by Mandi Oyster
I tried to sit up, but my arms gave out. “Not great.” I sank back down, and the coins shifted beneath me. Bloody bandages wrapped my torso. “How long?”
Dark bags circled Cody’s eyes, and I knew the answer. Far too long.
“Two days,” Cash answered. “It would’ve been longer if you wouldn’t have leached onto me.”
My mouth felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. “Drink?”
Malcolm slid a backpack off his shoulders and rummaged through it, handing a bottle of water to Cash. “Slowly,” he said.
Cody started to walk toward me, but Malcolm stretched his arm in front of him and shook his head.
“Why?” Cody’s voice was a plea.
Malcolm’s eyes were sympathetic when he said, “You know why.”
Cash lifted my head and held the water up to my lips. I took small sips of it. “What’d I do to him?”
“Same thing you did to me.” Cash looked over his shoulder at Malcolm and Cody. “You pulled too much from both of them. When I got to the cavern, all three of you were zombies.”
My heart clenched, and I felt the urge to throw up again. “I’m a menace. You should let the Nephilim take me.”
Cody fell to his knees. “What happened?”
“Mavros and a silver dragon.”
Cash’s pupils turned to slits, and fangs jutted from his mouth.
As I explained what had happened, both dragons fought to keep their human form. When I finished, Malcolm said, “We promised to protect Dacia. How could one of the elders have broken his vow?”
“Did the elders make the vow?” Cody asked. “Or did they just make you?”
Cash and Malcolm looked at each other. Anger flashed through their eyes. “Aurelia needs to know,” Malcolm said, and Cash nodded his agreement.
“They’ll know we’ve been with her.” Cash held the water out to me, and I propped myself up on my elbows to have another drink.
As I sipped at the water, I remembered the silver dragon lowering its head to lick up my blood. My heart plummeted.
“What?” Cash clenched the bottle, and water squirted all over me. “Sorry.” He wiped it off of me with his sleeve.
“The dragon tasted my blood. It was on the ground beside me when Mavros turned me invisible.”
Malcolm and Cash shared a knowing glance. “That’s how they knew where to find her.” Cash’s voice barely held any of its humanity.
Malcolm nodded. “We can only hope the fairies can convince them of her innocence.”
“In a dream, Mavros told me he could track me.” My voice was faint, but they heard.
Cash’s head whipped toward me. “How?”
“His venom.”
Malcolm and Cash leaned in, talking to each other. I couldn’t make out their words and didn’t have the energy to try.
While they talked, Cody darted around them, coming to my side. He sat next to me, stretching his hand forward but stopping before his skin met mine. “Worried me.”
“I’m so sorry, Cody. I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t control my powers.”
“Not your fault.” He brushed my hair back from my face, and Malcolm growled at him. “I’m fine. She’s conscious now.”
I closed my eyes. “I probably could kill you if I take too much. You can’t let me, Cody.” I looked up at him and saw pain flicker across his face.
“Can’t let you suffer.”
“You can.” I took his hand in mine, twining our fingers together. “You can’t let me kill you. I’ll heal eventually. I couldn’t live with your death at my hands.”
The dragons watched us. Their features were caught somewhere between human and dragon. Cash said, “I’ll go back, say I stumbled on her scent. They’ll never believe you weren’t helping her, but there’s a chance they’ll believe me. If not, I owe her.”
He disappeared before any of us had a chance to argue with him.
Malcolm sat next to me. His face appeared more human, but anger lingered in his eyes. “Argentum betrayed us all. He was once wise and just, but he’s outlived his usefulness.”
“He probably fears me like Cash did.”
He dipped his head, then flashed his fangs. “Yes, but fear is not reason enough to betray an ally. I must warn Aurelia of his deceit.”
Within minutes, Aurelia and Arion stood in the lair with us. Aurelia knelt beside me and took my hand. “Show me,” she said as she sent healing energy flowing through me.
Closing my eyes, I remembered my encounter with Mavros. When Argentum licked my blood off the ground, she squeezed my hand hard enough that I whimpered.
“I am sorry, Dacia.” She unclenched my fingers. “He has betrayed not only you but all dragons.”
Arion bowed his head. His white coat shimmered. “I tried to speak to the Nephilim on your behalf, but because of my connection to Aurelia, they would not listen to me.”
“Thanks.” My tongue felt thick and heavy. I glanced at the bottle of water Cash had been helping me drink from before he disappeared.
Cody noticed, picked it up, and held it out as if asking if I wanted a drink. I nodded, and he supported my head, helping me drink. When he lowered the water, I asked, “Will they listen to the fairies?”
“Only time will tell.” Arion backed away. “We should know soon.”
Aurelia stood beside Arion. “We must take your memory to the elder council. Argentum cannot be allowed to get away with his betrayal. Any other dragons who helped him must also be punished.”
They disappeared, and the cavern seemed huge without them in it.
“Dacia needs to rest.” Malcolm’s voice startled me.
Cody started to stretch out beside me, but Malcolm said, “Not tonight, Cody. We can’t have her accidentally taking more of your strength.”
Cody narrowed his blue eyes at Malcolm. “If she needs it—”
“No, Cody.” My voice was softened by exhaustion, but he still heard me. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
He kissed my forehead, then walked away from me.
I thought it would take me a while to fall asleep. I was worried about Cash, Aurelia, and Arion, but when I closed my eyes, sleep embraced me.
Chapter 28
Names Have Power
“He’s angry, Dacia.” Mavros prowls toward me. Each step is slow and deliberate. “You’ve backed him into a corner, and now he’s desperate.”
Gentle flurries drift to the ground. The snowflakes catch on my eyelashes, melting a second later. Lights from the campus shine on the bottom of the clouds.
I bite my lip, wondering what a desperate elder dragon is capable of. “Well, that makes two of us.” My chest still aches from Mavros’ last attack, and I don’t know how well my body will be able to cope with another one. “The Nephilim drove me out of my home.”
Mavros rolls his obsidian eyes at me. The action is so human it’s hard to remember he’s a demon. “That cave wasn’t your home.”
“It was the closest thing I had to a home.” My voice rises, I fold my arms over my chest, and glare at him. “Your blood and the Nephilim drove me out of my real one.”
He tips his head to the side still stalking closer to me. “I am sorry about that, but the Nephilim would’ve driven you out without my blood there.”
“What are you waiting for, Mavros?” I watch every step he takes, waiting for a sign of attack, hoping I can force myself to wake up before he takes me out of my dream.
He stops moving and lifts his hands in the air as if surrendering. “He did not send me here tonight.”
“You can say his name now. You know I know it.”
“He hasn’t given me permission to speak it yet.”
I shake my head, sending snowflakes flying through the air again. “
Then why are you here?”
He lowers himself to one knee and folds his hands together. “Use my name. You heard him say it. Use it and free me from his command.”
“How?” I lift my hands in front of me. “Won’t he just use your name and take you back?”
He shakes his head. “He might, but you are stronger than him. That is why he fears you, why he wants you stopped.”
“If I’m so strong, why do I keep losing control of my powers?” Nervous energy moves my feet across the snow-covered ground. I pace twelve steps away but only ten steps back, wanting to increase the distance between Mavros and myself.
“Remember what Aurelia told you about Draconian.” He says each word cautiously as if waiting to be stopped or punished.
I continue pacing more steps away from him than back toward him. “She told me a ton of things.”
“What could you have done with fifteen dragons that he never considered?” He clutches his head, dropping it to the ground. “Think!”
I press my eyes closed and pinch the bridge of my nose. “He’s using your power to increase his?”
D
“What do I do?” I asked Malcolm. “If I use Mavros’ real name to gain control of him, will the Nephilim think I’ve been in cahoots with him all along?”
He was curled up in dragon form on top of a stack of treasure. His ebony, horned head rested on top of his massive paws. Even though his dragon form was intimidating, his bronze eyes were those of my friend. “The dragons, Arion, and the fairies have all vouched for your character. I don’t see how they can deny you freedom without undermining their authority on other issues.” His deep voice made the treasure rattle and the ground beneath me vibrate.
Cody sat up and stretched his arms over his head, arching his back. “So, is she free?”
“I will know more when Aurelia arrives.” He opened his massive jaws and yawned. Flames curled in the back of his throat, begging to be released. “As far as his name, part of me thinks you should use it, and part of me believes nobody should ever use somebody else’s name that way.”
“Even if I free him?”
He lifted his head off his paws and stared down at me. “You mean to free him from his bonds?”
“I don’t know.” I tried to push myself to a seated position, but my chest resisted the move. I fell backward, gasping for breath. “He needs to be released from Argentum, but should I free him? What will he do if he can roam the Earth without being called back to the Abyss? Will he become my enemy again, or will he repay me by being honorable?”
A black fog filled the cave. I lit a fire in my palm, but it did little to dispel the dark. The ebony mist pulsed, then receded until Malcolm the person stood in front of me. “Mavros’ only experiences had been deceitful, vengeful, and evil until he met you. You were the first person to treat him with honor or respect.”
I tilted my head, staring at Malcolm, trying to figure out what looked different about him. He sat down beside me, pulling his legs up to his chest. Dragon earrings sparkled against his earlobes.
“Because of that, he may choose to repay your kindness, but if you allow him to stay on Earth, how will you know if he’s under Argentum’s control or yours?” He grabbed my hand and sent energy streaming into me. I fought the urge to increase the flow between us. “If you return him to the Abyss and he comes back, you’ll know who is pulling the strings.”
Cody came over and lifted my head onto his lap. He traced his fingers along my jaw. “Know how long it took her to cope with sending him back last time?”
Malcolm nodded. “The choice is hers. I’m just letting her know what’s at stake.”
Chapter 29
Tides Of Change
Cash, Aurelia, and Arion teleported into the cavern. Malcolm stood next to me and said, “Dacia has a decision to make, and she would like to hear what everyone has to say first.”
Aurelia nodded. “The Nephilim have taken the fairies’ message back and are deliberating. We will know soon enough if they will leave Dacia alone.” She knelt down and held her hand out to me, offering her strength. “Argentum has disappeared. He is most likely in his lair, but none of us know where it is.”
I shuddered at the thought of him being out there, of knowing what my blood tasted like, and being able to track me for fifty miles. “I know Mavros’ true name.” I clutched Aurelia’s hand, and a burst of energy stormed through me. “I don’t know what I should do with it, though.”
“Send him back to the Abyss.” Arion stamped his hoof on the ground to emphasize his opinion.
Cash rubbed his chin. “He’s been helpful. Should she really send him back?”
“Yeah.” I sat up, and the scabs on my chest pulled tight. Cody wrapped his arm around me, supporting me.
Malcolm waved his arm, indicating that they could make themselves comfortable. Everyone but Arion sat. I tugged a shaky hand through my hair, feeling self-conscious. “Those are the choices. I just don’t know which one is right.”
“Demons are evil.” Aurelia pulled her hand away.
I yanked mine back, wondering if I’d taken too much, but she didn’t seem to be suffering. I wanted to get up and move around. It helped me think, but I knew if I did, I’d have three dragons, a pegasus, and a human telling me to sit down and rest. “He warned me that he could enter my room. He attacked me without using his venom. He let me see his memories and told me it was a dragon that summoned him. He’s warned me so many times and helped me get away from him, so I don’t know what to think.” I dropped my chin to my chest. “I trusted him before, and I was wrong, but I just don’t know.”
Cody ran his hand along my arm. “Hate the bastard, but he helped.”
I looked up toward the ceiling of the cavern. “Take me somewhere where I can summon him.” I stood up, and everyone watched me like I was a fragile China doll. “I don’t imagine you want him here. I’ll take control of him, then figure out where to go from there.”
“She strong enough?” Cody stood next to me.
The dragons all stared at me. Finally, Malcolm said, “I think she should wait one more day.”
“No.” I fisted my hands on my hips and glared at them. “He came to me in my dream and told me I need to use it. I can’t wait. If I do, he’ll end up pulling me out of my dream and killing me.”
Cash stood up. “So, we all go with you and keep you safe.”
“We can lend you our power if you need us to,” Aurelia said.
Arion stepped forward. “I will stay here with Cody. Neither of us needs to be there.”
“Please,” I said before Cody could object.
He sighed and lowered his head. “It’s what you want?”
I nodded, unwilling to give up on this. “If things go wrong, I don’t want him to be able to use you against me.”
Cash held his hand out. “Before we go, take strength from me.”
“Me, too.” Malcolm stepped forward.
Aurelia nodded. “I have plenty to give to you.”
They each took turns holding my hand, and by the time they were done funneling their energy into me, I felt like I could move mountains. Pure energy flowed through my veins and made me feel bullet-proof.
Aurelia held her hand out. “Ready?”
“No.” I walked up to Cody and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’ll come back.”
“Better.” He brought his mouth down on mine, kissing me like he might not ever see me again. His hands moved to my back, pressing our bodies together. Pain surged through my wounds, but I tried not to let it show.
Cash groaned, and I pulled away from Cody. I never looked away from him as I joined the dragons. Aurelia and Malcolm each grabbed one of my hands and teleported the four of us.
Darkness surrounded us. “I got it,” Cash said
. A ball of fire lit up across from me in the circle we’d made. Cash’s amethyst eyes widened. “Didn’t think I’d ever see this place again.”
“No.” Malcolm’s voice was a growl.
We stood in the treasure room of Draconian’s castle. Only a handful of riches remained. Gouges marred the gray stone walls. It took me a minute to realize they’d most likely been made by dragon talons.
“Why here?” I asked Aurelia.
Her lip was curled with disgust. “I do not think the Nephilim or Argentum will come here.”
“No.” Cash lit the torches that hung from the walls. “He wouldn’t come to this place, not with what happened here.”
“Mavros has already been summoned to this plane.” Aurelia kicked a goblet across the room. “You will not need to bind him. You just need to command him to appear and to serve you.”
The dragons backed away, and I closed my eyes, sucking in a deep breath. Please let this work, Lord. Let me do the right thing and not hate myself in the end. “Chaódis Skotádi, I summon thee to stand in my presence and serve me.”
I expected the result to be instantaneous. When it wasn’t, I looked at each dragon, trying to understand why nothing had happened. Mavros should have appeared. The threat from him should have ended.
Malcolm stepped toward me. His brows were furrowed. His gaze darted around the room.
Electricity sizzled through the air. Followed by a loud boom. Cash slammed into me, knocking me to the ground, shielding me with his body. Pain lanced through my chest as the wound reopened. Blood seeped through my shirt.
“My liege.” Mavros practically purred.
I wrapped my arm around my wound and pressed my other hand against Cash’s chest. He pulled me to my feet.
Mavros stood in the middle of the room. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and his obsidian eyes sparkled with delight.
Gold, ebony, and amethyst hazes blended together, blocking my vision temporarily. When they cleared, the three dragons had transformed into their true selves. The room no longer seemed empty.
