Dragonoak: The Complete History of Kastelir (61 page)

The dragon lowered its head, plumes of smoke rising from its nostrils, and I did all I could to brace myself, to fight the flames the moment they raged against me and Kouris. Its jagged fangs parted, long tongue tasting the air, and as its shoulder blades pushed back, I held out a hand, desperate for it to stop.

Heat spiked in the air and Kouris tugged me to the side, meaning to leap into one of the barely-standing buildings, but my mind was still screaming for the dragon to
stop, stop
: and it did.

Just like that, the fhord gave one final sharp, short roar, and came crashing to the ground like a stone.

My fingers twitched, and all the exhaustion in my body was replaced by a burning in my veins, my bones. The death I'd drawn from the Isiners rushed out of me in that single motion, filling the dragon, bringing it down, down, like the castle no longer rising against the horizon.

I wanted to laugh, overwhelmed by the force locked up inside of me, but when I tried, the sound caught in my throat, sending a bolt of pain between my temples. I doubled over, gripping the sides of my head, palms slick with the blood that trickled out of my ears. My head throbbed, but I was still standing. The taste of copper rushed from the back of my throat, and Kouris caught me as the ground rushed up to meet my knees.

“I can do it,” I said, shaking with certainty, and for all the blood streaming from my nose, it was my eyes Kouris was staring at. “Come on—we can find Claire and get rid of the other dragons, Kouris, please...”

“Yrval, shh. Shh,” she said, as though she hadn't heard me. Kouris rocked me in her arms, holding me close to her chest, and as I saw her mouth words that had been replaced by a high-pitch whine, my body began to writhe in her arms.

A grim, harrowing force rushed through me. It wasn't the smoke flooding the city, or even the mist of death that rose with the heat; a darkness came over me that I couldn't run from, couldn't banish, and Kouris faded as the ringing in my ears turned to a screech, then stopped.

*

I awoke to another sort of darkness, prickled with bright lights.

I stared blankly, barely able to blink, and came to realise that it was the night sky draped over us. Miles away, Isin burnt bright under midnight's shroud, and I felt myself sway to and fro, to and fro, accompanied by the rhythmic thrum of heavy footsteps.

I was in Kouris arms, nothing left inside of me, barely able to move. Beside us, figures moved away from Isin, away from the smoke that blotted out stars, and I saw Akela at my side, blood spilling from a gash across her cheek, eye bruised, dark and angry. She did nothing to tend to her wounds, staring straight ahead as we marched on and on.

I bundled my fingers in the front of Kouris' shirt, and she looked down at me, eyes silver-white, like the moon. I mouthed Claire's name, unable to find my voice. Ears twitching before they drooped, Kouris could only shake her head. After that, I didn't dare to part my lips.

I didn't dare to breathe too deeply.

In the aftermath of the attack, there was nothing left for us but the hollowed-out night, and I watched with wide, dry eyes as the fires of Isin faded beneath the horizon, flames flickering and fading without a sound. In the disquiet that followed the devastation, I thought that no voice would ever be raised again; no word could ever be uttered to make sense of this; and the thought of speech in its entirety became senseless and cruel.

In the end, it was silence that took the last of Kastelir.

Sam Farren started writing the way many young authors do: they really,
really
wanted to post some fanfiction. After dabbling in both transformative and original works for many years, they developed a passion for representing queer women of all sorts in fantasy worlds. Their debut novel,
Dragonoak: The Complete History of Kastelir
, is the first instalment in a fully-written trilogy, spanning both years and continents.

Born and raised in the south-east of England, Sam currently resides in Oxford, with a charming pile of royal pythons, Tofu, Twix and Toffee. They are currently living the much coveted life of a poor student, and deeply appreciates any and all support via her published works.

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The Complete History of Kastelir

The Sky Beneath The Sun

Gall and Wormwood

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Dragonoak
, and keep up to date with future instalments, here are my social coordinates:

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