Fourth Part: Wings of Fire

The sky was ablaze. Not with stars or the sun, but with roars and flames that engulfed the horizon like a harbinger of war. Violet could feel the heat on her skin even astride Tairn, as they descended through the battlefield, a cacophony of cries, dragon roars, and explosions shaking the earth beneath them. The ambush had been brutal, calculated to the extreme, and the enemy had shown no mercy.

"To your left!" shouted Tairn through the bond.

Violet spun sharply, dodging a beam of dark energy that grazed Tairn's side, leaving a trail of burns crackling with a sinister sound. For a moment, she held her breath. She had not faced a force like this since the fields of Ilium, and this time they were not prepared.

On the ground, Xaden fought with fury, his sword cutting through a venom with ruthless precision. The black blood of the enemy splattered the ground, evaporating into a thick and foul-smelling smoke. Around him, the dragons battled like titans, their roars echoing in the air, while the dark bearers moved like shadows among the fallen bodies.

"Xaden!" Violet cried out, leaning forward as Tairn descended at full speed.