by Linsey Hall
“Good plan.” Maximus conjured one more. But he didn't stop there. He made another three as well.
“What are those for?” I asked.
“To replace the ones we ruined,” he said.
“You mean, I ruined.”
“Semantics.” He grinned and pulled me forward, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.
“Well, thanks. That’s nice.”
“They’re weird, but they probably need those flying machines.”
“Yeah.” I pulled back from him and approached one of the machines.
The steering mechanism was in front of the back seat, which sat slightly higher than the front so the pilot could have a good view.
Since Maximus had conjured these, he should get to drive. As I saddled up in the front, Ana adopted her crow form. She was huge, with gleaming black feathers and onyx eyes. Bree’s silver wings flared from her back, and she gave me the thumbs-up.
Maximus got in behind me, and Cade and Lachlan mounted their machine.
I fitted my feet into the pedals in front of me, then turned back to Lachlan. “Lift off in three, two, one…”
We began to pedal, and I gave it my all, pumping hard as the wheels began to rumble across the dusty ground. A shout from behind us had me turning my head, and I spotted the settlers running toward us over the hill. Their faces were no longer woozy with joy from the fire. They looked pissed as hell.
“Time to take off!” I shouted.
“Nearly there,” Maximus said.
Next to us, Cade and Lachlan’s machine lifted off the ground. Bree and Ana already flew overhead. We finally left the earth, the machine wobbling as it took flight. I looked down at the settlers, who were screaming after us.
At least they’d have the three machines that Maximus made for them.
It wasn’t long before we’d left them behind. Their shouts faded in the distance, and all I could hear was the faint whistle of the wind as we soared over the world below.
Maximus turned us to face into the setting sun, and I squinted at the ground as we flew, searching for the cave. The guys were at our left, while Ana and Bree flanked our right. After a while, Ana moved to the other side to go alongside the guys. A moment later, she and Bree disappeared.
I touched my comms charm. “You still there?”
“Yep, right alongside.” Bree’s voice echoed out of the charm. “Figured it was time to go invisible in case the other birds showed up.”
About twenty minutes later, they did. At first, they appeared as black specks on the horizon. Within five minutes, they were nearly to us. Their feathers were the same gray-brown as our machines, and they were enormous.
A happy laugh escaped my lips as they lined up alongside us, making us part of their flock. I stared at the one closest, taking in the keen gray eyes and the dark beak. It glided on the wind, so elegant and swift that it looked like magic.
My legs were aching but my heart was light. Every few minutes, Bree and Ana would check in. Bree would use the comms charm, while Ana would give a crow’s caw. The last thing we needed to do was lose them while they were invisible.
When a horrific screech tore through the air, I nearly jumped out of my seat. I grabbed the bars on either side of me and clung to them, my heart thundering.
The birds around us peeled off, racing away.
Oh no.
They were fleeing.
I craned my neck, searching for the source of the noise. Sweat dampened my palms, and I spotted a massive black monster flying right for us. It was some combination of a bird and a bat and a lizard—and about four times as large as our machines. Its beak was big enough to chomp our little plane in half.
13
“I’ve got this,” Bree’s voice echoed through the comms charm.
“Be careful!” Cade shouted.
Ana cawed, and I knew she was going on the attack as well.
As the monster bird approached, I cringed at the sight of it. Up close, it was even bigger than I’d expected. It flew alongside us, and I debated grabbing a potion bomb to throw at it. I was blocked by my plane though, without a free shot. I could throw from the front, but we weren’t facing the bird.
I couldn't see Bree as she approached the huge monster, and it made it even worse. Sweat dripped down my back as I watched, pedaling as hard as I could to get away from it.
Thunder boomed and lightning cracked, shooting straight down for the black bird as it neared us. The bolt plowed into the creature’s back, and it shrieked in rage. Its eyes lit up like lanterns and its beak opened wide, but it didn’t fall.
The bird didn't seem to like the lightning, but it didn’t hurt it enough. Bree tried again, hitting the monster with another blast.
Again, the bird just shrieked its rage. It flew slower and more awkwardly, but it would take more lightning to send it to the ground.
The miserable creature reminded me of the Stryx—thank fates they were dead. I ignored my revulsion and tried out Artemis’s power, opening up a line of communication with the bird that would hopefully calm it down and make it listen to reason.
As soon as I felt the bird’s life force, it smacked into me like a sack full of bricks covered with spikes. I shuddered, dropping the connection immediately.
“I can’t calm it down,” I shouted.
The bird darted left, its beak snapping at the air. I couldn't see what it was attacking, but I could guess.
Horror chilled my soul as I screamed, “Bree!”
Her scream sounded then, echoing through the air instead of the comms charm.
“Drop the illusion!” Cade shouted. “He can smell you.”
The illusion dropped, and I spotted Ana first. She was approaching the beast from the top, diving straight down. When I spotted Bree, I nearly died.
She was plummeting through the air, her wing broken. She’d dropped the illusion not because she’d wanted to, but because she was injured.
“Ana!” I screamed.
Ana seemed to spot the problem immediately and diverted her attention. She dived around the black bird and charged after Bree, who looked like she was falling faster and faster.
The bird stared after them, ready to attack.
Ana flew faster and faster, her powerful wings beating hard. She swept under Bree, catching her on her back and swooping away. A hazy grouping of clouds formed around them, obscuring them, and I realized that Lachlan was using his power over the weather to conceal them.
With Ana and Bree out of the picture, we could no longer try to escape. We needed to attack. As if they’d thought the same thing, Cade and Lachlan turned their flying machine to face the bird.
But they couldn't get too close. If they fell out of the air, who would catch them?
There was only one thing I could do.
I looked back at Maximus. His gaze caught on mine, just briefly, and he seemed to realize what I was thinking.
Dread filled his eyes. “Rowan.”
“I have to.” With that, I jumped out of the seat on the plane.
As the wind roared in my ears and my stomach leapt into my throat, I had one brief moment of abject fear.
Mistake.
I shoved the thought away.
Instead, I called on the dragon inside me. I had only seconds before I slammed into the ground. If I didn’t shift—and fly—I was dead.
Fear pulsed through my veins, and the magic went to work inside me. Within moments, my muscles ached and the flame lit up inside my chest.
I’m shifting!
It was hard to tell when the transformation was complete, so I tried flapping my wings right away. At first, nothing happened. I looked back and realized they were super tiny.
Come on!
I imagined massive wings at my back, forcing my magic to surge toward that part of my body. My wings shot outward, expanding quickly. They glinted silver in the light of the setting sun, massive and majestic.
Hell yeah!
I might be an awkward teenager dragon,
flopping my way through my growth spurt, but I was flying!
I swooped into the air, determined not to let my insecurity turn me back into a human. I had to fly and breathe fire and be the most badass dragon I could be. Not just for myself, but for my friends.
Cade and Lachlan had nearly collided with the giant black bird, and Maximus was following close behind. Cade, who sat in front, drew his silver shield from the ether. It was round, like Maximus’s shield was, and he hurled it at the bird, taking advantage of the clear shot to be had through the front of the plane.
The silver glinted as it slammed into the bird’s head. The beast tumbled through the air, thrown backward by the shield.
I hurtled toward it, determined not to let it clash with the flying machines. I moved fast, darting around the machines as I kept my gaze riveted to the monster. Flying became easier the more I practiced it, but I still felt like I might fall out of the sky at any moment.
Nope! Positive thoughts only!
I was a badass dragon!
I darted toward the giant monster bird, which had righted itself, and opened my mouth on a roar. The first blast of fire was a little bitty thing. The bird’s dark eyes narrowed on it, almost like he was laughing.
Hell no. That wouldn’t do.
I called upon the flame again, thinking of my friends. Fire exploded out of me, an enormous plume that enveloped the bird.
He shrieked, a sound of rage and fear, then flew in the other direction, tail feathers alight. The rest of his feathers looked charred as well, and he was out of sight in moments.
Holy fates, that had worked!
I turned back to the flying machines. All three guys were grinning at me. I grinned back—which probably looked insane when I was in my dragon form.
The levity lasted only half a second, however.
Bree and Ana.
I turned to look for them, spotting the faint misting of clouds that surrounded them. The clouds disappeared, and I saw Ana flying low toward the ground. A speck of silver glinted on her back—Bree.
I raced after them, the flying machines following at my back. As quickly as I could, I cut through the air, swooping low toward the ground. Ana had landed in a valley, and I joined her, making a very undignified landing on my claws and then galloping toward them.
I returned to my human form, then sprinted the last few yards. Ana, still a crow, crouched low so that a semi-conscious Bree could clamber off her back. Bree’s wing was bent at a crazy angle, and blood coated the thing.
“The bird got you good.” I dug into my potion belt.
“Bastard.” Bree sat heavily on the ground.
Ana shifted back to her human form and knelt at Bree’s side. “Here, let me help.”
“Take this, too.” I shoved the little vial at Bree, who took it and slugged it back. She had some healing ability, but she looked like hell and was willing to accept help.
“Tastes awful.” She glowered at me.
“I’ll make it taste like a Witch’s Delight next time,” I said, referencing her favorite pink cocktail.
Her features relaxed as the healing potion went to work. Ana hovered her hands over the wound as well, using her healing light to give it a little extra boost toward recovery.
“Bree!” Cade’s voice sounded from behind us, and I looked back to see that the two flying machines had landed and the guys were sprinting toward us.
Cade knelt at Bree’s side and cupped her cheeks. “Are you all right?”
“Better now.” Her gaze met mine and Ana’s. “Thanks, guys.”
“Bastard bird,” Maximus muttered. “They don’t normally have a fantastic sense of smell.”
“That’s what I was counting on.” Bree scowled. “But that one did. He knew just where I was. Hit me on the first try.”
“Well, you’re okay now.” Ana lowered her hands and grinned. “All better.”
Bree looked at her wing and moved it, smiling. “Thanks.”
She stood, and I joined her, every muscle aching.
We were in a weird valley. On one wall, there appeared to be at least a hundred cave openings, each covered by an enormous pile of rocks.
“I think we’ve reached our destination,” Lachlan said.
“But which one is the Cave of Treasures?” Maximus asked.
It was impossible to tell. “I bet if you try to open the wrong one, something terrible will happen.”
“No doubt.” Maximus nodded. “This is a protection measure.”
“So we just have to pick the right one the first time.” Ana approached the wall of caves. It stretched for nearly a mile in either direction. There was even a second level of cave entrances above the first one, set slightly farther back in the valley wall.
“How will we do that?” Maximus asked.
“I’ll try.” Ana sucked in a deep breath, clearly preparing to use her gift of Druid prophecy.
I leaned toward Maximus. “If Ana asks the right questions, her gift of prophecy will sometimes give her the answer.”
“Fingers crossed, then,” he said.
Ana’s magic swelled in the air as she worked, and finally, she pointed to a cave entrance about two hundred meters away. “I think it’s that one.”
“Good enough for me.” I started toward it, my friends at my side.
Once we reached it, we stopped in front.
“That’s at least a million pounds of rock,” Lachlan said.
“Worse, it’s attached to the earth below.” Cade pointed.
He was right. It wasn’t loose rubble piled up in front of the cave entrance. The ground here was made of solid rock, and it looked like a giant had shoved the rock up against the cave entrance when the stone was still molten. It had dried against the entrance as a craggy rock door, totally solid and totally immovable.
Except they hadn’t seen us coming.
I looked at Ana, then at Lachlan. They both had the ability to move large pieces of earth, and it was going to take all their skill, I’d bet.
“We’ve got this,” Ana said.
The two of them stepped forward and raised their hands. Their magic filled the air with different signatures. The ground beneath our feet rumbled. The stone peeled back from the entrance to the cave, scraping loudly against the ground as it moved. Sweat trickled down Ana’s temple as she worked, and finally, the path was clear.
The mouth of the cave beckoned, a gaping black hole that was as inviting as it was threatening.
Lachlan and Ana dropped their hands, their magic fading.
“Nice work.” Bree started toward the cave, and we followed.
At the entrance, we hesitated. I listened carefully, peering into the dark.
After a while, I looked at Bree. “I’m getting nothing.”
“Same. Let’s go.”
We crept into the cave, entering a tunnel that was about thirty feet wide. Silently, we moved through it. Soon, the light from the entrance dissipated, and we were plunged into darkness.
I raised my lightstone ring. Bree and Ana did the same. The glow from our three rings illuminated the space, and we continued on.
Minutes later, we reached a diversion in the path. Our tunnel split into eight, and we had to choose.
I looked at Ana.
She nodded her head and closed her eyes. Her magic swelled on the air, and a moment later, she pointed to one of the middle tunnels.
It was narrower than the one in which we stood, but it was still wide enough for all of us to walk side by side. We moved through it on silent feet. When a glow shined from up ahead, I killed the magic in my ring. Bree followed suit, and we crept through the darkness.
As we neared, the golden glow brightened, becoming almost blinding. I squinted and crept forward, gasping when I spotted the interior of a gigantic cave.
It was at least three hundred feet tall, and just as wide. The whole thing was chock-full of gold. Piles of gold coins, trunks full of jewelry. Ingots and bars and plates. It formed a labyrinth within, so m
uch wealth that it nearly made me ill. There were even gemstones among the lot, sparkling with rainbow fire.
“How the hell did this get here?” I whispered.
“A thief,” Maximus said. “Only a thief would hide their treasure like this.”
“Or a dragon,” Bree said.
“There are no dragons here,” I murmured. Somehow, I knew I would feel it if there were. “But there might be a monster.”
The air reeked of dark magic, and I breathed through my mouth to limit the stench.
“How the hell are we going to find what we’re looking for in here?” Lachlan asked.
He had a point. This place was just so full.
I crept forward, entering the labyrinth that was a temple to wealth.
We slipped between the piles of gold, some of which towered far overhead. On instinct, I headed toward the center of the room.
When a voice rumbled through the space, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Who dares trespass among my treasures?” The voice vibrated with such evil that I shivered.
I kept my mouth shut and kept moving forward, hoping to find the vessel before I found whoever spoke.
No luck, though.
“I see you amongst the piles of coins. You’ve come to steal what’s mine!” He sounded immensely offended at the very idea.
Since we were currently standing amid massive piles of coins, I had to assume that he could see us.
“This can’t be all your treasure. No single person could own this much,” I shouted.
“Of course it’s mine!” the voice boomed. “I killed all the previous owners, which means it’s mine.”
Killed?
Yikes.
A murderous thief.
I stepped out from between the coins, entering an open space in the cavern. My friends followed, spreading out behind me.
In the middle of the space sat a pedestal. Upon it, a small golden vase sat in a place of honor. Something inside my chest pinged with awareness.
That’s what we were after. Small and unassuming—at least amongst everything else that was here—but capable of holding the souls of Titans.
A man stepped out from behind trunks that vomited up pearls and diamonds. He had a ruddy complexion and black eyes that gleamed like a snake’s. Green hair topped his head. The magic that rolled off of him was deep and evil.