The Great Dragon Silverwing was circling above the Smoking Sea's churning, smoking gray-green waters, carrying Rhaena, Danyla, and four hatchlings.
Rhaena clutched the Dragon Saddle's straps with both hands. The sulfurous mist over the Smoking Sea made her throat tighten. Fortunately, the special mask Danyla had given her eased her discomfort considerably.
Viewed from above, this seemingly cursed stretch of sea looked like a boiling pot of poisonous soup. An oily, iridescent film floated on the surface, and bubbles burst from time to time, releasing plumes of smoke that reeked of rotten eggs.
The chaotic, violent magical energy made even Silverwing unusually restless. Azure Scale and the other hatchlings, however, seemed right at home. The surging magical energy here made them feel wonderfully comfortable.
No wonder the Great Dragons that flew back to Valyria were all those under Danyla's command with powerful bloodlines. Perhaps only they could adapt to the extreme conditions in the Valyria Ruins.
"Rhaena, fly north, toward those rocky cliffs."
After several enhancements, Danyla's constitution could fully withstand the harsh conditions here. She felt no discomfort at all.
Only when they approached the cliffs did Danyla see what those enormous "rocks" truly were. They were the half-submerged remains of a Valyrian dragonstone structure.
The submerged foundations of those blackstone buildings were covered in coral polyps emitting a soft green glow.
Upon sensing the Great Dragon's approach, the coral polyps' tentacles began writhing wildly, as though they could sense the presence of living creatures-or were sending some kind of signal.
"Watch out!"
As soon as Rhaena shouted her warning, Danyla swiftly drew her Proud Sun Valyrian Steel Sword and slashed a searing tongue of flame toward the sea below.
Accompanied by a terrifying surge of magical energy, several tentacles as thick as a warship's mast burst from the