A Dawn of Dragonfire

LYANA



She was rallying the fleeing dragons, driving them toward the southern forests, when the light blazed behind her. Lyana turned and saw her brother plunge through the light, blowing fire upon extinguished phoenixes. Princess Mori flew behind him, holding a disk like the moon, bathing the world with its glow.

Tears sprang into Lyana's eyes.

Bayrin and Mori are back. Hope is back.

"Fly to the forests!" she cried to the children who flew around her. "Wait for us there!"

As the small dragons flew off, Lyana turned, snarled, and soared into battle. Her fire bathed the sky.

Under the beam of Mori's Moondisk, the phoenixes lost their flames, only to ignite under dragonfire. Lyana saw her mother fly above, a great white dragon in the night, blowing her flame upon the enemy. Her father came soaring from below, a burly copper dragon, a hole in his right wing and fire in his maw.

Ten phoenixes flew toward Lyana from all sides. The Moondisk's beam blazed far in the north. The Starlit Demon howled and feasted to the west. Lyana flew alone against the enemy.

"Mori!" she shouted across the battle. "Mori, give me your light!"

Did the golden dragon hear? Phoenixes filled her vision. One crashed into Lyana, and she howled. Talons cut her. Wings of flame blazed against her. A second phoenix slammed into her right, and fire roared, and Lyana cried in agony, and—

Moonlight washed the world.

The flames vanished like a candle under a blanket. The light hummed. Caught in its glare, the phoenixes were nothing but naked birds, blinded and screeching.

Ignoring the pain of her wounds, Lyana howled and spun, blowing a ring of fire around her. The phoenixes kindled, welts rose across them, their skin cracked, and they crashed from the sky.

Howls of dying dragons rose to the north. The moonbeam left Lyana, its light rushing to extinguish a northern horde of phoenixes. Lyana looked around, panting. Hundreds of corpses rained upon the ruins of Nova Vita. Thousands of dragons were fleeing or fighting, and countless phoenixes still blazed. Above the battle, Mori was directing the Moondisk from left to right, pausing on each group of phoenixes just long enough for dragons to burn them. The Starlit Demon still moved across the sky, consuming phoenixes that fled from Mori's light.

"Yarin!" Lyana called to a red dragon who flew above. She remembered him well—a young man in the service of her father.

He turned toward her, fire between his teeth, a gash along his face. "My Lady Lyana!"

"Yarin, to me!" she called. "Bring your men. We follow that beam."

She shot under a swooping phoenix, soared above the Starlit Demon who dived by, and surged toward a group of young dragons. They were mere youths, no older than fifteen, but they would have to fight like men today. Welts covered them and one's wing was torn.

"Dragons of Requiem!" she called. "Follow—to blood and glory!"

They howled and blew flame, and Lyana soared, rallying more dragons as she flew. Phoenixes descended upon them. Three dragons fell, turned to humans, and crashed against houses below. Fire bathed her. Lyana narrowed her eyes and flew toward the light of the Moonbeam.

Silver light covered her. The phoenixes cried, naked. She burned them. Her dragons blew flames around her. They howled for death and glory, for Requiem, for their princess. The phoenixes fell dead.

The moonlight left them, shooting to the east. Lyana snarled, spun, and followed it.

"Stay in the beam!" she shouted. "Dragons of Requiem, behind me! Burn the enemy!"

They flew among the fire and moonlight, blood raining. As Lyana sounded her roar, she looked around the battle, seeking Elethor. Where was their king?

"Elethor!" she cried over the battle, but did not hear him. She gritted her teeth. Requiem needed their king, needed Elethor to rally them around his cry—not her, not Lyana, but King Elethor Aeternum.

"Elethor! Hear me!"

Rage boiled inside her. If he was not dead, she would kill him herself. He needed to lead his people, now more than ever. Where the stars was he?

She roared her dragonfire, bathing the phoenixes. They fell dead, thudded against the Starlit Demon as he dived below, then crashed to the city ruins. Requiem trembled with fire, blood, and light.