by S. D. Grimm
Connor sank to the floor, resting his back against the bed. So they’d almost killed Franco. He hadn’t found a way to break Franco’s bond to Madison in time. Some help he was. He needed to figure out how to undo what Franco had done before—
The ground quaked and knocked Connor over. As he righted himself, he realized nothing in the room had moved. Only him. Madison still slept.
He swallowed. Something terrible and familiar surged through him.
A feeling, thick and long, that made his hair stand on end. A deep, frightful laugh followed, then broke into thunder as if it were thunder all along. That laugh had haunted his dreams enough. He knew what—or rather who—it was.
Smoke.
And if that grounded dragon was flying, it meant one thing—the Mistress had broken free. They’d failed to keep her contained.
They had no choice but to open the door of death.
They had to banish her away for all eternity.
Somehow, his heart wasn’t surprised by this. He’d known all along, deep in his soul, that she’d break free. That he’d be forced to use his powers to help the others.
He looked at his hands.
Calloused by weapons.
He’d been running so long, learning to use the sword, the quarterstaff, any weapon he could get his hands on. He’d become a fighter so he could help without using his powers. Now there was no more running.
As all trace of tiredness slid off of him, he stood. Why hadn’t he left with Rebekah? Why hadn’t he tried to escape with Ethan? If he’d been there when they fought Franco, would the Mistress still be imprisoned? Heat pulsed through his core and ebbed out to his skin. He’d worked so hard to not lose sight of his purpose. Nothing would make him use his powers. Nothing. None of the others had powers as terrible as his. He’d fulfill his destiny without them.
And he’d stay as far away from the others as he could. He’d always known he’d have to help from a distance. But now he felt more alone than ever.
Epilogue
Whispers in Smoke
The ground rumbled and Quinn looked toward the volcano. Angry black and red rose from the top of the place that had been her prison.
A massive, snakelike form cut through the clouds, and her heart clutched.
“A dragon!” Ethan shouted. “Take cover!”
She knew that beast. His face had appeared in the stone enough times. Terrible. Evil. Dangerous. Every time its amber eyes appeared, Quinn wished she could crawl behind the rock and hide. But the chains weren’t long enough. She’d had to stay there, under that gaze, exposed.
It had introduced itself to her. Smoke. The way the dragon had said it sounded like the hiss of fire. Fire against her skin.
Quinn rubbed her scarred arms.
The fire burned.
Hot tears dripped down her cheeks.
Cracked rock slid off the face of the mountain and into the moat. Water splashed onto the shore with a hiss. The ground started to crumble. The volcano split in two.
The things Enya, her bird, had warned her about were coming to pass.
It was time for her to fly. To protect the humans.
Quinn glanced to her right.
Jayden steadied herself against a tree. “What’s happening?”
Quinn stepped away from them, arms spread out.
“What are you doing?” Ethan reached for her, but she moved from his grasp. Her slow steps taking her closer to the danger.
“It’s time.” She spoke to the trees, and at once thousands of whispers filled her mind. Crept into her thoughts like a welcome wind.
A strong wind.
Many voices.
They wanted to know why she’d woken them. She uttered her request. “Please, help us! Hide us. The false dragon is searching.”
The trees swayed. Moved. Some fell into the cracks created by the split. Others formed a wall between the volcano and the Feravolk. Quinn’s lips moved, though all her words rang in her mind. Her hair blew in the wind. Her eyes closed as the trees showed her what they saw. She trusted their vision. They were closer. Their roots dug deep into the dark, decaying ground around the prison.
There, like an open wound, a red gash in the ground lined the prison wall. Large enough for Smoke to get inside.
She waved her arms and the trees swayed with her. Filled the spaces with their protective branches. A tear slid down her cheek. So many of them would die because of the poison. They’d perish so life could continue.
Quinn’s eyes popped open. The dragon rose from behind the volcano, black as night. Smoke poured from its nose. It sniffed. Forked tongue flicking out of its mouth. Quinn shivered as those amber eyes locked onto her. Eyes so different from the kind wolf who’d watched her in the stone. The one who had sent the gryphons to protect her. Sent Ethan to save her. These amber eyes were the enemy of the other amber eyes.
“Quinn,” Jayden reached for her.
“It won’t see us.” Quinn stood her ground.
The dragon nosed almost to the tree line. Then it huffed, turned its long neck, and dove into the chasm. Forever the scaled hide seemed to descend, until at last its spiked tail tip slithered over the edge.
Then silence.
But the ground rumbled again.
Smoke’s head burst forth, creating another rift in the ground. Up, up, it rose. Forever higher, cradling the limp form of a woman in its claws.
As the ground settled, Quinn turned to Jayden and Ethan. They started at her with their mouths open. She felt taller. Older. Her hair now flowed past her shoulders.
“Who was that?” Jayden asked.
Quinn looked right at her. “Smoke. He’s freed the Mistress from her prison.”
S.D. Grimm’s first love in writing is young adult fantasy and science fiction. That’s to be expected from someone who looks up to heroes like Captain America and Wonder Woman, has been sorted into Gryffindor, and isn’t much taller than a hobbit. Her patronus is a Red Voltron Lion, her spirit animal is Toothless, and her lightsaber is blue. She has been known to write anywhere she can curl up with her laptop and at least one large dog. She has been caught brandishing a wooden spoon in the kitchen while simultaneously cooking dinner and “head-writing” a fight scene.
She believes that with a little faith, a lot of love, and an untamed imagination, every adventure is possible. That’s why she writes. Her debut novel was Scarlet Moon, the first book in the Children of the Blood Moon series. Learn more about her books at www.sdgrimm.com.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SDGrimm
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SDGrimmAuthor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/s.d.grimm
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/SDGrimmAuthor
