Dragon's Gift: The Amazon Complete Series: An Urban Fantasy Boxed Set

by Linsey Hall

Wow, dragon fire was amazing.

  The tentacles flopped to the ground, lifeless, and I whirled on the air, surveying the piles of gold to find my friends. One by one, they strode toward the middle of the cavern. Ana, now in her human form, was crouched by Lachlan. He’d also shifted back, and he was staggering to his feet. Everyone else looked fine, thank fates.

  Satisfied that my friends were safe, I searched for the vessel. My gaze landed on it almost immediately, as if it called to my soul. It was half buried in a pile of coins, nearly impossible to see. If it hadn’t called to me, I might have missed it entirely.

  I swooped down and landed next to it, my tail smashing into a pile of coins and sending them sliding.

  Whoops.

  I’d have to be more careful with that thing.

  I shifted back to human form and snagged the vessel quickly, turning to look at my friends. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Lachlan created a portal, and we were home within minutes. All I wanted was a shower and a nap, but as soon as I appeared on the castle lawn, I spotted the Centaurs and the Cyclopes.

  “Looks like I can kiss that nap goodbye,” I muttered.

  “No kidding,” Ana said.

  The Amazons were there as well, clustered near the castle wall. Over a hundred of them, each dressed in their black battle clothes. I smiled, glad to see them but dreading the reason they were at the castle.

  It was pure chaos there, with people running around, clearly prepping for battle. Most carried weapons or wore some kind of armor. A lot of it was modern tactical wear, though a few people were wearing more ancient stuff. To each their own.

  “Something has changed,” Maximus said.

  Bree frowned. “The Titans must have made progress with the crystal. It looks like we’re about to go to war.”

  My heart thundered, and I clutched the vessel tightly. Damn it, I wasn’t ready yet. I had no idea how to get their souls into the vessel.

  I searched the courtyard for Jude and spotted her striding toward us. She’d nearly reached us when I blurted out, “Is it time?”

  She nodded sharply. “Our recon at the Titans’ fortress suggests that their spell is nearly complete. The golden crystal has been hooked up to the power source and is spinning faster than ever. Soon, they’ll have converted the entire world to their dark magic—including us. There’s no more time to wait.”

  “But I’m not ready. I don’t know how to put their souls into the vessel.” I held it up.

  “You’re going to have to figure it out on the spot, because we are literally out of time. Once we’ve converted to their side, there will be no one left to fight them. But if we can stop them now, we’ll turn back the damage they’ve done. Now that you’re here, we can go.”

  Something loud clanged in my head as my mind raced, searching for a way to get their souls into this vessel. I had no idea, unfortunately. Just…nothing.

  Jude met the gazes of everyone in our group. “We’ve found a weakness in their fortress wall, and our army is ready. I was hoping that you could take your buggy and get close enough to the wall to deploy the bombs that Hedy made. Once we have an entrance into their fortress, the entire army will approach.”

  Bree nodded, and I heard her speak through the buzzing in my head. “Of course, the buggy can be ready to go in minutes.”

  “Good. The Cyclopes and Centaurs have agreed to provide cover for your approach.”

  Heck yeah, that would definitely help.

  “You all look like hell,” Jude said. “Go get a power-up potion from Hedy. It should give you some energy.”

  More magical speed. But we didn’t have a choice. I was so exhausted that I was dragging like a new mother with a colicky infant. I nodded at Jude, hoping that Hedy’s potion would clear up my mind and give me a genius idea about how to get the Titans into the vessel.

  As if she could read the concern in my eyes, Jude reached for my hand and squeezed. “You can do this, Rowan. I have faith in you. And even if you need some extra time to figure out how to get their souls into the vessel, perhaps we can contain them long enough to give you that time. We’ve got a pretty impressive force here.”

  I looked around, taking in even more people than before. Allies were still arriving, and she was right. This was an incredible army. I spotted the FireSouls by the castle doors. Nix, Del, and Cass stood with their guys, Ares, Roarke, and Aiden. Mordaca and Aerdeca stood with them, each kitted out entirely in black and white respectively. Gone were the Elvira dress and white pantsuit, however, and in their places were tactical outfits in their signature colors.

  They waved but didn’t smile. Nix, Cass, and Dell waved with big grins on their faces, and I knew they were excited to get into a fight. They loved a good fight.

  “And there’s some good news,” Jude said. “You know the troops outside the castle walls?”

  “How could I forget?” They were literally here for me.

  “We found a way to trap them here, so we won’t have to fight them at the Titans’ fortress. And once the Titans are dead, their magical sway over the humans will disappear. That leaves just the demons to deal with. Easy peasy.”

  I smiled at her, genuinely happy. It meant less death and injury for all, and I could definitely get behind that.

  “Be ready,” Jude said. “We leave in ten.”

  With that, she turned and walked away. My shoulders slumped.

  Maximus laid a heavy, comforting hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Rowan. You’ve got this.”

  I nodded.

  “Yeah, you’ve got it,” Ana added. “No question.”

  “I have faith in you.” Bree gave me a quick hug, then stepped back. “I’m off to prep the buggy. Snag me a power-up potion from Hedy.”

  I saluted her. “Will do.”

  She ran off to the buggy, and the rest of us headed into the castle. On the way in, I spotted Connor and Claire, my other friends from Magic’s Bend. They waved, their expressions serious. Connor had a bag strapped over his shoulder that looked just like mine. No doubt it was filled with potions. Claire wore her fighting leathers with her hair pulled back, and she gripped her sword loosely in her hand.

  There were so many people flowing out of the castle that we climbed the stairs into the main entryway like salmon going upstream. Once inside, Maximus stopped me.

  “Really, Rowan. You can do this. You’ll find a way.” His expression was serious, as if he were trying to force some of his faith into me.

  I smiled up at him, wishing I believed him.

  “He’s not wrong, you know.” The voice came from behind me, vibrating with power.

  My heart thundered as I turned, spotting Arach, the dragon spirit who guarded the castle. She appeared in her human form, which looked a bit like a transparent blue ghost. Her features were beautiful but reptilian. Hundreds of years ago, she’d given her magic and her life to create the Protectorate, and now she guarded it. I was rarely granted an audience with her. No one was.

  Her power was so immense that it made me lightheaded to stand near her.

  “Arach.” The words came out as a squeak.

  “Rowan Blackwood. You have done well.”

  “Thanks.” Warmth glowed in my chest at her words, but not for long. “Except I have no idea how I’m supposed to get the Titans’ souls into the vessel.”

  She reached out and laid her hand on my arm. I couldn’t feel the warmth or solidity of her form since she didn’t have one, but her magic flowed through me, bolstering me. “You will find a way. When the time comes, the answer will come to you as well. It is inside of you. Have faith, Rowan. You can make the final choice. Only you.”

  I nodded, wishing that she had more explicit instructions but willing to take what I could get. “Thank you, Arach.”

  With that, she disappeared.

  I was still scared silly, but I felt a bit better.

  Maximus squeezed my hand. “Let’s go find Hedy.”

  Once Maximus and I had col
lected power-up potions and the bombs from Hedy, we returned to the front lawn. The troops were all gathered in groups, ready to be transported to the field of battle. Lachlan walked amongst them, along with Emily, the transport mage. Between the two of them, they’d create enough portals so we could get our army there.

  Then all we had left to do was defeat the Titans.

  As Jude would say, easy peasy.

  Not.

  I shook away the negative thoughts and strode toward Bree and the buggy. Our fighting machine looked as good as ever. We’d built the hulking car ourselves when we’d been teenagers, using spare parts and things we’d scavenged from car graveyards.

  The result was something that looked like a Humvee with no top. The sides were covered in huge spikes that were coated in Ravener poison, and platforms were built over the hood and extending off the back.

  Bree was already standing on the front fighting platform that was built right over the hood. Caro stood next to her, platinum hair gleaming. Ana sat behind the wheel, a bright smile on her face. No matter how dangerous the goal, Ana loved driving the buggy. Cade stood on the back fighting platform, his expression set.

  I strode up to them, raising the power-up potions in the air. “I’ve got the stuff.”

  They grinned. The power-up potions were basically magical energy drinks, but super strong. We weren’t supposed to take them often or they’d overload our system.

  Maximus and I climbed into the buggy, and I handed out the potions. I slugged mine back, then joined Bree and Caro on the front platform, while Maximus took up position on the back platform with the rest of the guys.

  Bree handed me a harness and grinned. “Safety first.”

  I strapped the harness around my waist and clipped it off to the front safety bar that wrapped around the platform at waist-high level. When we’d been teenagers on our first trip in the buggy, we’d learned the hard way that we needed safety harnesses.

  All around, the groups of fighters whispered and readied themselves for battle. Portals gleamed in front of them, ready to be used to reach the site of battle. Between the Protectorate, the Order of the Magica, the Amazons, our friends from Magic’s Bend, and the Greek mythical creatures, we had an army of at least two hundred.

  Not bad.

  Jude strode up to our buggy. Her electric whip was coiled at her side and her face was battle ready, set in serious lines. “Ready?”

  “Ready,” we all said in unison.

  “You’ll go first. Caro will lead you to the weak spot in the castle wall. Deploy the bombs, and once our entryway is established, join the fight.”

  “On it.”

  She smiled at us. “Good luck and be safe.”

  Lachlan strode up to us and stopped right in front of the buggy to make a large portal. Once it gleamed, ready for Ana to drive through, he climbed onto the back platform to join Cade.

  “Go!” Jude shouted.

  Our army began to flow through the portals, heading toward war. Ana hit the gas, and the buggy rumbled forward. I gripped the safety bar in front of me, my heart thundering.

  The ether sucked us in, spinning us through space. I held my breath until we arrived, then gasped at the sight of the fortress.

  I’d never seen it from this angle. Holy fates, it was big.

  The structure was built of midnight stone and towered into the air. It was so huge that it looked like something from an alien planet. The fortress sat on an enormous stone mountain that sloped gradually upward. Lightning crashed in the dark sky, illuminating the golden crystal that spun with incredible speed.

  Ana wasted no time in pressing her foot to the gas. I clung to the front railing of the buggy as it plowed forward, eating its way up the side of the mountain. Thunder boomed as lightning lit up the sky, making the fortress look haunted.

  My heartbeat roared as we approached, a chill racing over my skin.

  This was it—the battle that would determine our fate.

  15

  The Cyclopes and Centaurs thundered alongside us, ready to provide cover should we need it.

  I was certain we would.

  The wind blasted the hair back from my face, and I grinned, despite the fact that I was possibly racing toward death. Fear and joy combined, a strange mix. I’d always loved the buggy, and that was never going to change.

  “Head toward the left side of the fortress,” Caro shouted. “The weak spot is there.”

  Ana turned the wheel slightly left and zoomed toward our target. I looked back over my shoulder, spotting our army as it appeared through the portals. With every second, more people arrived, waiting to launch the attack.

  I squinted up toward the fortress walls, looking for a sign of any guards. The golden crystal continued to spin, and as we neared it, something strange happened. It was almost as if I could feel the power of the crystal in my chest.

  It was dark.

  As dark as the magic that I’d shoved deep down inside me. It called to me, pulling on that dark magic, trying to drag it to the surface. I stiffened, gripping the railing tight, and looked away from the crystal.

  Fight it.

  As we neared the base of the castle, I swept my gaze over the top of the ramparts. I spotted the tiny figures right before the magic began to fly.

  “Look out!” I shouted, just as a massive ball of fire hurtled toward us.

  One of the Cyclopes—Arges, I thought it was—thundered forward, raising his shield and slamming it into the fireball. The flame ricocheted back toward the fortress. It smashed into the wall about halfway up, leaving a deep dent.

  Chiron the Centaur galloped up to join Arges and raised his bow. The arrow that he nocked glowed a brilliant green, and he aimed with perfect precision, sending the emerald arrow sailing through the sky to land in the chest of the one who’d thrown the fireball.

  “Wow, they’re a great team,” Bree said.

  “Best backup you could hope for.” Caro grinned.

  Another blast of magic hurtled from the top of the fortress tower. It gleamed a bright blue. Sonic boom?

  Steropes, the other Cyclopes that I’d met, ran to meet this one. His footsteps shook the ground beneath the buggy. He caught the blast of magic against his shield, slamming it away just like Arges had. The power of the magic sent him to his knees, but he staggered upright. One of Chiron’s fellow Centaurs joined Steropes and fired an arrow at the one who’d thrown the sonic boom.

  The figure had already ducked behind the black stone wall, but the green arrow pierced the barrier. I heard the faintest scream, and knew that the Centaur’s magical arrow had found its mark.

  The fortress’s defensive assault came faster now. More and more blasts of flame and sonic booms. The Cyclopes did a good job of deflecting most of it, while Ana’s crazy driving took care of the rest. She dodged at least two fireballs and one sonic boom while the rest of us hung on for dear life.

  The closer we got, the harder the crystal pulled on me. The darkness inside me was rising, nearly impossible to fight.

  “Do you feel that?” I asked, the words nearly painful to speak.

  “Feel what?” Bree asked.

  “The crystal.” I pointed to it.

  “I don’t.” She frowned at me.

  “There are records of more and more people falling to the darkness,” Caro said. “Ever since they got the power source, they’ve converted people much more quickly. Maybe you’re one of them.”

  I wanted to believe that I was just like everyone else. But I knew this was different. I’d been warned.

  Fates, I hoped I had the strength to fight it.

  “Nearly there!” Caro shouted. “Get your bombs!”

  I dug out one of the bombs that Hedy had given us. They weren’t too dissimilar from my potion bombs, though they looked more like grenades than Christmas ornaments filled with liquid. Each of us had one, and we lined up so that we could get a clear shot.

  “See the white paint?” Caro shouted. “Aim for that!”

>   I spotted it a second later. Caro had drawn a white X on the bottom of the stone wall when she’d been here last, and no one in the fortress had realized. Hell, they probably didn’t even realize there was a weak spot in the wall.

  “On my count!” Caro raised her bomb.

  I did the same.

  “Three, two, one!”

  We all hurled our bombs. One by one, they crashed against the stone wall, exploding in a fiery green blast. As the smoke dissipated, I spotted the hole that led right into the Titans’ fortress. It was at least twenty feet across and ten feet high.

  I turned back to check out our army, which was now advancing. They sprinted up the side of the black mountain, Jude in the lead. She had one hand out in front of her, creating a massive shield. I’d never seen anything quite like it, and it was clearly taking up a lot of her power.

  The guards on the wall shot fire and sonic booms at them, but they exploded against Jude’s shield. The Cyclopes and Centaurs filled the space between the army and the fortress, intercepting as many of the blasts as they could. Each one surely weakened Jude, so I hoped they stopped them all.

  Ana pulled the buggy to a stop about forty feet from the fortress entrance. It was big, but not big enough. At best, twenty of our fighters could squeeze through at one time. The first ones to enter would be slaughtered immediately by the larger army within.

  I looked at Bree, and from the look on her face, I’d bet twenty bucks she was thinking the same thing I was.

  “We need to clear the way for them,” I shouted.

  “We can fly over the castle walls and create a blockade.”

  “I can do it with my fire.”

  “I’m coming!” Ana shouted.

  I looked back at her. She was turned toward the back platform. “One of you take the wheel!”

  Maximus leapt off the platform and took the wheel from her.

  “Don’t enter yet!” I shouted. “You’ll be outnumbered.”

  He nodded, expression grim. “We’ll go pick up some of the army. The run up to the top can’t be fun.”

  “Good.” I gave him a hard look. “Enter only with the rest of them when Ana gives the command.”