Chapter 14
On the wings of redemption
Ragki and Kyras raced against time, searching for the dragon who was both a daughter and a sister to them. They crept through an ornate door, Kyras's sharp orange eyes spotting the form of Naerea chained to the wall. They darted over. "Naerea!" Ragki whispered in relief. Nae's purple eyes fluttered open, widening in fear. "Behind you!" She cried. Kyras and her father whipped around, fear spreading across their faces like a wildfire once they saw who stood behind them.
"Lady Plaguebringer," Ragki snarled. The Red Deity's pestilent eyes narrowed, and she hissed, "The betrayer finally returns. Time to pay for your crimes, Ragki." She motioned with a wing and they flew across the room and were locked into chains beside Naerea. The Mirrors and the Coatl struggled as Sitaris slunk into the room beside his mistress. "I see you're found a new toy, Plaguebringer. How do you like working for the Red Deity, Sitaris? Have you gotten sick of killing dragons for a single, tiny offense yet?" Ragki jeered. Sitaris glared at his former wingbrother, turning his head away.
"Enough!" Plaguebringer roared. She waved a wing, forcing the chains around Naerea to detach themselves from the wall and force the Mirror over to the alter. Nae was chained down, completely immobilized. The Plague Deity turned, slowly plucking a black-stone knife from a ledge of stone. With a jolt, Ragki realized what he was seeing. The knife had a serrated edge and sharp, jagged runes carved upon the blade. His mind flashed back to that night on the hillside, with the comet and Oriana. Her vision was coming true.
Lady Plaguebringer began to chant in a guttural language that hadn't been spoken since her creation, bringing the knife to hover directly over Naerea's heart. Three things happened at once, almost in slow motion. The knife fell, its blade flashing in the red light. Ragki roared, "Naerea!" and a scream of rage and pain, from two different dragons, split the air. Time resumed its normal speed, and Sitaris stumbled away from the alter. Crimson blood dripped from his chest, where the blade was firmly embedded. He gave a rattling gasp, falling to the stone floor.
Plaguebringer screamed in rage, before ice suddenly shot through the room and froze her limbs. Ieyu and Selenay stood in the doorway, Ieyu's claw still outstretched and the glow slowly fading from her eyes. "You will not hurt them," Ieyu growled in an ancient, dark, tone. Selenay broke the chains on Kyras, Ragki, and Naerea, the three prisoners falling away from the wall. Ragki ran over to Sitaris, cradling his wingbrother's head gently. "Why?" He whispered. "I- had to. You were… right, Ragki. I had- to make a… choice." The wound was obviously sapping the former assassin's strength. "I chose- you…" The Spiral's head fell backwards as he breathed his last, his formerly bright eyes merely dark, empty shells. Ragki gently closed his eyes with trembling talons, rising and turning to his adopted son and daughter. "Let's go home."
There's only the epilogue after this. I hope you enjoyed the ride, and I thank anyone who has read this story for sticking with me.