The wind carried the faintest sound of voices, and the fog was thinning even more as I traveled down the hall. I thought I could hear more footsteps behind me, chasing me, but I hoped I was imagining it. The sound of my own heavy breathing made it difficult to hear anything else. My body shook with the thought of getting this close only to be caught by those soldiers. With one last breath I cried out, hoping that I could at least be heard.
“Levent!” My voice was ragged and high-pitched. For a moment I thought I had gone deaf from my own shriek. Swinging my head around, I found that there was no one behind me for at least several hundred feet.
The wind whipped the air madly as I stumbled forward, and finally I could see Jazibe and Levent standing on the ledge ahead of me. They stood before something huge and silver, a glowing emanating from within it. Levent turned away from the beacon full of the fuel Kewyn wanted so badly, his head tilted slightly in question.
“What is it?” He asked.
Jazibe released her hold on his arm as he walked toward me. She frowned, observing me again with those cold, grey eyes.
I had to cough before any words would come out. “Rio and Kewyn,” I gasped, looking into Levent’s face as his eyes widened the slightest fraction. “Those soldiers attacked.”
“That's too bad,” Jazibe said from beside me.
My breath caught as she swung her scythe, the heel of the blade striking me just below the ribs. My vision blurred and everything turned grey and painful. A shocking heat swept over my body in a sensation that made me want to gasp, scream, and vomit all at once. I settled for collapsing on the floor and curling my body around the pain.
I did not realize my ears were ringing until I heard Levent roaring across the room. I was able to open my eyes just enough to see another set of dragon-kin soldiers pinning Levent to the wall. Jazibe stood over me, blade uncomfortably near my throat.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
I felt a thin but frighteningly strong set of hands grip my shoulder and force me onto my back. I tried to glare at Jazibe as she sat on my thighs and grabbed my arms from where they were curled around my middle. I attempted to wiggle out of her grip,