"Dragons! It's dragons!"
The moment Logar appeared above Lys on the Cannibal, the entire city erupted in panic.
Pedestrians froze in the streets, staring up at the colossal black beast hovering in the sky. Their eyes widened in pure terror.
Since the fall of the Valyrian Freehold, dragons had become the exclusive symbol of House Targaryen.
Most people in this part of Essos had never seen a living dragon in their lifetime.
Many in Lys had even forgotten that their city had once been a Valyrian colony—and just how terrifying those creatures truly were.
Now, with two actual dragons circling overhead, it felt like the old Dragonlords had returned.
"There's another one! Two of them!"
As Logar brought the Cannibal down to perch atop the tallest dome in the city, Nettles arrived right beside him on Sheepstealer.
Two living dragons—each nearly fifty meters long—crouched on the massive roof like twin kings of the sky. Their sheer presence silenced the streets below. Every face turned upward in stunned awe.
Dragons. Real, breathing dragons.
Most people never saw one in their entire lives. Now two had appeared at once.
"I will say this one last time," Logar called out, his voice booming across the city in flawless High Valyrian.
"Hand over Prince Viserys of House Targaryen immediately. Refuse… and I will begin burning your city until you do."
The crowd below remained frozen in shock. Logar's frown deepened. He repeated the demand, louder this time.
"He's… here for someone?"
"Gods—no! We just fought the Targaryens in the Gullet! These dragonriders are here for revenge!"
Panic spread like wildfire through the streets.
The Targaryens had left Essos over a century ago. Now two dragonriders had returned with their beasts. How were they supposed to fight that?
"Damn those Targaryens… they found out about the boy so quickly? They won't even give me a single day to breathe!"
Inside the council hall, Archon Bambarro Bazanne watched the twin dragons hovering above and heard Logar's demand. His teeth ground together in fury.
Viserys was his last lifeline—the key to clearing his crushing debts and keeping his seat as Archon. There was no way in hell he was handing the boy over.
His eyes turned ice-cold.
He spun toward the panicked city guard captain and the councilors who had just rushed in.
"These two are Targaryen attackers sent for revenge!
Use every weapon we have—bring them down at all costs! Defend the city!"
The guard captain's face went pale, but he had no choice. "Yes, my lord!"
Bambarro didn't wait. He turned and sprinted out of the hall toward his private estate.
He had to move Prince Viserys somewhere safe before everything went to hell.
...
High above, Logar waited.
And waited.
No response came from the city leaders. Instead, more and more people gathered in the streets below, staring up in terror.
His expression grew darker.
He wasn't bloodthirsty enough to slaughter innocents for fun. But he had come in peace, announced his demand clearly—and Lys's rulers still refused to answer.
If they wanted to play it this way, he would show them exactly what consequences looked like.
"Lord Logar, watch out!" Nettles suddenly cried.
Whoosh!
A heavy arrow shot up from below and slammed into the Cannibal's obsidian scales. The black dragon gave an irritated flap of his wings and let out an angry hiss.
"Hmph. Refusing the easy way, I see."
Logar's gaze locked onto the council hall. Soldiers were rushing out, hauling heavy crossbows and long spears.
"Fine. Let's see how long your city lasts under dragonfire."
The cold arrow attack had crossed the line. Logar's patience was gone.
His eyes swept to the crowded harbor below—warehouses packed with goods, hundreds of merchant ships tied up along the docks.
"Cannibal—attack. Burn their harbor first!"
"ROAR—!!"
The Cannibal had been waiting for this order. His massive wings snapped open, casting a shadow that swallowed the entire port.
He dove like a falling mountain.
The wind screamed around him. People on the docks looked up and froze in horror.
The next second, raging green flames poured from the dragon's jaws like a waterfall of hellfire.
BOOM!
The first warehouse exploded. Dry timber, silk, and spices ignited instantly. Towering pillars of flame shot into the sky as thick black smoke rolled across the harbor.
The fire spread with terrifying speed—warehouse after warehouse, ship after ship—turning the entire dock district into an inferno in moments.
"No! The dragons are burning our cargo!"
"Run! RUN!!"
Lysene merchants watched their life savings go up in flames and fell into utter despair. Many cursed Logar in their hearts, but none had the courage to fight back.
The moment the Cannibal struck the harbor, Nettles dove in right beside him on Sheepstealer.
Two dragons—one black, one brown—wheeled through the sky, their flames turning the entire port into a sea of fire.
"Fight back! Bring those monsters down!" the city guard captain finally arrived, legs shaking. But he had no other choice.
Lysene soldiers raised heavy crossbows and spears, firing desperately into the sky.
Even the old ballistae on the city walls—long unused—were cranked into position. These were among the few weapons that could actually threaten a dragon.
Whoosh!
Another barbed bolt streaked upward, grazing the edge of the Cannibal's wing and leaving a shallow white scratch.
Logar watched the soldiers below swarm into position, weapons raised.
His face turned to pure ice.
"I was going to give you one chance to hand over Prince Viserys…
Now I have no choice but to show you what real war looks like."
He patted the Cannibal's neck.
"Cannibal—target the soldiers below. Dracarys!"
The black dragon threw back his head, dove, and unleashed a torrent of sickly green flame straight into the massed troops.
"The dragons are coming!!"
"AHHH—!! Save us!!"
The men froze in terror as the Cannibal plunged toward them.
Then the flames hit.
Screams of agony tore through the air as soldiers became living torches. The stench of burning flesh filled the harbor.
"Take cover! Scatter!!" the city guard captain roared.
But Nettles swept in from the opposite side on Sheepstealer, her dragonfire swallowing another group of fleeing men and turning them to charred husks.
Logar spotted the captain desperately waving his troops into cover.
He licked his lips.
"Cannibal—again."
The black dragon banked sharply, wings thundering, and dove once more.
"NO—!!"
Sickly green flames engulfed the guard captain where he stood. His eyes widened in a final scream—then he was gone, reduced to a blackened corpse in an instant.