The Stone Dragon was a chemically preserved dragon corpse wrapped in blackstone, breathing burning oil.
The dragon was already dead, so its fire-breathing organs must have been converted to use oil.
"Form without substance, my king. No soul, only emptiness. A monster awakened by the Citadel's maesters with ancient runes, with blood, gems, and runes," the Red Priestess explained.
"The Hornblowers are staking their lives on this," Marwyn said. "Only death can pay for life. They're risking the destruction of their guardian beasts to stop the dragons."
"Though somewhat crude, getting them airborne after expending so many runes and lives is still impressive."
The Hornblowers strained with all their strength, sacrificing their lives. The Sphinxes and the Stone Beast barely managed to dodge and maneuver enough to fight.
The aerial battle was spectacular and brutal, but Gendry was confident.
Living creatures were ultimately far more agile than dead things, and possessed combat skills besides. Moreover, Gendry had fed the dragons many runes.
Flames of every color burned across the sky: the dragons' vibrant, living flames, and the Stone Beasts' false black flames.
Against the azure sky, the course of battle grew increasingly clear. The clumsy stone dragon and the two Sphinxes could not reach the dragons at all. The three dragons danced wildly.
Young dragons were far more agile in the air than old dragons, let alone a stone dragon.
The three dragons breathed fire again and again, then dodged beautifully at the last possible instant. In fact, the Stone Dragon and the Sphinxes rarely managed to hit them.
The three dragons were like soaring eagles, like agile falcons. They circled, cried out, and breathed fire, but never let their opponents close.
"Roar!" Balerion glared furiously at the dragon within the stone. This was the scent of a dead dragon,