No, no that wasn’t a Fen. That was a Chimera of a different variety. That was the source of the odd blood smell Leona had been tracking across two territories. The woman had a strange and cataclysmic sort of power about her. The madness and blood lust that surged through Leona’s veins seemed to cry out in recognition of an equal. An instinct that, even despite being faced with a Chimera, Leona heeded.
The White Wraith—a woman was the White Wraith—calmly loaded a small tube into the pistol at her hip. Andre sped toward her, claws out, ready to make a killing blow. The woman reached out her spare hand in a confident gesture and Cvareh took it. Chimera and Dragon, the strangest unified front she’d ever seen.
Magic surged over Leona, splitting her skull from ear to ear. The world blurred and she lost focus and seconds. She blinked rapidly, trying to ground herself once more by pushing aside the strange sensation of lost time. Her eyes scanned the boat in an attempt to pin down what had just occurred.
Andre was no longer on his glider, no longer boasting the upper hand. He was on the deck of the ship, a hole shot through his chest. Cvareh was doubled over, coughing blood as he stumbled toward the corpse of the felled Rider. The ship lurched as the empty glider crashed into the sea next to it.
That was how he’d gotten so far. Leona banked once more through the sky, circling like a bird of prey. The bastard could stop time. Only one in a hundred Dragons were born with that ability and Cvareh Xin was one of them. There was truly no justice in the world. She looked in disgust as he consumed Andre’s body. Talent worthlessly fed to the lowest House in Nova.
“Push, don’t stop,” the Wraith screamed to the helm of the boat.
They were halfway between the prison and the mainland. Leona scanned the horizon. Where were they headed?
The vessel was cutting a diagonal path through the water, away from the main port and the second boat of Fen attackers coming at them. The stretch of land at the end of their trajectory was dim and black, little waiting for them. Leona growled. Too much thinking, not enough doing.
“Camile, fly ahead, cut off the boat. When it dodges, I’ll flank.”
Her remaining Rider nodded affirmation. Camile’s focus remained steadfast in the wake of Andre’s death. They were the King’s Riders and that meant that, if they were lucky, they would die serving their sovereign. Andre had merely reached the logical conclusion of his duty.
The rush of the chase was beginning to get to Leona’s head. She wanted to run down her prey. There was no darker glee that lit up her heart than the notion of a well-earned kill. And now she had two, Wraith and Dragon.
Camile did exactly as Leona had instructed, charging the ship head on. The Wraith sprinted to the bow to meet her, gun drawn. She had a steady draw and sure aim, but with the moving of the waves and Camile’s evasive bobbing, her shot missed. Without time stopped, they were a lot more difficult to hit. Leona seized the opportunity, heading toward the rear side of the vessel where it banked, the deck tipping toward her as the driver turned wildly.
She found herself face-to-face with the second unexpected discovery of the evening. Cvareh was holding a gun. The born and bred Dragon noble was holding a crude Fenthri weapon. It looked awkward in his hands, but he tracked it on her anyway.
Glyphs on the exterior of the gun flared bright enough that it lit up the entire deck and surrounding sea. It fired at twice the size, speed, and power as any Chimera’s would, forcing Leona away. The weapon cracked and crumbled under the strain, falling to pieces in the Dragon’s hand.
So, Petra had been hiding this unpolished gem all along. Cvareh was rough, untrained, and generally timid. Underneath it all was true power. The closer they neared land, the more she realized her grave error in underestimating him. He was the younger brother of Petra’Oji and Houyui To, of course he had strength.
Camile rejoined her in the sky as Leona let out a cry of frustration. She was done toying with them. “We head to land,” she declared. “Cut them off there.”
Pushing her magic under her, Leona sped ahead of the boat, keeping in line with its course. She was done fighting over the salted sea and its dangerous depths. On land, she would have the upper hand. She wouldn’t underestimate them a third time.
The secondary boat was close enough to open fire, but Cvareh’s crew seemed uninterested in engaging. They pushed onward, ignoring all other distractions and opponents. Like a beam of sunlight, they penetrated the inky blackness with speed and certainty. But nothing was ahead of them. A wall of tall bars connecting the sea with the Underground canals and sewers blocked their path.
They were going in hot and fast on a straight collision course for the giant grate, suicidally determined to outrun their pursuers to their deaths. Leona pulled back, unwilling to follow to that watery grave. If Cvareh wanted to kill himself, she’d let him.