Chapter 39 A Bloody Dawn

Chapter 39 A Bloody Dawn
Aizurah could feel the heat of Starlyght’s lightning storm warming her through her armor.

As they had guessed, most of the camp had been asleep when the Dragons swooped in and began to lay waste to the island. Astra joined the assault, knocking over tents and dousing out fires with her streams of water.

Aizurah felt a smug satisfaction as she watched her plan unfold quickly. However, family pyres had not prepared the princess for the heavy smell of burning flesh that assaulted her nose, nor the screams that met her ears. Her adrenaline was all that carried her, and she focused her attention on the beach, defending Lord Taevar and the men who were already pulling ashore.

Suddenly, Starlyght spun on her side, avoiding a pack of arrows meant to pull them from the sky. Aizurah, caught off guard, was grateful that she had been smart enough to secure herself between the serpent’s spikes, briefly imagining how she could have plummeted to her death. She glanced around until she finally spotted the cluster of archers along the edges of the cliffs, maybe eight of them, already nocking another wave of arrows. The princess tucked herself low against the dragon’s back and commanded Starlyght to turn back, heading toward the cliffside.

“Burn them, Starlyght!” she shouted, setting the entirety of the ledge alight with electricity. She had no time to appreciate the full fury of her bonded beast’s powers. The screams of the men who imagined they could end her with a mere cluster of arrows gave her a sick sense of gratification, and she smiled as she scanned the battlefield.

Already, the pirates were retreating, hoping the dank caves along the hill would provide them sanctuary from the dragon’s fire. The high, keening whistle of her husband’s Dragon cut through the air, and she whipped her head around, looking for Zeidan.  Varynx had landed and was burning the hillside as the prince cut his way across the beach with long, sure strides.

He was already covered in blood and sand, and Aizurah couldn’t help but watch the way he made quick work of every enemy. Her blood burned at the sight, and her heart raced. A fierce pride swelled in her as she watched her onyx and crimson prince slay another foe.

“Protect yourself and Varynx and Astra!” Aizurah commanded as she landed Starlyght in the surf near the boats. “Fly!”

Arden found her almost immediately, though she couldn’t imagine how, as Starlyght returned to the sky.

It was utter chaos around her. Zeidan’s lessons echoed in her ears, and instinct took over. Ignoring the carnage on the sand, she scanned her surroundings, immediately differentiating friend from foe.

Zeidan had been on the far side of the beach, and Aizurah needed to be by his side. A sword was swung in her direction, and she met it with her own, the force of the clashing steel vibrating through her arms. She dropped her left shoulder, and the pirates’ blade slid off her own. Then Aizurah swung to her right, cutting deep into the man’s abdomen.

It wasn’t like training in the yard; when her sword remained stuck in his middle, she gave a mighty tug, and blood poured from his wound. A painful cry tore from his lips, and he gripped his stomach as she forced the tip of the blade through his chest with a sickening squish. In the time it had taken for her to end one man, Arden Stonewell had cut down three. Still, he remained at her back and gave her a nod of encouragement.

“Not quite what I expected,” she yelled at him over the screams, giving him a sarcastic grin.

“I’ve seen a lot of crime during my stint on the city guard, but nothing like this,” he agreed. They both ducked as a soldier to her left swung a blade between them. Arden’s sword took his head off, and Aizurah fought the urge to kick it across the sand.

How was she finding her situation so thrilling?

Maerus’s words ran through her mind. Perhaps Bloodmane women found the same things thrilling that men did…

The princess turned and kicked against the chest of another pirate, and Arden spun about to fight the enemies closing in behind them. Her new opponent had two blades, and it threw Aizurah’s focus.

During her training, she’d never practiced facing someone wielding two weapons at once. When one of his blades caught the inside of her left arm, she hissed in surprise, her skin searing with pain. She cursed loudly before shoving her sword through his sternum, relishing the guttural groan.

“Are you alright, Aizurah?” Arden asked. Her name sounded odd on his lips, but they had already agreed he shouldn’t use her title on the battlefield, lest they draw attention. She nodded and squeezed her arm, assessing the damage. It continued to bleed, but she was sure nothing important had been severed.

“It’s not too deep, I’m fine,” she insisted, continuing toward the spot where she last sighted Zeidan. The princess glanced up when she heard Starlyght roar, needing to ensure her dragon’s safety.

The silver and violet beast was swooping down, plucking men from the beach, and dropping them from the sky. How Starlyght knew which men were enemies and which were friends, the princess didn’t know, but she smiled at her beloved dragon’s ferocity.

And then Aizurah was hit hard in the chest, falling to the sand as the air was knocked from her lungs. The sword slipped from her hand, falling into the sand a few feet away.

She rolled to the side to avoid the blade brought down toward her face, then rolled again to avoid a second strike. Reaching out, she strained to locate her sword in the sand and instead kicked the man in the stomach. He swung his arms back to strike at her once more when the tip of a sword slid through his throat.

She recognized Zeidan’s blade as it pierced through his flesh to the hilt. The blood poured from his wound, onto Aizurah’s armor, and slid off as she finally took hold of her blade. She felt wet and sticky and grimaced at the odd sensation.

“So much for training…” Zeidan told her, breathing heavily, his voice laced with sarcasm. A hysterical laugh fell from her lips as her prince helped her up.

Her blood was coursing, her senses on edge, and she wanted nothing more than to lunge at him and fuck him right there on the bloody sand. Instead, she rounded and returned her focus to the battle.