Chapter 5: Blood in the Sky

The cave was a tomb of damp stone and shadow, its silence broken only by the faint drip of water and the low rumble of Ashka's breaths. Kara leaned against the rough wall, her emerald eyes fixed on the sliver of sky visible through the crevice, where the scout's flare had burned out against the bruised dusk. Her hammer hung heavy at her belt, its familiar weight a lifeline in the chaos that had swallowed her day. The air was cool and thick with the scent of wet rock, but it did little to calm the heat pulsing in her chest—a heat tied to Ashka, a bond she couldn't explain but couldn't deny. Beside her, Talon stood like a coiled spring, his gray eyes scanning the darkness beyond the cave, his scarred hand resting on his sword hilt. The tension between them was a live wire, unspoken but electric, and though his last words—"You're a liability"—still stung, Kara refused to let them break her.

Ashka's amber eyes glowed faintly from where she blocked the cave's entrance, her massive body a shield against the ravine's narrow mouth. Her patched wing trembled slightly, the steel Kara had forged flexing with each shallow breath, and that heat in Kara's chest flared again—a pang of shared exhaustion, a whisper of pain that wasn't her own. She clenched her fists, fighting the urge to reach out, to comfort the dragon in a way she didn't fully understand. Whatever this connection was, it was deepening, and it scared her as much as it fueled her.

The quiet shattered with a roar that shook the canyon walls, a guttural bellow that sent a cascade of loose shale tumbling from the cliffs above. Talon's head snapped up, his sword rasping free as he pressed himself against the cave's edge, peering out. "They're here," he growled, his voice low and taut. "More than I thought. Damn it."

Kara pushed off the wall, her boots crunching on the stone as she joined him, her hammer already in hand. Through the crevice, she saw them—three dragons, their scales glinting like polished steel in the fading light, circling the ravine like vultures over a corpse. Their riders bore torches and spears, their silhouettes sharp against the storm clouds rolling in from the east. The lead dragon, a sleek beast with gray-green scales, let out another roar, its maw glowing with the promise of fire as it banked closer to the canyon's edge.

"They'll flush us out," Talon said, his voice grim as he gripped his sword tighter. "Ashka's too big to hide forever, and this cave won't hold against dragonfire. We fight now, or we're ash by morning."

Kara's stomach twisted, a mix of fear and fury churning in her gut. She wasn't a soldier, wasn't trained for this—she was a smith, damn it, not a dragon rider. But the heat in her chest flared hotter, Ashka's resolve bleeding into her own, and she knew there was no running from this. Not now, not with Veyl's riders closing in. "Then we fight," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "But I'm not dying for you, Talon. I'm doing this for me—and her." She nodded toward Ashka, who let out a low growl of agreement, her amber eyes narrowing as she shifted her stance.

Talon's gaze flicked to her, a flicker of something—respect, maybe?—breaking through his icy mask. "Fair enough," he muttered, then turned to Ashka. "Up, girl. We take them in the sky. It's our only shot."

Ashka rose with a groan, her patched wing unfurling as she shook off the fatigue clinging to her scales. Kara climbed onto her back, her hands finding purchase on the cool obsidian surface, her heart pounding as Talon settled behind her, his arms bracketing her once more. The dragon launched into the air with a roar that echoed through the ravine, her wings beating hard against the wind as they burst from the cave's shadow into the open sky.

The cold bit at Kara's face, the wind whipping her red hair into a wild tangle as Ashka climbed higher, her patched wing straining but holding. Above them, Veyl's riders reacted instantly, their dragons diving toward them with screeches that split the air. The lead rider hurled a spear, its jagged tip gleaming as it streaked through the dusk, and Talon yanked Ashka into a sharp turn, the weapon whistling past Kara's shoulder close enough to graze her leather tunic.

"Hold on!" Talon shouted, his voice rough over the wind as he drew his sword, deflecting another spear with a metallic clang. "They'll try to flank us—keep your eyes open!"

Kara didn't need telling twice. She scanned the sky, her hammer raised as the second rider—a wiry man on a black-scaled dragon—swooped in from the left, his torch blazing as he loosed a fireball. Ashka banked hard, the heat of the flames licking at Kara's boots, and she felt the dragon's fury surge through their bond, a primal fire that steadied her grip. The rider circled back, closing the distance, and Kara saw her chance. With a shout, she leaned out over Ashka's side, her free hand braced against the scales as she hurled her hammer at the rider's chest.

The impact was a dull thud, the hammer striking true and sending the man reeling back, his torch tumbling from his grasp as he slumped against his dragon's neck. The black beast screeched, its wings faltering as it veered off course, spiraling toward the ravine below. Blood sprayed into the wind, dark and glistening, and Kara's breath caught in her throat, a mix of triumph and nausea washing over her. She'd done it again—taken down a rider with nothing but iron and will—and the thrill of it burned hotter than the fireballs lighting the sky.

Talon's voice cut through her haze, sharp and urgent. "Good shot, smith!" he called, his tone grudging but edged with approval. "But we're not done—brace yourself!"

The lead rider was on them now, his gray-green dragon diving with jaws wide, a torrent of flame erupting from its maw. Ashka twisted mid-air, her patched wing trembling as she dodged the brunt of the blast, but the heat singed Kara's arm, the stench of scorched leather filling her nostrils. She gritted her teeth, her hand fumbling for the spare hammer at her belt—smaller, forged for emergencies, but still deadly in her hands. Talon slashed at the rider with his sword, the blade clashing against a spear as the two dragons collided in a tangle of claws and scales.

Ashka roared, her talons raking the enemy dragon's flank, tearing through steel-like scales with a sound like ripping metal. Blood rained down, splattering Kara's face, warm and sticky as it dripped into her eyes. She blinked it away, her grip tightening on the hammer as she spotted the rider's exposed side, his focus on Talon's blade. With a yell, she swung, the smaller hammer arcing through the air and slamming into the man's ribs with a sickening crunch. He gasped, his spear slipping from his grasp as he doubled over, and Ashka seized the moment, her jaws closing around the enemy dragon's neck with a bone-shattering snap.

The gray-green beast went limp, its rider tumbling into the void as Ashka released her grip, letting the corpse plummet to the ravine below. The third rider, seeing his comrades fall, banked sharply and fled, his dragon's wings beating a frantic retreat into the storm clouds. Kara's chest heaved, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she wiped the blood from her face, her hands trembling with the aftermath of the fight. The sky was quiet now, save for the wind and Ashka's labored breathing, but the victory felt hollow—two dead, one running, and more would come.

Talon sheathed his sword, his gray eyes meeting hers as he steadied Ashka's flight. "You're tougher than you look, smith," he said, his voice rough but softer than before, a flicker of something warm breaking through his usual ice. "Might've misjudged you."

Kara managed a weak grin, her adrenaline fading into exhaustion as she wiped more blood from her cheek. "Call me Kara," she said, her tone teasing despite the ache in her bones. "And don't get used to it—I'm still not your damn ally."

Talon's lips twitched, a rare hint of a smile, but it vanished as quickly as it came. "Fair enough, Kara," he muttered, his gaze shifting to the horizon where the third rider had disappeared. "But we're not out of this yet. He'll bring more—and Veyl won't stop till we're dead."

Kara nodded, her jaw tight as she looked down at Ashka, whose amber eyes glowed with a fierce pride that echoed in her own chest. The fight wasn't over—not by a long shot—but she'd proven something today, to Talon, to Ashka, and to herself. Whatever came next, she'd face it with iron in her hand and fire in her heart.