Chapter 288: CHAPTER 288

"That better be their last line of defense or we're cooked," I muttered as I felt the power ascend, lifting off my dragon.

Everyone began coughing, falling to the ground and vomiting.

Dying.

Fuck, we have to be fast.

But I was still flying higher and soon, I understood why.

The Fae dragons, all at once, came after us, their King screaming, "Kill her!"

Yea, very original, I know.

The power roared in my veins, my head hurting from the intensity of the noise and how hot it felt.

The fire never bothered me before, but now, I think it was too much.

So bad that I cried out inside, and the next second, my hands clapped hard and we switched places instantly.

I was back in control and I was falling down, but Zorath was under me in seconds and I groaned as my ass landed on him.

But I wasn't hearing any coughing from anyone again.

Except a ringing sound that made me turn my head sharply, ignoring the pain of Zorath's scales cutting my flesh from how rough I landed.

It was the Fae King.

His screams were like a weapon on their own, glasses and irons breaking from the impact.

The Fae dragons joined in, their roar and turbulent rage confusing me.

"What did we do?"

"I don't know but I'm breathing fine, that's all that matters. I'm going back to burn stuff."

"No Zorath wait, look."

He turned his head to the last Fae dragon as his previously black scales gradually turned the shade of the red moon.

Then a loud explosion rocked the battlefield.

The King was still screaming in what I now realised was pain, not a battle cry.

More explosions followed, other dragons exploding in shards everywhere, some hitting us.

I held the scale that had hit my chest and I watched it dissolve into ashes.

"How did you do that?" King Draktar asked, his voice filled with wonder.

"I wish I could tell you," I whispered, "but I'm as shocked as you are. Can you kill their King now? His screaming is messing with my ear drums."

I watched as an arrow was thrown and in the next second, the screaming stopped.

Right on time, the Fae King's dragon combusted, along with his rider.

The soldiers on the ground screamed and roared, yelling in rage and throwing arrows.

Our King handled that while I headed to the back to look after my men.

Oddly enough, I'd not been overly concerned about them as I should have.

I'd spent this entire battle, staying in front and taking out big enemies that might overwhelm us so I was excited to see them all alive, still on their dragons, fighting.

Florian with his swift arrows, Zade pulling the ground off the feet of the Faes and burying them while Draco's dragon rained fire as his rider manipulated his shadows, squeezing necks and all.

The mission was about to end so I decided to go and meet Valyra where he was.

Suddenly an arrow caught my eyes.

Everything slowed.

It was coming from a distance, nowhere near the King's control and even if it was, there was a strange air about it.

And I looked at where it was headed.

Draco.

Fuck no.

I pulled at the power, urging it to help me disintegrate the weapon.

It didn't budge and the stupid thing was fast.

Panic slammed into my chest in seconds and I screamed loud, desperate and ready to die for this to work.

"STOP!"

The air froze right in front of me but I knew I didn't have much power to hold onto it, my chi was nearly depleted and the power was barely flickering.

I forced it to work for me, I pushed it so hard I must have behaved like a slave driver.

It worked and I walked on air, breaching the distance.

My hands closed around the tip of the sword as I sat on Draco's extended shadow and I tried to push it away.

But suddenly, everything went wrong.

My chi blacked out, and the power turned black.

My eyes widened as everything unfroze and I thought I was going to fall for one split second.

Turns out, I should have never been scared of falling.

But about being impaled by a poisoned arrow going straight through my palms, digging into my chest and poking my Draco behind me.

I still fell but he grabbed me immediately.

"Alira.. ALIRA!" He screamed, realization hitting us both at once.

"Hm?" I replied, dazed and disoriented as I looked at my chest. "Blood," I whispered, my voice strained and thick with disbelief.

"No, no, fuck no! You weren't supposed to be the one to die! It was me! Baby no!"

"Alira!" Florian was already here, my speedy Halfling, "what the fuck happened Draco? Take that thing out of her!"

"She'll die if you do that!" Zade screamed in panic.

"I.." I tried speaking but coughed out blood.

"What happened to?"

"She jumped in front of the weapon, Your Majesty," Draco replied, his voice thick with tears, "I don't know how but she did. Alira please don't die, I can't.. no.."

My dragons screeched and unleashed fire everywhere, their rage burning like lava in my veins.

"Val?"

"Why did you do this us, child? You couldn't just let him go?"

"I'm sorry," I whispered as the light gradually faded.

"She can't die," I heard the King's voice, but it sounded so far away.

"Sunshine please open your eyes."

"Alira, I'm sorry for not helping you!"

"Alira, you're too powerful to die!"

"Princes.."

I love you, that's what I wanted to tell them all but words were impossible to say and my thoughts ceased to exist.

Everything ceased all at once, and only darkness remained.