Finally one soldier, a young man with green eyes, raised his spear high. "For Issari!" he cried. "For a new queen!"

The floodgates broke. Dozens of spears rose, and dozens of voices shouted out, echoing in the hall. "For Issari! For a new queen!"

She took a shaky breath and her eyes stung. She spoke softly. "For Eteer."

At her side, Tanin blew out his breath. "Bloody stars, I was almost worried there for a moment."

Issari turned and marched out of the hall, stepping into the sunlight. Behind her, the soldiers streamed out in a sea of bronze. From buildings across this hilltop citadel, more soldiers emerged into the sunlight, and their voices rang. "For Issari! For a new queen!"

RAEM

 
RAEM

After scouring the barbarous hinterlands for days, Raem finally saw the Weredragon Column rising ahead from the forest. Flying upon Anai, his deformed bat of the underworld, Raem spat sideways and snickered.

"So here is their kingdom!" he cried for his thousand demons to hear. "Here is the fabled Requiem, the land of dragons—a single bone rising from the wilderness."

He laughed and his demons laughed with him. Their chortles filled the sky. Raem twisted in his saddle, looked over his shoulder, and admired them. They were beautiful. They were the most beautiful things in the world. Great balls of fat dripped ooze, their tongues thrusting out between folds of skin. Cadaverous creatures beat insect wings, leering, their teeth longer than human arms. Twisted clusters of limbs and torsos rolled in the sky, stitched together, flapping wings of skin stretched over bones. Naked moles the size of dragons. Naked men with beards of snakes and wings of bats. Creatures of fire, of stone, of rot. All flew here, seeking the meals they craved, the meat of dragons.

"Where are you, my children?" Raem whispered. "Where are you, Jeid the so-called King of Dragons?"

They flew closer. Soon Raem could see details on the column; it rose taller than the tallest tree, even taller than his palace back in Eteer. Its capital was shaped as rearing dragons. No other structures seemed to stand here, just a single pillar. He tugged the reins and his mount descended, the wind shrieking around them. A circle of marble tiles lay around the pillar, and Raem landed upon them, his demon's claws clattering against the stone. The rest of his demons circled above, screeching and sniffing. Raem could see none of the weredragons he sought. His demon's nose twitched.

"Do you smell them, Anai?" He stroked her wispy hair. "Where are they?

He dismounted. A few of his demons landed too, and they scuttled around on clawed feet, slithered and left trails of slime, and clattered on centipede legs. Most of the creatures still flew above, sniffing, snorting, seeking their enemy. Raem frowned, gazing at the place.

"This is no kingdom," he said softly. "This is nothing but a dream I will crush."