My body trembled to its very core as the beast’s rising screech made my blood run cold. Its sound was alien, something that did not belong on our planet, but it was only a mimicry.

Everyone covered their ears and dropped to their knees in pain before one of the medics on board shouted, “DRAGON X!?”

Confusion spread, but we knew it wouldn’t make sense for a dragon of myth to wreak havoc upon us for no reason, or at all.

I dove under my ship’s deck and shouted, “TESLADONS! TAKE COVER!!” But just as the words escaped my lips, burning thunder crashed through our ships, demolishing Group Three in an instant, severing my boat in half, and sinking Group One.

Cries for help and screams of terror filled my ears as I clung to the side of the ship, dangling above the water. Falling meant an uncertain fate, but being spotted by the Village of Skrill meant certain death.

I pulled myself back onto the ship, sliding across the deck until I crashed into a table, gripping it tightly as the Tesladon’s two heads bellowed while charging another attack. Smaller dragons followed, unleashing fire upon us.

Where the hell is Bjorn and his dragon!?

I climbed onto the window frame and looked down at the water below. This was my safest option. As I leaped, I shut my eyes in fear, expecting a brutal impact, only to be swooped up instead.

My eyes shot open in surprise, meeting the gruff, stern face of our village chief as he carried me through the sky atop his dragon.

“What the hell is happening out here, Besra!?” he shouted in anger, his voice alone making my body tremble.

“It’s the Village of Skrill! Their ship is in the sky above us, they even brought their Tesla Riders!” I shouted back quickly, my voice filled with both fear and determination.

The chief grit his teeth in frustration as he tightened his grip on Kingsmen’s reins and darted through the air toward Skrill’s ship, eyes sharp. Kingsmen growled, forming a ball of molten glass before firing it at one of the Tesladons. The blast struck one of its two heads directly, melting part of its face as the dragon spiraled toward the ocean below.

Suddenly, from one of our downed ships, a foul stench erupted as the wreck began to melt away. Bjorn burst through the eroded planks atop his Corrosivewinged Terror with a screech. His long, tied blonde hair shone in the moonlight as the dragon spread all four acid-coated wings, barreling toward two smaller dragons. It melted straight through them, weaving between two charged lightning blasts from the remaining Tesladon.

Bjorn regrouped with us as we soared toward Skrill’s ship.

“WHY HAVE YOU DECLARED WAR!?” the chief shouted. His voice boomed over the sounds of battle as we confronted the Tesladon rider, rage pouring from him while he gripped the hilt of the blade at his hip, knuckles white.

“For many years, your lush territory has evaded our grasp, but tonight, we take back what belongs to the land of Skrill!” he shouted, raising his lightning-coated blade toward the sky.

The Tesladon’s twin heads stopped bickering instantly, their eyes locking onto Kingsmen as they charged their lightning with that same alien screech. But before they could release it, Bjorn and his dragon tore through the rider. His body split in two, the upper half plummeting toward the ocean below.

Kingsmen roared and barreled forward, clamping its jaws around one of the Tesladon’s necks and dragging it through the sky, nearly biting straight through.

“BESRA!”

I nodded, yanking the dagger from my hip before leaping onto the Tesladon. I drove the blade into its free neck, ripping a scream from the beast as it spiraled toward the ocean.

“YEEEAAAHHHH!” I shouted in victory as I fell with it toward the water’s surface.

Even with the unexpected attack, we had taken down both of Skrill’s strongest dragons at the same time. Despite the brutal fall awaiting me, a grin stretched across my face.

Before I could hit the water, Bjorn swooped down and caught me, carrying me back into the sky as we charged toward the ship. But before we could reach it, a different bellow echoed, one far more ancient.

The massive creature burst through the ocean’s surface.

Titanus Charybdis.

She let out another cry and flapped her wings once, sending us spiraling through the air. I barely held onto Bjorn’s hand as he caught the wind and stabilized us. The chief and Kingsmen flew back and helped reseat me on the dragon.

Charybdis hated war, and her appearance meant only one thing.

We had to stop fighting.

With a thunderous splash, Charybdis descended back into the ocean as rain began to fall around us.

We glared back at the ship before Bjorn turned his dragon around, slicing through the sky as we soared toward the village. The chief followed close behind. Skrill lingered over the battlefield far longer before finally departing, leaving behind devastation, floating bodies, sunken ships, and dead dragons.

On the back of Bjorn’s dragon, I grit my teeth. These creatures are only good for war. Father was wrong to think we could live alongside these damn animals. I clenched my fist in anger, only then truly realizing the scale of what had been done to us.

Every single fisherman we had was dead. Innocent men. Children. My friends, my own friends, gone.

My eyes widened as tears began to fall. No sound came from my mouth as I stared ahead, frozen in devastation.

We arrived at the cliff where our village stood, landing amid a crowd of worried villagers. Lash, Bjorn’s Corrosivewinged Terror, hit the ground with a heavy thud. Bjorn helped me down from his back as we moved toward the crowd.

“Besra!”

My mother broke through the villagers, worry etched across her face as she wrapped me in her arms. Tears continued to fall as I stood there, unmoving, still in shock.

“They killed everyone…” I began, my voice coarse. “Krow, Jace, Mantis… all my friends… they’re all dead…” I muttered, my gaze fixed far beyond my mother.

The crowd fell silent, until the mothers and fathers of those aboard the ships collapsed to their knees, overcome with grief.

Skrill had spat on the laws of Valhalla right before our eyes, murdering non-combatants in cold blood.

We will show them pain.

Rain fell over our village throughout the night, maybe Thor was showing us empathy for our loss. I couldn’t even eat. My mother begged me to try, but I couldn’t keep any of it down.

I’d been lying in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling above me.

Father… what would you do if you were in my position right now?

I shot up and ran down the stairs into the basement, grabbing a lit candle to cut through the darkness. I moved toward a chest tucked away from everything else. Setting the candle on the floor, I strained to force the lid open.

This chest held all the belongings we had been able to take from my father.

I rummaged through it until my fingers found it. I pulled it free, a midnight-black cloak made from pitch-dark feathers.

This thing is big as hell…

I threw it over my shoulders and tied it in place. As I turned to leave, I realized I’d lost my dagger after driving it into the dragon’s neck. I reached back into the chest and took my father’s final sword instead, sliding it horizontally along my lower waist.

I stepped outside to a rising sun. So much time had passed, yet I hadn’t slept at all. I swayed with each step as birds chirped and dragons flew high overhead. I walked past a sleeping Kingsmen before a voice stopped me.

“Besra. Where do you think you’re going?”

I turned to face Bjorn. My hollow eyes met his, and we stared at each other for a long moment.

“I… I couldn’t sleep. I’m going to blow off some steam down by the river.” My voice was dry, and I didn’t have the strength to repeat myself.

Bjorn stepped forward, gathered my long black hair, and tied it into a low ponytail. “Don’t need it getting caught on anything,” he said, nudging me ahead before turning back toward his home.

I wanted to smile. I wanted to say thank you.

But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

By the time I fully descended the cliff, the sun had already risen. I set my cloak aside and grabbed a bucket and spear, rolling my pant legs up high before stepping into the cold, rushing water. Fish leapt in and out around me, their splashes drowning out my thoughts, as if I were drifting through the river myself.

I inhaled slowly, my eyes fixed on the water as I watched the fish glide past, searching for the right one, the right size. With a sharp exhale, I drove the spear down, piercing a meaty salmon in a single, clean thrust.

Yes.

I dropped it into the bucket and prepared to strike again, repeating the process three more times, each catch sizable. I took a deep breath, but suddenly a large splash shattered my focus.

I looked up, spotting nothing.

Confused, I told myself I’d imagined it. But as my gaze returned to the water, the ripples proved me wrong instantly.

Something slammed into me from behind, throwing me into the river. I spun around and drew the sword from my hip, only to realize my opponent was neither man nor dragon, but a bear.

What the hell!?

The bear roared and charged. I swung downward, but I hadn’t accounted for the sword’s weight. The blade barely scratched its hide. Before I could regain my footing, the bear rushed me again. I slipped into the river as it pounced, pinning me beneath the water.

Water flooded my lungs as I struggled beneath the bear’s weight, but I was too weak to even make it budge.

There’s no way in hell I’m dying here… and not even to a damn dragon!?

With a desperate shout, I grabbed the bear’s snout with my left hand and slammed my right fist into it, dazing the beast. I snatched up my sword and charged, slashing its eye out in one vicious strike. The bear groaned in agony, but the adrenaline surging through me wouldn’t let me stop. I hacked at its front paw, severing it cleanly, then raised my blade with one final roar and brought it down on the bear’s neck, beheading it.

“WRRRRYYYYY!” I screamed toward the sky in victory, just before exhaustion hit me all at once.

I dragged myself out of the river and collapsed onto my stomach, then slowly rolled onto my back, staring up at the sun. My breathing was ragged, my eyes drifting shut, but I didn’t fight it.

Until I heard something approaching.

Something heavy.

My body froze in terror. Not only was I exhausted, but from the sound of its footsteps, I knew, it was a dragon.

It crept closer, lowering its head to sniff me. I slowly opened my eyes, meeting the shining blue gaze of a Bellycutter. A dark gray underbelly contrasted against dark blue, iridescent scales that coated the top half of its body. It kept its four wings tucked close as it wandered over to the bucket of fish I’d dropped, calmly eating them.

I slowly stood, my body trembling. One wrong move and it could slice me in half.

The dragon noticed me rise and stopped eating. It looked at me for a long moment, then tilted its head and let out a curious chirp.