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She nodded breathlessly. “I’m here to see you. I need you to get Nicholas here on the double, if you can get David as well, he’ll be needed, I could also use Leo and Kayla.”
“Would you like to see your cousin Blaze as well? He just arrived with David.”
“No. That is to say, he can’t come with me where I need to go.”
“I understand. Then, I will come with you. I should get out of this building from time to time, anyway.”
“I don’t think you should leave your post.”
“I haven’t left my post in over fifty years, I do believe now is a good time to break the rules. Besides, if you need some mighty magic, you can count on me to provide it for you.”
“Thank you, Aurora.”
“And you also have the look of a future gone wrong in your eyes. Our seers have also suspected the bad tidings that you saw. We didn’t think there was anything we could do about it. I tend to think that if I go along with you, we can change that. There is always a way, I always say.”
Despite herself, Grania chuckled.
“Let’s get a move on.”
“First and foremost, we should travel by way of magic.”
“Another portal.” Her stomach clenched in unease.
“I thought we could fly and assess the damage while we flew.”
“I don’t feel like conjuring my dragon wings.” She sighed. She didn’t feel like doing much of anything come to think of it, but if she didn’t Dylan would die.
“I wasn’t actually thinking of using your wings.”
“Broom isn’t really my style either.”
“Who said anything about a broom?” Aurora shook her head. “How do you feel
about chariot flying?”
“Chariot flying?”
“Something I used to partake in during my youth. Now that the days are
becoming so dark, I think I could do with my Pegasus’ guiding the way.”
“Pegasus’?”
“Don’t look so shocked. I have quite a few friends among the Pegasus
population. The best thing about traveling with them guiding our way is that they produce their own magical force field, which should keep us safe. Come on.” She reached for her, pulling her along to the exit.
She opened the door, revealing a chariot pulled by two sparkling white Pegasus.
They had the horn of a unicorn.
“Why do they have a horn?”
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“Their magic is conducted in their unicorn. Don’t worry, they don’t fear dragons or dragon shifters, they won’t buck when we are en route.”
“I’ll try to keep my stomach where it is.” She gave her weak smile.
“This bad business over the last few days must be wearing you out.”
They stepped up into the chariot that surprisingly was outfitted with seats. “You do like to travel in style.” She gave her a smile of gratitude.
“When I do venture out of my seclusion, I like to make a grand impression.” She grinned at Grania. “This isn’t going to be easy, Grania. You might have to do things you’d never imagined.”
“I know. I will just simply have to find the strength.”
“It’s not a matter of having enough strength, my dear, it’s a matter of having enough love.”
She didn’t understand what Aurora was hinting at. Shrugging her shoulders, she sat down on the nearest seat. The Pegasus’ wings flapped as they started to gallop into the air. She braced herself for the unsettling feeling that she expected, but for some reason traveling this way seemed easier for her than stepping through a portal conjured by magic.
The night air whipped around them, making an eerie howling noise. Though it
couldn’t penetrate the magical force field that shimmered around them. The moon started to glow brighter, and the stars twinkled making an exhilarated rush run through her. The combined white magic of their newfound allies had brought the moon out of hiding. Draco’s dark magic was slowly being defeated.
Finally she began to feel as if they really did have a chance. Slim though it seemed a magical miracle was nearly in their grasp.
“Their names are Apollo and Aphrodite. They are mates.”
She looked back to Aurora, as the witch’s soft voice snapped her out of her
reverie.
“Indeed.”
“Indeed. From their bloodline emerges a dynasty of magical Pegasus’. They will fight if the need arises.”
“How can they possibly fight?”
“A Pegasus is a merging of two magical creatures … didn’t you know that?”
“No.”
“They are the merging of the magical winged horses that the faeries and elves
tamed thousands of years ago. The unicorns were their own separate magical race.
Legend says thousands of years ago they roamed Earth as captured Gods. Their hearts had betrayed these demigods, and a magical sorceress cursed them to inhabit the unicorn’s body for the rest of time. Gradually, they became used to their form, though it is rumored that there are unicorns that still shape shift into human form like you dragon shifters do. Unicorns are pure of heart, and fair of face, and they usually only allow the purest of heart to touch them. One fell in love with a faerie. Their love was forsaken from the beginning, and the faerie realized he could not love his unicorn in his human form, so, he shifted into a magical winged horse, their offspring were the first known Pegasus'.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“It is a romantic tale, a tale of the truest love, a love like you share with Dylan.”
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“I couldn’t see Dylan transforming into a dragon to save me.”
“I could.” Aurora’s eyes glistened with emotion. “He loves you like no other
woman. I’ve never seen him so fervently passionate, except when he’s around you. You consume his every thought, and his every prayer.”
“His heart belongs to me, and mine to him.”
“Even that kind of love still won’t be enough to stop your father. It is your actions that will stop him cold in his tracks.”
“I have the bow and arrows, if needed.”
“Polaris’s bow. I’ve heard so much of that. Your mother was quite the legend in her day.”
“Legend though she might have been, it didn’t keep her alive in body.”
“The soul never dies.” Aurora sighed. “There’s trouble in the air.”
“There’s been trouble in the air since my father invaded Earth.”
“That kind of trouble, aye, but not the kind of trouble we have veering toward us.
I guess we did give off quite the impression.” Aurora sighed.
Grania looked to where Aurora pointed. “It’s a bloody fleet comprised of harpies, dragon shifters and other various winged demons.”
“Fun … the first time I step out of the office, and I’m greeted with a hellish welcoming committee. Ah, well, I have passion pent up inside of me, I think it’s time for me to vent.”
She turned away when Aurora raised her arm. Lightening charged the darkened
sky. She yelled at the top of her lungs, falling from her seat in the chariot. She’d never seen such a display of power. Her heart thundered. The lightening followed Aurora’s command streaked toward a bunch of the harpies. Two seconds later, they were ashes on the wind.
Thunder rumbled the landscape, even though the Pegasus’ seemed unaffected by
Aurora’s display of raw power. Her stomach flip-flopped, and she gasped for air. When Grania looked down at the sparks resembling stars mingling with electricity, tears filled her eyes. She swallowed. This witch was more powerful than anyone she’d ever known.
“Aurora?” Her voice came out as the weakest of whispers.
“Give me a second, I need to clear our path. I had hoped that my first testament of power would have removed the others from our path, but they do seem intent on bl
azing their trail.”
“I’ll just lie low down here until you need me! I can affect the weather as well, but not the way you can! Keep it up!”
Their chariot was suddenly struck by a large chunk of hail. “Ah, I see your father has noticed my intent,” Aurora mused.
“Aye.” She smiled. “I think I can whip up a pretty good rainstorm to drench
those demons … what do you think?”
Aurora glanced back at her. “Get to it, Grania. Show dear old dad, that you still have what it takes.”
She nodded. Summoning her elemental magic, she breathed in sharply as it
flowed through her, coalescing around her. Water rained down from the heavens in pounding sheets. The force field around them blocked the rain and heavy winds from affecting them.
“We have to hurry!” She held up her hand. Her mating mark glowed red. She
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would say Dylan’s name and use the ancient bonding magic to travel to him, but she had no idea where she’d arrive. If she were unlucky, the magic would deposit her right into the middle of a mortal magical battle.
“Stay here. We will arrive in due time. Apollo and Aphrodite can fly just as fast as a dragon shifter if not faster.”
She nodded. Hunger gnawed at her making her grimace. She wondered if the
bag would bring forth anything that might ease the hunger. Whenever she was worried about something, she got hungry, and right now she was worried sick about Dylan. He couldn’t die. They had a future together; he couldn’t leave her at the way station and move on without her.
“We’ll reach him in time. Eat one of my brownies and it will give you the energy you need, plus their chocked full of nutrients.”
“Thanks … I’m chuffed up just thinking about them.” She reached her hand into
the rucksack and pulled out a container. The delicious looking brownie stared back at her. She gobbled it up without even realizing it … until it was gone.
“That should give you what you need to get through what lies ahead.”
“What lies ahead?”
“The battle for supremacy here on Earth.”
“Not the battle for my husband’s life.”
“If you play your cards right, you will not lose Dylan. You must however be
vigilant during the battle. When we arrive at your Manor House, use the dragon mark to find Dylan. Don’t worry about anyone else just put on your blinders and head straight to him. If you don’t, he will end up sacrificing himself in order to defeat Draco.”
“I don’t know if I can .…”
“I know. The inner battle that wages inside your heart is a great one. However, I know you will make the right choice when the moment calls for it.”
“Everyone has faith in me, except me.”
“You need to change that attitude. Embrace who and what you are. Embrace
what lies inside of you ... it is your greatest strength ....” Her voice teetered off as they flew over her Manor House.
Battle raged around it.
She licked her lips. “I can do this.”
“Indeed, you can. You have me watching your back.” She smiled. “I’m much
better on the field than as a bloody bench warmer.”
“You said that the agency needed you ....”
“Aine needed me to stay out of her limelight. My magic has always ruffled her feathers a bit. My sister can be a pain in the ass when she really works hard at it.”
“Sister?”
“Didn’t Dylan tell you? I’m his aunt on his mother’s side. I’m the younger, fun loving sister. I took the pickle out of my ass years ago. Aine unfortunately never found the ability to pull hers out. She’s so stuck up that her confidence led us to this.”
“Well, I guess she can count on her family to get her out of the sticky widget she’s found herself in.”
“I guess. I don’t recognize her as my sister anymore, yet, you do have a point, that love hasn’t died. I won’t allow Dylan to die—if there’s anything that can be done—I will make sure he lives.”
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“That’s all I can ask of you. You’ve gotten me this far—without you I don’t even know if 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 days .…”
“Pregnant.” Aurora’s eyes flashed to her abdomen.
She shook her head. “No ....”
“You had a surprise for Dylan. 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 faerie. 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 Dylan.”
“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 Dylan 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. Dylan 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 Dylan had sensed you.”
“Not Dylan. My father.”
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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 front of the manor house. The stately structure made her feel at ease. 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 [these lands have been claimed by my mother’s clan has claimed these lands for centuries. 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’s powerful ... I’ll 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, well, 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. “Striking back!”
They looked at each other in horror, and then, in the next instant her entire world was blown to smithereens.
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Chapter Twenty Three
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 house was crumbling in on top of itself. Her heart cried out. Tears ran down her cheeks.
Dylan and his parents had been inside. So 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.