Page 98 of Throne of Ice and Blood
With massive wings booming through the air, and his huge body like a shield between me and our attackers, Draven swings his head back towards the other five and lets out a bellow so furious that it makes the very mountain tremble.
My heart slams against my ribs.
And suddenly, I understand exactly why even his own people call him the Shadow of Death.
The surviving five dragons, two of whom are bleeding heavily from Draven’s earlier attack, hesitate where they hover a short distance away.
But they never get the chance to decide if they’re going to attack or flee, because two massive silver dragons suddenly shoot out of the black storm clouds around them.
I stumble back as Empress Jessina and Emperor Bane in their dragon forms crash into the purple dragons, ripping the throats out of the two who were already bleeding and who were too slow to dodge. The other three immediately swerve and try to escape across the mountain.
Bane and Jessina swing their heads towards them and, in a terrifyingly synchronized move, open their jaws and breathe ice flames at them.
A rushing, crackling sound fills the air as the two massive torrents of ice fire hit the fleeing dragons.
My jaw drops as the ice wraps around their bodies, freezing their wings and trapping them inside of it. They plummet to the ground.
Andshatter.
Shock clangs inside my skull as I watch the bodies of the three ice-encased dragons break into pieces on the sharp rocks below. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest that I can barely hear anything else.
This is why the Silver Dragon Clan has managed to bring all the other dragon clans to heel. This is why they rule. I always knew that their rare ice flames were dangerous, but I didn’t realize just how devastating they could be to other dragons.
Completely stunned, all I can do is to stare at Draven and the Icehearts while a wave of hopelessness crashes over me.The humans back in that tavern were right. The dragon shifters might as well be gods. How the hell are we, a bunch of fae who can’t even leave our court and humans with no magical abilities, supposed to win a war against an army of dragons who can dothat?
The storm clouds disappear from the sky as Draven instead shoots straight towards the ground. I jump back in shock as he slams down right in front of me, creating a huge black cloud as he shifts out of his dragon form.
A second later, he stalks out of the dark mist in his half-shift form.
“What the hell was that?” he bellows at me, his voice filled with rage.
It shocks me so much that I actually flinch. But when I snap my gaze to his face, there is no anger there. Quite the opposite. His eyes are pulsing with panic, desperation, and pleading as he comes to a halt in front of me and grabs me by the collar as if he is furious with me.
I flick a glance towards Jessina and Bane, who are now landing on the ground behind Draven’s back. Smoke explodes across the mountainside as they shift as well.
The moment that the smoke obscures their view, Draven yanks out my iron collar from his belt pouch and snaps it closed around my neck before they can see that I wasn’t wearing one.
“No matter what happens, don’t interfere,” he whispers, his voice laced with the same panic and desperation that I can see in his eyes.
I open my mouth to reply, but before I can get even one syllable out, Draven presses on.
“If you care about me in any way, don’t do anything. Don’t say anything.” He tightens his grip on my cloak while his pleading eyes sear into mine. “Please. I’m begging you.”
His words hit me like a blow to the chest.
Please. I’m begging you.
Draven doesn’t beg. Ever. What the hell is going on here?
Footsteps thud against stone as Jessina and Bane stride out of the disappearing smoke. Their silver garments and their huge silver wings gleam in the gray light of the overcast sky.
“Now, fall as if I threw you down,” Draven orders in a hurried whisper. “And stay on your knees.”
My stomach lurches as he uses his grip on my cloak to shove me back. I do as he says and let myself tumble to the ground. Pebbles dig into my shins as I scramble up to my knees while Draven wipes the desperation off his features and instead lets a mask of fury descend on his face.
“If you ever get in my way like that again, I will fucking kill you,” he snaps at me, his voice now once again only filled with merciless rage.
“I’m sorry,” I reply, playing along and making sure to sound scared.
