Kingdom of Ash

Manon cast her gaze to the earth far below.
And saw what Morath was covertly trying to
do.
“To the walls!” she called to the Thirteen,
still a hammer behind her, and made to steer
Abraxos toward the city, tugging on the reins
to have him fly high above the fray.
Asterin’s warning cry reached her a
heartbeat too late.
Shooting from below, a predator
ambushing prey, the massive bull aimed right
for Abraxos.
Manon knew the rider as the bull slammed
into Abraxos, claws and teeth digging deep.
Iskra Yellowlegs was already smiling.
The world tilted and spun, but Abraxos,
roaring in pain, kept in the air, kept flapping.
Even as Iskra’s bull pulled back his head—
only to close his jaws around Abraxos’s
throat.