How to Bond a Mage (Heir of Dragons Book 3)

by J. A. Culican

  Casting aside the other arrows, she clumsily nocked her bow and rose to her shaky feet, taking aim. Kaleb's face was beet red and steam poured from the openings in his armor. Soon, it would be too late to save him—perhaps, she feared, it already was too late. She shook her head, attempting to clear her vision. Her sight still failed to cooperate; if she fired the arrow, there was no telling where it would end up. It might even miss Torrent altogether and strike Kaleb.

  You have to do it, she thought, gritting her teeth and taking a few steps forward. She squinted, raising the bow and carefully lining up the shot. You love him, don't you? Then you have to save him. If you don't hit him, now, then it's over. There'll be no future for the two of you. It will all end here.

  Minx allowed herself a long sigh as she drew the bowstring. Closing one eye, she placed her aim as carefully as she could and lined up the tip with Torrent's head.

  With a shudder, she fired the arrow.

  Almost from the onset, she knew it wasn't going to hit the mark. It began to lose altitude almost immediately, sailing downward in a sharp arc.

  But although it missed his head, it didn't miss him altogether.

  She was alerted to her success by a sharp cry. Kaleb fell out of the air, landing on the ground with a clatter, and Torrent reeled back. The arrow had found its way into his upper leg, and had gone in deep. The shaft protruded from his limb, and the pain it caused him was easily double that of the earlier wound. He spit and cursed as he attempted to pull the arrow from his flesh. As if the tip were sentient and pulling against him however, the arrow would not budge.

  “I did it,” she mumbled with a dreamy smile. “I hit him!” Minx ran toward Kaleb, dragging her bow behind her. She dropped to her knees beside him, and went to lay hands on him—only to be warned off.

  “N-No!” spat Kaleb, shifting away from her. “Don't touch me. I'm burning up and I... I don't want you to get hurt.” His chest was heaving and steam still escaped the grooves in his armor. “Minx, you need to...”

  He'd been intending to offer a warning about Torrent, but he was too late.

  The Dark Mage was no longer cursing and wincing; he'd pulled the arrow from his leg and was now staring at Minx with pure hate in his eyes. His green face appeared two shades darker than normal, and his eyes burned with a terrifying fire. He held out one of his hands and conjured up a ball of writhing flame. The heat escaping from it was enough to make Minx woozy.

  Torrent bared his sharp teeth and ground them against each other while lifting the orb of flame high above his head. “Now, you Fae scum... you... will die!”

  Minx stared up at the fireball in disbelief, its sweltering heat pouring down on her. There was nothing to be done for it; she had no arrows to fire, and could not run quickly enough to avoid the fallout of the blaze. Both she and Kaleb were sitting ducks, unable to stop what was coming. Even if she tried to assault Torrent with bare hands, she knew it would be fruitless.

  Her hand sought out Kaleb's instinctively. She wanted to hold it, to feel his touch one last time. So... this is it. This is how it ends? she thought, nearly blinded by the glow of the fireball.

  Kaleb's hands eluded her, however.

  Quite unexpectedly, he'd planted one of them against the ground to prop himself up, and the other had reclaimed his sword. Forcing himself into a seated position, he lunged at Torrent and thrust the blade at him for all he was worth.

  The Dark Mage, focusing all of his energy into the fire blast, could not defend in time.

  Kaleb plunged the sword into Torrent's abdomen.

  The killing blow was swift and effective. Having expended the last of his energy, Kaleb fell back to the ground, letting go of the hilt, and watched narrowly as Torrent began to stagger away. The Dark Mage peered down at his body, noting the presence of the glittering sword with utter disbelief, and tried to stammer a curse. No sound came from his trembling green lips, however. The fire in his grasp ebbed away until the fireball had completely disappeared, and with two hands he took hold of the sword's handle. Shaking, he wrenched it from his core.

  The blade slid out easily, and at loosing it, Torrent let it fall to the ground.

  The resulting wound shimmered not with gore, but with an inexplicable brightness. White light seeped from the opening; slightly, at first, and then in great abundance. Clutching at his sides, the Dark Mage uttered a low moan and collapsed.

  Without warning, his entire body erupted into a shower of white sparks.

  Blinding white light washed over the smoldering fields, and the Dark Mage's body fell to pieces like brittle clay. When the flash of light had ceased, there was only dust in the place where he had fallen—and this was soon scattered by the wind.

  Minx and Kaleb remained on the ground. During the explosion, Minx had taken hold of the dragon shifter and wrapped her arms around him, intending to protect him with her own body. The explosion had not been a danger, however—the diffusion of energy from Torrent's body had not posed a threat. Now, in the newfound stillness, they remained in the dirt, panting.

  “Did we... did we really...” Kaleb was searching for the right words. He outstretched a hand and found his sword laying nearby. “Did we really beat him?” he asked.

  Minx, brushing the hair from his dirty face, only nodded.

  They had won. Somehow, together, they had won.

  Cheers erupted from the mass of soldiers they'd left behind. That battle, too, had seemingly been won, and at seeing Torrent vanquished, his remaining men were sure to flee into obscurity or surrender.

  At that time, while Minx and Kaleb struggled to regain their strength and hobble off the battlefield, a number of figures limped toward them from the distance. Gidiam and the other dragons, who'd been bested in combat, were returning now. Finding no signs of the Dark Mage, Kaleb's father hobbled back to the ruined hill, whistling in appreciation. “Well, well, well... it seems the Dark Mage is no more, eh?”

  Kaleb, peering at his father, spared a grin. “We beat him, dad. Me and Minx, we beat him.”

  Gidiam stroked his frizzy beard and knocked the ash from his breastplate. “Sure, son. You did well. It's just a good thing that I was here to soften him up for you ahead of time!”

  For the first time in long while, laughter was heard across the ruined land.

  Chapter 30

  Torrent's defeat was only the start of things.

  Minx and Kaleb were carried back to Pan by the Fae army as heroes. The Wuffs and dragons who'd helped win the day were admitted into the tree city, where several days of celebration took place. Without Torrent in the picture, the remaining soldiers under his employ had largely disbanded. The knowledge that the Dark Mage had fallen to the Fae was enough to dissuade any lingering factions to attempt a second wave of attacks, and peace gradually worked its way across the land in the wake of the final battle.

  In the days after Torrent's defeat, the waters of Heilo Lake were noted to become clearer by the Fae Elders, who kept vigil by the shore. It would take time for the lake to heal, but that it would one day return to its former clarity, there was no doubt. The state of Gloirs Mountain was similar. The mountain had crumbled and sustained great damage in recent days, but after Torrent's defeat, the appearance of that jagged peak had somehow improved. As if the ancient stones of that storied mountain were knitting themselves back together, the peak came to look more robust after the victory of the Fae.

  Kaleb and Minx had both required no little rest after their final struggle against Torrent, and as she'd convalesced, the voice of Heilo Lake had reached out to her. The lake's message had been simple, but for the first time in ages, it had been clear and resonant.

  Thank you, the lake had told her. By defeating the Dark Mage, you have fulfilled your role in the Silence. Without you, this would not have been possible.

  Heilo Lake and Gloirs Mountain were not the only sites whose conditions had improved. Winterlimb, previously so withered for the ravages of the war, had undergone a transformation. For
the first time in living memory, his boughs were heavy with fresh buds. His color had improved, and his trunk no longer appeared so brittle. The ancient tree was on the mend, and according to Kaleb, who was sometimes contacted by the ancient tree in his dreams, Winterlimb's voice was stronger than ever before.

  In the days after the final battle, Alla ventured into Pan to meet with the recovering heroes. She spent time with Minx and assured her that Gloirs was doing well. The spring, slowly feeding its pure waters into Heilo Lake, would eat away at the remaining poisons that Torrent had left behind, and she passed on Gloirs' prediction that the lake would soon return to its former health. When her stay in the tree city came to an end, the half-Fae decided to live permanently in the mountain, where she could convene with Gloirs at her leisure. She had found in the spirit of the ancient dragon a true friend and a reliable mentor.

  For some time after Torrent's defeat, Minx and Mau stayed with her father. Valdar cared for his daughter as she recuperated, and in that time it became clear that his own recovery was truly complete. He remained his old self, caring and sharp. The waters of Gloirs' spring had fully healed him, and drawing off of this success, water from that spring was administered to numerous dragons from the Talon Range, who were subsequently cured of the shadow spider virus. That insidious condition, thankfully, was soon driven to extinction thanks to the pure, ancient waters.

  Kaleb's case was a bit more difficult. He required more involved treatment for his injuries, and once Minx was well enough to leave her home, she spent time at his bedside, personally administering healing. After some days, his condition had noticeably improved, and finally he returned to his feet.

  For once, all was well in Pan.

  This was not to say that their world was perfectly at peace, however. The ills that plagued Aleio could not be solved overnight. The Fae—as well as the dragons and many other peoples across the continent—had lost much during the war. Even so, working together, they could now move forward and rebuild. The Dark Mage, who'd orchestrated the discord between the races, was gone now. In his place, peace could blossom between the peoples of Aleio.

  Minx was confident that things would improve, and that society would heal.

  She and Kaleb had seen to the defeat of Torrent, and now they would dedicate themselves to rebuilding.

  Once, many ages ago, dragons and Fae had been close allies. The two would work tirelessly to bring that vision of peace and camaraderie back into focus. It was a daunting task, perhaps, considering the scope of the war.

  But after all they'd been through, the two lovers understood one thing implicitly.

  There was nothing the two of them could not accomplish together.

  And so long as their love endured, they would never give up.

  Glossary of Creatures

  Dragons are magical beings who hold two forms, one of a magical beast and one of a human. They are strong and great warriors.

  * * *

  Fae are magical beings and are known to be great hunters. They are recognized by their pointed ears and slim physique.

  * * *

  Faelyr are the offspring of fae and lyr-shifters. These offspring are sterile and cannot shift, but are quite intelligent and have limited telepathic ability. Fae use them as familiars or pets, as they are fiercely loyal once bonded.

  * * *

  Krah are large, lizard people. Good primarily for war. They can burrow and get into places that most can't get to. They're good at scaling vertical walls.

  * * *

  Kurgs are deep burrowing humanoids. Short and stout, and they are proficient tunnelers. Sunlight is toxic to them.

  * * *

  Lyr-shifters are animal shifter hybrids. They can only shift into their two animal halfs.

  * * *

  Mage are beings who use magic for either good or evil.

  * * *

  Plurn are Half lion and/or tiger and half human. They work in prides, very similar to their feline counterparts. They only have one form and are unable to shift.

  * * *

  Wuffs are large humanoid creatures. They’re a strange pairing of both animals and fae. They only have one form and are unable to shift. Matriarchal society.

  Zuscha are the dark magic fae.

  Acknowledgments

  Cover Designer: Christian Bentulan

  Editing: Dragon Realm Press

  Formatting: Dragon Realm Press

  About the Author

  J.A. Culican is a USA Today Bestselling author of the middle grade fantasy series Keeper of Dragons. Her first novel in the fictional series catapulted a trajectory of titles and awards, including top selling author on the USA Today bestsellers list and Amazon, and a rightfully earned spot as an international best seller. Additional accolades include Best Fantasy Book of 2016, Runner-up in Reality Bites Book Awards, and 1st place for Best Coming of Age Book from the Indie book Awards.

  * * *

  J.A. Culican holds a Master's degree in Special Education from Niagara University, in which she has been teaching special education for over 16 years. She is also the president of the autism awareness non-profit Puzzle Peace United. J.A. Culican resides in Southern New Jersey with her husband and four young children.

  Also by J.A. Culican

  Young Adult-Urban Fantasy

  Keeper of Dragons Series

  Hollows Ground Series

  * * *

  Young Adult-Epic Fantasy

  Dragon Tamer Series

  Realm of Light and Fire Series

  Legends of the Fallen Series

  * * *

  Young Adult-Dystopian Fantasy

  Through the Ashes Series

  * * *

  Young Adult-Mythological Fantasy

  Reap This Series