The air was hot and humid which made breathing immensely difficult. The little girl could almost feel as if the flames from down below scalded her pale face though she and her winged companion hovered several feet up in the air.

Risking a glance at the events happening below her, she tugged at the silk veil her companion had covered her face with.

“By all the gods,” she breathed, “Dravuhl! I thought dark dragons only existed in myths and Elvin folklore!”

The Dravuhl, massive black dragons with their scales tougher than any known metal, emitted white-hot cursed flames from their vicious mouths that incinerated everything that stood within its range of fire. Having weakened the once splendid fortifications of the fair folk, another cohort of T’lakr, half-human, half-monster beings, crashed into the battlements and engulfed everything it passed in a maelstrom of fury, leaving nothing alive in their wake.

It was only a matter of time before the raging beasts reached the sacred dwelling of the gods at the summit of the highest peak of the sacred mountain. If they allow the T’lakr to get there without accomplishing their task, everything will be too late.

“We have to get down there, we must!” the girl exclaimed, big drops of tears welled up in her eyes. “We will all die if we don’t do something!”

“The more reason for you to leave this place,” her companion whispered in her ear, devoid of any concern. The girl looked up at him. Shock, anguish and tears tainted her beautiful face.

“Leave?” she repeated, as if she had not heard right, “This is my home! How can I just leave when all of this is happening?”

Her companion heaved a sigh, “We are in a very tight situation. Our forces are outnumbered a thousand to one. You may not be able to understand right now but you will, eventually. When you leave, it will help your race and kind tremendously. You may think otherwise, but that’s the best plan that we have if we are to emerge victorious in this turmoil.”

“Well if you set us down now, we can still fight them! We have a chance. There are as many elves like you as there are people in Ramorgra, they will all be willing to fight for the mortal King and the gods as well!”

“You know very well that a dreadfully small number of mortals survived the T’lakr’s assault a few weeks ago…”

Just then a blast of white flames missed them by a hand’s breadth. The airborne Dravuhl have tracked them.

The winged elf faced his charge, now paler than ever, and at a loss for words in her shock, fear and confusion.

“Do you trust me?” he asked her. The girl nodded, blond locks billowing in the sudden fierce draft as a Dravuhl flew dangerously near them.

The girl blanched and gripped him tighter. “Let go and let myself plummet down several thousand feet?” she cried out.

“Listen!” the elf said, gasping for breath as a Dravuhl snapped at his heels, “If you want to end the world, it’s fine with me! We can watch it up here together! But if you want to see Ramorgra like it was before, and if you don’t want your mother and father and the other gods to die at the hands of the T’lakr and whoever is controlling them, you have better do what I say.”

"Surely there's some other way," the girl whimpered, "What would happen to me? To you?"

Her companion weakly shook his head. "This is the only way. I'll be fine. And I assure you that you'll be alright too."

The elf lowered his voice and embraced her. “We all are. Not only mortals but beings like us know fear, too. Now let go, we will see each other someday.”

She hesitated, took a quick glance at the imminent fall below, and then into her companion's sorrowful face. Like a living requiem against the night sky.

"Please promise me you'll come back for me," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. The elf nodded.

The girl loosened her faltering grip and with a terrified shriek plunged down into the smoldering rubble.

Just as she was to fall down into the gaping mouth of a Dravuhl looming nearby, she disappeared in a burst of blue light and silver feathers. The dragon snapped at thin air and flew away with a disgruntled snort.

The elf saw this happen, spread his wings, and darted away into the chaos below.