Moonfall, #2
The Ballad of Falling Dragons
by Sarah A. Parker
Contents
Chapter 20
Overview
Kaan, Raeve, Pyrok, and Roan race through the Mists to reach Rygun, who has grounded a Moltenmaw and killed its rider. Surrounded by soldiers arming ballistae, Kaan orders Rygun to incinerate the courtyard and nearby emplacements, clearing their escape. With Maell carrying Pyrok and Roan, they flee Bothaim’s skies. Their survival ensures escape across the border but guarantees looming war against The Burn.
Summary
Kaan leads Raeve, Pyrok, and Roan through the thickening Mists toward Rygun, feeling the dragon’s panic through their bond. They find Maell, the young Moltenmaw, who refused to stay behind and clings to Pyrok for comfort. Guided by intuition and Rygun’s distress, they reach a courtyard where Rygun stands over a pinned red Moltenmaw, the rider dead and the dragon trapped beneath his claw.
Understanding that staying grounded invites disaster, Kaan soothes Rygun and urges Raeve to mount. As Raeve climbs, soldiers close in from multiple alleyways and ballistae crank to fire, exposing the team’s peril if Rygun takes flight into cleared mist. An iron spear skims Rygun’s wing, forcing Kaan to choose escalation to survive.
Kaan orders Rygun to burn everything: the dragon unleashes a sweeping torrent of flame, melting storefronts and collapsing nearby ballistae, turning the courtyard into a blistering crater. Raeve braces against the inferno, while Kaan, flooded with Rygun’s energy, drives the escape.
Rygun launches skyward through the Moving Mists, with Maell carrying Pyrok and Roan in his wake. A pursuit thunders behind them, but they break from Bothaim’s skies and push for the border. In the aftermath, Raeve remains tense and silent, and Kaan recognizes the consequence: their survival ensures that war is coming for The Burn.
Who Appears
- KaanNarrator; calms Rygun, orders a devastating burn to destroy ballistae, and leads the group’s escape.
- RygunDragon bonded to Kaan; grounds a Moltenmaw, kills its rider, incinerates the courtyard, and flees into the Mists.
- RaeveClimbs onto Rygun under fire; braces through the burn; rides out, grimly anticipating ensuing war.
- PyrokSupports Maell, urges haste, and rides with Roan as they follow Rygun into the Mists.
- MaellYoung Moltenmaw; refuses to stay behind, seeks comfort from Pyrok, carries Pyrok and Roan during escape.
- RoanWeakened and catching breath; rides with Pyrok on Maell to flee the city.
- Red Moltenmaw and riderEnemy dragon pinned by Rygun; its rider is killed, triggering the city’s armed response.