by Linsey Hall
Mistake.
I shoved the thought away.
Instead, I called on the dragon inside me. I had only seconds before I slammed into the ground. If I didn’t shift—and fly—I was dead.
Fear pulsed through my veins, and the magic went to work inside me. Within moments, my muscles ached and the flame lit up inside my chest.
I’m shifting!
It was hard to tell when the transformation was complete, so I tried flapping my wings right away. At first, nothing happened. I looked back and realized they were super tiny.
Come on!
I imagined massive wings at my back, forcing my magic to surge toward that part of my body. My wings shot outward, expanding quickly. They glinted silver in the light of the setting sun, massive and majestic.
Hell yeah!
I might be an awkward teenager dragon, flopping my way through my growth spurt, but I was flying!
I swooped into the air, determined not to let my insecurity turn me back into a human. I had to fly and breathe fire and be the most badass dragon I could be. Not just for myself, but for my friends.
Cade and Lachlan had nearly collided with the giant black bird, and Maximus was following close behind. Cade, who sat in front, drew his silver shield from the ether. It was round, like Maximus’s shield was, and he hurled it at the bird, taking advantage of the clear shot to be had through the front of the plane.
The silver glinted as it slammed into the bird’s head. The beast tumbled through the air, thrown backward by the shield.
I hurtled toward it, determined not to let it clash with the flying machines. I moved fast, darting around the machines as I kept my gaze riveted to the monster. Flying became easier the more I practiced it, but I still felt like I might fall out of the sky at any moment.
Nope! Positive thoughts only!
I was a badass dragon!
I darted toward the giant monster bird, which had righted itself, and opened my mouth on a roar. The first blast of fire was a little bitty thing. The bird’s dark eyes narrowed on it, almost like he was laughing.
Hell no. That wouldn’t do.
I called upon the flame again, thinking of my friends. Fire exploded out of me, an enormous plume that enveloped the bird.
He shrieked, a sound of rage and fear, then flew in the other direction, tail feathers alight. The rest of his feathers looked charred as well, and he was out of sight in moments.
Holy fates, that had worked!
I turned back to the flying machines. All three guys were grinning at me. I grinned back—which probably looked insane when I was in my dragon form.
The levity lasted only half a second, however.
Bree and Ana.
I turned to look for them, spotting the faint misting of clouds that surrounded them. The clouds disappeared, and I saw Ana flying low toward the ground. A speck of silver glinted on her back—Bree.
I raced after them, the flying machines following at my back. As quickly as I could, I cut through the air, swooping low toward the ground. Ana had landed in a valley, and I joined her, making a very undignified landing on my claws and then galloping toward them.
I returned to my human form, then sprinted the last few yards. Ana, still a crow, crouched low so that a semi-conscious Bree could clamber off her back. Bree’s wing was bent at a crazy angle, and blood coated the thing.
“The bird got you good.” I dug into my potion belt.
“Bastard.” Bree sat heavily on the ground.
Ana shifted back to her human form and knelt at Bree’s side. “Here, let me help.”
“Take this, too.” I shoved the little vial at Bree, who took it and slugged it back. She had some healing ability, but she looked like hell and was willing to accept help.
“Tastes awful.” She glowered at me.
“I’ll make it taste like a Witch’s Delight next time,” I said, referencing her favorite pink cocktail.
Her features relaxed as the healing potion went to work. Ana hovered her hands over the wound as well, using her healing light to give it a little extra boost toward recovery.
“Bree!” Cade’s voice sounded from behind us, and I looked back to see that the two flying machines had landed and the guys were sprinting toward us.
Cade knelt at Bree’s side and cupped her cheeks. “Are you all right?”
“Better now.” Her gaze met mine and Ana’s. “Thanks, guys.”
“Bastard bird,” Maximus muttered. “They don’t normally have a fantastic sense of smell.”
“That’s what I was counting on.” Bree scowled. “But that one did. He knew just where I was. Hit me on the first try.”
“Well, you’re okay now.” Ana lowered her hands and grinned. “All better.”
Bree looked at her wing and moved it, smiling. “Thanks.”
She stood, and I joined her, every muscle aching.
We were in a weird valley. On one wall, there appeared to be at least a hundred cave openings, each covered by an enormous pile of rocks.
“I think we’ve reached our destination,” Lachlan said.
“But which one is the Cave of Treasures?” Maximus asked.
It was impossible to tell. “I bet if you try to open the wrong one, something terrible will happen.”
“No doubt.” Maximus nodded. “This is a protection measure.”
“So we just have to pick the right one the first time.” Ana approached the wall of caves. It stretched for nearly a mile in either direction. There was even a second level of cave entrances above the first one, set slightly farther back in the valley wall.
“How will we do that?” Maximus asked.
“I’ll try.” Ana sucked in a deep breath, clearly preparing to use her gift of Druid prophecy.
I leaned toward Maximus. “If Ana asks the right questions, her gift of prophecy will sometimes give her the answer.”
“Fingers crossed, then,” he said.
Ana’s magic swelled in the air as she worked, and finally, she pointed to a cave entrance about two hundred meters away. “I think it’s that one.”
“Good enough for me.” I started toward it, my friends at my side.
Once we reached it, we stopped in front.
“That’s at least a million pounds of rock,” Lachlan said.
“Worse, it’s attached to the earth below.” Cade pointed.
He was right. It wasn’t loose rubble piled up in front of the cave entrance. The ground here was made of solid rock, and it looked like a giant had shoved the rock up against the cave entrance when the stone was still molten. It had dried against the entrance as a craggy rock door, totally solid and totally immovable.
Except they hadn’t seen us coming.
I looked at Ana, then at Lachlan. They both had the ability to move large pieces of earth, and it was going to take all their skill, I’d bet.
“We’ve got this,” Ana said.
The two of them stepped forward and raised their hands. Their magic filled the air with different signatures. The ground beneath our feet rumbled. The stone peeled back from the entrance to the cave, scraping loudly against the ground as it moved. Sweat trickled down Ana’s temple as she worked, and finally, the path was clear.
The mouth of the cave beckoned, a gaping black hole that was as inviting as it was threatening.
Lachlan and Ana dropped their hands, their magic fading.
“Nice work.” Bree started toward the cave, and we followed.
At the entrance, we hesitated. I listened carefully, peering into the dark.
After a while, I looked at Bree. “I’m getting nothing.”
“Same. Let’s go.”
We crept into the cave, entering a tunnel that was about thirty feet wide. Silently, we moved through it. Soon, the light from the entrance dissipated, and we were plunged into darkness.
I raised my lightstone ring. Bree and Ana did the same. The glow from our three rings illuminated the space, and we continued on.
Minutes la
ter, we reached a diversion in the path. Our tunnel split into eight, and we had to choose.
I looked at Ana.
She nodded her head and closed her eyes. Her magic swelled on the air, and a moment later, she pointed to one of the middle tunnels.
It was narrower than the one in which we stood, but it was still wide enough for all of us to walk side by side. We moved through it on silent feet. When a glow shined from up ahead, I killed the magic in my ring. Bree followed suit, and we crept through the darkness.
As we neared, the golden glow brightened, becoming almost blinding. I squinted and crept forward, gasping when I spotted the interior of a gigantic cave.
It was at least three hundred feet tall, and just as wide. The whole thing was chock-full of gold. Piles of gold coins, trunks full of jewelry. Ingots and bars and plates. It formed a labyrinth within, so much wealth that it nearly made me ill. There were even gemstones among the lot, sparkling with rainbow fire.
“How the hell did this get here?” I whispered.
“A thief,” Maximus said. “Only a thief would hide their treasure like this.”
“Or a dragon,” Bree said.
“There are no dragons here,” I murmured. Somehow, I knew I would feel it if there were. “But there might be a monster.”
The air reeked of dark magic, and I breathed through my mouth to limit the stench.
“How the hell are we going to find what we’re looking for in here?” Lachlan asked.
He had a point. This place was just so full.
I crept forward, entering the labyrinth that was a temple to wealth.
We slipped between the piles of gold, some of which towered far overhead. On instinct, I headed toward the center of the room.
When a voice rumbled through the space, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Who dares trespass among my treasures?” The voice vibrated with such evil that I shivered.
I kept my mouth shut and kept moving forward, hoping to find the vessel before I found whoever spoke.
No luck, though.
“I see you amongst the piles of coins. You’ve come to steal what’s mine!” He sounded immensely offended at the very idea.
Since we were currently standing amid massive piles of coins, I had to assume that he could see us.
“This can’t be all your treasure. No single person could own this much,” I shouted.
“Of course it’s mine!” the voice boomed. “I killed all the previous owners, which means it’s mine.”
Killed?
Yikes.
A murderous thief.
I stepped out from between the coins, entering an open space in the cavern. My friends followed, spreading out behind me.
In the middle of the space sat a pedestal. Upon it, a small golden vase sat in a place of honor. Something inside my chest pinged with awareness.
That’s what we were after. Small and unassuming—at least amongst everything else that was here—but capable of holding the souls of Titans.
A man stepped out from behind trunks that vomited up pearls and diamonds. He had a ruddy complexion and black eyes that gleamed like a snake’s. Green hair topped his head. The magic that rolled off of him was deep and evil.
“A goblin,” Cade murmured.
“Goblin?” I asked.
“They hoard treasure.”
“Indeed, we do,” the goblin said. “And I’m sure you’ve something on your person that I could add to my collection after I’ve killed you.”
“Hell no, we’re not joining your collection,” I said.
“Why not?” He pointed to the jewels that sat next to him. “That once belonged to a queen of Spain. Oh, how she screamed when I killed her. Wouldn’t you like to join her?”
“No. And yuck.” The gleam of excitement in his eyes really grossed me out.
“And then that over there…” He pointed to a collection of gleaming golden chairs. “They belonged to the Fae king of Anchromea. He was not very pleased when I cut off his—”
“Stop!” I held out my hands. “We don’t need to know any more. You’re a miserable bastard who has killed a whole lot of people to create this creepy collection. We get it.”
“Creepy?” Anger flushed his face, turning it an even deeper red. “I’ll show you creepy.”
Magic swirled around him, dark and fierce. It swept him up in a tornado, no doubt turning him into something awful. Before he could finish the transformation, I darted toward the pedestal in the center of the open space.
I just had to grab the vase before he changed.
I was nearly there when the black tornado that surrounded him exploded in a blast. Something slammed into me, smacking me aside and throwing me up into the air. I flew high, and somehow—miraculously—Maximus caught me.
My heart thundered as I looked up at him, catching sight of an enormous tentacle smashing back down to the ground.
Oh, hell no.
Tentacles?
I squinted through the dark smoke that was dissipating and spotted a huge creature. He looked like a green land octopus, with at least ten legs and an enormous head sporting beady black eyes.
“The Goblin King,” Cade muttered. “Just our luck.”
“What’s the Goblin King?” I asked as my gaze darted around the space, looking for a place to hide.
“Only the most dangerous goblin in existence. He lives for treasure, and the number of people he’s killed is more than we can guess.”
Maximus drew a sword from the ether, looking like a total bad ass. “Then let’s take care of the bastard.”
14
At his words, a tentacle snapped toward us. It was as wide around as a car, and glinted a brilliant green. We all dived out of the way as it smashed down into the pile of gold behind us, sending the coins flying.
I slid into a crevice between two golden benches, covering my head. The coins pinged off of me, hurting like hell wherever they hit. Maximus slammed into the hiding space with me, trying to shield my body with his own as he kept his sword away from me.
Once the coins stopped flying, I jumped to my feet. I could turn into a dragon to fight this guy, but I was still nervous about my fire. It’d gone out of control last time. Better to try something safer to start. I drew a potion bomb from my bag. It was a hardcore stunner, but I had a feeling I’d need more than one.
The Goblin King rose high above us, at least twenty feet in the air, his tentacles stretched throughout the cavern, writhing over piles of gold as they searched us out.
At my side, Cade hurled his round shield at one of the tentacles. The shield flew straight, severing the tentacle in one smooth movement. Green blood sprayed, and the Goblin King shrieked.
While he was distracted by that, I chucked the potion bomb at his head. It smashed into his face, and he swayed, his eyes crossing. A moment later, he shook his head, his expression clearing, and managed to stay upright.
His enraged roar shook the chamber itself, causing piles of gold to shift all around.
I scrambled away from the pile that began to rain down, threatening to crush me, and skidded on the coins.
To my left, Maximus lunged for one of the tentacles that was about to slam down on my head. He stabbed it with his sword, then yanked the blade to the side, dragging the tentacle with it.
The tentacle must have been able to exert a thousand pounds of muscular force, but Maximus managed to pull it tight.
An idea flared, and I pulled my electric sword from the ether. The weapon crackled with energy as I sliced it toward the tentacle. It took a few bloody hacks to get all the way through the thing, but I managed.
The Goblin King roared again, and something heavy hit me in the back.
Another tentacle.
It lifted me up and flung me against the stone wall. I hit the side so hard that my body exploded with pain as I dropped to the ground.
Aching, I sat against the wall, blinking bleary eyes at the fight going down in front of me.
&n
bsp; Lachlan had turned into an enormous black lion and was attacking the Goblin King’s throat, leaving massive wounds in the surface of his flesh. Green blood poured down over the gold, but the Goblin King kept fighting.
Bree and Ana had adopted their flying forms. Ana was destroying one tentacle with her claws, while Bree was using her strength to tie two tentacles together. Maximus raced toward me, concern creasing his brow.
Despite the fact that the Goblin King was shaped like a giant octopus, he could still speak. “I’ll kill you! I’ll tear your guts out through your mouth and wear your heads as hats. You’ll never know pain like the pain I’ll deliver.”
Honestly, given the aches that rolled through my body, I believed him. This guy was capable of a hell of a lot.
Maximus reached me and helped pull me to my feet. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Let’s just finish this guy.” Everything ached as I staggered toward the center of the cavern where the battle was going down.
The Goblin King still had four tentacles in operation, and he used one to smack away Lachlan, who was still tearing at his enormous throat with his claws and fangs. The black lion flew head over tail and slammed into the stone wall, just as I had done.
Rage boiled in my chest at the sight of my friend crumpled on the ground. The dragon within me burst to the surface. I hadn’t called on it—not consciously—but suddenly, I was twenty feet tall and in possession of some serious claws and fangs. Any concern I’d had about the small space and my fire dwindled.
I could do this.
I had to do this.
I roared, a sound that shook the cavern itself. No smoke burst from my mouth, thank fates.
I took off into the air, my powerful wings carrying me high. As if they got the message, my friends cleared out, darting toward the edges of the cavern. I swooped low over the Goblin King, blasting him with a jet of fire that melted the gold beneath his body.
He shrieked, his tentacles waving.
That’s probably what your other victims felt, you jerk.
I gave him one last enormous blast, wanting to end his misery and get this over with. The fire was so hot and so fierce that it turned his head to ashes in a second.
