He let out another roar. She could see he was battling between deciding upon whom he should attack first.
“Come for me, you dirty bastard. Don’t you want to kill me? Kill me and your line will not be smeared by a half-breed grandchild.” She was hoping he would go for the bait.
‘William, you must use the spell.’
‘No. I won’t—it will kill you.’
She thought of the child she carried. Aurora had assured her that her magic and her child’s magic would merge while she was pregnant. And, if Aurora was telling the truth…
‘Do it, William. Now!’
She used what little strength she had to move her aunt to a safe distance.
William used his magic to fly toward Draco at top speed. She started to meditate. If this were going to work, she’d have to be in tune with not only herself but also her child. So much had happened to them in the last few days. Her life was changed forever, and she knew that it was destiny. Nothing had been accidental. Everything had led to this moment. The only thing that had saved both William and she had been the true evidence of their love.
A light started to glow around her. It was her dragon shifter magic and her child’s magic kind magic working to save them both.
William was reciting the spell. She could hear the words faintly in her mind.
Draco was attacking William, but William was standing up to him. He was her hero, and she was his.
Closing her eyes, she entered into a deep dragon shifter trance.
*****
William had Draco right where he wanted him. His spell was working its compelling magic. Screams of dragon shifters in the house and nearby on the grounds outside reached his ears. They were screams of the dying. His stomach nearly heaved. He was never destined to be a warrior wizard, only a scholar, and yet, here he was fighting for the very freedom of his magic kind, dragon shifter kind and human kind.
“So long, Draco, don’t come back.”
Draco’s face contorted. He was trying to fight the spell, but whatever Grania had done to him had weakened his resolve. Fire lit his eyes just before it faded forever. In the next instant, a circle of flame started to wrap around Draco.
He turned as Draco was torn apart.
It was over.
Grania.
She had ordered him to use the spell. He had once he’d read her mental message to him.
She had to be alive. He prayed and hoped more in those few seconds than he had ever done in all of his life.
Crossing the distance to her, he fell to his knees beside her. He could feel people entering the throne room. Various magical creatures clustered around them, their murmurs of concern made him even more unsettled.
He pressed his hand that was marked with the dragon mark to her heart. He couldn’t feel a heartbeat.
“Use that dragon heart of yours and come back to me.”
Aurora stepped forward. “I could help. I do have a good deal of healing knowledge.”
“I sense a heartbeat.” He looked at her tranquil face. The heart in her chest wasn’t beating, and yet, he could sense a heartbeat.
She had to be carrying a child. His child.
A force shuddered through her body. She almost rose off the ground. Light flared around her, and then her chest heaved as her first breath rushed through her.
“William. You are alive! Thank the Fates!” Grania breathed.
“I can thankfully say the same thing about you.” He held her, and cradled her so her head lay in his lap.
“My Aunt Andromeda needs help. Aurora, you must attend to her at once.”
“I already have.” Aurora’s voice was cheerful despite the somber mood. He knew that everyone was wary of celebrating, until victory was actually a done deal.
Aine stepped forward. “The war is not over yet, you might have cut the heart out of the War, but we haven’t stopped the hundreds of dragon shifters that are still loyal to Draco.”
He could see the light fade in Grania’s eyes. She heaved a huge breath. “I think I’m going to be able to get up soon.” Some of her colour slowly returned. “Your mother is right. They will still be fighting.”
“Then, we’ll tell them to surrender. Or I continue to use my spell against them. They won’t like that ultimatum.”
“Then, we should order all of the Royalist Dragon Shifters away from the various battlegrounds. We can’t take the risk of you killing more innocents, just in case they don’t decide to put up the white flag.”
“I agree with you.” He looked down at her. Love swelled his heart.
“Help me up.” She gave him a determined look. He assisted her to her feet, and then held her against his chest.
“I have to say I almost didn’t use the spell,” his voice dropped to a soft whisper.
“You had no choice. Draco had to be stopped. He was destroying our world, and if we’d let him live for a few more days, who knows what would have been left of England and the rest of the world.”
His mother turned to consult with a few of the wizards, witches and warlocks that had just magically popped into the grand throne room—next to the Great Hall it was the largest room in her castle.
Aine nodded her head, and whirled back to report the news. “We have gained ground against the enemy forces. Our allies have tipped the balance of power in our favour. Sometimes the Elves and the Fairies truly do come through for us.
Draco’s death is spreading through the various ranks. The enemy seems at a loss as to how to proceed. Everything has simply stopped.”
“Then, we take advantage of that.” Grania nodded her head. “We’ve taken out their leader. I don’t think there will be any more fight, so they won’t know what to do next. Without Draco, it will seem pointless to proceed.”
“We can only hope,” Aine said.
Brianna and Nicholas entered the room. “Is it really over?” Brianna looked stunned beyond belief.
Hope spread across Brianna’s face.
“Mother, is that you?”
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 graced with my immortality and yours…I suppose.”
“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 castle again.” Fear leapt in her eyes.
“Why?”
“William, you need to get out, now!” 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 another fucking 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, no, 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, William!”
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.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Grania backed up, looking for a weapon. 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 magic kind and dragon shifters, but she knew one thing, William 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 her head. “All we have to do is succeed in actually 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.
“William,” 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 now…”
“I’m not speaking about the Greek Gods, you daft bugger. 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 will buy us the time we need!”
*****
Grania 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.
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 coloured 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 lightning 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 Albion for you. My brother has gathered his knights and they’re on their way to help out as we speak.”
“Merlin gathered together knights? For us?” 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, William, I shall open a special one that will lead right into the throne room. You will 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 Lord 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 Lord Robin’s bow, when you need an arrow, it will appear in your hand. Now go 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, Albion 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 William. “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.
William smiled, suddenly feeling weak. He fell to the floor.
“Phew, that took a lot out of me.”
‘It isn’t 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. ‘Buck 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 he
r sword. Only then, do you stand a chance of emerging unscathed from this battle.’ He mustered his waning strength, and reached for his bow. ‘You’ll have to get closer to him. If you can’t fly, hop on my back, and I’ll bring you closer to him so you’ll be within killing distance.’
He nodded his head, bolting up onto the Pegasus.
“Get me close.”
‘Your wish is my command.’
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 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 hitting the floor. 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.
‘Oh that hurt, such searing pain, my 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, I’m afraid. You’ll have to do something about us becoming one with the floor. 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.’
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