by Naomi Sparks
Yin barely has time to raise his eyes in surprise before the wave of energy slams into him. He flies backward, hitting the wall with a sickening cracking sound. His body slumps to the ground, just as the other dragon did. This time though, I can see he's still breathing.
He groans and shifts, already trying to get back to his feet. Panic overwhelms me, and I bolt for the door, not wanting to give him a chance to get himself composed again. He's stronger than the other dragon I'd faced down. Much stronger. If he regains his bearings, I won't be able to do that a second time.
So I run.
Tears stream down my face, but I refuse to stop, refuse to look back. I hate knowing I left those two innocent babies in their cribs with that monster, but I have to get out of here. Have to get Olivia far, far away from Yin.
Once she's safe, I can worry about the others. Until then, I need to stay focused on her.
I can't lose Olivia again. I won't.
I run down the winding halls as fast as I possibly can. I have no idea where exactly I'm going. All I know is I can't stop. I need to keep going, need to get out of here, somehow. I let instinct guide me, hoping I'll somehow find an exit.
Turning corner after corner, I lose all track of where I am. Whoever designed this building must have wanted it to be as complicated as possible. If I don't figure something out soon, Yin will catch up with me.
Then, I turn a corner and run smack into someone. The force knocks me backward onto the ground, and I twist on the way down to protect Olivia. My heart hammers in my chest again, afraid I'd somehow gotten all turned around and run right back to Yin.
When I look up though, it's not Yin standing there. It's Ezra. I want to leap up and jump for joy. Then, I notice the blood dripping down the side of his head. He's cradling his arm, his clothes are torn, and blood-soaked. He looks like he's barely standing, and that thought makes my heart pound even harder and louder.
"Are you okay?" he asks, his eyes running up and down my body.
I nod, taking deep breaths and trying to calm myself down. I'm still clutching Olivia tight against my chest even as Ezra helps me stand. "I found her. I found Olivia."
Ezra smiles. For a moment, he looks at me like he's the happiest man in the world. It's like all of his injuries are forgotten. Like the battle no longer matters. He looks truly happy, maybe even as happy as I feel.
His smile is nothing like Yin's. He's not looking at me like he's found a goldmine. He's looking at me like he's found a piece of himself.
Last night, he'd asked me to be his mate. I'd told him I needed to think about it. Because, in truth, I wasn't sure what it would mean for me. Would I be bound to him, forced to stay by his side for the rest of my life?
Now though, I know the answer to his question. I want to be with him for the rest of my life. I want him to help me raise Olivia. I may not ever know which dragon had provided the biological material for her creation, but I know I want Ezra to be her father. I want him to be the man she looks up to, the man who teaches her how to be a woman.
Then, I think of the other two babies still lying in that nursery, and my mood sobers. I don't know them, don't know their mothers. But I can't just leave them there. I have to go back and get them. Those poor babies deserve the same chance at a good life that Olivia is getting.
"There are more," I tell him. I glance back the way I came, not sure how to even get back to the nursery.
When I glance back at Ezra, he's frowning and shaking his head. "We need to go," he says. It sounds like each word pains him to get out. "We're retreating. We vastly overestimated their strength. We don't have time to get them. I barely made it to you."
My heart breaks as his words sink in. We're running away. Leaving two innocent babies here to suffer a fate I can hardly imagine. But as Ezra takes my hand and starts leading me down the hall, I find myself following along with him.
He's hurt, that much is obvious. If Yin is still back at the nursery, I'm not sure Ezra will be able to fight him. I'd hit Yin good with my magic, but I doubt it weakened him all that much. Nothing compared to how badly Ezra is injured.
There are a few soldiers between us and the exit, and Ezra fights for all he's worth, killing each one of them before we move on. He's starting to limp, I notice, but I don't know what I can do about it. Merida had talked to me about healing magic during our lessons, but I can't remember much about it. I'm afraid if I try to recall one of those spells, I'll mess it up and make things worse.
No, it's better if I get him to Merida and let her treat his wounds. She'll do a better job at it than I can, especially if I lend her my power.
I hate seeing Ezra so hurt, knowing I have so much power still flowing inside me. I want to be able to give it to him, want to fight alongside him. But I can't. I can barely control the magic, I'm only able to send it out in shockwaves.
But when a dragon lunges out of the shadows and knocks Ezra to the ground, that's exactly what I do. I scream out as the power floods through me again, slamming into the other dragon with enough force to send him flying down the hallway. This dragon doesn't hit a wall like the other two did. He staggers back to his feet.
Although the spell didn't do much damage to him, it gives Ezra the opening he needs. He's on his feet quicker than the other dragon. I can feel a swell of magic inside him as he tackles the other dragon back to the ground. They struggle for a bit, Ezra's body on top of the other's blocking my view. Then, I hear a sickening cracking noise as the enemy dragon goes limp.
When Ezra stands, he's gasping for air, I notice the other dragon's head at an odd angle, and I immediately know he'd snapped the dragon's neck. And although Ezra looks beaten down, I don't see any signs of guilt in his eyes.
I'm not sure how I feel about that as the two of us continue through the winding corridors back toward our allies. I know these men are our enemies. They're the people who kept me hostage, tortured me, then kidnapped my child. But shouldn't he feel some semblance of remorse for having to kill them?
Shouldn't I?
I've never liked the idea of killing people, even people who do bad things. And yet, as I see the dead dragons lying about the complex, I don't feel anything for them. I don't feel remorse, but I also don't feel any joy. I just feel numb.
It's not until we rejoin the main force that I'm able to breathe a bit easier. Valetta and the others rush over to me, surrounding me. The tendrils that had bound us together earlier instantly returns. My magic feeds their spells, as they're more easily able to join their own magic together.
The main force is retreating, everyone falls back to the tree line. Our dragons that had been circling above us are gone now, and I hope they're somewhere in the mass of people. I may not have felt anything for the enemies I'd seen lying dead, but I hoped the ones on our side managed to survive.
Projectiles launch toward our group, and Veletta steps forward, raising her hands as she chants. The drain on my power increases as she puts up a shield. The air in front of our group seems to shimmer, and the projectiles explode or dissipate on contact. That buys us enough time to get into the forest again.
We move quickly through it this time, not worrying about stealth. There's no way a group this large will be able to hide, even in the dense woods. Our only chance is to get as far away from them as possible.
The coven stops not far into the woods, and Ezra stays by my side. The power Valetta had been expending dissipates as she cuts off the spell. She looks over at Ethyl and nods. "Quickly. We only have a few moments before they shatter my barrier."
Ethyl nods and steps forward. This time she's the one who raises her hands and begins chanting. The flow of power shifts, funneling into her as she weaves her spell. The forest in front of us seems to close in. It was already dense, but as Ethyl works her magic, the line of trees seems almost impassible. Light begins to fade, and I glance up at the sky to see it darkening as the branches above us knit together, shielding us from anyone who might be overhead.
The re
st of the group continues to retreat, but our small group doesn't move until Ethyl finishes her spell. Once she's finished, she wobbles, gasping for air. I step forward to steady her, but Ezra beats me there. Even though he's barely standing himself, he helps support her as we all move to rejoin the others.
Even using my magic to fuel the spell, Ethyl looks like she's on death's doorstep. Then, I glance around at the others of the coven. Merida is the only one not looking like she's been beaten to hell and back. No doubt since her magic is used primarily for healing, she didn't cast as many spells as the others. Instead, she mostly supported them.
Once we get back to the camp, I know Merida will have her work cut out for her. The Fae have Tyko and perhaps other healers, but after a battle like that, they will need every healer they can get.
It's a long walk back, everyone looks beaten down, depressed. Our numbers are noticeably smaller than this morning. How many friends and family members did these people lose today? How many more will we lose when Yin and the others come after us? I doubt they're just going to ignore the damage we did to their men and their facility.
Besides, I know Yin isn't going to just let me walk away. Now that he knows about my power, he's not going to just let me run off with Olivia. Both of us are too valuable for that. With what I know about Yin, he's not going to stop until he has both of us safely locked in a cage somewhere, only letting us out when he has a need for us.
When we make it back to the camp, I notice a group of people arguing. I recognize Katia, along with another woman, younger, who looks remarkably like her. A sister maybe?
Ezra notices the argument about the same time as I do and heads that way. I follow him, the coven coming along as well.
"We need to get the barrier up," Lex insists. He's bloody and bruised, just like Ezra, but he's still alive. I'm sure his mate will be ecstatic to see that.
But the smaller woman is shaking her head, frowning. "We can't, not with the strength we have left. We lost a good number of our people, and those who remain are considerably weakened."
"Without those barriers, Amasis will be on us before we can even treat our wounded." Lex balls his hands into fists. He's angry, but judging by the look in his eyes, his anger is not directed at this woman. If I had to guess, he's angry at himself. "We won't be able to get away from here either, not with the shape everyone is in. Damn it."
"We can do it," Valetta says, stepping forward. Sweat is dripping down her forehead. No doubt she's expended more of her energy today than she has in a very long time. Can she really put up a barrier after everything she's already done?
Ezra steps forward and nods. "I saw the barrier she had around her home. I think she can mask us just as well as the Fae can."
Before Lex can say anything, I step over to Valetta, moving to stand right in front of her. "Are you sure? You've been through a lot. And this camp is a lot bigger than your home."
Valetta meets my gaze and nods. "With you linking our powers together, I can do it. Barriers are something of my specialty, after all."
It's not the amount of magic I'm worried about. I still have plenty to spare, even after the two major spells they had cast. What I'm not sure about is if her body can handle the strain. Just because she's not putting out all of the magic herself doesn't mean she's not using a lot of her body's energy to cast the spell.
But when I look into Valetta's eyes, I can see determination there. She wants to do this, no matter the consequences. Just as I'd done what I needed to get Olivia back. Doesn't she have that same right?
Finally, I nod, and we all move into position. I give Ezra Olivia. She shouldn't be in the middle of a spell like this. She may be my daughter, with her own power, but she's too young right now. I don't want to risk accidentally tapping into her power and draining her.
Valetta closes her eyes and breathes deeply for a long while. When she opens them again, the power drain is considerable. Her chanting is loud and echoing as she raises her hands to the air, looking up into the empty, cloudless sky.
I wish we'd been able to wait until nightfall. The coven's powers are stronger under the moonlight, though I'm not sure why. In their rush to teach me, it hadn't come up. But we don't have that luxury. If we wait much longer, they'll find us, even with Ethyl's spell barring them from following us through the forest.
We're not that far away from the compound.
My knees begin to buckle as power floods out of me. The spell Valetta is casting seems to be beyond anything I've seen so far. But then, to create a barrier than can completely hide our entire camp, it will have to be.
Closing my eyes, I reach for the power inside me, pulling it out, offering it freely to Valetta. The others' power flows into me, mixing with mine before joining in the outward flow toward Valetta.
My entire body is shaking. I wish Ezra was here beside me to help steady me, but I know he won't step in during a spell. I don't want him to bring Olivia any closer than she already is. I just need to suck it up and muscle through.
Somehow.
The spell seems to take forever. None of the other spells had taken this long. I'm not sure whether it's the complexity and strength of this spell or the considerable drain in making it. Either way, by the time Valetta finishes, I very nearly collapse onto the ground.
But Ezra is there. Despite his own injuries, he supports both me and Olivia, holding us in his arms.
When I have the strength to open my eyes again, I notice the rest of the coven is being supported by the others also. Merida is the only one not looking like she's going to pass out, but even she looks exhausted.
"Come on," Ezra says, his voice low in my ear. "Let's get you back to my tent. Then, I'll get us all some food. We're all going to need a lot of rest after today."
Numbly, I nod and let him lead me through the neat rows. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the rest of the coven being helped away too. Everyone really is going to need their rest. Not just us but the entire camp.
This isn't how I wanted today to go, but I have Olivia back, safe, and sound. And while I wish we'd been able to put an end to the Clutch and the dragons, I can't complain too much.
Olivia is safe. I'll deal with everything else tomorrow.
11
Ezra
Once Gabrielle and Olivia are settled in the tent, I grab some of the gold I had stashed and pocketed it as I make my way toward the back of the camp. My entire body hurts, even parts I didn't know could hurt. My energy is low, and I can barely make it to the empty clearing behind all the tents. I take a small bit of the gold out of my pocket and close my fist around it.
Immediately, the energy stored in the gold surges through my body. Already, I feel stronger. Not quite back to full strength, but enough that I can shift into my dragon form to heal my injuries.
When I close my eyes and reach for my dragon, it's there, lurking just below the surface as always. But when it comes out, it doesn't want to go back in. The shift has healed most of my injuries, as planned, and now my dragon wants to fly off, return to the compound, and destroy it.
It’s harder than I expect to get control of that side of myself. Eventually though, I'm able to calm my dragon down and convince it to return back inside me. I completely understand its anger and rage, but now is not the time for it. We'd gotten our asses handed to us. We'd been lucky to make it out with as few losses as we had. If I run back to the compound by myself, I'll just end up dead. I'm probably the weakest member of the Fire Riders. If our entire group can't take on the Clutch together, I stand no hope by myself.
And as much as my dragon and I both want revenge, neither of us want to leave Gabrielle and Olivia alone. If we can't eliminate the Clutch once and for all, they're going to need my protection. No doubt Yin and the others will want to come after her. They will want her powers to add to their arsenal and want the baby back.
Either way, I'm not about to let that happen.
When I shift back, I nearly collapse on the ground. Shifting to h
eal my wounds had taken more of my energy than I'd anticipated. It takes all of my focus to reach into my pocket and retrieve the rest of the gold I'd brought with me. It's a good thing I'd thought ahead to bring extra. No way would I be able to make it back to my tent like this.
The moment my fingers close around the lumps of raw gold, I can feel the energy ebbing into me. It takes a bit longer this time, since it's more gold than the last, but soon, I'm able to stand upright and breathe easily.
I head back toward the tent. The smell of cooking food wafts through the camp, making my stomach rumble. I quicken my pace back to the tent, eager to fill my stomach. Gabrielle is in the tent waiting for me, having cleaned up as best she could and wearing clean clothes as well.
"You look better," she notes, her eyes running up and down my body. "How'd you do that?"
"Being a dragon has its advantages," I say with a smirk. Already I'm across the tent, pulling out some clean clothes from where I stashed them. I'll need a bath or shower soon, but now that my wounds are healed up, I settle for something clean to wear. "I'll tell you about it over dinner. I have no idea what the Fae are cooking, but it smells delicious."
Though, to be fair, at this point, any food will be delicious.
It doesn't take long for us to get to little mess hall the Fae have set up for us. Gabrielle used a scarf to create a makeshift sling for Olivia, wearing her against her chest. Where she'd learned to do that, I have no idea.
Judging by the amount of food the Fae have prepared, they must've began cooking the moment we'd set out this morning. Gabrielle and I both load up plates, though mine is easily twice as full as hers. But a growing dragon needs his food, especially after the healing I just went through.
Lex and the others are all sitting at a long table, and I head over to join them. Before we've even reached the table though, I can hear Lex and Galen arguing.
"We need to go back," Lex says, glaring at his best friend. "We've lost the element of surprise. They're know we're around here somewhere. It's only a matter of time before they find us."
