.The Shadow Knight.

-44-

I stood on the castle walls, drumming my fingers on my arms as many emotions boiled inside of me: anger, worry, displeasure, anything really.

Unlike the beast Melore or the mage Rain and even just Elise, me and Kia were ordered to stay back unless absolutely forced to intervene as we watched the armies clash on the fields, the clangs and clinks of armor and reached up far with the screams of the injured and dying.

I stood there for a minutes before sighing and throwing a hole up in the air and one down by my feet as the other one zoomed through the air.

I dropped through my pocket realm and for a second I saw all the magic and things I had in it rush around in the emptiness of it, never slowed since entering this pocket realm and never colliding, before I was throw out of it.

I spun my body as I caught the arm of a soldier riding what Kia called a wyvern and yanked him off as I started going down.

I threw a hole on the ground under him and one on the foot of the wall as I pushed off the screaming man.

While his body broke, the torso shoved through the hole and out the other while his limbs and head remained on the other side splattered on the ground I fell through it and did a roll to stop myself.

"How many will come trying to destroy my home?!" I yelled mostly to myself.

I looked up at the the battle in the air which I couldn't join.... Unless.

I whistled loudly, fingers in mouth as that was the only way I could and I waited with baited breath, hoping I was heard.

I grinned as I was, hearing a powerful echo of a roar as I sow a golden shape rise from behind the castle.

"OWEN DOWN HERE!!!" Unlike Kia who cannot externalize her wild magic he had inherited his ability to wield both sorts from the silver queen and also the ability to take up the shape of a dragon.

Unlike his sister he had always been an excepting, his scales taking the hue of his eyes unlike the silver they should have been, a bright golden yellow that shined like a mirror in the light of his blazing golden flames.

As his tail whipped down towards me I gripped it with all my strength and let him throw me onto his back.

I sat on his back and flew a bit with him but never flew around in a battle situation tho I trust him.

"WE NEED TO TAKE DOWN AS MANY OF THEM AS WE CAN BEFORE THEY CHOSE TO CRASH THEMSELVES INTO OUR ARMIES!!!" I yelled over the wind, squinting as the air whipped my face and a roar was my answer.

From his back I stood up and ran up his neck before jumping off his head as he crashing into on of the wyverns and I hit the one behind it, my heels tearing through the wing's membrane.

Owen's tail caught me as both enemies went crashing downwards with their riders, the crystal blowing up against the ground and I felt slight guilt that we needed to prioritize the castle over the village around it but I trust the other shadows, despite their lack of training, to live up to their task.

I held on the tail as he dipped, diving towards the ground and just looked at the masses of flying beasts now hellbent on following after him.

My eyes crossed over the castle court when a scream rose from way closer then I thought.

"OWEN GET ME DOWN THERE!!!" I hope heard as I screamed, seeing many of the fighters drop of their wyverns and into the court, we didn't keep many fighters there, I only know of Sol and Kia myself and am unaware if Elise left guard behind at all.

"Why are they attacking now?" I whispered but knew the answer, it was my fault.

I took something that was never supposed to be found, I forced them to act now or let Elise prepare a much stronger attack as Solor would support her fully with the evidence, I caused them to rally in a desperate attack to destroy the proof and everyone that knows about it.

I took Layla.

I have never felt as much fear as I do right now before this moment, I had felt fear many time but never this paralyzing fear that my actions caused this mess.

And how I didn't actually save her.

I didn't save anyone.

I condemned them.

I reeled my hand back and threw a hole with all the strength I had while pulling on all my training to get myself out of my emotions.

I will not let it end like that.

Not on my watch.

I elbowed into Owen's tail, making it go slack from numbness and fell.

And fell and fell.

At the last moment I threw a hole underneath me.