The drifting clouds of fog break apart for a moment, and a lone blue speck catches my eye, skimming the river’s surface then soaring up in our direction like a sky blue shooting star. It vanishes once more from sight as the patchy fog closes in around it.

Yvan grips a firmer hold of my hand before I can sound an alarm, his entire body tensing, his fire power surging as he lets out a sibilant hiss. My eyes widen at the chilling reptilian sound. He’s abruptly a whole other being, his face lethally severe, his flaming eyes riveted on the fog below as it shifts and the blue speck is briefly visible once more, elongated and much nearer.

Fear seizes hold. It’s a dragon. Flying straight toward us.

It’s found us.

My heart stutters as fog obscures the blue dragon again and I reach for my rune blade.

Yvan’s fire magic snaps in tight and begins to spark with a ferocity so hot and violent its radiating aura takes my breath away. He releases my hand as he, Kam Vin, and Lucretia calmly rise and Lucretia begins to murmur spells, water power swelling on the air. I rise alongside them, drawing my Ash’rion and powering up ice magic to combat Wyvern power.

The fog-clouds shift and the dragon emerges into view, and I realize with a bolt of alarm that it might be as big as Naga.

Bigger.

Yvan throws off his cloak in one smooth movement, his lips lifting in a vicious snarl as his fingers flex, his dark horns arcing up from his hair, his hands taking on a molten glow, brightest at his fingertips, dark claws forming. “He has his sights set on Elloren,” he growls as the dragon begins a rapid swoop toward us, its sides marked with glowing Noi runes.

“Can you best him?” Kam Vin asks Yvan as she draws her swords with a smooth, metallic scrape.

“I can,” Yvan seethes as his wings accordion out from their tattoo impression to their full breadth. “I’m going to drive him off.” He brings a foot to the skiff’s rail and contracts his wings inward.

Black Witch.

The words hit my mind along with a flash of vermilion fire. Realization ignites as the familiar red flame flashes brighter, purple sparking in it—this isn’t a blue dragon at all, but a rune-marked white one.

Alarm punches through me.

“Stop!” I cry, lurching forward to grab hold of Yvan’s arm before he can launch his lethal self at Raz’zor, my gaze flying to Kam Vin and Ni Vin and Lucretia. “Draw down your weapons! I know this dragon! He’s pledged fealty to me!”

Yvan’s head whips toward me, fast as a blur, astonishment strafing through his power. “This is the goat-size dragon?”

“It is,” I say, amazed by Raz’zor’s enormous size.