Crown of Dragons

by Nina Walker

  Suddenly, the energy stops.

  I skid to a halt and look around, searching for what, I don’t know. There’s no indication that this is where I cross through. I’m still in the Fae forest. I groan and clench my hands into fists, stalking through the area. A glimmer of something, that’s what I need. But there’s no glimmer, no signs. There’s nothing.

  I force myself to relax and allow the unfamiliar energy to wash over me once again. It’s stronger here than it ever was, but again, it pulls me in a direction. Not around the lake, but toward it.

  I hesitate. Fear rushes me, the memories of my time trapped underwater heady and suffocating. But I don’t have time to hesitate. I don’t have the luxury of fear. I walk forward until I’m right at the lake’s edge. The energy continues to draw me in, and I step into the water. It’s cool but not icy. It feels like summer rain, and it welcomes me forward. I take another step. And then another. All the while, my breath pumps to and from my lungs, faster and faster.

  Are there merfolk in this water, too? Something worse? What hidden darkness lies beneath the surface of the water? I remember what it felt like to have that clammy hand wrap around my ankle as a child. It’s a thought that flashes through my mind every time I’m near the water. If it happened again, would I survive this time?

  Tears prick my eyes. I’m shaking so bad, the water ripples around me.

  “Another one,” a voice hisses from the water.

  I scramble from the lake, landing with a thud on the shoreline.

  “Who’s there?”

  A head pokes out of the surface. She doesn’t look like the merfolk from my childhood nightmares; she’s much more beautiful than that. Her skin is moon white and sparkling, her eyes are onyx glitter.

  “The real question,” she says, rising further from the water, “is who are you?”

  I swallow. There is no point in trying to deceive her. “I’m Khali, future Queen of Drakenon.”

  She tilts her head. “I thought so,” she says, coolly. “Have you come to see your prince who lives on the other side?”

  “The other side of what?” I ask. Hope swells in my chest.

  “The other side of my lake.” She lifts a hand and motions a finger toward me. “Come, I’ll show you. But I must warn you, if I help you, you’ll owe me a debt.”

  Terror rakes through me because debt is exactly what Bram warned about. Bram… he needs me. I stand and step into the water. She’s the only lead I’ve got.

  “Fine,” I say. “A debt equal to this one.”

  “How well can you swim?” she asks, her lips curving into a cool smile.

  I call on my water elemental and ready myself for the task ahead. She dives under. Against my better judgment, I trust her, and dive under as well. The fear of this being a trap, of becoming subjected to the things that lurk down here, is more real than ever. But I have to be brave, and so, I swim.

  The creature is fast, her fins giving her the advantage. But I’m fast, too. And my water elemental allows me to not only breathe under here, but to use the water as a tool for speed. It pushes me forward, past kelp, through the darkness, deeper and deeper and deeper still.

  She leads me straight to the bottom of the lake. The energy down here is so strong, it crushes me on all sides, heavier than ever. I try to scream, to struggle, to break free, but it’s like fate is pulling me under without my consent. My vision blurs from black to the brightest white. Someone calls my name and my heart leaps with recognition, but it all happens so fast that I lose all thought. I’m spinning. I’m lost. The deep dark returns.

  The energy pushes me to my breaking point. And then, it washes away.

  The woman leading me is gone too.

  The water is no longer that of summer, that of Fae. It’s icy cold.

  I swim back to the surface, desperate to be free, my legs kicking with unchecked ferocity. The moment my head breaks the surface, I breathe in the cold air, letting it fill my lungs with its freeing salvation. My eyes blink open, my vision settling, and I know. I know what has happened. I know where I am. I can feel it in the change of temperature, can see it in the landscape. But most of all, I can sense it in the way my magic has lost some of its breath. The elementals dancing within are but a wisp of what they normally are. I’ve passed through the ley lines. I’ve crossed over from one realm to the next. I blink the water from my eyes, my vision fixed on the dark shoreline.

  29

  Hazel

  My throat burns as Landon pushes the last ounce of oxygen from my lungs. My vision is nothing but a black tunnel. Stars wink along the edges. And Landon. He is centered in the darkness. It sweeps over me. Fast. Too fast. I claw at his hands and wrists, drawing blood. I snag a long strand of his hair and rip it from his scalp. I kick out and knee him with all the energy I have left. He’s unmovable. He’s made of stone. Unfeeling. Unshaken. Above him, the robed spirit has taken control, those two red eyes glowing luminous.

  I’m going to die.

  My limbs grow weak. The panic settles beneath a haze of acceptance, like a single feather floating on the wind. There is nothing more I can do. I have no fight left. My eyelids flutter and just before they close, something darts through the black, something I’ve seen before. I try to hold onto the image, to place it, to understand what it is, but my memories are drowning in death.

  My life doesn’t flash behind my eyes. Nothing does.

  Landon’s hands loosen … then release. I cough and roll onto my side, gasping for air. The oxygen burns hot as salvation, filling my lungs with fire. My head swims for the surface. Blood races through each vein as my pulse quickens. It feels like a millennia until I’m brought back to awareness. I scramble against the truck bed, scooting away from Landon.

  It’s dark and hard to make out everything that’s going on, but even from here I see his expression transform from dazed to horrified. He stares at his hands like they aren’t his own. His mouth opens and closes in stunned silence. His chest rises and falls, faster and faster. Then he looks up and catches my gaze. I cower farther away from him.

  “I’m so sorry, Hazel,” he whispers, his voice raw with emotion. “I don’t understand what came over me. I didn’t mean—”

  But I can’t. I can’t do this right now. I race over the edge of the truck, landing on my hands and knees in the long, scratchy grass. It’s half dead from the approaching winter and stinks of mildew and mud. I scramble to my feet, ready to run, but movement over the lake catches my attention.

  Above the still lake’s surface, two spirits hover.

  The cloaked demon, who moments before was using Landon to choke me, circles the large spirit dragon. It’s the very same creature I saw twice before, the black dragon with the cobalt eyes. I stare in shock for the space of a heartbeat. And then, they attack. Their forms fly at each other over the water, but nothing reflects below them. Nothing but the stars. Nothing but the darkness.

  I glance at Landon. “Do you see them?” I choke the words out as I point.

  He turns and frowns, shaking his head. He doesn’t see anything. My heart sinks but I’m not surprised. This sight isn’t meant for regular human eyes.

  “Hazel, I’m so sorry,” he continues, rubbing bloodied palms into his hair. Most of it has fallen out of its bun, the blonde streaked with liquid red. “Please, forgive me. I would never—”

  I hold up my hand and cut him off. “Not right now.”

  The spirits battle. The dragon roars and charges, flying through the air, long claws outstretched and teeth bared, but the black cloaked spirit is otherworldly in its movements. It disappears into wispy smoke before the dragon can touch it. Then it materializes again at the right moment. This time, it’s right behind the dragon, its claw-like hand reaching out. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t carry any weapons. But it doesn’t need to. Its skeletal hands are the weapon. Whatever the cloaked demon touches is brought into the darkness. The dragon is no exception. It arches and cries out, flying away and then twisting back to c
ontinue the fight.

  I’ve never seen anything like it, or anything like them. Human spirits are in their own kind of void. They don’t touch each other. They don’t touch us. But these two things have so much more freedom. I’m reminded of that first encounter with the spirit dragon, when it had knocked me down but I’d talked myself out of that being a real possibility. I had told myself I fell out of surprise. Now I know the truth. These spirits, whatever they are, and wherever they’re from, I don’t know, but I do know this: they can touch each other—they can touch us.

  And apparently, some can make humans do horrible things.

  I swallow hard, realizing the implications of this new development. Maybe the supposed serial killer isn’t one human man. Maybe it’s actually this thing using whoever it can get its deadly hands on, using multiple men to murder young girls.

  The two spirits continue to fight until the dragon is bested a second time, weakening further and skidding against the water. It cries out, a sound that sends a shiver of fear down my spine. It’s losing. It won’t be long until the dragon flees or is killed. How does a spirit dragon die? I don’t know. And I don’t want to know. Because once it’s gone, Landon and I will be helpless once again.

  “Get out of here,” I yell at Landon.

  “What are you talking about?” He jumps out of the truck bed and approaches me carefully. “I think you’re in shock.”

  “Landon, listen to me. You need to get in your truck and go. Go, before it comes back for you!”

  His face is ashen under the starlight, dazed and disbelieving. The dragon cries out in pain again, a sound Landon can’t hear. If only I could explain! But I can’t do anything about it. There isn’t time. I don’t wait to see if he follows my instructions. I take off for the trees. I have to hide from Landon and this creature. I have to get to safety before I become like Katherine and those other girls, before I end up as another lifeless corpse at the bottom of the lake.

  I’m caged in by the heady scent of pine and blood, of night air and cold fear. I breathe hard even though I don’t want to make a sound. Tree branches scratch at my bare arms and torso. I’m only in my bra, skinny jeans, and Cora’s suede boots. The heels sink into the mud and catch on the rocks, slowing me down. The cold licks at my skin, but does little to penetrate past the terror that has become a heat all of its own. I push further into the forest, climbing over fallen trunks and through thick weeds.

  After a few minutes, I stop to catch my breath and listen. The silence is eerie. It doesn’t belong out here. There should be something to fill the quiet. Birds. Squirrels. Larger animals—I’d even take one of the normal ghosts. But there’s nothing. No wind. No cries from the spirit dragon. And no truck engine, either.

  My insides squirm. Sweat drips down the back of my neck. It’s so silent, I can hear my heart beating. And all I can think is that Landon didn’t take my advice. There’s no truck pulling away. He didn’t leave. Oh God, why didn’t he leave?

  “Hazel!” His voice breaks through the silence. “Where are you?”

  I can’t trust him. Not with that thing around. And I don’t dare move. He could be possessed again. In fact, I’d bet my life on it.

  “I know you’re out there!” he yells again, his voice closer this time. “I just want to help you.”

  His tone rings false, but I’m frozen to the spot. It’s too quiet out here and if I move, he’ll hear me. If that thing is using him again, he will be immune to pain. He’ll be so much faster than me. I’ll never get away. Hiding is my only option. Inch by inch, I sink to the forest floor and crouch low. Something hard presses against my hip bone and hope swells. My phone!

  I fish it from the front pocket of my jeans and make sure to switch the button on the side to silent. Then I cover the screen with one hand and press the “wake up” button with the other. A picture of Macy and Cora’s smiling faces light up the backdrop. I’m quick to turn the brightness down, tears burning my eyes as I look at my friends. If I don’t get out of here, I’ll never see them again.

  What if they come looking for me? They could be next.

  I hurry to find the contacts and scroll for Detective Sanders’ information. When his name comes across the screen, I let out a small sigh. I push the contact and pray.

  Nothing happens.

  I only have one bar of service out here. I grit my teeth and look around helplessly. How am I going to get service without being seen?

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Landon’s sing-song voice cackles through the night. He’s getting closer and closer. He might find me. Maybe I should run. But if I can get this call to connect, I might be okay. And then I realize that even if I make the call, it’s not like I can talk to the detective without alerting Landon and the creature to my location.

  A tear drops loose, splashing against my cheek. I have to try a different tactic. I type in a quick text to the detective, giving my name, what I know about my location, and that I’m in trouble and need the police right away. I press send and watch helplessly as my phone struggles to connect to service. The text doesn’t send. I shake the phone in my hand, more tears falling.

  “Where are you?” Landon’s tone has turned dark and guttural, nothing like his true self. “When I find you, I’m going to teach you about respect.”

  The hot tears trail down my cheeks and neck unchecked. My breath catches in my chest as it rises and falls in little gasps. My arms are covered in cuts and goosebumps. And I can’t move. I know it’s true, that the dragon is gone and whatever that thing was is back in Landon. Because there is no way the Landon I know would ever say anything like that to me. Those have got to be the demon’s words.

  But why me? Is it just bad timing? Bad luck? Were we in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or am I being hunted by the creature for a specific reason? I think back to the black spirit finding me in the alleyway and can’t help but wonder if that wasn’t a coincidence.

  I release a small breath and grab onto what little courage I have left. I press send on my text again and slowly stand, reaching my hand into the air and praying to whatever is up there, to please save me. Please, let the service connect. Please, let the detective see it right away.

  “There you are!” Landon snarls. His force knocks me to the forest floor, and the phone skids loose from my hand. He stalks over to where it’s lit up in the darkness and scowls. “You won’t be needing this anymore.”

  He stomps on the screen. It cracks and goes dark.

  He comes for me, yanks my shivering body up to his and twists my arms behind my back. I yelp, the pain white-hot.

  “Landon don’t,” I plead. “I know you’re in there. I know this isn’t you. You don’t have to do this.”

  He brings his mouth right up against my ear. The voice that comes out is not his. Not his at all. It’s scratchy and putrid, thick with death and heavy with decay. “For two long years, I’ve been searching for someone like you. Oh, Hazel, you are exactly what they need.”

  He’s been searching for someone like me? What does that mean? Who are they?

  I slam my head back into Landon’s face, feeling his nose crunch under my skull. It doesn’t seem to hurt him. He cackles again and squeezes tighter. The sound omitting from his mouth is still not Landon’s. It’s nothing like his sweet, carefree, happy laugh. The demon is in total control now.

  “Don’t fight back,” he snarls. “Or I will do much worse. You will not have known true pain until you receive it from me.”

  He lifts me up and squeezes those strong arms around me like a vice, carrying me from the forest and back to the lake. I scream for help the entire time, twist and kick out, try anything I can, but it’s useless. Landon’s strength is that of ten men with this demon in charge. I’ll never break free.

  “You are a disgusting girl,” the creature spits angrily. “But soon you will be nothing at all.”

  Oh, God. I don’t like the sound of that. I keep trying to claw my way out of Landon’s arms, but it�
�s impossible. We approach the edge of the lake.

  “It’s time to start the ritual.” This time, the voice smiles.

  30

  Khali

  A deafening scream slices through the night, and I whip around in the water, searching for the source of the noise. A woman’s voice cries out again, sobbing, and then goes silent. I should stay away from trouble, should be looking out for myself and my mission in coming here, but I can’t stop myself. That merwoman brought me here for a reason. This can’t be a coincidence.

  I swim in the direction of the sound as quietly as possible. The icy water seeps deep down inside, all the way to the marrow, but I push through the pain with each stroke of my arms and legs. Something base and instinctual has risen within me, screaming that I must get to that woman. I must help her.

  My magic isn’t the same in this place. It’s still there, but it’s like it’s been softened, muted down. The water elemental barely makes a difference in my speed through the water, and the fire elemental is nowhere to be found in this terrible coldness. Perhaps it’s the shock. Perhaps it’s the need to get to the woman outweighing the need to figure out what’s wrong with my magic. But more likely, it’s this human realm. Things aren’t the same here.

  It’s been called the non-magical realm for a reason, and while I can access some of my magic here, it’s not nearly the same. I can’t imagine what it would be like to stay here long term. It’s terrible. Is this what Dean has to live with on a daily basis? Is this what it’s like to be Bram, only worse? I hate to think about it, and try to focus on the present moment over the questions.

  The Fae kingdom had the sticky warmth of summer to it, even in the late autumn. But here, even though it’s technically the same area, it’s less autumn and much more biting winter. It’s drier and colder. There is no mistaking that this place isn’t meant for magic.