Her true father was cruel. Perhaps, she thought, Jeid and Eranor could be like the father and grandfather she needed. She closed her eyes, smiled softly, and slept.

In her dreams, yellow eyes opened and black wings spread wide. Hundreds of the rocs flew, slamming against the canyon, clattering at the caves, screeching for her blood, and Laira screamed and cowered as their talons ripped into her flesh.

TANIN

 
TANIN

They flew across the city at sundown, two dragons beating their wings and roaring fire, driving into a cloud of demonic fury.

Aerhein Tower rose before them from a hive of devilry, a bone rising from a wound. Hundreds of creatures bustled around the old structure, rising like flies from a disturbed carcass, hissing and shrieking and buzzing and flapping their wings. The demons of the Abyss saw the dragons, and they howled, and they drove forward with clouds of rot and fire and smoke.

"Shine your light, Issari!" Tanin shouted, diving upon the wind, the air whistling around him. "Scatter them!"

At his side, Maev pumped her wings. Her green scales gleamed in the sunset, and she roared and blasted out fire. The flaming pillar spun, crackling, and crashed into a cloud of demons. The creatures—rotting winged horses with hollow eye sockets—burst into flames. Tanin added his fire, torching a cackling green creature with bat wings. Yet countless more demons flew beyond those they slew; they covered the sky, a tapestry of horns and scales and boils.

"Issari!" Tanin cried to the princess who rode upon his back.

He heard her chanting above in her tongue, speaking the name of her god. A soft light grew, pale as a moonbeam, subdued amid so much darkness. Several demons shrieked and scattered, but the others jeered and spat, mocking the light of Taal. A lumbering creature dived down, a rotting bull with leathern wings, a mockery of the city sigil. It opened its mouth and spewed down acid.

Tanin dodged the rancid jet and blew more fire, torching the creature. The bull shrieked, blazing, and tumbled from the sky, only making room for a cloud of flayed women with feathered wings, their fangs long, their eyes flaming. Maev fought beside him, whipping her tail at swarming horseflies the size of wolves.

"Issari, what's wrong?" Tanin shouted. "The amulet's light is dim!"

"There are too many!" she shouted from his back.

Tanin cursed, spat out a jet of flame, and torched a rising cluster of eyeballs and fingers.

"Keep praying and shining what light you can!" he shouted back at her. "Maev!" The green dragon slew a festering cluster of rot, spat in disgust, and flew up toward him. Tanin pointed at the tower. "Maev, you break into that tower! Tear open the bars in the window. Issari and I will cover you."

She growled. "I'm a fighter. I'm going to kill them all. I—"

"Do it!" Tanin shouted. "Go!"