Nephilim swarmed toward her. She blew her flames, sending them crashing down. She landed back upon the ruins. "Follow, men of Eteer. To the southern gates! To the Spice Gates! Follow!"

She lolloped down the street, claws clattering against the cobblestones, blowing her fire before her to clear a path. Tanin flew above, raining fire upon the buzzing half-demons. Soldiers ran behind, swords swinging, cutting their way through the army of the fallen. Women, children, and elders emerged from homes, weeping, begging for aid.

"Follow, Eteerians!" Issari cried. "To the Spice Gates!"

They ran, soldiers and townsfolk, a life extinguishing with every step. The creatures swooped from roofs and scuttled from alleyways, faster than falcons. Finally the survivors of Eteer, clutching their wounds, reached the archway of Spice Gates, the southern gates of Eteer. Tanin flew above the gatehouse, blowing his fire at the creatures that mobbed him. Issari slammed into the bronze doors, shoving them open, and crashed outside into the plains.

Farmlands stretched before her, and distant yellow hills rose under the veiled sky. Beyond lay the wilderness of Eteer, perhaps some hope for salvation. She raised her paw, hoping to raise a pillar of light, but her amulet was dimmed. Perhaps Taal had no more power over this falling world.

"Run, children of Eteer! Follow my light."

She shifted back into human form and ran, holding the dim light of her amulet, a beacon barely visible in the shadows under the smoky sky. Tanin roared above, and the people followed behind, an exodus from the city of demons, out of ruin and into the wild.

DORVIN

 
DORVIN

They flew ahead of the rest, scouting the skies, two dragons—green and silver.

"See anything, Dung Beetle?" the green dragon asked. The other dragons—Alina and the survivors of Bar Luan—flew a mark behind them, specks in the distance. Here at the vanguard flew the two warriors of their group.

If you can call the mammoth arse a warrior too, Dorvin thought, looking at Maev. The damn buzzard only got lucky with the demon wolves. He growled. Next time we meet demons, I'll bury her under the corpses I make.

A silver dragon, he puffed fire her way. "I see only a massive, flying clump of green rhinoceros snot." Dorvin spat out smoke. "No damn demons. I wish I had gone north or south instead. By the the Sky God's hairy nostrils, we fought a damn tree for stars' sake. A tree." He growled. "I want to kill demons! Lots of them."

Flying on the wind, Maev smiled crookedly. "You didn't do too well when we met the demon dogs. Your killed only one pup, while I slew three. I don't think you'd fare well with demons. Trees are more of your forte." She gestured down to the forest. "I see a little sapling down there. Want to land and try to defeat it? Just watch out for any sharp branches."