Battle With Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

“Quite the tune change.” I lifted my chin and hovered up onto Archion’s back. We’d spent the last two days practicing against the other dragons and their riders. This was because I’d had a moment of weakness and told all the dragons they wouldn’t be allowed to come with us.

In my defense, they were three against a sea of dragons. How could they possibly help against Lucifer? I didn’t want them to get hurt.

I’d been forcibly ignored.

“Didn’t you tell me just the other day that this was the right path and you wanted to be on it?” I asked as she climbed onto Saphira.

Emery crawled up behind her, and behind us, Cahal was mounting Coppelia.

“I was delusional, and now I have come to my senses. I regret to inform you that I must resign as your bra—a very stupid nickname for a girlfriend, if I might add—”

“Shut up, you love it.”

“—stop being your fall guy in the bounty hunter gigs—”

“Garret’s fall guy, you mean…”

“—and stop the insanity. I just need to stop the insanity,” she yelled at me.

“It’s going to be—”

“Stop telling me it is going to be okay, Emery,” she hollered at him. “We’re going to get crushed. You better take that deal, Reagan.” She leveled a finger at me. “Donkey turds and old-man farts, you take that deal, and you take me with you, do you hear me?”

Is she always like this before battle? Cahal asked me.

“Yes. Literally always, though she isn’t swearing as much this time. I think she might be getting more acclimated.”

“I don’t think she was quite this bad before the Mages’ Guild battle,” Emery said, wrapping his arms around her middle.

“Yeah, but there wasn’t much warning before that one,” I replied.

“Sure. Why not?” Penny muttered. “Talk about me like I can’t hear you. It’s fine.”

I looked out across the large host of gathered troops, everyone in neat lines to go through the portal. Darius stood off to the side with his faction of vampires, all of them in normal human attire with backpacks. Within those backpacks were large sun-repellent blankets that they’d hunker down underneath should something happen to my magic masking the sky. Which wasn’t a problem right now, since it had just slipped into evening.

I’d wanted him to ride to battle with me on Archion, but he declined, saying he needed to lead the vampire faction. It seems Charity’s vision—or visions, I guess—had been thoroughly theoretical. For all the variations she’d seen, she’d never once mentioned our dragons or the surly druid.

“What’s the story with your people, Cahal?” I asked as Archion beat at the sky. “Are they going to be on the elves’ side?”

“Druids in general are a peaceful sort of people. There are only a few of us that end up in my line of work.”

“Killing people, you mean?” I yelled over the thump of Archion’s wings.

He didn’t comment on that directly. “They are spread out throughout the worlds and don’t often involve themselves in politics. They certainly don’t engage in battles of this nature. It’s not where our true strengths lie.”

“So why are you involved?” I asked as he drifted beside me, waiting for Saphira.

Mostly because I count you and the others as friends. Because I care what happens to you. And because there is honestly nothing more amazing than riding a pink dragon into battle. It also makes my choice completely beyond reproach by my people.

I laughed. Sounded legit.

With Penny finally ready, we flew toward the portal. We’d be going through first. If it were just us against the elves or the Underworld, I suspected they’d be waiting there, ready to pick us off as we came through. But I had it on good authority that the Underworld planned to storm the elves’ castle, and I doubted they’d split their forces to stop a much less intimidating group.

That was the logical conclusion, at least, and I really hoped logic held up this time.

Darius looked up at me as I flew overhead. The other vampire had been gone by the time we left the room the other day. I hadn’t asked where he’d been taken or by whom, and no one volunteered the information. We could sort that out if we lived.

I felt his love through the bond and took a deep breath to steel myself against the feeling of grave uncertainty of what was to come. If I were to ever get a semblance of a happy ending, it would be on the other side of this battle. The problem was that I didn’t see how this battle could go well. I really didn’t. Not for us, anyway. It filled me with dread for my future. Dread I pushed down and refused to dwell on.

Roger, still in human form, looked up from his position beside Romulus and Charity. He didn’t raise a hand, but that moment of acknowledgment was his way of wishing me good luck. He wouldn’t have bothered to take notice of an underling.