by test
She rushed to Andromeda. Mother and daughter embraced. He watched Grania
smile.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I haven’t lost all of my family. Don’t worry about me.”
“The child .…”
“Our child is fine. She or he is stronger than you would think. Remember our offspring will be immortal.”
“Indeed, and his or hers power has already activated. How is that possible?”
“You should know more than I that when magic is involved anything is possible.”
He clasped her hand tightly in his.
She stiffened. Instantly, he knew something was wrong ....
“What is it?”
“I ....” She flinched with pain. “I think we need to clear out all of the dragon shifters out of the house again.” Fear leapt in her eyes.
“Why?”
“Dylan … you need to get out.” Dawning panic crept into her voice.
He clasped her hand even tighter. “I’m not going anywhere. We’ve had a
decisive victory today. What are you so frantic about?”
“I’m not frantic, I’m positively overboard with worry. It was an illusion.” Her voice sounded strangled.
“It? What are you talking about?”
“Your spell. It didn’t work. Draco found a way of nullifying it. Oh, God … you have to leave. Now! Please, leave. My father made you think you’d destroyed him ...
he’s not really dead!”
Aine stepped forward. “She’s right … if he’s still alive, we’re all at risk. You have to leave now, Dylan!”
She pushed at him. She wanted them all gone. She wanted them all to get to
safety.
Magic lit up the gallery. When she opened her eyes. She was alone ... except for one really pissed off dragon.
“Hello, Father.”
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
Chapter Twenty -Four
She backed up, looking for a weapon with which to defend herself. Her bow and arrows were gone, and her spare sword was back at the cottage. She was alone and defenseless, save for any mystical tricks she might have stored up her sleeve.
She swallowed. She didn’t know where she had transported the rest of the
witches and wizards, but she knew one thing, Dylan was pissed off! She could feel his anger permeating to her even across the distance she put between them.
* * * *
“Flipping hell! I can’t believe what she’s done.” He paced back and forth. They were in Dragonia. He still didn’t know how she’d managed to transport them all to another realm. In the last few hours, her many surprises continued to awe, amaze, and infuriate him!
She didn’t have a hope of winning against Draco, not in his enraged state. His spell had failed. He swallowed.
“My spell didn’t work. We’re back to the drawing board when it comes to this
war.”
“We saw what nearly happened when Draco’s forces believed him to be dead.”
Aurora nodded. “All we have to do is succeed in killing that bastard.”
“I have to get my head together and get us a sustainable portal conjured so I can get back to where I belong ... protecting Grania!”
“You leave the portal to me. You have to get yourself together, you’ll need your wits about you when we get back to England.” His mother stood shoulder to shoulder with Aurora. It was funny how they always seemed to set aside their nearly constant bickering when a crisis threatened the family.
“She’s alone. Alone,” he fumed.
“Dylan.” Aurora’s voice was soothing. “She won’t be alone for much longer.
Just give your mother and me some more time, we’ll figure out how to get a stable portal conjured. If only Merdwyn was here—he is the most proficient when it comes to making portals. You even have a talent when you have a level head. And, besides, she isn’t alone. She has Aphrodite and Apollo.”
“Come again?” He shook his head. “I don’t see where the Greek Gods can help
her .…”
“Not the Greek Gods, you dolt. Don’t you remember the mating pair of Pegasus
that befriended me?”
He inclined his head. “Now I do.” He smiled. “They don’t care for dragons, do they?” A soft smile touched his lips.
“They don’t care for dragons at all.” Aurora gave him an encouraging grin.
“They will no doubt come to Grania’s aid and that in itself will buy us the time we need!”
* * * *
She wouldn’t back down from Draco. She’d come this far. They’d had the hope of victory in their hands, and then it had been snuffed away in an instant.
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
She needed a sword. Draco would never let her get away from him so she could
raid the weapon’s room.
"My daughter, you should be wearing an outfit befitting your position as a lady of Dragonia. When you die, I'd like you to be wearing our clothing, not human clothing."
Before she could react, his magic rippled over her. She shivered, staring down at the outfit he'd conjured for her. She now stood in a long emerald colored gown. Just what she needed. He looked hungrily at her. Her goose was cooked. Or not.
Aphrodite and Apollo thundered toward her. They were galloping at top speed.
The cavalry had arrived—too bad they didn’t have a sword strapped to their sides.
Before Draco could strike out against her, they stepped in front of her, activating their force field around her.
Flames licked the shield, though it didn’t weaken a bit.
“Thank you.”
They neighed softly. She knew they could talk telepathically, but only with their chosen ones.
“How long can you keep this up?” She didn’t expect an answer. “I wish I had my sword or my bow and arrows.”
Sparkles enveloped the inside of the force field, and then when they cleared, her sword materialized. It was the same sword she’d carried for the last four hundred years.
How had they managed this?
She enclosed her hand around the smooth hilt. Its significant weight gave her comfort. The bow and the arrows might have been easier to use, at least for her, but her sword had never failed her.
Now, how was she going to use it when she was inside of the shield?
“You can hide behind those pathetic winged horses for as long as you want—it’s only a matter of time before I figure out how to bypass their magic. It’s weak in comparison to mine.” His maniacal laugh made her skin crawl. He’d lost all vestige of his humanity. He was beast ... all of him.
At his words, a burst of lightening crackled out of one of their horns, it zipped around the room and then hit her father on his tail. He let out an agonized shriek.
Gradually, his howl of pain turned to pure fury.
‘ Get on my back! ’ The telepathic message came from Aphrodite.
She mounted her carefully, struggling at first with the gown she wore. She'd been away from Dragonia and their customary dress for far too long. Even without a saddle, she could still ride bareback.
* * * *
“We’ve conjured a stable portal.”
Another portal formed beside the one that Aine and Aurora had created.
Merdwyn popped out of it.
“Well, it’s about time I found the lot of you. I’ve been searching all of England for you. My brother has gathered troops and they’re on their way to help out as we speak.”
“Troops?” Aine looked perplexed.
“You don’t honestly think that my brother and I have gone into permanent
retirement do you? There’s always evil that we need to fight. Now, come on, we can use both of the portals, and for you, Dylan, I shall open a special one that will lead right into DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
the picture gallery. You’ll be able to help Grania kill Draco. She’s rising to the challenge as
we speak, though I daresay that since he’s nullified your spell you’ll have to use this.” He handed him Robin’s bow.
“We’ll find Grania’s bow and quiver soon, for some reason they've both
disappeared and I can't seem to locate them … for now, use Robin’s bow and be the warrior that you’ve always been meant to be. We’ll take care of Draco’s other forces.
When you finish off Draco, England and the world will be safe.”
“Thank you.” He didn’t want to mince words, he just wanted to help Grania.
Merdwyn waved his arm and conjured another portal. “Use this with my
blessings.” He smiled at Dylan. “When you go up against Draco, you will be fighting the demon beast. There is no remaining humanity in Draco. You managed to kill that part with your spell—not your intention, but it was your result.”
“Then, let me rectify my failure. I will kill Draco this time around. Make no mistake.”
With one last glance at his parents and Merdwyn, he hopped into the portal, and emerged in the middle of a standoff between Grania and Draco.
Fire danced around the room making the heat almost scorching, but blissfully it wasn’t affecting Grania. He erected a magical shield around his body to protect against the fire.
She looked like a warrior angel astride the Pegasus and wielding the sword in her hand. She was flying straight for his heart. He had to help her. The dragon hide was thick, he didn’t know if the first strike would take Draco’s life, and the way that Draco seemed invulnerable to physical harm ....
He mustered up all of his magical strength and concentrated it on attacking Draco.
The dragon howled in agony and his legs gave way beneath the brutal onslaught. He was being affected.
Dylan smiled, suddenly feeling weak. He fell to the floor.
“Phew, that took a lot out of me.”
‘ It is a wonder. You tapped on all of your power and channeled it out at him. It is a very miracle that you are awake. That should have knocked you senseless. Humans can be so mysterious. ’ He locked eyes with the Pegasus standing near to him . ÔBuck up, wizard. You still need to slay the beast. You are right. Her strike may not fell him. But, there is a way to help her succeed. You must use that bow and shoot an arrow into his heart at the precise moment that she strikes him with her sword. Only then do you stand a chance of emerging unscathed from this battle. ’ He mustered his waning strength and reached for his bow. ‘ YouÕll have to get closer to him. If you canÕt fly, then hop on my back, and IÕll bring you closer to him so youÕll be within killing distance. ’
He nodded, bolting up onto the Pegasus.
“Get me close.”
ÔYour wish is my command.Õ
As Apollo took him closer to Draco, he lined his arrow up for the shot. Grania was swerving into the right position to strike. Draco was weakened so much that he couldn’t really keep up with the both of them.
“You will not succeed in killing me. When I make the both of you perish into a billow of smoke I will start to exterminate all of the vermin on this planet. Anyone that is not a dragon shifter follower of mine will be put to death. The next few days will be DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
bloody and wondrous at the same time. Ah, how I look forward to the future.”
“You have no future, Draco.” Grania’s voice was strong as she plunged her sword into his thick dragon hide. Draco howled, lashing out at her. He hit the Pegasus and the force of his blow penetrated the force field throwing Aphrodite out of flight. She plunged to the ground.
Grania was trying to stop their fast descent. He couldn’t worry about her, he had to focus on finishing the job she started. Grania would figure out a way to keep them from becoming pancakes on the ground. He just had to figure out a way to get one of the killing arrows into Draco. The sword blow didn’t seem to be doing the trick.
The free fall robbed Grania of breath. She had to do something. The bolt had affected Aphrodite. She couldn't tell if she was wounded or not.
‘ Pain. Goodness, that smarted. ’
She heard Aphrodite’s thought .…
“You’ll have to pull up, Aphrodite.” She spoke the words aloud instead of
projecting her thoughts.
‘ No strength for that, IÕm afraid. YouÕll have to do something about us
becoming one with the ground. I seem to be immobilized for the time being. Whatever your father did paralyzed me. ’
“What do I do?”
‘ Dear child, you are carrying a magic kind, tap into the wish magic it holds, I can sense a future fairy godmother in the making. ’
“Wish magic?”
‘ If you donÕt É I shudder to think of how we will feel in a few scant moments. ’
“I wish for the injuries you’ve suffered to be healed. That should solve our
problem.”
A white light draped over Aphrodite. In one split second, everything changed.
Her limp body became full of energy. She was so vibrant it nearly robbed Grania of breath—again.
‘ Thank you. Now I do believe that we should go and render assistance to Dylan.
He seems to be trying to get a clean shot into Draco. LetÕs make it so. ’
They flew toward Dylan and Apollo at top speed. The room shook. Draco’s
dragon form was doing so much damage that it would be a blessing if they could end this now.
Seeing them alive and well was enough of a distraction for Draco to give Dylan the element of surprise.
He moved to intercept them, and that’s when Dylan shot off his arrow. It struck Draco in the same area that she had plunged in her sword. She drew in her breath sharply and waited.
The animal still pursued her.
He was conjuring a breath of fire in his massive mouth, waiting for the right
moment to spew it out at her. Before he could move into the next stage of his attack, his eyes lit with confusion—dawning horror—and then, finally fear. The coward had finally met his match.
He had met the combined force of her and Dylan.
“No! This can’t be ... I am a God! I am immortal!”
“Even immortals like us can still find the shroud of death, and it has found you, DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
Draco. The part of you that was my father disappeared long ago. This time your dragon’s heart betrayed you ... you are all beast and now I bid you adieu,” she called out.
Maniacal madness overtook his eyes, and in the next moment, he was gone. The
resulting explosion tore through the house. They had to get out of here. Making her wish, she, Dylan, Apollo and Aphrodite were transported to safety.
“It’s finally over, it’s the end.” She dismounted Aphrodite and ran toward Dylan.
He held her in a fast embrace.
“In my book, it’s the start of something wonderful. It’s the beginning of a future where humans, magic kind and dragon shifters all live together in harmony.”
“Harmony?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Well, maybe not harmony, I’m sure there will be a few bumps in the road.”
Laughter carried to them from the distance.
The cleansing sheen of moonlight dappled the landscape.
Fairies, Elves, dragon shifters, wizards and witches walked toward them.
“It’s over. The war has ended.” Aine’s voice was strong. “This time, it is no illusion. We have obtained victory. Our grim fate has been eradicated. Hope lives on.”
“Draco is gone.” Dylan locked gazes with his mother.
“And his defeat will be celebrated for years to come.” Merdwyn inclined his head toward him. Warriors on winged horses clustered around him. “My brother did remain true to his word. He brought his noblest of knights to slay the dragons.”
Grania looked around at their friends. They were safe. They were free.
She leaned in closer to Dylan, “Our future looks bright indeed.”
“With
you lighting my way our future will be forever filled with light. You are the love of my life ... you are my mate and you are my protector.”
“As you are mine. Our child will inherit this new world.”
“Grania Lightfoot, I love you.”
“I love you, too, Dylan. We tempted fate, and we won.”
The End