Jeid shifted too. A copper dragon, he stood beside Laira, whipping his head from side to side. Hundreds of men were stepping out from the forest, all sporting the same split cheeks, tattooed heads, and pierced faces.

Jeid beat his wings and soared into the sky. An instant later, Laira joined him. The two dragons circled in the air above the invaders. When he looked toward the hills, Jeid saw many more Widejaws—hundreds of them—crawling across the land.

"Dorvin!" Jeid roared. "Maev! To the hall!"

Scales clattered. Fire blazed across the sky. A silver dragon rose from distant trees and flew toward Jeid—Dorvin, his brother in arms. An instant later, a green dragon emerged too—Maev, Jeid's daughter, a princess of Requiem.

Jeid circled above the men below. "Hear me, strangers!" His voice boomed. "We have fought and slain rocs and demons. We can easily slay men. We do not desire more bloodshed. Leave now! Your tribe has wandered into the realm of dragons. Leave now and we will spare your lives." He blasted fire down into the hall; it showered against the marble tiles and splashed against the men's feet. "Leave or burn!"

Dorvin growled, flames sparking between his teeth. "To the Abyss with all these warnings. I say we kill them now."

Slyn stared up at the dragons. His jaw unhinged, and his tongue emerged like a snake from its burrow to lick his lips.

"Warriors of Widejaw!" Slyn shouted, arms stretched out. "See how the dragons are weak! They should have killed our on sight. Their mercy will be their undoing. Show them our strength!"

In the hall and forests, the Widejaw clan shifted.

Their bodies ballooned and sprouted tan fur. Dank feathered wings unfurled from their backs. Their hands and feet sprouted claws. They rose into the air as great lions, as large as dragons, flapping vulture wings. Their faces remained the faces of men, bloated to hideous size as if pumped full of liquid. Those faces leered, the jaws opening wide, the tongues lolling, the eyes burning with hatred.

"Sphinxes," Laira whispered. "Eteerian tales speak of them. Creatures imbued with demon magic."

Jeid roared. "Dragons of Requiem! Rise! Rise! Blow your fire!"

Not waiting for an answer, he blasted flame toward the soaring sphinxes.

The fire crashed against one sphinx, burning the beast's fur. An instant later, a thousand of the creatures swarmed toward Jeid and his companions.

The sky exploded with blood, flame, and smoke.

A sphinx crashed into Jeid, snapping its jaws, tearing at copper scales. Another sphinx grabbed Jeid's tail and yanked. Jeid roared, clawed, bit, and blew his flames. Around him, his companions all but vanished into clouds of the creatures.

"Dragons of Requiem!" Jeid called. "Rally here! Slay them!"

Between the sphinxes, he glimpsed flashes of scales. Other dragons were joining the battle. Blood rained. Scales pattered down into the forest like hail. Jeid blew flame, torched a sphinx, and whipped his tail, clubbing another.