Chapter 331 - Siege defence
Scarlett stepped out of the interstitial space with Rosa and Fynn, returning to the Loci’s quiet garden. The spirit greeted her with a faint, half-formed mental response. Behind them, the gateway Rosa had created dissipated, and with it, the tension in the bard’s shoulders eased. Her aura settled, the darkness in her eyes fading and giving way to their usual violet.
Malachi might not have appreciated the abrupt end to their discussion, but the woman wasn’t stupid. She would have returned to her domain before the space collapsed — and in any case, they had already reached an agreement on the most critical points.
Scarlett reached out to the Loci, attempting to coax a more coherent explanation for its cryptic warning. The effort proved mostly fruitless. The spirit conveyed nothing beyond the same unsettling sensation as before: an urgent, abstract alarm without elaboration. It simply wasn’t capable of expressing more.
Still, she could borrow its senses to find out for herself.
Beside her, Fynn’s expression darkened. His attention shifted as he picked up on something before she did. A moment later, Scarlett felt it too. The disturbance lay beyond the estate, outside the Loci’s domain, but by stretching its influence, she could discern movement among the trees. Something predatory. She wasn’t sure how dangerous.
“Wait, is that…” Rosa’s voice trailed off, unease creeping in as she pointed into the distance.
Scarlett followed her gaze. Most of Freybrook was hidden in the night’s veil, but the horizon toward the city glowed ominously. Flickers of fire lit the sky, casting faint orange hues against the black.
She narrowed her eyes, catching flashes of movement — wings, large and powerful, slicing through the moonlight. Then, suddenly, a thin jet of flame cut across the air, revealing the unmistakable form of a beast wreathed in scales.
A dragon.
And it was attacking the city.
“Another attack?” Rosa gasped.
Scarlett gave a sober nod. “It is.”