his silence. He didn’t trust the spell. Didn’t trust me.

  Not that I could blame him.

  The night before, the scouts had returned with word that the dragon had curled herself into sleep at the edge of the city, hidden in a jagged outcrop. She hadn’t stirred since. They said she’d returned from a hunt the day before, blood still fresh in her tracks, but she’d grown lethargic of late, sleeping longer, moving slower. Artemis had told Faelwen that dragons, like elves, could choose to fade when they grew weary of the world. They weren’t immortal, not truly. Their bodies aged, slowly but surely. And when the burden of living grew to heavy, they simply… slipped away into eternal sleep.

  It was the same for our kind. My elven heritage.

  That idea unsettled me. To grow so tired of existence that sleep became the only mercy left.

  We found the place easily enough, following the scouts’ directions down to the last grain of sand. Before us lay the oasis, a shimmering jewel in the desert’s throat. A narrow pool of crystal water reflected the sky, ringed with palms and scattered cacti. The stones around it were cracked and sun-bleached, the sand shifting in restless waves. Once, this oasis had fed Zan’kareth. But since the dragon, the “mad one” as the dragonkin called her, had claimed it, the waters had dwindled. Now the city sent its people deeper into the burning wastes to find water.

  At first glance, the oasis seemed deserted. We halted, wary, exchanging confused glances.

  Then I saw it… a slow puff of sand lifting in the air, like breath. I pointed silently, lifting one finger to my lips. And then we saw her.

  Scales like moonlit bronze glinted as the dust slipped away. The dragon’s vast body was buried beneath the sand, coiled in on itself like a sleeping god. She dwarfed the city buildings in the distance, easily ten times their size. One eye alone could crush a man.

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  We looked to one another, the same grim resolve in all our faces.

  Here we go.

  I gave Spook a curt nod and reached behind me, pulling my spellbook free. The pages fell open to the incantation I’d chosen. The same spell I’d used once to lend Faelwen a sliver of my magic. But this time, it would be reversed. I would draw on her strength, fuel my own spell through her power. A risk, yes. But one I trusted her with.

  As the sun dipped below the dunes, shadows gathered like cloaks around us. Spook melted into them, vanishing with the precision only he could manage. Artemis followed close, his presence sharp and alert as he guided Spook toward the Runestone hidden on the dragon’s body beneath the sand. Elora remained near, her hand resting on her blade, ready to strike if things went sideways, as they so often did.

  The plan was simple, keep the dragon asleep, take the stone and run.

  I studied the spell one last time, each word etched into memory. Then I shut the book and slung it back over my shoulder. The time for preparation was over.

  Faelwen turned toward me, her smile soft but strong. There was love in her eyes, bright and sure, and for a moment I forgot the danger that surrounded us. She extended her hand, and I took it, grounding myself in the feel of her warmth.

  One last nod; Are you ready?

  She returned it; yes.

  I closed my eyes for a moment, and called the magic forward.

  When I opened my eyes, I fixed my gaze on the dragon’s immense, half-buried head. The curve of its skull rising like a dune carved by gods.

  Or devils.

  Slowly, I raised my hand and opened the gates within my mind, one by one, until magic began to stream in. Not just mine. I would need hers, Faelwen’s strength, to pull this off. The spell I was preparing would breach the mind of a creature as ancient as the sand itself, forcing her into a deeper sleep while Spook and Artemis dug through her chest for the Runestone .

  It would take everything.

  I closed my eyes again and reached inward, searching not blindly, but with purpose. Our souls were bound, Faelwen’s and mine, and all I had to do was follow the thread. A golden thread, glowing with life, love and memory, tugged gently at my spirit. I followed it.

  A door appeared.

  I lifted my hand and knocked. She answered.

  Warmth poured through me, a flood of her essence washing over my soul. Her strength, her loyalty, her wisdom, her love. All of it wrapped around me like a cloak in winter. I stepped into her presence and felt her open herself to me… and then I saw him.

  Two golden eyes, sharp as blades, glared at me from the corner of the room.

  Artemis.

  The wolf.

  The guardian.

  His gaze cut through me like starlight through shadow, not hostile, but warning. Hurt her, and I will tear you apart. That was the message in silence. And I believed it.

  There was something ancient in him, something more than mortal beast or mere familiar. Something primordial. A mystery for another time.

  I didn’t flinch.

  Instead, I turned to the windows that lined the chamber of her mind and opened them, one by one, guiding her magic toward me. A tremor ran through the space, her fear. Not of me, but of herself. Of losing control. Of falling into the Nether Realm.

  I’m here, I whispered, not with words but with my thoughts, she would hear them. I’ll guide you. I won’t let go.

  Her magic flowed to me like sunlight through glass, pure and luminous, and I settled at the heart of her mind, beneath Artemis’s watchful eyes, and closed my eyes once more.

  When I opened them, I was back in the desert. The dragon lay before me, still as stone.

  “They found it,” Elora whispered beside me. Her voice barely stirred the air.

  That was my cue.

  I raised my palm a little higher, pointing at the top of the dragon’s head and let the gathered magic flow out, warm and cold currents twisting together, unfamiliar and familiar. Faelwen’s golden essence mingling with the dark pulse of my own. Goosebumps rose along my skin. My veins darkened, ink-black lines etching across my arms. I could feel my eyes shifting, the magic altering them too. In the corner of my vision, I caught Elora going pale, but she didn’t move. She held her ground.

  The spell began.

  No one outside the arcane would have seen anything unusual. Just two people standing hand in hand, one with a hand stretched toward a sleeping dragon. But within me, power surged like a river in flood. At first, I felt resistance. A wall. The dragon sensed me. She did not want to yield.

  So I changed my approach. I softened my magic, let it unfurl like the return of an old friend. Gentle. Familiar. Nonthreatening. And slowly… she let me in.

  Her presence collided with mine, vast, electric, ancient.

  My lips moved on their own now, repeating the spell’s incantation. My mind focused on a single command.

  Sleep.

  A voice answered, soft, melodious, feminine.

  I am sleeping, she said. Are you trying to invade my dreams, stranger?

  Sleep, I sent again, holding the shape of the command firm in my mind. I couldn’t falter now.

  There could be no deviation.

  It was easier with humans. I’d twisted their will before, puppeteered them through air, made them harm themselves if needed. But this was not a human. This was something older, something stronger.

  Dark sorcerer, the voice mused, what is it you hope to achieve?

  Don’t listen, I reminded myself. Don’t answer. Just hold the command. Sleep.

  I am going to wake up now, she said calmly.

  No. I forced more power into the link, digging deep into Faelwen’s magic as well as my own.

  Let me wake up, she growled, pathetic creature!

  I clenched my jaw, sweat sliding down my brow.

  It was working. She was trapped. Her fury boiled against the edges of her prison, but she couldn’t break free.

  What are you…

  Her voice shattered into a screech that exploded in my skull like a thunderclap. I gasped, faltering, the pain nearly breaking my concentration. Somewhere, distant and muffled, voices called to me… shouting. I couldn’t hear them. I couldn’t care.

  You will sleep. I sent the command again, pouring everything I had left into her. She trashed against my hold, mind against mind, strength against strength, but I refused to yield. My fingers trembled. My chest ached. I could feel the spell beginning to unravel.

  Then…

  Stop this!

  A force slammed into me like a wave.

  I was ripped backward, thrown from her mind and flung from Faelwen’s presence. The golden door slammed shut, her windows closed. The magic was severed and the spell broke.

  I was alone.

  I landed hard in the sand, gasping, chest heaving, body ice-cold and drained. Above me, a growl echoed through the warm desert air.

  I opened my eyes and found myself face-to-face with Artemis. His golden eyes blazed. Saliva dripped onto my cheek from his snarling jaws. His growl vibrated through the air, a warning louder than any words.

  Artemis had spoken to me. Not through Faelwen. To me.

  “I…” I choked out, barely a whisper.

  Rough hands seized me, yanking me to my feet. Artemis spun and bolted.

  “RUN, YOU IDIOT!” Elora screamed.

  The ground shifted beneath my boots. The dragon was waking, slowly but steadily.

  Before me, shapes darted through the twilight, Elora, Artemis, Spook, all running. Spook had Faelwen over his shoulder, limp, unmoving. My heart kicked back into my chest. I ran.

  We ran as fast as we could. Behind us, the dragon stirred. Great wings unfurling with a sound like thunder cracking the sky. A roar followed, echoing through the desert like a promise of death. We reached the outskirts of the city just as her shadow fell over us, blotting out the last light of dusk. Her silhouette sliced through the sky above. Massive and terrifying.

  A moment later, searing heat rolled down the streets as fire bathed the stone buildings, igniting the air itself.

  A group of scouts stood at the edge of the city. One of them yanked open a door, shouting for us to get inside. We didn’t hesitate. We dove into the nearest building, hearts pounding, lungs heaving.

  Another roar, closer this time.

  Then came the impact.

  The dragon’s Morningstar tail slammed into a nearby tower. The sound was deafening, a shriek of twisting metal and shattering stone. The world shook. Debris rained down in a storm of rubble, forcing us to retreat deeper inside. We waited in the choking dust until the roar of destruction faded enough for us to move again.

  We quickly reached the metal grate leading to the underground city of the dragonkin. One of the scouts threw it open. We didn’t climb down like last time. We jumped.

  One by one, we dropped into the darkness below. Not wasting any time. I was the last. Fire exploded above me mid-leap. The heat licked my scalp, my arms, burning hot enough to blister my skin. I threw my arms up to shield my face as I dropped. My arms burning from the heat. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. I hit the ground hard, spine to stone, and barely had time to groan before hands grabbed my collar and hauled me upright.

  Then… pain exploded in my face.

  A flash of white light burst behind my eyes as something struck the left side of my face. I staggered, fell, spat blood onto the stones.

  What the…

  Before the thought could finish, Spook was on me. Teeth bared, eyes wild, fists flying. I blocked the first blow on instinct, then lashed out. He twisted away, fast as ever, and caught me clean across the jaw.

  I reeled.

  Still weak from the spell. Still floating in the dregs of drained magic. I lunched with everything I had left, grappling him, forcing him down, but he kneed me hard in the stomach and kicked me off. I crumpled onto my back again, breath stolen, vision spinning.

  “STOP IT!” Elora’s voice cut through the chaos. “Spook! Get off him!”

  She tried to pull him back, gentle but firm. He shoved her aside.

  “He almost killed her! I told you… he’s going to be the death of her!”

  What?

  The words hit harder than any punch. Spook’s fist smashed into my temple, knocking my head sideways to the ground. My lip split. Blood welled. But I wasn’t fighting back anymore. I didn’t need to.

  My mind reached for the thread, that golden line that bound me to Faelwen. I found it, pulsing bright and steady in the dark.

  She was alive. Relief flooded me like cool water.

  “She’s alive,” I rasped, but Spook didn’t stop. I grabbed him by the throat, my fingers tightening.

  “Elora!” he snarled. Then came a sharp crack.

  Pain bloomed across my skull and the world vanished into darkness.

  My System Demands Blood

  Soaring Cloud Sect like a stray dog.

  [God of Slaughter System] awakens!

  Xiao Jin sneers, his voice dripping with chilling intent: "I can't wait a single day!"

  Innate Void Body hailed as the sect's future hope right before his Master's eyes, vanishing without a trace and shaking the realm! Joining a league of assassins, he takes the name Jiang Han and storms the Imperial City.

  An arrogant noble house? Eradicated in broad daylight!

  A prince applies pressure? Crushed under his heel!

  With thunderous methods, he is ennobled as a Marquis, his might terrifying the Southern Nation!

  [Meteor Dragon Heaven-Piercing Spear], mastering the supreme laws of [Time and Space], and unleashing the overwhelming [God of Slaughter Domain] that suppresses all foes—Xiao Jin forges his path through slaughter, walking a road of bones toward an unreachable, supreme throne!

  “I'm not a fan of sparring.”

  “I much prefer... a battle to the death.”