After a round of bluster and a declaration of "I'll be back," Raszageth finally fled.
Seeing that menace leave at last, everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief.
She was an ancient dragon, after all, and a formidable one at that. They could have won an all-out fight, but it would have cost them dearly.
Onyxia immediately shed her dragon form and became human. She hurried to Deren's side and gently supported his other arm, her fingertips tenderly brushing the scorch marks and blood from his pale cheek. Her voice was full of heartache and lingering fear. "Darling, you've been through so much... You're so badly hurt... Are you feeling any better now? It's my fault for coming so late..."
Feeling the coolness and trembling of her fingertips, Deren felt warmth well up in his heart. He managed a smile and gently squeezed her hand. "I'm fine. Just some cuts and a few broken bones... cough, cough... If you hadn't arrived in time, and if I hadn't had that grain of the Hourglass of Time Chromie left me back then, I really would have died here. I owe all of you this time."
At the mention of the Hourglass of Time, Chromie, who was skipping over to join them, tilted her head in genuine confusion. "Huh? The Hourglass of Time? When did I give you any of that to summon me with? Why don't I remember?"
Looking at the bronze dragon before him, who alternated between dependable and utterly scatterbrained, Deren shook his head in amused resignation and reached out to ruffle her silky long hair. "You forgot? The first time we met, in Stormwind City, you suddenly appeared and stopped me from writing down those Old Gods' names. Before you left, I asked you to promise me a way