Trails of crimson fire streaked through the midnight sky from the nostrils of each dragon. The embers within their nostrils glowed as each breath of air stoked them like coals in a forge. The moon illuminated the soft clouds as they passed by, leaving shadows dancing on dragon scales. With the sound of the booming war drums, both dragon flights neared one another.

Elucard gripped his saddle strap tighter with each beat of the drums, leathery wings, and his own racing heart. Blood trickled through the cracks of his fingers as the strap dug into his hand. The pain kept him centered for the rest of his body felt numb. He had not seen a true battle since his fight with the Collector and he had not been to war since his time in Varis. He was rusty. Complacent with skirmishes against low grade thugs and crooks. Dealing with problems so petty and beneath his skill level that some days he’d have rather not bothered with them at all.

What was wrong with him? When he was a Black Rabbit, he’d relish the chance to showcase his abilities—to prove his worth. No job was too petty and no mark was too low grade. Now look at him, Legion would be ashamed—he was ashamed. Well, now it was a matter of life and death; time to blow off the dust and show the world what the Kingslayer was capable of.

Mave pulled out a green banner made with a reflective material so it could stand out in the dim moonlight. She waved it high enough for Quinn, Bruce, and Corso to see, then she waved it to the right. With the signal set, Mave pulled her reins on Maisy and the large serpent crooked its head and dipped thirty degrees to the right.

The remaining squads of the Cypress dragon riders swept in a fiery rage into the Estinian ranks. Blazing streams of flames criss-crossed through the night. Claws ripped across screeching, enemy dragons, and one by one, dragon riders careened to their deaths.

Swooping from the rear, the Estinians brought dragons of their own to terrorize the alliance fleet. In mere minutes, oily flames ate up many of the wooden vessels, their glow providing much needed visibility to the SMO riders up in the sky. At that distance, it was as if the sea itself was on fire. Ballista bolts fired back in retaliation. Each hissed through the night, some finding their marks, others crashing into the depths of the waves. However, in the cover of smoke and darkness, the dragons were harder targets than anticipated.

Mave and her squad circled wide, approaching the rear of the enemy ranks, spotting smaller or wounded drakes, Mave signaled for the harekin riders to strike fast and hard.

“Brace yourself, Elucard! There’s a good one!” she shouted back to her elven partner.

Maisy folded her wings back and elongated her neck, sending the two into a dive like a falcon after its prey. With a crack of her reins, Maisy unleashed a spray of fire, igniting the enemy dragon’s tail and saddle. The enemy rider screamed in agony as the fire engulfed him and his drake.

Mave grinned savagely as she pulled Maisy away from her charred victim.

“Who else?” Mave asked Elucard.

Elucard scanned the battle site before pointing to Corso and Timber narrowly avoiding a fireball. The Kanis let loose an arrow, nailing it in the muzzle, but it only enraged the dragon further.

“We have to help them!” cried Elucard.

“Right you are, bucko! Come on Maisy, let’s help out your mate Argyle!”

Mave pulled in tight, heading towards Corso’s drake and grazed them overhead.

“Our men are too close to use Maisy’s breath. You’ll have to deal with the rider,” said Mave.

Elucard tapped the harekin captain on the shoulder and climbed to the lower side of their drake. Steadying one foot on her side and holding the strap with his off hand, Elucard leaned out and unsheathed his ninjato. As his target chased Argyle, Elucard made a clean slice through the Estinian rider’s skull, splitting it in two.

“Woohoo!” Mave hooted in excitement. “That’s how it’s done, Elucard!”

Elucard couldn’t help but smile, even he had to admit that he liked being back in his old boots. The rush of a kill and the thrill of kissing death was what he missed most in life. He sheathed his weapon and climbed back into his saddle.

Suddenly Maisy roared in terror as a larger drake collided with her. The drake, who was twice the size of her, glimmered with red and black scales and its tail swung back and forth, sporting a set of spikes resembling a morning star. Elucard clenched the saddle strap with both hands as he heaved himself upright. He caught a glimpse of the Estinian rider as he untangled his beast with Mave’s. The rider was draped in a magnificent red cape with black flames embroidered along the back. He had a bushy white mustache and wore a black helmet decorated with a long golden spike on its top.

Mave grit her teeth and pushed away from the red and black rider.

“This isn’t good,” she said.

Elucard grabbed the harekin’s shoulder. “Who was that?”

“I only know him by reputation. Baron Wallenstein, the most feared drake rider alive.”

Mave prodded her drake with her spurs, gaining altitude. Baron Wallenstein followed.

“Hold on tight, Elucard!” Mave grunted as she pushed Maisy higher and higher into the clouds where the air was colder and thinner. “Come on, you bastard, you don’t want to be up here…”

Elucard took in gulps of air as his lungs closed up and his tears froze to his cheeks. “Mave…” he managed to gasp.

Mave Silvertail glanced backwards and found the baron picking up speed. She suddenly pulled back on her reins, launching them backwards in a free fall.

Faster and faster Elucard and Mave fell. Passing through misty clouds, passing the dragon melee below, until Mave yanked the reins again, breaking the surface of the ocean and driving forward creating a wake of waves behind them.

“Do you think we lost him?” asked Elucard.

A streak of fire singed his arm and leg as a fireball exploded into a cloud of steam beside Maisy. Mave twisted her drake in a serpentine, just barely avoiding fireballs as they rained from the red and black drake above.

“Not a chance,” growled Mave. She tugged on her reins, desperately trying to weave away from the baron’s onslaught, but with each breath-taking maneuver made by Mave, the baron matched that and more. There was no shaking the more experienced and deadlier drake rider.

Mave snarled with frustration. “I have one more idea!” she shouted. The harekin patted the side of Maisy’s neck and the serpent responded by exhaling a massive cloud of white smoke. The haze grew bigger and bigger until it covered a large portion of the sky in a dense fog.

Elucard covered his eyes with his arm, the arid smoke burned his throat and blinded his eyes. He hacked and coughed, desperately fighting for air. “I can’t breathe!” Elucard croaked in desperation.

“I know mate, and I’m sorry, but hopefully, neither can Wallenstein!” Mave apologized.

Mave yanked on her dragon’s reins and she halted creating the choking veil. Together with her riders, Maisy dove under the cover and zipped through the night sky.

Elucard wiped his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of the ocean air. “We had to lo—”

A fire blast exploded just shy of Elucard’s cheek. The elf ducked in alarm, gripping Mave’s shoulders. “Nevermind! He’s right behind us!”

“Elucard, we’re out of options. I need you to do what you do best!” said Mave.

Elucard pulled his sword out, once more and nodded. “Pull up—high. As high and as fast as you can get Maisy to move.”

Maisy lifted upwards, thrusting her wings back and forth, climbing higher and higher. Until, once more they were above the clouds. Mave looked back and saw the baron was still on their tail.

“Elucard?”

“Wish me luck.”

Releasing his strap, Elucard flipped backwards, wrenched his body and zoomed forward like a javelin! Elucard’s blue and black suit blended in with the night sky, allowing him to be unnoticed by his target. As he grew nearer and nearer, the former Black Rabbit gripped his sword with both hands and swung it hard. The swing sent him into a wild spin like a buzzsaw.

The baron panicked and tried to bank right as Elucard ripped through his side, spraying blood through the air. Elucard popped open his webbed wings and caught himself in a graceful drift. He turned his head and watched with satisfaction as the baron retreated.

Mave glided next to Elucard and tipped her hat. “Need a lift?”

Elucard twirled and neatly landed back behind his partner, snuggly gripping his saddle strap once more. He watched as the remains of the Estinian dragon flight called for a retreat back to Ghostoc Port.

“A well earned victory, mate,” cheered Mave.

“We’ve only just begun,” said Elucard.