by Linsey Hall
Fates, I hope we did this right.
10
We arrived back in the ceremonial center of Olympus. The wind whipped coldly over my cheeks, and I gripped the dragon’s claw tightly in my hands.
Next to me, Maximus carried the bag of snake heads.
I spun in a quick circle, taking in the dragons. All six stared at us, interest gleaming in their jewel-like eyes. I really hated how they’d laid out this space. It’d be so much better to face the dragons head-on. Instead, I had to choose which one to face.
Obviously, it had to be Ladon.
“Well?” Ladon asked.
I nodded to Maximus, who dumped the snake heads onto the ground.
“At first, I thought I was supposed to kill Medusa,” I said. “Everything I’d ever heard about her was bad.”
“I know,” Ladon said.
I didn’t ask how he’d known. He was a damned dragon. They knew stuff.
“Along the way, we learned her story,” I continued. “I knew I couldn’t kill her, then. Even if I’d had to kill her, I wouldn’t have. But Maximus remembered what you said about heads. Plural.” I nodded down to the withered snakes on the ground. They still stank of dark magic, and some of them had turned entirely to dust. “I hope we were right about that.”
“You were indeed,” Ladon said. “We had hoped you would choose the right path. A Drakaina is powerful—we wouldn’t give that power to someone who couldn’t wield it well.”
“Drakaina?” I asked.
He nodded. “A female dragon.”
My heart began to pound and my head to spin. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?
Please let him be saying that. Oh, please!
The six dragons raised their wings, magic sparking around them. Red, yellow, white, blue, green. Every color glittered in the air, and the dragons roared. It shook my eardrums, nearly sending me to my knees.
I stiffened my legs, determined not to fall in front of them. I would be worthy.
The magic surged toward me, slamming into me like a freight train. Because it came from all directions, I didn’t fall over. Instead, it lifted me up, filling me with so much power that I thought my head might pop off. I could barely breathe, and every muscle began to tear.
Pain streaked through me, along with a weird kind of pleasure. Almost like triumph.
My vision began to darken, the sparkling magic glittering at the edges. A moment later, power exploded from me, making me feel like a supernova.
I shot into the air, feeling amazing.
I was strength.
I was grace.
I was power.
I was dragon.
Massive wings flapped alongside me, brilliant silver in the sun. The magic that flowed through me felt like a homecoming, and I soared upward, the wind against my face.
Joy burst in my chest.
But only for a second.
My wings faltered. Suddenly, the air felt like pudding. It was impossible to fly through it. I collapsed backward and slammed onto the ground.
Pain surged in my skull, and I blinked, swearing that I saw stars circling my head as if I were in an old cartoon.
I struggled upright, flopping around on my dragon feet, my wings as awkward as two umbrellas in the wind.
Oh fates.
I was a terrible dragon.
I turned my head to look at both my wings. They were huge and magnificent, silvery and sparkling in the sun. They looked like they should carry me to the moon.
In reality, they’d carried me about twenty feet up, and most of that had probably been because of the magic of the other dragons.
Boy, I was going to need some practice.
I was like an awkward adolescent dragon who’d just gone through a growth spurt and stumbled around like a giant.
It was a letdown to not be soaring through the skies like a professional, but only for half a second.
Because holy fates, I was a dragon!
A dragon who needed some practice. But I was a freaking dragon!
Wait until my sisters see this.
I should blow some fire. That was very dragon-y and a skill I really ought to have.
For safety’s sake, I raised my head to look toward the sky. I didn’t want to barbecue anyone, after all. I called upon the heat that I felt within my chest. It was like there was a furnace inside me, constantly pumping fire through my veins.
I forced the heat to rise from my chest through my throat, and I blew it outward.
A puff of smoke escaped from my lips. Maybe a tiny little flame.
Dang.
My shoulders sagged, but only a millimeter.
I looked down at Maximus, who was looking at me with an expression of such awe that my shoulders went up again.
I would get the hang of this.
I’d have to.
I turned to look at Ladon, who looked a little impressed himself.
“You look good,” he said.
I tried to speak, but no words came out.
“You’ll have to shift back,” he said. “You are not quite like us. At least, not yet. With practice, you may be able to speak in your dragon form. But not now.”
I nodded, then imagined turning back into my human self. It took a few moments, but the magic surged through my limbs finally, shrinking me back down to human size.
I looked down at myself, spotting my usual shirt, jacket, and jeans. Thank fates I still wore my clothes. Transforming back naked would be a real pain. I shot a glance up at Zeus’s castle to see if he was watching. He was, and his expression was conflicted.
I looked up at Ladon. “Is it normal for me to be so…awkward?”
Ladon shrugged an enormous shoulder. “I have no idea. A human has never transformed into a dragon before.”
Wow.
“It is true, though. You need practice.” Ladon grimaced. “A lot of practice.”
“No kidding.” The memory of flopping back down to the ground in front of all these dragons made my cheeks warm. “I don’t have a lot of time, though.”
“You aren’t getting any more, so work hard.”
Maximus approached me, stopping to stand by my side. He looked at the dragons. “We do have one other problem.”
“And what is that?” Ladon asked.
“We don’t yet have a way to put the Titans back in Tartarus.”
“I’m not sure we can help with that,” he said. “But I do have a warning for you, Rowan.”
Uh-oh. “Yes?”
“The darkness in you is still there.”
A shiver of dread raced over me. “I know. But I’ve come to terms with it.”
“Good. Because you will be tested once more. One final time. The pull of evil and power is strong. Too much for most people to resist. It could make you the most powerful being in existence, but you must not embrace it.”
My mind snagged on the “most powerful being” part. Was that how I was supposed to defeat the Titans? I had to become mega powerful to do it?
Except, I couldn’t embrace the darkness.
Ladon had made that clear, and I was unwilling to anyway. I didn’t want to be like them. How could I come back from that? Could I, even?
“You must be careful, Rowan.” Ladon’s eyes burned into me. “Everything relies on you, but you must choose the right way. Or you will lose everything you love.”
The dragons sent Maximus and me back to the Protectorate castle using their magic. When we arrived, the moon hung high overhead, gleaming brilliantly on the castle walls.
“I lost track of time,” I said.
Maximus rubbed a hand over his face, weariness in the gesture. “It’s been a while since we’ve slept.”
Adrenaline had kept me going before this, but it was wearing off now. Fast. From the look of the moon, it was the middle of the night. Which meant we’d been awake for twenty-four hours, all of which had been spent running and fighting and using magic.
I was so tapped out that a bowl of puddin
g would be stronger than me.
The castle was quiet now, incredibly so. Everyone had to be asleep. Or at least, everyone except the guards.
“Let’s go check the wall and see if the army is still out there,” I asked.
“We can ask the guards where everyone is, too.”
I reached for Maximus’s hand, and we started across the castle lawn, striding toward the exterior curtain wall.
I took the stairs two at a time, hurrying to the top of the ramparts. Fatigue filled every inch of my body as I moved. It was almost as if coming home and being safe made me realize how damned tired I was.
When I reached the top, I looked out over the forest that surrounded the castle. Hundreds of demons and humans still stood there, staring at us.
For the briefest second, adrenaline flooded my veins. Then it sapped away, and I was left shakier than ever.
But damn, the Titans were determined.
Caro and Ali approached from the left, gray circles under their eyes. They were clearly almost as exhausted as we were, but no way they’d fall asleep on guard duty.
Ali ran a hand through his shiny dark hair. He looked a lot like Aladdin from that kids’ movie. Slender and handsome and young. He was a Djinn with the power to possess the bodies of people and animals, and he was a badass fighter with that skill.
I’d hardly seen him lately, though. Hell, I’d hardly seen most of my friends. I couldn’t wait for the day where we could just hang out again.
But for now, we had a war to win.
“They haven’t moved at all?” I asked.
“Not a bit.” Caro shook her head, her short platinum bob shining in the light. “They just stare at us like a bunch of crazies.”
“They’d have to be crazy to follow the Titans,” Maximus said.
“Truth.” Ali grinned. “Did you have any luck?”
“Yes. But I’ll show you tomorrow.” If I tried to turn into a dragon right now, I’d definitely fall off the ramparts. “Where is everyone?”
“Asleep,” Caro said. “It’s one a.m., and most people haven’t slept in days. Several teams made progress over the last twenty-four hours, though, so everyone is resting up.”
“Perfect.” We’d gotten here just in time. Because damn, I really needed to join the team slumber party.
“Is there a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, then?” Maximus asked.
“Yep. Seven a.m. sharp. Kitchens.” Ali grinned again, this time even wider. “Can’t say I mind having our meetings where the food is.”
Caro laughed, though the sound was weighty with weariness, and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Of course you don’t. You’d eat an old leather shoe and say it tasted good.”
“With the right seasoning, it could.”
Hmm, the way he was looking at her made this really seem like flirting. Interesting. “Okay, we’re going to head to bed, then. Unless you need us to cover for you up here?”
The idea made me want to cry, but I couldn’t leave my friends hanging if they were as exhausted as I was.
“Nope. We already got a good nap in,” Ali said. “We’re fine.”
“Awesome. See you later, and good luck.”
Maximus and I climbed down the stairs and started across the lawn toward the castle. Several of the mullioned windows gleamed like crystal, but most were dark.
It didn’t take us long to reach my apartment. The Menacing Menagerie were asleep on the couch, the three of them snoring in tandem. We tiptoed past them and fell into bed, barely managing to get off our shoes and outerwear.
I rolled over toward Maximus and laid my head on his chest. Memories of our time with Arachne flashed in my mind.
“Did you mean it?” I blurted. “When you said you loved me, did you mean it?”
He looked down, surprise on his handsome face. “Of course I meant it.”
He sounded so sure, and almost a little offended that I would even ask, that I smiled.
I snuggled closer to him. “Good. I meant it, too.”
“I know you meant it.” There was a smile in his voice. “You blurted it out like they were the last words you’d ever say.”
“I thought they would be.” The thought of that feeling shivered through me. It may have all turned out well, but that brief moment had been awful.
I wanted to talk more, but exhaustion pulled at me. It must have tugged at him, too, because he was silent.
As I drifted off to sleep, I thought of what Ladon had said about the darkness inside of me. What exactly had he meant by all that?
Was the darkness inside me really under control like I thought it was? Or had my acceptance of it just been a clever trick by my subconscious?
The next morning, Maximus and I visited the ramparts again before the meeting with the rest of the Protectorate. The army was still there, staring silently at us.
“What do you want to bet this group can appear at the Titans’ fortress within minutes if they call them?” I asked.
“Not taking that bet.” Maximus rubbed a hand against his chin. “But since you’re right, it’d probably be smart to find a way to trap them here so we don’t have to fight them along with the Titans.”
“Yeah. The Titans already had a pretty big human and demon army when I saw them last. I bet it’s only grown.”
“We’ll figure something out.” Maximus took my hand, and we walked back down the stairs, off the ramparts.
I’d finished my transition, but there was so much left to face. Not just an enormous army, but also my iffy skill with my new form.
“We have a few minutes before the meeting,” I said. “I think I’m going to practice transforming.”
“Good idea.” Maximus squeezed my hand.
“Don’t sound so relieved.” I grinned. “But I guess if you have a dragon on your side, it’s good if that dragon can do more than flop around.”
“I’d still love you if all you could do was flop.”
I laughed and let go of his hand. “I’m going to be the best dragon you ever saw.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
Fates, I hoped I could live up to my big words.
I stopped in the middle of the castle lawn and drew in a deep breath. There was no one outside right now except the guards on the castle wall. I’d checked, and it was no longer Ali and Caro, but rather some members of the Demon Hunters Unit that I didn’t know well.
Actually….
I looked at Maximus. “Will you go tell the guards not to shoot me if they see me in dragon form?”
“On it.” He loped back toward the wall to deliver the message.
Once I was alone, I drew in another breath. The quiet helped. Being alone with no one watching helped even more, actually.
It was just me and the dragon inside me, and we weren’t going to flop around like a fish out of water.
I called upon the dragon magic in my soul, feeling it spark along my veins. It was so strong and obvious, a different kind of magic than I’d ever felt before. Sometimes it was hard to call new magic to the surface, but not this. It was almost as if this magic had been waiting within me forever, ready to burst free.
It surged through my veins, rising to the surface in a rush. Magic glittered around me, a rainbow of color that flowed in front of my face, whirling like a tornado.
Within a second, I could feel my body expand. Wings grew, claws formed, my muscles became huge. Soon, my head was level with the second story of the castle. Two shocked faces peered out at me.
Uh-oh.
Now I had an audience.
I shoved the worry away and focused on how amazing it was to finally be a dragon. A dragon!
I used that awe and joy to propel myself upward into the sky. This time, I flew a little higher. Fifty feet, at least.
Then, my wings faltered.
I fell, plummeting back to earth and hitting the ground hard.
Damn it.
I climbed to my feet and tried again, surging upward on my wings. They
were more than big enough. I wasn’t some big-assed dragon with tiny wings. I mean, I had some pretty big hindquarters, but I also had huge wings. I just needed to learn to use them.
I clawed my way upward, pumping my wings hard. My breath heaved in my lungs and little puffs of smoke burst from my lips, but I didn’t make it much farther this time either. Maybe sixty feet, at most. Considering I was at least thirty feet long, that was more like a jump than flying.
I hit the ground again, this time with a harder thud.
When I looked up, the entirety of the Protectorate was standing on the front steps of the castle. Every single one was staring at me. I swallowed hard.
Perfect. Just perfect.
11
The entire staff of the Protectorate stared at me. Most of them were holding juice boxes and bacon sandwiches, so they’d clearly come from the meeting in the kitchen.
Which I was now probably late for. I must have lost track of time while trying to fly.
I shifted back to my human form, insanely grateful to still be wearing clothes. The only thing worse than falling on your ass in front of your colleagues was then appearing naked afterward.
“Wow.” Jude nodded. “That’s cool.”
I grinned at her. “Yeah. I just need to learn to fly and shoot fire and stuff.”
“If you even can,” Lavender said snidely.
I glowered at my old nemesis. I hadn’t been in class lately, but the reason was obvious. Fighting the Titans was pretty much a full-time job. Lavender didn’t like it though.
And I didn’t like that her words echoed a very real fear of mine. What if I couldn’t do it?
I shook the thought away. I couldn’t let her see weakness, couldn’t let her see that I cared. So I just shrugged. “Even if I can’t, I’m still thirty feet long with giant fangs and claws, so I won’t be totally useless in a battle.”
Bree and Ana huffed out identical laughs.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Jude said. “We need to discuss the next steps. We’ve all got our breakfast, so let’s go to the Round Room.”
The crowd turned and filed in through the castle doors. Bree and Ana caught up with me, Cade and Lachlan at their sides.
