“
I screamed a battle cry like a damn Viking warrior as I flung my palms out, aiming for the nightmare creature and sending blue and red fire to consume it on blazing wings. The Nymph shrieked as it burned before bursting apart, leaving a trail of black smoke hanging in the air where it had been.
Diego’s eyes were wild with panic as he stared between the black smoke and me.
“Shift!” I commanded, my voice unintentionally thick with Coercion as my worry for my friends compelled me to make sure they got to safety.
Sofia’s eyes widened a moment before a pale pink Pegasus burst from the confines of her skin once more. I skidded to a halt in the mud beside her, reaching down to heave Diego back to his feet. He swayed unsteadily and I shoved him towards Sofia without wasting time on being gentle.
“Climb on,” I said. “And fly as far from here as you can get!”
I tried to turn away as Diego clambered onto her back but he caught my wrist.
“Come with us, chica, it's not safe for you here either-”
“I’m not leaving Darcy,” I replied dismissively, pulling my arm back. “But the two of you need to go.”
Sofia flapped her sparkling wings as my Coercion gripped her and my heart twisted at the concern in their eyes.
“Don’t worry about me,” I added as they took flight. I watched for a moment as they sped towards the sky then turned back to my hunt for Darcy.
Darius roared behind me as his flames took out another Nymph but a second leapt around the blaze and onto his back. I sucked in a sharp breath, drawing on the well of power within me as I started running back towards him.
Darius spun around, the razor sharp spines on his tail swiping within inches of my face as he tried to dislodge the creature but it clambered all the way up until it was lodged between his wings. He swung his head around, snapping at it as he tried to rip it off of him but he couldn’t twist his head into that position.
The Nymph released its rattling breath and my knees buckled as it weakened me.
I staggered forward, my hand landing on Darius’s front leg as I tried to steady myself.
The Nymph shrieked excitedly and drove its probes into the flesh between Darius’s shoulder blades. A roar filled with pure agony escaped him and he fell forward onto his chest as pain wracked through his body.
Where my hand still rested against him it was like I could feel that pain within myself. I felt like I was tearing in two, my soul ripping free of my body and the deepest sense of dread filled me.
Darius swung his head around to look at me, one huge, golden eye reflecting back the image of a girl who was breaking in half.
He snarled at me, striking his nose against my chest to knock me back a step. As I stumbled away from him, he struck me again, a deep growl echoing from his throat as he urged me to run.
I stared at him in shock for a moment and he trembled as more pain tore through him.
“So fucking bossy,” I snapped, shoving his big Dragon face aside as I moved closer to him instead. “You probably are stubborn enough to die here rather than let me help you.”
Darius growled at me but I ignored him as I leapt up onto his leg and started climbing up the side of his big ass Dragon body.
(tory)
”
”