Morios began scraping away his melting metal scales, flinging bits of steaming death into the water and out over the city.

Then the scales began to regrow.

“Son of a—” Tyentso glared at the high general. “What else do you have?”

The high general seemed equally displeased by the dragon’s lack of dying. “The normal casket allotment—most of which won’t work. We have Argas’s fire, but it doesn’t burn hot enough to melt metal. And seeing as Morios is made of metal, that would be pointless. We have rhino caskets…”

Tyentso growled. “I didn’t serve in the damn army, Qoran. What’s a rhino casket?”

“Just metal. All it does is hit you, but it hits you hard.”

“Perfect. Order your men to load that up and hit Morios with all of it at once. I’ll buy them time. Red Eyes, what’s your name again?”

“Janel.”

“With me, Janel. Morios is bringing the fight to us.” Tyentso ran down the slope toward the scorpions as the high general ordered one of his men to relay the orders.

Janel looked back toward Atrine. She’d assumed Morios’s sword wings would never support him in flight, but she was wrong; Morios had finished his grooming and now flew straight toward his attackers, and anyone else on the hill. And he flew fast.

“All ranks—casket change rhino.”

Up and down the line, men hurried to change out their ammunition. Janel ran after Tyentso in time to see her run up to one of the scorpions and demand one of the caskets. The soldiers blinked at her, probably because it took both of them to load the ammunition, which clearly made it too heavy for two women to lift.

Janel just tucked Khoreval under one arm and picked up the casket with the other. “Where do you want this?” she asked Tyentso.

“On the ground in front of me.” As Janel set it down, Tyentso asked, “So you’re Qoran’s daughter, right?”

“Going bright!” the caller shouted.

As Janel stared at her, wide-eyed, Tyentso grinned. “Process of elimination. I’ve been stuck in this too long not to know a few of the prophecies. Cover your eyes—”

“All ranks—target!”

Janel covered her eyes just as the soldiers aimed their lights at Morios once more. They were angled much tighter this time: he was nearly on top of them.

“All ranks—fire!”

Well over a hundred rhino caskets sprang up into the air and then shot straight at Morios. Tyentso bent down and touched the casket at her feet and then raised the Scepter of Quur above her head. A shimmery rainbow force field sprang up, blocking the hail of metal blades that rained down from Morios’s mouth and wings.