Issari nodded. "They're slaves." She looked at him. "I will free them, Tanin. Eteer has fallen; their home is gone." She bared her fangs. "But I will lead them through this city—to green, good lands. To hope. To freedom. To a new home." She reached out and touched him with her wing. "I'm a princess of Requiem, but I am Queen of Eteer. You may fly north. I will not ask you to join me here. I—"

But Tanin was already diving toward the mountainside. "Come on, Issari! Less speeches and more dragonfire." He growled. "It's time to shatter more chains."

JEID

 
JEID

He stood inside the cave, his snout thrust out the opening, and roared his fire across the mountainside. A hundred sphinxes shrieked, trying to fly near, but his flames kept them at bay. Jeid could barely see them past his showering dragonfire; he only glimpsed their furry lion bodies, their rank wings, and their bloated human heads. A few of the creatures blew their foul miasma toward him, the smoke rustling with demonic maggots. The dragonfire roasted the tiny creatures, blocking the attack.

"You cannot blow fire forever, dragons!" roared one of the sphinxes. "We will enter your caves, and we will sew pelts from your hides."

The beast flew near. Jeid blew fire with all his might. The roaring jet sprayed forth, forcing the sphinx back.

They will not enter, Jeid swore. We will hold them back.

Soon his flames began to weaken, the fire depleting inside him. The sphinxes grew more brazen, flying closer, desperate to enter the cave. A few landed on the mountainside and shifted back into human form—warriors of Widejaw, their mouths opening wide in lurid grins, their bodies clad in armor. They drew their swords and began to climb, prepared to enter. Jeid tried to roast them, but he was down to sparks.

"Bryn!" he grumbled between blasts of fire. Where was the damn woman?

He felt a tap on his tail. Good.

With a last blast of fire, he pulled his snout back into the cave. He released his magic, returning to human form. Bryn stood in the cave, a young woman with a mane of red hair, her body clad in leather and fur. Within an instant, she shifted into an orange dragon and thrust her snout through the cave opening. Her fresh fire roared across the mountainside, and Widejaws screamed.

Standing behind the orange dragon's tail, Jeid took ragged breaths. He had never felt so weary. His shoulders slumped, his eyelids felt heavier than boulders, and queasiness filled his belly. He felt like he could collapse and sleep for weeks. He dared not rest even for a moment.

Requiem needs me.