59. Cassia: The Battle for Vere Celene

Cassia dives through smoke and heat over Vere Celene, hunting wraiths spilling from the rip in the Veil above the Reek. She fights relentlessly, killing many, but for every wraith destroyed, more emerge. The night sky burns red from volcanic fire and dragonflame as the horde grows.

Coordinating the defense, Cassia aids Thist, while Mace harasses stragglers and Boreal, Coral, and Garder tear creatures apart in tandem. Amid the chaos, Ivy is swarmed by four wraiths; Adile and Hyacinth try to help, but Ivy drags the monsters down with her and vanishes beneath the sea.

With dragons bleeding and wings torn, Cassia redirects exhausted fighters like Adile back to the weyr to bolster the weakening barrier. The air fills with roars, shrieks, and the volcano’s rumble as Cassia abandons thought for instinct, striking wherever the defense falters.

Despite her orders and the pack’s efforts, the boundary around Vere Celene flickers. The unending press of wraiths and battered defenders proves too much. In the final moments of the sortie, Cassia watches the island’s ward fail and fall.