“That’s all I can ask of you. You’ve gotten me this far. Without you I don’t know how I would have been able to get beyond the agency building.”
“You can’t transform anymore, can you?”
“It is most disconcerting. I don’t know why…”
“Oh, I think you know why. You must know of the only thing that can interfere with a female dragon shifter’s ability to manipulate her shape.”
“I do. It’s impossible though…I’d only be…”
“Pregnant.” Aurora’s eyes flashed to her abdomen.
She shook her head. “No…”
“You had a surprise for William. I could sense your thoughts even from my desk. Oh, aye, I’m very gifted when it comes to all forms of magic. That’s why you can’t shape shift, and that’s why you found it even difficult to grow wings at will. You can’t change out of your human form. You were born human, and you will also carry your child in human form for the duration of your pregnancy. But, if you need to you can merge your dragon shifter magic with that of your child.”
“How do you know so much?”
“I’ve had a lot of time to do my research so to speak. This union was foretold eons ago by a fairy. She said that it would bring both of our kinds into a new age. I, for one think we are in need of that new age…right now.”
“I agree.” She bit her lips.
“Then, we go down there together, and we come out of it, together. You will just have to fulfill your promise to me to save William.”
“I will. But in my delicate condition…”
“Your condition has no bearing on whether or not you can fight. Instead, it will be your saving grace. If you and William hadn’t created this child you never would have been able to win the war.” She winked at her.
The Pegasus’ wings flapped and whooshed through the air as they galloped to the ground. They landed lightly. The force field continued to shimmer around them. “We can walk through it, but nothing can get through it to us.”
“Good. I think I’ll be walking through it soon,” Grania said, looking around at the destruction.
She surveyed the damage. Her stables were on fire. She could only hope that the horses had been freed. She glanced back down the hill at her cottage. She couldn’t see it. Relief surged inside of her.
The enchantment still held.
She slipped through the force field, hesitating to wait for Aurora to follow her. Aurora spoke in a low voice to Apollo and Aphrodite. And, if she wasn’t mistaken they were answering her. She shook her head she had to be losing it. At this rate, she’d be certifiably insane before she knew it.
She could feel his mind trying to flutter against her own. She drew back, startled.
“I think the gig is up, Aurora. William can feel me.”
Her heart plummeted, as another voice filled her head.
She staggered backward. “No.” She reached for Aurora’s arm. “He knows we are here.”
“I know, you just told me that William had sensed you.”
“Not William, my father.”
Aurora gave her a surprised look. “Well, that’s probably going to shake things up here a bit. There isn’t anything he can do. He has already had quite the struggle on his hands. I don’t think he thought that our side would be bold enough to attack him from his home base.”
“This is my home!”
Incredibly, Aurora and the other witches and wizards had cleared a path for them to the so they could get into the castle. Just seeing the castle gave her a semblance of comfort. Her father might be taking up residence in her home, but it would always be her home. The echoes clinging to this structure were echoes that belonged to her.
Could she twist the ancient magic dwelling within this site and these lands to her own means?
“Has he turned the magic to his dark needs yet, Aurora?”
“I do not think so. This land is still owned by white magic, though the dark magic is vainly trying to grab a foothold.”
“Then, once we enter this structure the balance will be split. I won’t let him tap into the power the land holds. If he is able to do that, we won’t have a hope. His darkness might be seeping across the land, but it hasn’t invaded the heart of the land.”
“He hasn’t realized what the land can do yet, has he?”
“No. I think he might have suspected, but my mother’s families claimed these lands centuries ago for the white magic that flowed naturally through here. She told me the secrets, but I get the feeling that she never disclosed anything of the like to him.”
“Are you certain he is still not listening to your thoughts?”
“He can only touch my mind—there’s no way I’d allow him past my shields to actually read my thoughts. He is powerful. I will grant him that. Despite that, I’ve always been more than a match for him when it comes to dragon shifter telepathy. Perhaps that was always meant to be. He was never truly my father. He always posed a threat to me and now, he is a true threat.”
“Okay then! I think we have clear sailing from here on in. Our side has done quite a lot of damage to Draco, I imagine we’ll find him sulking in his conjured throne room,” Aurora decided.
“Not sulking.” The voice boomed out at them. “I’m striking back!”
They looked at each other in horror, and then, in the next instant her entire world was blown to smithereens.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aurora raised her hand. The explosion ripping around them froze.
“Move back!” Her orders carried to her and the rest of the magic kind. Grania’s castle was crumbling in on top of itself. Her heart cried out. Tears ran down her cheeks. William and his parents had been inside, as had Merdwyn.
Her father had taken his combustive powers to an entirely new and terrifying level.
Aurora’s force field shimmered in front of them. The Pegasus’ behind them were neighing loudly.
“He’s pulled a real fast one this time,” Aurora muttered.
“A fast one that might have just killed the man I love.”
She reached out searching for William. She could feel him…faintly.
Relief surged through her. She started breathing again. A glimmer of recognition took hold in her mind. She started to look past the veil of sorcery and into her own heart.
“This is an illusion.” Her voice sounded hollow to her ears. “An illusion is only a trick. Dark Dragon Shifter Sorcery at its worst. You’ll have to work harder than that you old bastard. Bugger you!” She lifted her hand. A trail of fireworks emitted from her palm. The scene of destruction in front of them faded.
Aurora gave her a satisfied smile. “You are beginning to master your own power. It’s not all about brawn when it comes to a dragon shifter warrior. Sometimes, they also need to get in touch with their mystical side. It is your time to claim your mystical side. Embrace it, Grania.”
“I’m not strong enough. I can’t hope to face off with him and win.”
“You will win. You must. There is no one else. I must keep the rest of the battle from falling in favour of Draco’s forces. Merdwyn must have been injured along with William and his parents, for I haven’t seen him coming to our aid.”
“I’m going into the Great Hall, where my father will be stationed. Watch my rear. When I come out, I intend to come out bearing news of Draco’s demise.”
Her heart dove in her chest. Could she do this? She swallowed thickly, smiling when Aurora pressed her hand gently.
“I realize the immense turmoil you are going through right now. If you can restore your father to a just and sane man, do so—if he doesn’t have to be vanquished…” Aurora’s eyes darkened.
“I suspect there is nothing that can save Draco from his darkness. He has allowed it to consume his soul. No. Even though he is my father by blood, he isn’t my father in heart. If he were, he would have never gone so far with his campaign. Nothing has smartened him up. I doubt at the eleventh hour that he will come to his senses. If I don�
��t see you again, thank you for all of the hope and help you’ve given me.” Her voice wavered with emotion.
Aurora frowned. “I do not think you are at the end of your destiny yet, my dear. The hour might seem dark, but in due course you are going to bring back the light.”
“Farewell,” she said, smiling at Aurora. Mustering her inner strength, she walked into her family home to face the demon within.
*****
Pain pressed behind William’s eyes. He opened his eyes and glanced around the darkened hall. Part of it was crumbling from the mini major explosion that had almost had the walls crumbling down around them.
Merdwyn had saved them just in time.
Merdwyn.
He searched the debris for Merdwyn. His robes peeked out from beneath some rubble. He clenched his jaw. Pushing himself to his feet, he combed the area for his parents.
They were nowhere to be found. Draco must have taken them as his prisoners and moved them to another area of the immense castle.
“Merdwyn!” He teetered toward him. Blood dribbled out of his ears. He had probably sustained a concussion and perhaps even ruptured an eardrum.
“William?” Merdwyn’s voice was pitifully weak. “William, I am weakening to a dangerous degree. I must magically transport back to the realm I came from in order to recover from my extensive injuries. I’m afraid you will have to go it alone in rescuing your parents. I will send my brother if he is in residence when I return.”
“Go! Heal yourself. We can’t lose someone of your incredible talents.”
“Farewell for now, Nephew.” In a bright flash of light that made the pain behind his eyes intensify, he was gone.
His heart shook. Now, he was truly alone.
He braced himself, and headed off to hunt the man that had taken almost everything from him. He’d lost so many of his friends. The casualty list was mounting. He had to stop Draco here and now before he could do anymore damage.
Stooping low, he picked up his wand. Tucking it into his black robes, he started off to search the castle. He stopped dead in his tracks.
A dragon shifter approached, but it wasn’t the one he wanted to engage in mortal combat—it was Grania.
His wife.
*****
Grania felt a tingly sensation at the back of her mind. William was trying to open a telepathic link with her. She couldn’t risk having him telling her to turn back. She was his protector. She’d made an oath to her king and queen and she was going to make sure she finished her job. The war wasn’t over. She was going to end it.
His telepathic words intoned in her head over and over again. He wanted her to stop and turn back, but she couldn’t acquiesce. She couldn’t allow him to affect her.
‘I might be your wife—but I was your protector first. Allow me to finish the job I started.’
‘You started the job of protecting me so I could destroy your father with my spell. It works—it will take out Draco.’
‘Aurora awaits you on the grounds. Go and remain with her until I can defeat my father and free your parents. Please, William. Do this one last thing for me.’
‘What do you mean by last thing?’
Rage reverberated through their telepathic link making her clench her teeth. Lifting her hand, she drew on her telepathic power and broke the link. It snapped like a rope pulled too taut. She could feel him reeling from her assertion of power. He would have to get used to it. If she were going to survive the night, she’d have to use all of the steely blood running through her veins. That meant she was overruling her husband—besides, he was getting a bit too controlling for her taste.
She drew in a deep lungful of air, and opened herself to the vibrations of the castle. It didn’t take her long to focus in on the location of her father, and he wasn’t in the Great Hall. She could smell his dark sorcery, and for whatever reason, he had taken refuge in the upper part of the castle where she suspected he had unsealed the old throne room which had only been used during the time when her mother used to receive sovereigns from many of the magical realms, including Dragonia and of course, the Kings and Queens of England.
She made her way through the castle until she reached the once grand throne room. Most of the portraits had been ripped off the wall and torn to shreds. Dragon claw marks were the culprit.
“Lord Draco.” Her voice remained even. He was sitting regally on his throne, a good distance away from her. Her aunt was in chains on his right, and her in-laws were on the left—chained.
She had to use her magic to free them. Sweat slathered across her palms. She could do this.
Reaching for her bow and arrows, she was about to fire off one at her father when a blow hit her from behind.
“You should play nice, ducky.”
She turned at the sound of the twisted voice. It was imbued with a hardness that made her nerves rattle. Her bow went flying from her hand, and the arrow was blown up by a burst of fire. She fell to her knees. Blood rushed in her ears.
“Aunt Andromeda.” Looking up, the illusion of her aunt in chains standing by her in-laws side faded into the air like blowing smoke.
“Indeed,” her aunt agreed. She now stood beside Draco, she looked like his consort.
She could feel the blood lust emanating off her in waves that nearly drowned her.
“You are drowning in the mind spells my father has put on you. He has bewitched you! You can’t allow him to continue his hold on you. You must break it—break it for the sake of your children!”
“Oh, sweet little Grania, I forgot how pitifully stupid you could be. I’m not under the thrall of your father…”
“Yes, yes, you are. Why would you kill your mate…”
“My mate is not dead. That was an illusion of Draco’s.” A halting catch entered her voice then it wavered. That was enough to tell Grania that she truly was bewitched.
“You are mistaken, he tricked you. My uncle is dead. Blaze saw it with his own eyes.”
“Blaze?” Andromeda’s voice faltered. The concrete expression on her face wavered, nearly breaking.
“He saw his father perish. He would not lie, and Blaze was never susceptible to Draco’s mind illusions, even though Draco was able to get into his head, his illusions could never fool Blaze and you know it. That was his one strength when it came to my father’s foolery. That was one reason why my father despised him so much.”
“Fool am I, Daughter? I will show you once Andromeda takes a chunk out of you.” Wind knocked against her, lifting her off her feet and propelling her across the room, where Andromeda followed her. She’d dropped the bow where she’d stood seconds before.
“He’s taken your husband, your twin sister, and your eldest daughter from you. How much more will you allow him to take? Bronwyn and Brianna will be left to his mercy if we do not emerge as the victors in this hellish war.”
“My darling twin daughters.” Her voice broke. “He took Britannia from me. He will not take my youngest girls.” Shadows flitted in her eyes. Pain enveloped her features. Andromeda fell to the ground. Grania crawled to her side. Gripping her hand, she transmitted her magic into her aunt, using their blood bond to break the hold her father had on her.
Gasps turned to agonized cries.
Andromeda was finally free, and now she had to live with the present—and the past. Her love for her children had been her saving grace, but it would not be the same for her father—nothing could redeem him. He was evil right down to the core.
She heard her husband enter the room. Her aunt’s hand squeezed hers. “Get up, Grania. I am too weak, but you are strong. You are your mother’s daughter. Stand up against him as your mother would, and break him the way he has broken so many other good souls. May the Graces bless you, Niece.”
She could feel William’s piercing gaze rest on her. She stood up, wavering slightly with the rubbery feeling in her knees. The jelly sensation firmed. Extending her hand, she called for the bow. It sang and flew toward her. The quiver rustled ag
ainst her back. She reached for an arrow, and then froze. Her father had invaded her mind. His black sorcery tore through her.
She moaned.
William immediately rushed into action. He couldn’t get in the middle of this. She couldn’t see him die. She couldn’t witness it again. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She would break Draco’s hold. She had to make it snap like a twig.
He sensed what she was hiding before she could force him from her mind.
“Impossible.”
She gritted her teeth, and drew on all of the power lying inside of her. Aurora was right—dragon shifter magic merged with magic kind magic. A bright burst of energy swirled around him. She used her magic to transport William’s parents and her aunt out of the manor house. Then, she turned to William. He was blocking her somehow. Screaming, she forced her father’s mental probes out of her head. Stunned disbelief dawned across his face.
“You surprise me with your strength, Daughter.”
William still hadn’t made it to their side. She still had a chance to defeat Draco.
“No. I can’t allow you to besmirch my bloodline with that half-breed.” His voice turned coldly dangerous.
“You just feel threatened, Father. You are afraid that this child will be even more powerful than you, and you know he or she will.”
His eyes turned to pure fury. Flames burned within them. She could feel the room getting hot. Before she could shoot an arrow at him, he had shape shifted into his dragon self.
Horror ran through her at the awe-inspiring sight. With her heart racing, she shot an arrow off at him but before it could reach him, it caught on fire and blew up.
His roar made the walls shake. The quake caused her to lose her balance. She had to stop him. It could not end the way she had seen.
William shouted something, and magic swirled around the room.
William’s, magic. It ripped into Draco, causing him to cry out in pain. She reached for another arrow, only to find that her quiver had disappeared.
“No!” She searched the area for it. Her father had to have transported it out of the manor house with his sorcery. “Damn you to the pits of hell, Draco.”
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