Author's Note
I do not own the Dragonriders of Pern series.
The candidates woke that morning to a sense of expectation that hung across the entire Weyr.
"The dragons know," Sirena said.
They were finishing breakfast when the humming started. Two of the staff members immediately jumped into action, calling the candidates from their tables. By now there was a hundred and twenty three of them overall, twenty eight girls and ninety five boys. Twenty five of the boys had been brought in in the last three days, some from Search and others as candidates or weyrbred kids from other Weyrs.
Across the hall, Yariel could see Dorasa with the girls. Sirena was leading them, with Kuyaran and Revina bringing up the back. Rasia, he noticed, had also herded up her oldest sister. Yariel glanced around and found that her eldest two brothers had slipped in with male candidates.
It took only fifteen minutes for everyone to be gathered at the Hatching bowl, the routine long since practised and perfected. The weyrfolk and guests were brought in to the stands while the candidates were clad in white tunics and lined up to filter out onto the sands. Dorasa was towards the front of the line of girls, along with Sirena, Ronelle, Tulliyoh, Mia, Jakeiria and Baliose. Yariel gave her a smile.
"Candidates, this way." R'ton led them out onto the sands. The larger eggs were rocking softly, though most of of the smaller ones were still motionless. Nareth crouched behind them, humming encouragingly and rumbling crossly at the candidates. Luna gave her a slight wave. Quickly, the candidates spread out across the sand. The girls formed a large, loose ring around the two gold eggs. Sirena's gaze glanced over them and then turned to the smaller eggs shoved away to the edge of the sands. Ronelle smiled confidently and gazed at the two large Queen eggs. Lily shifted her weight from foot to foot, glancing anxiously around the hatching sands. Ritilia fidgeted with the hem of her tunic, chewing her lip and gazing hopefully at all the eggs. All the girls had had the warning about not pressuring the newly hatched Queens, especially if they hatched close together. Kuyaran, Ronelle, and Baliose were those stood closest to the large Queen eggs, the others spread out behind them.
The sound of humming filled the air, deafeningly loud. Four more great golden Queens appeared from between at staggered intervals, landing on ledges around the bowl. Their riders slid from their backs and found places at the front of the stands.
A few minutes after the last was sat, the largest few eggs began to rock more violently, though the massive egg Cataliana and Ketielean kept looking at remained painfully still. Cracks spread across those few eggs. Those watching held their breaths. Everyone knew this hatching had to go well.
Shards fell from the biggest egg and a large dragonet shook itself loose.
A bronze!
Cheers ran around the hatching cavern. It was a good omen. The little bronze struggled to his feet and headed towards the boys.
Two more of the eggs cracked open, revealing a brown and a large blue. Kimberlee was trying to focus on the Queen eggs, but she kept glancing round at the new hatchlings, shifting from foot to foot and trying to focus on thoughts of warmth and love for them.
The bronze was making a beeline towards the other side of the sands. Zoveanan fell to his knees.
"His name is Chemarath!"
Cheers ran around the bowl. A bronze, and a popular impression to the son of a bronze rider. The hatching was off to a good start!
The blue dragon was roaming the sands, while the brown seemed to be contented to simply sit in the remains of its eggshell. Three more of the eggs were rocking wildly. The candidates waited with baited breath. Annaliessa bobbed up and down on the heels of her feet, eager not to miss a moment of the Hatching – or any potential dragonets coming her way! Arwen Raven Nightshade rolled her eyes at the younger girl.
The first of the three eggs to hatch was another brown.
Unlike his brother, this one knew where he was going and stumbled straight into the arms of Katsu.
"His name is Baudelth!" he shouted, to another round of cheers.
Azizelia pushed a strand of her from her eyes and chewed nervously on her lip.
The next to hatch was a blue. The first blue was still wandering the sands, studying the candidates. At last he stopped and wailed furiously, until finally Kimberlee turned from her place in the girls' ring around the gold eggs and ran to him.
"His name is Possibith!"
Girls impressing blue wasn't unheard of at Sunspyre, and the riders gave her a raccous round of applause even if their guests were a little discontented.
There were dragons hatching here and there across the sands now, brown, blue, and even two larger greens. The largest egg on the sands, the one that was bigger even than the Queen eggs, was rocking furiously. Cataeliana dropped from her place in the ring of girls and joined with her brother to walk over to its place on the edge of the sands, where Dralyoco was also waiting.
The larger of the two Queen eggs began to shudder. Dorasa wet her lips and looked at the girls around her. Sirena gave her a confident smile. They were the two everyone was hoping for she knew, they were the two everyone had money on.
Shards of shell were falling from the large egg now. Kuyaran craned her head round, as curious as anyone else to see what was going to come out. Some were predicting it would be another Queen, some a very large bronze, and some said it would be horrifically disfigured, needing the extra room for its deformities. More shards of shell fell to the sands. Dralyoco stepped forward with a confident smile, while the two twins were simply waiting.
At last the shell broke in two places, and two wet forelegs thrust through. But-
The egg continued to rock, the forelegs clawing away more shell.
Curious murmurs ran around a few of the weyrfolk.
That couldn't be right.
"Sirena," Kuyaran muttered.
"I see it," replied her kinda sorta friend.
Those legs were at entirely the wrong angle. The dragonet would have to have a leg going right out at the shoulder!
The girls were distracted by the larger Queen egg giving a more eager rock and the smaller one began to shake as though in response to her sister. Sirena looked away again, towards where her egg lay on the edge of the sands, past the large one that was at last falling apart.
At first she wasn't sure what she was looking at. There were entirely too many wings, and two heads! There was a series of cross chirps, and Cataeliana and Ketielean knelt on the sands next to the tangle of dragon. Finally they fell apart into two separate dragonets, glistening and clumsy, and a deep, coppery red. Cataeliana and Ketielean stood, silent against the astonishment, and led their new life partners away.
Dralyoco scowled at them and stomped away across the sands to the other big egg everyone was saying was a bronze.
More and more dragons were hatching now, blues and greens and another pair of browns. One dainty looking green headed straight for the girls and Ritilia knelt to meet her.
"Her name is Tilnath!"
The larger of the two queen eggs was beginning to crack. Yariel hoped for his sister, though part of him knew it would never suit her. There was a crack and a golden tail appeared from the egg, which promptly collapsed in on itself. The little queen lay on the sand, covered in egg shards. The second golden egg shook more desperately, as if the second hatchling was jealous her sister hatched first.
A short distance away from them, the second largest egg on the sands exploded. This was the one that everyone had pegged as a bronze, and a large one at that. As such, it had a large collection of boys clustered eagerly around it, including Dralyoco.
They were pelted with shards of egg shell. In the midst of the destruction sat, true to expectations, a very large bronze dragonet.
Dralyoco was bold enough to step forward and steer its head to meet its eyes. The bronze gave a furious shriek. Razor sharp claws struck. The slash opened Dralyoco's stomach, red blood spilling on the sands. The boys surrounding the bronze backed away. It batted Cent aside, leaving gashes from knee to ankle, and headed off across the sands.
The newly hatched queen had finally discovered which way was up and found its feet. The smaller egg had a long crack from the top to the bottom. It split apart and a second golden figure was spilt onto the sands. This dragonet was smaller and brighter than the first. She had a very dainty, regal look to her. It reminded Yariel of Dorasa when she was playing the little lady at functions. The two would make a good match. He crossed his fingers. The little queen looked about herself. Dorasa, he pleaded, choose her, choose Dorasa. She and the bigger queen hatchling viewed each other with suspicious eyes.
The bigger made a noise that sounded somewhere between a chirp and a happy sound. Evidently happy with that, the smaller queen took a step down the risen plinth Nareth had set her egg on. She promptly lost her balance and toppled to the bottom in a heap.
A few of the girls laughed at the absurdity of it all. Even Sirena had stopped glancing round at her egg to hold her breath and wait for the Queens' choice, radiating love and friendship at them. Nareth crooned encouragement for her golden daughters. The larger one was stumbling from girl to girl, studying their faces. A stoutish looking green made her way into the circle. The large Queen hissed crossly at this interloper to her girls. The green hissed back, her eyes whiring red with anger and desperation. Brizala stepped between them and gently led the green away.
The smaller Queen hatchling was still righting herself from her tangle of wings, trying desperately to roll to her feet. Ronelle stepped slowly forward to meet the larger as she reached her section of the circle, smiling sweetly.
Not her, Dorasa pleaded, anyone but her.
The Queen gazed at her, her eyes whirring yellow and red. Ronelle took another step forward, reaching for the young Queen. Nareth rumbled crossly.
"Ronelle, step aside," muttered Sirena.
"But she wants me, I can feel it!"
"Ronelle-"
Ronelle gasped and threw herself forward. The Queen squealed, stumbling backwards, her eyes whirring a frantic yellow with fear and bewilderment. There was a tug from deep in her mind, a frantic need. The young dragon lashed out in a flash of gold and Ronelle fell to the sands in a delicate heap, blood seeping from a gash across her chest.
"Back," Sirena called, though many of the other girls were already doing so, while Ilisandora had fallen to the side of a pretty little green. The larger Queen wailed frantically, while the smaller one was becoming more and more distracted by her sister's distress.
Something had to be done.
Kuyaran stepped forward and around Ronelle, following the pull from her heart. She fell to the sand in front of the dragonet and she fell forward into her arms.
"Her name is Zurailth!"
There was a moment of silence for the weyrbred girl's impression.
The wrong weyrbred girl.
And then the stands around them erupted into cheers for Pern's new Queen and her rider. Kuyaran stumbled to her feet and started to lead Zurailth away.
In the middle of all the chaos, Tummi had impressed to a very stout looking green and lead her away across the sands, leaving a slightly smaller group of girls to face the smaller Queen which Ronelle was now reaching for with a look of bewilderment.
"Her name is Sarlath!" Another round of cheers ran around the bowl. Yariel saw the look on his sister's face and in her eyes, like she wasn't sure what to be feeling. Part of him wanted to move and comfort her, the other, larger part was still fixed on the hatching. A tiny, delicate looking green had ran afoul of the violent bronze. It lashed out, leaving three long gashes across her side. She made a rather pathetic creeling sound and Yariel felt sorry for her. He tried to meet her eyes as she swung her head around desperately and projected thoughts of love. The little green seemed to be too caught up in her own pain to bother with anything else. Nareth rumbled in encouragement. Nearby, another blue spilt onto the sands. The brown that had been the second to hatch was finally moving and heading in his direction. The disappointed girls were disapating from their positions, scattering across the sands to hope for a lesser colour. All except Mia, he noticed, who looked happy and hurt and confused at the same time. Yariel frowned. It was the same sort of happiness he had seen in those others that had impressed, and yet she had no dragon partner. She seemed to be frozen to the spot.
A newly hatched blue creeled as it headed towards him. Yariel sent throughts of love. A red haired boy shoved him aside and fell to his knees. "Jarleth! Of course I'll feed you."
"Sarleth!" Ronelle cried again. Her arms were wrapped around the Queen hatchling in an attempt to steer her toward the mouth of the bowl to where the feeding buckets were. Soft murmurs ran around the bowl and stands. The hatchling gave an undignified screech. Yariel saw Dorasa pause and the other girls hesitate. What was going on?
Ronelle cried the dragon name again. Slowly, it began to dawn on Yariel that the name did not apply to the dragonet at all.
His eyes met Dorasa's as it dawned over her, and they began to move as one, already forming an action plan. Why was it always them?
Then he looked at Mia. Everything began to fall into place.
"Move," he mouthed at her. "She's yours."
The little Queen wailed and squealed in fright and confusion. She wanted her lifepartner! Mia began to move towards her, feeling like she was walking in a daze or a dream.
"Sarleth!" Ronelle shouted one last time. A confused silence had fallen over the bowl. Mia stepped forward.
"Herabeth." Had not the bowl been so quiet, she doubted anyone would have heard her. The baby Queen stopped squealing. Dorasa and Sirena met Mia halfway, pulling Ronelle back while Mia led Herabeth away.
"What did you think you were doing?" Sirena demanded, shaking Ronelle hard. The golden haired girl gasped dramatically.
"I can feel the pull! I thought it must be her!"
"You're lucky she didn't kill you! Get off the sands!"
She was a liability, and not only endangering herself, but the other candidates and the hatching dragonets too.
Half of the remaining girls were hopefully reforming the circle around the small Queen egg that some people were saying wouldn't hatch, the other half were scattering across the sands to join the loose ring of boys. Ronelle was one of the former, to Sirena's distaste and fury, while Dorasa was one of the latter, making her way across the sands to Yariel's side. He held his hand out. Why not? They had done everything else together.
Sirena and Luna abandoned the small Queen egg too, both moving towards the small eggs that had been shoved to the edge of the sands and excluded from the circle by the hopeful boys. One of them was trembling slightly, but the other was deadly still.
There were too many dragons hatching to watch all of them now. The violent bronze was still on the prowl, and a blue became its second victim when it got too close. Rasia was beginning to wonder whether it actually wanted to impress, or if it was just going to cause chaos during the Hatching and then go between. It certainly seemed to be more interested in attacking anything that moved than looking for a lifemate. At least its first victim, the green, seemed to have impressed and left the sands. The blue wailed in pain and confusion, his head swinging from side to side. A few boys attempted to approach him, but it was Indigo who stepped forward first and knelt down to meet his eyes. "His name is Kianeth!"
Another girl to blue! Two at one Hatching was rarer, but this was a bigger clutch and a bigger group of girls than usual. Another round of applause ran around the stands.
A few hairline cracks spread across the trembling small egg. Meanwhile, at the other side of the sands, a brown had staggered, bawling, into the arms of Venile. Another egg split in half, revealing a sturdy looking bronze. There was another round of applause and the boys 'oo'd and edged round to get closer to it. In the noise, many of those watching missed the small golden egg give a violent shiver and a larger crack spread across the small egg Sirena and Luna were watching. The bronze staggered to his feet and studied the boys around him. A thin crack crept across the small golden egg.
The strange egg with the bluish sheen that Nareth had shoved contemptuously aside and Jalenna had assumed was a dud by her dragon's behaviour began to shake, cracks spreading across it.
The newly hatched bronze cut a swift line through the line, straight to Cassoneaval, who announced his name was Geniuth. Another round of uproarious applause ran around the stands, the audience delighted for the successful impression of their newest bronze.
A few shards of shell fell from the small egg at the edge of the sands. Nareth thrust her head forwards and shoved Sirena away, hard, towards the small golden egg. Gasps ran around the stands. For a Queen dragon to interfere in the Hatching of her clutch was unheard of! Sirena fell backwards onto the hot sands and gazed up at her mother's dragon. The great Queen rumbled and gave her another push towards the small egg. She stumbled to her feet and looked back towards her egg. Nareth gave her another encouraging rumble.
"My daughter hatches."
Sirena turned and made her way back across the sands to the ring of girls around the small golden egg. Nareth crooned in satisfaction.
Another crack formed across the small egg.
"Come on. You can do it," Luna whispered.
The crack widened across her small egg. Sirena shot it a look from across the sands as the small gold egg gave another violent shake. A few cracks spread across the shell. Yariel gave Dorasa a nudge. "Don't you want another go at gold?"
"I don't think I ever did," she whispered back, radiating thoughts of love and care to the nearest little blue.
More and more shell fell from the small egg, and the cracks spreading across the strange forgotten egg were widening. At last the small egg fell onto one side and a small shape tumbled out, still wet and tangled up in the egg membrane. Luna stepped forward to greet it as though it were an old friend and knelt down to tear the membrane away from the soft silver hide. Gasps and whispers ran around the stands, fingers pointing in her direction. Lily wanted desperately to shield her from whatever was being said, but she had been caught when the circle around the small gold egg formed and couldn't leave now. Those that had impressed looked so blissfully happy, awestruck with their new lifepartners. She gazed out across the sands and her eyes met the rainbow gaze of a slightly undersized green.
For what felt like the first time in her life, Lily knew peace and true, unadultered love. She stumbled away from the other girls and fell to the sands in front of the tiny green, wrapping her arms around her. "Her name is Miraith!" And she would never be alone again!
The shell of the strange egg collapsed into shards around the dragonet inside. It stumbled to its uncoordinated feet, glistening wet. The small golden egg gave another shudder, one of the cracks widening and a piece of shell falling to the sand.
The dragonet from the strange egg stumbled forward, past the boys ringing the other eggs. They gasped and gaped at its unusual colouring. It continued across the sands, oblivious, creeling with hunger and a desperate need. Olareslay attempted to turn its attention, but it batted him aside with a cross wing. A small brown approached the fallen boy and impression was made!
Yornam had been left behind when the other girls dissipated from their ring around the two Queen hatchlings, and was still stood in the centre of the sands, unsure whether she was to go to Rasia, to join the ring of boys, or to leave the sands altogether. Her too large golden eyes gazed haplessly across the sands until at last they met the multifaceted gaze of the unusual hatchling. It was larger than most of the blues but smaller than all but the smallest of browns, a deep purple in colour. She staggered forward to meet it and led it from the sands.
Rasia watched after her with envious eyes. Yornam had impressed. Yornam was a dragonrider. She hoped she would be alright. Most of the dragons left on the sands now were greens and blues, along with the violent bronze and a lone brown. Rasia didn't care what colour she got so long as she wasn't left behind.
Pieces of shell fell from the small gold egg. Sirena bit her lip and glanced back towards her small egg, which still wasn't moving. Perhaps it was a dud. And Nareth had wanted her over here. She crossed her fingers and focused on thoughts of love and encouragement.
The violent bronze was still on his rampage, and another candidate, the brother of the unfortunate Naeressa, had met with his rage. He was impressed and comforted by a small blue.
A small claw broke free of the dull golden shell, punching out more shards. An eerie stillness filled the hatching ground. The egg rocked and shuddered as the dragonet clawed at the shell, more and more thin cracks spreading out over it. At last enough of the shell broke away for it to collapse in a pile of golden shards.
The dragonet within was tiny, smaller even than Lily's green and only a little bigger than Dorasa and Kuyaran's Queen firelizards, with a thin, fragile build. She was a dull gold, not glowing like Zurailth and Herabeth had. Instead, her hide was a dull, sickly, almost yellow colour. Where Zurailth and Herabeth had had a regal aura about them, she swung her head around wildly, creening in frantic confusion and desperation.
At last Ronelle knew what she was here for, her purpose in life! She knew what she had been missing all this time! Her missing part, the bit of her she never knew she lacked. She took a confident step forward and smiled dreamily, ready to calm and tame her new baby Queen lifepartner. Sirena stepped up from her side of the circle, because there was no way this- this dimwitted floozy stood a better chance than her.
The little Queen continued to wail and swing her head from side to side.
"Ugh. It must be defective," Baliose muttered in scorn, stepping out of the circle. Tulliyoh followed her. Ronelle reached out to the baby Queen as though in a daze. "It's alright. It'll be alright now."
Rasia stumbled past the other girls, blinded by tears, trying very hard not to trip over her own feet. "Oh, oh, the noise hurts!" she cried, trying to cover her own ears as she fell to the sands beside the tiny dragon. Kirioriarth nuzzled frantically into her chest. Rasia wrapped her arms around her as though trying to shield her from the world. Sirena glanced one last time at her small egg, still motionless at the edge of the sands, and knelt to wrap an arm around the younger girl. "Come on. Let's get you out of here and her fed."
There were too many dragonets to count now, greens and blues and three browns and that violent, desperate bronze. Impressions were being made all across the sands. Ellador, rejected three times by the Queen dragonets, fell to the rainbow gaze of a pretty emerald coloured green. One of the browns went to Darunican, (D'can, Yariel heard he was going to contract it to), two of the blues to Imijin and Milenin, and another green to Squiglerusay (Q'ley had been the popular choice).
Dasian and Asan had let themselves be swept onto the sand when the candidates started moving. There were so many that two extra (three with Ansa) wouldn't be noticed. Now though, he stood lost and alone amongst the chaos, unsure of where to be or what to do.
Azizelia had stayed where she was when Sirena had led Rasia and her newly impressed Queen away. Ronelle was shaking, her attention now fixed on the last remaining of the bigger eggs. It had been one of the biggest in the clutch, only a little smaller than the one that held the violent bronze, and Azizelia was kinda surprised it hadn't hatched yet. At last it shattered, revealing, to the surprise of no one, another bronze, his damp hide shining. A few boys approached him, but Azizelia missed who impressed because she was too caught up in the rainbow gaze of her own Seriath.
There were only a few eggs left unhatched now, their inhabitants struggling furiously to join their newly hatched siblings. Shards of egg shell were scattered all across the sands. The riders were cheering and drinking to their good fortune and Pern's three new baby Queens, while the candidates still on the sands were trying to gather around the remaining dragons and eggs – minus that violent, bloodthirsty bronze, who was too busy mauling yet another boy foolish enough to get in his way to bother with anything as pesky as impression. Many riders were saying he would between rather than find a rider.
One of the smallest eggs rocked furiously, cracking and tippling over as the dragonet fought to free itself. Nearby, a kind of dirty looking green worked herself free of her shell and made her way determinedly over to Donerlay. Another green was being led resignedly from the sands by Dudlen. The small egg gave one final rock and shattered, a small, shining dragonet slithering and tumbling free, his hide shining like burnished bronze despite his size. There were a few gasps and whispers, while the candidates nearest him tried to edge a little closer, forgetting all their lessons about letting the dragons come to them. The newly hatched bronze creeled with hunger and confusion, turning away from them. One particularly bold boy tried to turn his head, but the dragonet only screeched in frightened bewilderment and set off across the sands.
A group of twelve or so boys were doggedly following the last bronze to hatch, as though he might change their mind and impress one of them if they were determined enough.
None were foolish enough to challenge his bigger brother.
Dorasa squeezed Yariel's hand. "Maybe this wasn't what we were made for."
He gazed out across the sand at the few remaining dragonets, the three bronzes and a few scattered greens and blues who all seemed to have targets in mind.
At the edge of the sand, one lone small egg still lay unmoving.
The undersized bronze ignored all the boys trying to attract his attention until his rainbow gaze found Dasian, who wasn't even trying to approach any of the dragonets, as frightened and confused as the baby dragon. He met the bronze's multifaceted gaze a moment later, and their minds melded. He hopped and stumbled over the sands to meet him, dropping to hug him tight and then leading him from the sands.
One of the remaining greens had impressed to Mary Sue, and another to Arwen Raven Nightshade. Dorasa smiled at their tearful joy. Yariel squeezed her hand. "Dragons aren't the only thing that protect Pern."
There were only seven dragonets left now, three greens, two blues, and the two bronzes, but they were determined to see it out until the end. They owed the Weyr that much. As they watched, one of the greens went to Lendeer, and a blue to Docalakon. A few boys surrounded the smaller, less violent, remaining bronze.
Yariel missed who impresed as a dainty green was coming in their direction. He projected thoughts of love and adoration to the tiny dragon. There was a hiss and she was shoved aside, green ichor welling up in the gashes. Her violent brother whipped his tail crossly. Dorasa's grip on his hand tightened. Across the bowl there were sounds of disappointment and groans, but Yariel dared not look away from the vicious bronze.
For the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to do.
His entire world seemed to have shrunk to that moment. Nothing else mattered. Did he stay still, try to run? Did it matter?
Was he about to be mauled?
He reached for his sword, instinctive, remembering at the last moment he hadn't been permitted to take it onto the sands.
He tried to project feelings of warmth and love and admiration, think of how wonderful this bronze was, how powerful, how violent, how strong, how perfect they would be together, the Son of the Sun and the strongest, bestest, most powerful bronze on all of Pern!
The bronze looked at him. Through him. Past him.
No.
No, she couldn't.
Not without him.
She couldn't leave him alone!
Dorasa's hand slid from his. She fell to her knees with a heavy thump in the sand.
"His name is Violith!"
Silence. The other bronzes to impress had received thunderous cheering. Now there was nothing. It was as though everyone in the cavern were holding their breath. Looking around the sands, Yariel could see what a trail of destruction the violent bronze had truly forged. There were patches of red in three separate places and the Healers were quietly removing the last candidate to be mauled. Yariel smiled and began to clap and cheer. Across the bowl, Demek caught on and started to clap. Others amongst the remaining candidates began to join in. The sound of applause echoed around the cavern. Dorasa stumbled to her feet."Feeding," she mumbled as though in a daze. "You need feeding."
Yariel moved to take her arm. She looked as though her legs were about to buckle under her. She looked at him. "There are other dragons. Don't make me do this alone."
He gave her a sharp nod.
They had never done anything alone.
They couldn't start now.
They needed to stay together, for their own safety, for their mental peace of mind.
He glanced around the bowl and saw now what all the disappointment had been about earlier. The other bronze hadn't impressed one of the other boys at all, instead leaving two of them bleeding on the sands and moving steadily across the bowl. Yariel drew in a breath of hot air and began to make his way towards him. He had to get there first; he needed to get there first!
Before he could, a familiar golden haired figure sprinted across the sands as though they didn't even hold her back, throwing herself in front of the bronze. It shrieked its fury, but Ronelle didn't get the message, reaching out to turn his head towards her. The bronze flailed wildly. Yariel began to run.
"You are the most-"
There was a flash of bronze and then red. Ronelle's body fell gracelessly to the sands, blooding pooling around her.
From beyond her, Hyperioth's whirling red, orange and yellow eyes found Yariel's.