The forest surrounding Eldoria appeared as a dark, silent carpet beneath Strax's wings. In his true form—a huge dragon with red scales and golden eyes—he cut through the night skies like a living shadow. Yennifer and Cristine were firmly braced against his back, the wind whipping their faces as the treetops blurred beneath them.
Yennifer kept her eyes half-closed, not because of the wind, but because of the unease growing in her chest. The city that had seen her die—or at least disappear in agony—was just ahead. And everything indicated that she would be reborn to find it in ruins.
When Strax began his descent, the view of Eldoria opened up like a nightmare painted in fire and smoke. He landed with surprising softness at the edge of the forest, a few hundred yards from the city gates. The sisters leaped from his back, and Strax shrank into his human form in a spiral of greenish light. His clothes automatically adjusted to his body with the same spell that disguised his changes.
