Flames at Dawn
665 Words
Dawn broke cold and gray over the Blackwood mountains. Mist clung to the ground, turning the world soft and silent. The castle was awake, guards on the walls, warriors in the courtyard, healers ready with supplies. No one spoke above a whisper.
I stood on the battlements beside Thorne, the necklace warm against my skin. The flame inside me was steady, calm, waiting. I had not slept. Neither had he.
Below, the Nightshade pack advanced three hundred strong, led by an alpha with eyes like black ice. They moved in formation, disciplined, dangerous.
Thorne raised a hand. The Lycan horns sounded a deep, mournful call that echoed across the valley.
The alpha stopped. His voice carried on the wind.
"Give us the flame queen," he called. "We will leave your lands untouched."
Thorne stepped to the edge. "She stays."
The alpha laughed. "Then we take her."
He signaled. The pack surged forward.
Thorne turned to me. "Stay close."
"I will."
The first wave hit the outer wall. Arrows flew from both sides. Wolves leaped, Lycans met them. The clash was immediate, claws, swords, howls, and the sharp crack of flame as I sent bursts into the attackers.
I raised my hands. A wall of fire erupted along the base of the wall, forcing the wolves back. They howled in pain, retreating, then regrouping.
Thorne fought beside me, moving like shadow and steel. Every strike precise, every movement deadly. When a wolf broke through and lunged for me, Thorne intercepted, driving his blade deep.
"Behind you," he said.
I turned. Three wolves charged. I summoned a whip of flame, cracking it like lightning. The lead wolf yelped as the fire caught his fur. The others hesitated.
I pushed forward, the flame growing brighter. The necklace glowed hot, channeling the power without burning me. I directed a burst at the group, fire exploded outward, scattering them.
The battle raged. Lycans held the walls, but the Nightshade pack was relentless. They scaled ladders, breached gates, forced their way into the courtyard.
I leaped down to meet them.
The ground shook as my feet hit stone. Flame erupted around me in a circle, keeping the wolves at bay. I moved through them, directing bursts, raising shields, whipping fire like a lash. The power felt alive, eager, responding to every thought.
Thorne fought nearby, guarding my back. When a wolf slipped past me, he intercepted, blade flashing. When I faltered under a heavy blow, he was there, pulling me up.
We moved together through strike, block, counter. The bond synced our movements, making us faster, stronger.
The alpha appeared in the center of the courtyard, eyes locked on me.
"You," he snarled. "The flame queen."
He charged.
I raised my hands. A shield of fire flared between us. He slammed into it, staggering back.
He laughed. "You are strong. But you are alone."
Thorne appeared beside me. "She is not alone."
The alpha sneered. "Then we take you both."
He signaled. More wolves poured in.
I looked at Thorne. "Together."
He nodded.
I dropped the shield and summoned everything I had. The flame roared outward, a wave of fire that swept across the courtyard. Wolves howled, retreating, burning. The alpha staggered, fur singed, eyes wide.
Thorne moved like lightning, closing the distance. His blade met the alpha's claws. They clashed, steel against bone, power against power.
I directed bursts at the remaining wolves, forcing them back. The courtyard filled with smoke and flame.
The alpha fell to one knee, wounded. Thorne stood over him.
"Yield," Thorne said.
The alpha looked up, eyes burning. "Never."
Thorne's blade flashed. The alpha fell.
Silence.
The remaining Nightshade wolves retreated, fleeing into the mist.
We had won.
Again.
Thorne turned to me. "You are incredible."
I looked at the battlefield. Bodies, blood, ash. The cost was high.
"We cannot keep doing this," I said.
"I know." He took my hand. "But we will end it."
The flame inside me burned steady, no longer waiting.
- Writer
