Shadows of the Eternal Flame

The wind roared in Kaela’s ears as Jace soared above the city, his massive wings cutting through the night sky. The neon lights of Eryndor blurred beneath them, a sea of colors that seemed both beautiful and alien. Kaela clung to his scales, her heart pounding as much from the altitude as from the sheer absurdity of what was happening.

“Jace!” she shouted over the wind. “What the hell is going on? Since when can you turn into a dragon? And what was that thing back there?”

“Not now, Kaela!” Jace’s voice was a deep rumble, more beast than boy. “We need to get somewhere safe first.”

“Safe from what? That fire monster? What does it want with me?”

Jace didn’t answer. Instead, he banked sharply to the left, diving toward a cluster of abandoned warehouses on the outskirts of the city. Kaela’s stomach lurched as they descended, the ground rushing up to meet them. At the last second, Jace pulled up, landing gracefully on the roof of one of the buildings.

Kaela slid off his back, her legs wobbling beneath her. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” she said, glaring at him.

Jace’s form shimmered, the scales and wings melting away until he was just Jace again—her best friend, the guy who’d shared her lunch in middle school and helped her sneak out of foster homes when things got too suffocating. But the look in his eyes was unfamiliar—serious, almost haunted.

“I know you’ve got questions,” he said, running a hand through his messy hair. “And I’ll answer them, I promise. But first, we need to get inside. That fire wraith isn’t the only thing out there looking for you.”

“Looking for me? Why? What did I do?”

Jace hesitated, his jaw tightening. “It’s not what you did, Kaela. It’s who you are.”

Before she could press him further, a voice cut through the night—smooth, melodic, and dripping with sarcasm.

“Ah, the prodigal dragon returns. And with the chosen one in tow, no less. How delightfully predictable.”

Kaela spun around to see a man stepping out of the shadows. He was tall and lean, with sharp features and eyes that glowed faintly silver in the dark. His hair was a tousled mess of black and silver, and he wore a long coat that seemed to ripple like liquid shadow.

“Elias,” Jace said, his voice tight. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Clearly,” the man—Elias—replied, his lips curling into a smirk. “If you had, you might’ve chosen a less conspicuous landing spot. That fire wraith wasn’t exactly subtle.”

Kaela crossed her arms, her fear giving way to irritation. “Okay, who are you, and why does everyone keep talking about me like I’m some kind of prize?”

Elias’s smirk widened as he turned to her. “Ah, so she’s got fire too. Good. You’ll need it.” He stepped closer, his silver eyes studying her with an intensity that made her skin prickle. “My name is Elias Dawn. And you, Kaela Rivers, are the key to stopping a war that’s been brewing for centuries.”

Kaela blinked. “Yeah, okay. And I’m supposed to just believe that?”

“Believe it or not, it’s the truth,” Elias said, his tone light but his eyes serious. “But we don’t have time for a full history lesson. Right now, we need to get you somewhere safe.”

“Safe from what?” Kaela demanded.

Elias exchanged a glance with Jace. “From them,” he said simply.

As if on cue, a low growl echoed through the night, sending a shiver down Kaela’s spine. She turned to see shadows moving in the alley below—shadows that seemed to twist and writhe like living things.

“We need to go,” Jace said, his voice urgent. “Now.”

Kaela didn’t argue this time.