Who Isn't a Dragon Knight?

Sere... roared, "I swear I'll fight to the—"

Anse raised a hand and pointed. A spark burst inside Sere...'s mouth, erupting into boundless light and heat. It drove back the night and became a dazzling sun.

The sphere of light was over twenty kilometers across. Its lower edge touched the Idal Mountains while its upper edge reached into the frigid heights. Like a fallen sun, it turned night into day.

Sere...'s eyes burned. His mouth, nose, and flesh curled and blackened, leaving him unable even to cry out.

The Holy Arrow had just stripped away some of his resistance to radiant energy, and now he had taken a pure eleventh-circle offensive spell. For the first time, he felt true terror.

"Still hoping you'll get lucky?" Anse sneered.

Sere... barely steadied himself in the air and descended with his battered body.

"You know, this is our second meeting." Anse glanced toward the distant mountains, a faint smile playing on his lips. "The first was in the Storm Spire a few hours from now. You stupid dragon even tried to set me up."

Sere... was stunned. He understood at last why Anse had appeared at this exact moment.

"Who are you, really?" More questions crowded his mind.

"Didn't that Black Robe Mage tell you? Though he left out a lot of details." Anse chuckled.

"That old bastard tricked me again," Sere... rasped.

The ground rushed up. He landed by feel, stumbled, and crashed to the earth, skidding a long way.

He smashed through soil, stone, and trees, gouging a ragged trail several thousand meters long.

Clang!

Anse lifted his spear and rapped him on the head.

Sere... shuddered. "Don't kill me! I submit!"

"What happened to all that defiance?" Anse teased. "You're lucky. If you were one of those other dragons, you