71. Hadeon

My power carried me across the sky. Dark clouds filled with static gathered around me, giving me cover as I felt the dragon follow. His green dragonfire streamed behind me, but he was slower than I was. I darted around him, over and under the clouds following in my wake. I struck out again and again until each landed with the smell of burnt flesh, and the dragon let out a roar that echoed off the earth below us.

"You'll never be able to best me, Abraxas. I'll claim your heart, just like I claimed your father's."

Hisdeep laugh echoed off the clouds around me as his voice penetrated directly into my mind.

Comeand try.

Hisrage was palpable. The surrounding clouds, heavy with the power of the storm, buzzed and sparked with my command. They were mine, just as he would be.

Witheach beat of his colossal wings, he surged towards me, an avatar of fury bathed in the green glow of his own flames. He was a vision from my nightmares, but he was hopelessly predictable. It would be easy to draw him in.

Isummoned a dense vortex of purple electricity around myself, a shield crackling with raw energy. His fire met my storm barrier, exploding in a cacophony of steam and blinding light, turning the dark sky momentarily bright.

Neverone to waste an opportunity, I soared above him, my agility in stark contrast to his brute force. Lightning, my only faithful ally, arced from my outstretched fingers, forging bolts of destructive beauty aimed directly at him. The first bolt was a miss, a mere warning shot, but the second seared a path across his underbelly. The smell of scorched scales filled the air. He had grown cocky, and I would remind him who he feared these past centuries.

Inresponse, his massive and deadly tail sliced through the air towards me. I moved, but not fast enough to avoid a glancing blow. The impact sent me reeling, disrupting my rhythm. Pain flared on my shoulder, but it only fueled my resolve.

AsI stabilized, he closed in, his massive jaws and sharp claws ready to end this dance we had played for over four hundred years. With a surge of energy, I readied myself, letting the storm"s power envelop me, turning my whole being into a conduit of destruction.

Wemet in the middle, the force of our collision sending shockwaves through the air. Dragon against storm, an ancient battle of raw elements. I surrounded us with a whirlwind of lightning, each one a bit of my wrath made manifest.

Thebattle was not just a clash of bodies but of wills, the storm against the flame, each feeding off and challenging the other in a spectacle of primal fury. This was what I wanted—Abraxas, powerful and predictable. How easy it would be now to overtake him.

"Where have you left that beautiful princess of yours?" I felt the air shift and dodged out of the way as his jaws snapped closed where I had just been.

Somewhereyou will never reach her, Hadeon.

"I doubt that."

Hisfire shot out at me, but I avoided it easily. I saw it in his eyes then. He was getting sloppy, his rage for me overpowered by worry for her. The fool. He nearly had me. I imagined he would have if he hadn't let that girl crawl into his heart as a fatal weakness.

"AfterI've claimed your heart, I will not rest until she's mine to play with. I so had fun with her last time." He snapped at me wildly, and I saw my opening. He stretched too far, and I flew around his head with more speed than he could follow.

Ishot my power out like a whip, lashing it around his neck. I swung around him until I was between his wings and squeezed it tight until his deep, animalistic cry was choked off.

"I wonder, with your heart tied to mine, will you hear as I pull all those incredible sounds out of her? Will they be sounds of pain or pleasure, though? You always enjoyed mixing the two." He thrashed wildly, but I could taste my victory now. I exploded with every ounce of power I had, and the lightning cut through his wings until they were shredded, and he lost his flight.

Thesky ripped past us as we plummeted to the earth. The cloud we fell through struck him with its charged power until thick red blood covered me. We crashed into a small building at the edge of the palace grounds, and the entire thing exploded. Bricks and dust rained down as I was thrown from his back. I scrambled up to see him struggling to lift himself, his limbs quaking as blood pooled out onto the ground below him.

AsAbraxas lay broken, the emerald light of his dragonfire dimmed. The taste of victory was on my tongue. I approached, my footsteps echoing with the promise of conquest. He was mighty, but I had seen every last dragon fall, and I was ready to turn this legend into nothing more than a memory.

Iwove my magic into the snare that would capture his heart, my greatest treasure. He looked upon me with so much hatred it was like a heady drug, and he summoned the last of his power.

Thenmy heart vanished. The channel of power that had been mine for centuries just… disappeared. I reached for it, but it was like trying to catch the early morning mist. It slipped from my grasp, and I watched as it winked out of existence.

"It can't be…" There was no way. No way they could have undone the enchantment. It was impossible. ITWASIMPOSSIBLE!

Missing something, Hadeon?Abraxas chuckled as he tried to raise himself again.

"You will pay for this!" I called to all the magic I still held in my heart and condensed it into a single spark. I had killed Malech like this. I would kill him, too.

BeforeI could deliver the final strike, the ground beneath my feet trembled violently. My eyes shifted just in time to see the palace quake and groan as if in agony. It sank, slowly at first, then rapidly, into the gaping maw of the earth itself, swallowed whole by a cataclysm of dirt and stone.

Fromthis chaos, a monumental blast of water shot out from the crater where the palace once stood, mist spraying into the surrounding air and soaking me. The water surged like a beast unleashed, its roar drowning out even the echoes of the collapsing palace. An enormous bubble burst forth from that colossal jet, and six bodies tumbled out.

Myeyes immediately locked on Pallas and the princess; both sputtered as they coughed water out of their lungs.The princess raised her head, and her gaze immediately locked on me and the dragon.

Shescrambled to her feet and drew her sword. "Get away from my mate, Hadeon."

"Gods, what does it take to be rid of you vermin?" They were a distraction, nothing more. Abraxas was my only focus. I swept a hand out, and lightning danced through the water they had so graciously laid out everywhere. However, blue light surrounded the party, and nothing touched them.

Theprincess stalked towards me, and beside her, I was surprised to see the prince. His gaze was nothing but infernal fire as he shouted, "CRUSH!"

Iwas forced down into the earth as if by a giant hand, the earth pressing in around me until my arms and legs were immobile. The princess wore a smug smile as she closed the distance between us, but it was Pallas who reached me first.

"It's time for this to end, Hadeon." Her eyes glowed.

"You will pay for this betrayal, whore."

"Oh, I don't think so, old friend." I felt the cold metal of Abraxas' sword as he wrapped it around my neck, back in his fae form.

Ithrew my power out in an explosion that ripped my skin from my flesh. They all flew back, landing in disarray as I gathered myself, wiping the blood from my nose where it leaked horribly.

Traitors, bastards. I had earned this. I had earned this world. They would never stand in my way.