The ruined halls of the Thorne Estate opened into night.
Lucian stepped out first, supporting Silas with one arm. Reia followed, her hands raw but free, and Vyn trailed, her shadows flickering like weak embers. The air outside was hot, alive with light.
Above, Kaelis's massive wings blotted out pieces of the sky. He spiraled over the estate, his golden scales burning brighter than the flames he loosed. Every sweep of his body threw another storm of fire down, melting stone, shattering wards, scattering hunters who had once called this fortress unbreakable.
The ground shook with every roar. Towers crumbled. The proud walls of the Thornes were coming down in ash.
When Kaelis's golden eyes caught sight of Lucian and the others emerging from the vault's smoking mouth, he paused mid-flight, beating his wings once, twice, before diving lower. He landed in a shower of sparks and dust, claws gouging trenches into the cobblestones. The estate trembled under his weight.
