"Gather here. Come, make room." Jeid guided them across the mountaintop. "Keep silent and do not shift. The sphinxes can't see us."

They kept emerging from the burrow: an elder who leaned on his son; a mother who held her babe to her breast; a pair of sisters, only six years old; dour young men; pale young women. They gathered upon the rocky crest. Some glanced nervously down toward the distant sphinxes, and others looked longingly at the sky.

"Wait and don't fly yet," Jeid whispered. "Wait until we're all out. We'll fly together. We'll—"

The demon on the harness bucked and twitched. It began to dig another burrow, trying to reenter the mountain. Jeid ground his teeth and raised the shaft, holding the creature aboveground. Dorvin grunted at his side, clutching the creature's second harness.

"That's it, you dung-guzzling pile of maggot shite," Dorvin whispered. "Be a nice good demon."

Jeid looked back south. Dragonfire was still spurting out of the mountains, but it was growing smaller.

"Go on, Bryn," Jeid whispered. "Into the cave. We're ready."

Below, the firelight flickered . . . and was gone.

BRYN

 
BRYN

She blasted out the last sparks of fire in her. The flames sputtered and died.

Bryn was so tired she could barely breathe. She had never blown fire for so long; she felt emptied of all her innards. Gasping for air, she stared outside the cave with narrowed eyes. The sphinxes—stars, hundreds of them were swarming in the night—stared back, their eyes blazing white and cruel in their bloated human faces. The creatures hissed and raised their claws. With her fire gone, the beasts swooped toward the cave.

Bryn, an orange dragon, retreated from the cave opening and spun around in the cavern. She sucked in a raspy breath and released her magic, returning to human form. Locks of her hair clung to her face, damp with sweat. More sweat covered her body, and her fur tunic clung to her skin.

Not waiting for another breath, she ran.

For you, Requiem, she thought, racing across the cavern and toward the tunnel. For you, Aeternum, my king.

She glanced behind her and grimaced. The sphinxes were landing inside the cave, turning back into humans and drawing their swords. They wore rusted bits of ring mail, and tattoos covered their faces and bald heads.

"Find the weredragons!" one shouted, jaw opening from ear to ear. "Slay the scum!"

Bryn turned back forward, tightened her lips, and raced into the narrow tunnel—the natural cave the exiles of Requiem had been hiding in for so many days. Those exiles were gone now, fled through the exit the demon had dug.

"Fly away, Jeid," she whispered as she ran. "Fly with the others. Fly to safety." She raced around a corner just as Widejaw arrows flew; they slammed into the wall behind her. "Fly and find the sky."