Page 89 of Blood of Dragons

He moved over me, his smile permanent on his face, and he grabbed me by the ankle.

I screamed. “No!” I kicked as hard as I could, desperate to be free, desperate to be dead rather than his prisoner.

He grabbed my other ankle and tugged me. “Yes.”

“Fuck you.” I kicked hard, kicked his wrist, and got free again.

But then he snatched me again, his armor taking the brunt of the force of my kicks. He dragged me hard across the ground and over a rock.

I screamed my heart out, screamed for anyone to help, but everyone was so preoccupied with their own battles that my screams were drowned out by others who were dying or pleading for their lives. “I will kill you. I swear on my fucking life, I will kill you.”

He dragged me away from the forest and through the fight. “I look forward to the attempt.”

I screamed to the sky, the sky I couldn’t see because of all the smoke.

And then his hand released me, and I went still in the dirt.

A black cape blocked my sight, and then the dark green blade appeared, matching his armor, and he struck at General Titan with the speed of a snake and the strength of a mountain. “Run, Calista.”

General Titan met Ezra’s sword with his own, the steel ringing in the night as their blades collided.

I fumbled to my feet and prepared to run, but I couldn’t leave, not until I knew if General Titan was dead, so far gone that he could never come back to haunt me. I drew my own blade andwaited for an opening to get him between the plates of his armor, but both men moved so fast.

Their blades clashed, and they sidestepped each other’s attack, each of them equally powerful and experienced. The glow of the fire reflected off the clouds of smoke. It was everywhere, suffocating everyone.

General Titan got an opening and slammed the hilt of his blade into Ezra’s skull.

My uncle immediately fell back to the earth.

“No!” I ran forward, seeing General Titan move to finish the job. I threw my body into his and knocked him over.

He kicked my knee and made me topple. Then he was on top of me, slamming my head into the ground so I lost my sight for a moment. My sword was stripped from me while I saw stars, ripped from my loose fingers. Then he got up again and pointed his blade down at my uncle.

“Stop!” I grimaced as I forced myself up, grabbing his own dagger and stabbing it into the back of his leg.

He screamed like a wounded bear and turned back on me. “You’re lucky I won’t kill you.”

Ezra came to and tried to rise.

But General Titan grabbed his blade and prepared to stab him right through the neck.

“Stop! I’ll come with you! Right now.”

Ezra was still dizzy, his eyes hazy like he wasn’t all there, blood dripping from his skull. “Calista…”

“I’ll come,” I said quickly. “Please just leave him.”

“No…” Ezra tried to get up again and grimaced the whole way.

General Titan didn’t care for him, his maniacal eyes on me instead. “Then get your ass up.”

I pushed myself to my feet.

Queen Eldinar came out of the smoke, blood across her face, with a bruise next to her right eye. She dropped down to where Ezra lay, like she’d somehow known he was hurt and came running. She raised her head and looked at me.

The second I was on my feet, General Titan grabbed me by the neck.

Queen Eldinar unsheathed her blade.