Dragon Riders

Chapter 7: Toying with Death

Aspen POV:

"Get back on me!" Serafina growled. I quickly obeyed and I knew she felt my confusion. She sharply inhaled and breathed out a single word, "Phoenixes!" My stomach flipped. She sprung off the ground. I saw my parents escaping in their chariot. I waved at them and they smiled back weakly, glad to see I was safe, though clearly panicked. I looked up and gasped in horror.

The sky was breaking. It looked as if the stars were tipping out of space and crashing down to Earth. The Phoenixes dove from the air and rained fire down from the heavens. I turned to see the castle up in flames. Like a beacon of light it blazed. Looking below, I saw the panic in the streets. People were literally clamoring over charred bodies, trying to escape the apocalypse. Severed, still burning, limbs littered the streets. Pools of blood accumulated in the gutters. My stomach churned with disgust.

Thatched roofs only fed the flames, allowing them to spread faster. People crawled and scurried out of burning houses. Smoke clogged the air and made my eyes burn. Though my watery vision was unreliable, I saw a garden pass. CADE!!!! My mind screamed. Serafina heard my internal cry and brought us to the ground. I slid off her back and shoved my way through the crowd of fleeing people. The fire was creeping its way eerily up the street. I ducked under the slanted doorframe and began calling his name. "Cade!" I yelled as I searched through the debris. "CADE!"

"Over here," I heard a weak voice call. I followed the sound to the stairs. Underneath the collapsed staircase laid Cade trapped under the fallen boards and stones. I clawed through the debris and sought to free him. There was too much.

SERAFINA!!!! I shouted into my mind. Suddenly the roof opened up. Serafina crashed through the ceiling and raked the fallen staircase aside. I helped Cade up, but the falling wall made us loose our balance. Fire had enclosed the entire house and was climbing the three remaining walls. I scurried to my feet and pulled Cade to his. I threw him onto Serafina's back, then climbed on myself. She took off immediately and just in time.

I turned back to see the three walls crash down inwards and fire overtake the rubble. Suddenly, Serafina banked sharply. She turned to face our opponent. At first, I couldn't see him, but then I saw the fire lining his wings.

Inferno, Serafina identified the massive black Phoenix blocking our path. He had to be twice the size of Serafina. All around orange, yellow, and red Phoenixes reeked havoc upon the city, but no other black Phoenixes were to be found. I turned back to see his wings were not the only things on fire. His whole body now gleamed with light.

The name sure fits, I remarked silently. Serafina was disgusted by my attempt at humor at a time like this. His blood red eyes were ablaze with anger as well as his body. He opened his beak and rasped,

"A Teff?" He mocked. "Here? In the middle of Tura? All alone?" He cocked his head then shrugged. "It will be easier to kill you without the backup, now won't it?" Serafina gritted her teeth. She had a hold on her temper, but I let my anger flow.

"Leave her alone!" I commanded. He chuckled at my boldness.

"Complete with a bigmouth Viy," he commented. "Roasting you two... No... Three will be fun... Have a little passenger do we?" He taunted.

"If you lay a claw on him," I threatened, "you will regret it until the day you die." He burst into laughter.

"Like you, a puny mortal, could do anything to me!" He chuckled at the very prospect. He looked me right in the eye. "Time to die!" He declared confidently. He opened up his beak and a ball of fire shot right at us. Serafina swerved out of the way. Being a Nature Dragon, she had no special powers to defend herself with. He fired another one, she dodged again. Seeing that spitballing us with fireballs was pointless, he sent a wall of fire straight at us. Serafina climbed as fast as she could and barely made it high enough to escape. Her tail feathers grazed the top and turned to ash. Inferno roared with laughter. Serafina had enough.