I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI

A chilling wind howled around those gathered, awaiting the darkness we could all see quickly approaching the school. My hand gripped the handle of my weapon, the knuckles turned white as I swallowed hard. Barely any training, and already I was to be thrust into a fight I’m sure many here haven’t seen in a long time.

I glanced from left to right, taking in my fellow Riders and the Dragons as their sides. All of them focused on the coming storm. Lightning flashed across the sky, the black clouds swirling above us ominously. I noticed for a brief moment that they didn’t behave like typical storm clouds. 

Instead, they moved with a will of their own, like they were alive. As it grew ever closer, I could make out creatures flying within them. That must be what created that odd movement. The things were monstrous, even more so than the painting I had seen in Adrian’s office.

Ethan must have noticed me staring and placed a hand on my shoulder. “We call them Screamers. They emit a sonic bullet when they, well, scream. You can’t see it, but for the small waves it makes through the air.”

I narrowed my eyes at the monsters, “How do you know to dodge?” 

“You don’t. The second you hear it, you just move. And pray you went the right way.” He looked down at me and gently brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I nodded and smiled sadly, “I know.” 

One of the other Dragon’s shuffled closer to us, his Rider close behind. “There’s a Behemoth within their ranks.”

Ethan growled and nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

I snapped my head to the man. “Wait, what? That sounds really dangerous!”

The man shook his head, “Not for your Bond, it’s not. If anything, they should fear him.”

I cocked my head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Ethan sighed, but the man interrupted him, “Ethan is the oldest of the Dragons alive today. He’s powerful and has seen many fights like this. Have faith. He can do things that a younger Dragon could only dream of.”

As I looked up at Ethan, he looked a bit sheepish and I fought a small giggle. “Don’t let Travis give you false security. A Behemoth is still deadly, even to me.” He shook his head, “You’ll remain here when I fight it. I can’t worry about your safety at the same time. Do you understand?”

While I wanted to argue, I knew better. I hadn’t seen the look in Ethan’s eyes before. He was worried, more so than usual. “Ok, no problem.”

His eyes widened, and he chuckled, “Who are you, and what did you do with my Ellie?”

I hit his arm gently, “Hey, I’m logical when I want to be.”

A younger female Dragon and her Rider spoke up, silencing us. “They’re here.”

I snapped my head to the barrier that surrounded the grounds. It was flashing, bowing in where the creatures were beginning to bombard it. 

“It’ll hold,” I said to myself. Ethan nodded, and we all stood, watching, and waiting for what we knew was inevitable. More and more of these Shadows gathered around the edges, screaming and howling in anger. Red eyes shined and zeroed in on us as we all readied for the moment the barrier broke.

This went on for what felt like an eternity until suddenly, the things stopped and pulled back just a bit. A whisper of relief nearly passed my lips before I heard the loud thundering steps of what I could only assume was the Behemoth Travis spoke of.

My mouth dropped open as I watched what could only be described as something from the darkest nightmares that emerged from the haze obscuring the Shadows. It had to be as tall as a skyscraper. Nothing but thick massive muscle encased its figure and bristling hair like a boar’s stuck straight out. Its face was a snout and two beady eyes that glowed like its brethren. With each step, my heart lept in fear and fought back a whimper as Ethan stepped forward, pushing me behind him. It was then we all realized what was about to happen. 

Ethan let out a roar of fury, and before I could reach out and stop him, he threw himself off the breezeway. I slammed into the wall after him, watching as he plummeted to the ground. Right before he hit, his body transformed into his beautiful Dragon, his wings snapped outwards, and he rocketed upwards and towards the Behemoth. 

He wouldn’t make it, I knew he wouldn’t make it. The massive creature raised its fists and slammed them into the barrier. There was a shockwave that blew us all backward. I raised my eyes and watched in horror as the barrier cracked and splintered into millions of tiny pieces disappearing as they fell to the ground. 

Ethan took a deep breath to fire as I screamed, and the creatures surged forward onto the grounds.

Chaos reigned.