by Chant, Zoe
When Liana stared at the sky, her heart pounding in terror, she saw that in the distance, further tiny black dots had appeared.
“Your friends?” she said in a small voice.
Silently, Timothy shook his head.
It was difficult to make out how many dots were approaching. For all she knew, it could be a group of small birds.
But then, birds wouldn’t have Timothy so tense...
There was a sudden roar in the air, at first soft, then growing louder. The griffin was very close now, his giant eagle’s wings beating the air with powerful strokes.
Instinctively, Liana gasped and pressed closer to Timothy.
Playing with griffins in a game was quite different to the reality of meeting one.
Even though the shifter was smaller than a dragon, he was just as intimidating. He had the head and the wings of an eagle, while the back half of his body was that of a lion, covered with smooth, golden fur.
When he landed, she could feel the wind caused by his wings on her face. A second later, the griffin’s form shimmered and vanished. Instead, a man about Timothy’s age stood in front of them.
And he didn’t waste a minute.
“Hurry,” he gasped. “They’ve been hunting me for half an hour.”
“Fire dragons?” Timothy asked in a low voice.
“Seven or more of them. I don’t know where they came from.”
“Shit,” Timothy swore quietly, then stared at the sky again. “We should have a few minutes before they get here.”
“But if we just leave, what about your friends?” Liana asked worriedly.
“Damn it!” The griffin shifter had turned away from them and was now staring at the sky to their west.
Even before she’d followed his gaze, Liana knew what she’d see.
More tiny dots had appeared in the sky.
Swallowing, she turned.
To the north of them, clouds were covering the sky. Even as she watched, a handful of tiny, dark shapes broke through the clouds, rapidly flying towards them.
“I can outrace them,” Timothy said. “And so can my friends. I can fly higher than them, and I’m faster. And water will shield us from their fire breath.”
Even so, he sounded worried. Liana’s heart clenched when she remembered the jets of fire that had nearly burned them in the alley near her apartment.
That had only been a small group of dragons. This time, Timothy would have to deal with three or four times as many...
“We should go now,” Jared said. He still sounded breathless. “I’d love to give them a fight—but not with your mate here.”
“That’s why they wait to attack,” Timothy said grimly. “They want to kill her before we can mate.”
“Then let’s fly.” Liana’s heart was still pounding. “I trust you. I know you won’t let them harm me.”
“Jared, you’ll fly on my back as well,” Timothy said firmly. “I’m the fastest of us all. I have the power of my element to draw on—something those fire dragons can’t.”
“Unless their mysterious new master of the fire is among them,” Jared murmured. For a moment, he looked as if he wanted to argue. Then he stared at the sky again and changed his mind. “As you say. We’ll all ride on your back.”
Liana had been worriedly watching the sky together with the men. Now she suddenly remembered Braeden, who’d been leaning against the tree on top of the hill.
“Braeden?” she called out, frowning as she looked around.
She could no longer see him sitting by the tree. Where had he gone?
“What has that idiot of a fire dragon done now?” Timothy growled, hurriedly returning to where the solitary tree grew.
Liana watched as he circled it, then shook his head.
She swallowed, then circled around as well. Had Braeden gone off to explore the rocks and bushes that lined the steep incline?
“Braeden?” she called out again, more urgently. How much time was left?
“He’s gone.” Timothy was visibly upset. “I should have known it. He was in league with them after all. He must have led them here somehow. Now he’s run off to join them.”
“No,” Liana said, even though her blood was running cold with fear. “I can’t believe that.”
He’d been a prickly idiot most of the time she’d known him—but he’d also felt remarkably human. Not like a half-mad fire dragon out to kill everything in his way.
“Do you think... he might be trying to talk to them?” she asked hopefully.
Timothy clenched his jaw. “If that’s what he’s trying to do, he’s even more of an idiot than I thought. They’re not here for discussion. Shit, where can he be?”
He turned around again. Meanwhile, Liana peered at the sky.
“They’ll be here soon.” Her stomach twisted unpleasantly when she remembered the wall of fire filling the alley by her apartment.
“Let’s just leave him. He’ll see what he gets out of it,” Timothy said.
Despite his words, Liana could feel a wave of worry coming from him.
He’d obviously come to care more about the prickly fire dragon than he’d let on. And so had she, now that she thought about it.
Braeden had been an asshole at times—but more like that one annoying cousin who’d kept teasing her during family dinners. Not like an enemy.
“Last time, the fire dragons tried to kill him,” Jared pointed out. He still sounded out of breath from his own flight from the fire dragons. “Maybe he’s trying to lead them away from us.”
“There are so many of them that they could go after all of us.” Timothy took a deep breath, staring out at the valley. “Anyway, he knows that I’m stronger than them.”
“Stronger than five, sure,” Jared said. “But when’s the last time you had to fight twenty fire dragons at once?”
Timothy didn’t answer that question.
Worry clenched around Liana’s heart like a fist. She knew Timothy could get them all away safely. She’d seen him fight off their enemies before, after all.
But now there were three of them he’d have to protect—and one of them had run off.
Timothy watched the sky again. Then he clenched his jaw and shook his head.
“He’s on his own now. We have to go. Now.”
A second later, he shifted.
Hurriedly, Liana clambered onto his back together with Jared. Even as Timothy rose into the air, she desperately kept watch for a sign of Braeden, but she couldn’t find him.
And maybe Jared was wrong. Maybe Braeden wasn’t stupid enough to try and talk to them while his own powers were locked away. Maybe he’d simply seen a good chance to make an escape, hidden in some nook or beneath a large rock.
After all, Braeden was a captive. She couldn’t really blame him for wanting to be free. Now that she knew the joy and excitement of a dragon soaring through the sky, she could only imagine how painful it had to be for him to lose that freedom.
Still, maybe he’d be fine.
What mattered now was that the three of them could make an escape. After all, unlike the others, Liana wasn’t a shifter. She didn’t have any special powers to protect her from a fire dragon attack.
Through the fragile bond between them, she could feel Timothy’s nervousness. He really didn’t like leaving someone behind.
She reached out to smooth a hand over his blue-green scales.
It’s not your fault, she thought. You’ve done your best to protect him.
An answering wave of warmth flooding right into her heart through the bond. Despite her fear, she held onto that sensation.
Not matter what happened, they’d be together.
They rose swiftly into the air. For a long moment, Timothy kept hovering, as if he was searching for one final glimpse of Braeden. Liana kept her eyes on the hill beneath them, desperately searching for a sign of where the dragon had gone.
And there, just when she was ready to give up, she saw a shadow move between two boulder
s, close to where the ground flattened.
“There,” she called out, turning in excitement to nudge the griffin shifter.
“I see him,” Jared said hastily. “I’ll get him! Timothy, keep them off me if they get too close.”
Before she could say anything, Jared slipped from Timothy’s back right in front of her eyes.
She couldn’t quite hold back her shocked gasp when he fell.
But then, right as he was plummeting towards the ground, Jared shifted. Spreading his large eagle’s wings, his free fall turned into an elegant glide.
Nervously, Liana turned her head again. She could feel Timothy’s own fear through the bond. He was afraid, despite all of his strength and power—afraid for her.
Warmth rushed through her again. She pressed her hand against his neck.
I trust you. No one will harm me with you here. Don’t worry.
The fire dragons were close enough now that she could make out their exact number and see the dark glint of their cruel claws.
Claws just like that had grabbed her in the alley. Claws like that had pulled her far up into the sky...
She took a deep breath. It was no use thinking of that. Any second now, Jared would return with Braeden in his own claws, and they could finally run.
At that exact moment, an ominous rumble erupted far below her.
It was a sound she’d never heard before—deep and drawn out, stone grinding against stone. As if the earth itself was crying out in agony.
And then, just as Jared swooped down towards Braeden, sudden flames burst from the earth, blocking her view.
Chapter Sixteen: Timothy
Timothy realized what was wrong at the same moment that Liana cried out.
An explosion of a terrible power had taken place below him.
A power that was like nothing he’d ever felt. It was an outburst of fire—but fire that seemed to sizzle with a terrible power.
The element of fire.
No one had controlled the fire element for hundreds of years. But it seemed that all of their fears had been right.
The fire dragons were led by a new elemental dragon. And whoever it was had at last decided to join the fight.
Instinct made Timothy beat his wings to race straight towards the suddenly appeared cloud of fire and smoke, which had almost swallowed Jared.
The griffin shifter was frantically beating his wings. He’d just barely escaped the billowing flames—and there was something struggling in his claws.
It was the body of a man. He’d grabbed Braeden just in time.
Relief filled Timothy.
No matter whether Braeden had tried to betray them or had just chosen the worst possible moment to try and go for a walk, they could talk about that later.
First, they’d have to get out of here. Together.
Timothy gathered all of his power, still racing straight towards the hissing flames that had shot up from a large crack in the earth. Meanwhile, Jared was beating his wings rapidly, trying to outfly the flames.
As soon as he was close enough, Timothy opened his jaws. He breathed a torrent of water right into the heart of the fiercely burning flames, while Jared soared towards safety.
A cloud of steam rose up, the fire beneath them hissing and dying away.
For a moment, Timothy hovered in the air.
Was that all? He’d felt a terrible energy he’d never felt before... But where was it now?
Was their enemy hiding? Had he given up?
Without warning, a dragon burst out of the large crack in the earth. He was red from the tip of his tail to his jaws, every scale gleaming as if it was glowing from within. And there were strange shadows moving all over his body, tendrils of darkness that mingled with the flames.
Timothy felt a surge of the same strange energy he’d felt when the earth had cracked open.
The master of the fire. It has to be. I’ve never felt that sort of energy from a fire dragon before.
The dragon was close to Jared. Too close.
With horror, Timothy watched how the fire dragon’s jaws opened. A moment later, a huge jet of flame exploded out of his mouth—and despite Jared’s frantically beating wings, he was too close to escape the fire.
Without thinking, Timothy opened his own jaws, concentrating on the energy that was thrumming within his chest. A lance of water shot forward. It hit the fire, turning it into harmless steam just before it could engulf the griffin.
Jared and Braeden were safe—at least for now.
But on the other hand, now Timothy had attracted the attention of the fire dragon.
And Liana was still on his back...
He spread his wings, then began beating them with powerful strokes. Instead of rushing towards the ground, he now began to rise again. But was it enough?
He could hear the angry roar of the fire dragon below him. Then there was a moment of silence.
And a second later, an impossibly hot gust of air hit his wings. It was the only warning Timothy received—and it came just in time for him to summon the energy of his element.
The song of water filled his heart, at the same moment as he willed a bubble of water around them into existence.
He was still rising rapidly into the sky, trying to carry Liana to safety.
And then a huge ball of fire hit his water shield.
Water sizzled and turned to steam. Timothy roared in challenge as he felt fire and water fight for dominance. His shield was strong... and the fire was surprisingly weak.
Was this truly the master of the element of fire? Maybe they’d been mistaken...
A moment later, something pierced his shield of water and singed the tip of his wing. At the same moment, another attack pierced his chest.
Impossible, he thought in terror even as he began to sink like a stone, the agony so strong that he couldn’t keep in the air.
He tasted fire on his tongue, felt the acrid scent of it fill his nostrils.
Flames... No. Not flames. Smoke and shadows. Darkness...
“Timothy!”
It was Liana’s terrified cry that brought him back to his senses.
His body hurt. It hurt to move his right wing. And every time he breathed, his chest ached fiercely.
Still, he couldn’t give up now. He had to protect his mate.
Liana didn’t have wings... And right now, they were surrounded by enemy dragons.
With a groan, Timothy forced himself to rise up higher into the sky. The fire dragon was still somewhere below him. From the corner of his eye, he could see that their enemy had turned around again, going after the griffin shifter once more.
Timothy bared his teeth. He’d never abandoned a friend in need before—but how could he endanger Liana?
And then, from out of nowhere, a storm seemed to rise up.
Clouds appeared, and with them came a distinct smell of ozone.
Seconds later, a flash rent the sky, accompanied by the deep rumble of thunder. And when Timothy looked around, he saw that the dragons of the storm and the earth had arrived at last.
Gregory and Damon had swept in with all their elemental power. Strong gusts of wind held the small army of fire dragons at bay. Every time a flash illuminated the stormy sky, Timothy saw a fire dragon fall towards the earth.
Meanwhile, Damon had rushed straight towards where the griffin shifter was still trying to escape together with Braeden.
With the power of the earth at his command, Damon was an expert in invisible shields as strong as diamond. He threw up a shield just as Timothy saw the fire dragon breathe another gust of shadow-flecked fire.
And this time, neither fire nor smoke broke through the shield. Jared and Braeden were safe.
Which meant that all Timothy needed to focus on now was his own mate’s safety.
I’ve got you, he thought desperately.
He was still hurting fiercely. He prayed that she’d feel his reassurance through the fragile mate bond.
The storm was still ra
ging all around them. He hadn’t managed to rise as high as he’d hoped—with his right wing injured, it took more strength than he had left just to keep them both in the air.
And then the wound in his chest began to burn.
It wasn’t fire. He was the master of water; fire was unable to touch him.
But it still felt as if something was eating away at him, and it hurt. It hurt so much that he could feel the edges of his vision go dark with agony.
They were still in the thick of the fight. There were fire dragons all around them now—fire dragons thrown back and forth by the storm, but still dangerous.
And Timothy was wounded. He needed to carry Liana to safety. He needed...
Another of the smaller fire dragons was hit by lightning. The dragon dropped from the sky like a stone—and he careened right into Timothy, colliding with his already wounded wing.
Another groan of agony escaped Timothy. Darkness was closing in on him fast. His wounds burned in a way he’d never experienced before.
But he couldn’t give in. Not now. He had to protect Liana...
Dimly, he could make out the valleys and hills below him.
Forest stretched as far as the eye could see. He was very low to the ground now—but his right wing was nearly useless. How would he be able to land like this, without injuring Liana?
He soared on the current of wind for as long as it would carry him. It carried him across one forested ridge and over another valley. When they crossed the next hill range, he was so low that he could almost touch the trees.
The wind carried him over the next valley as well—and then, when they’d nearly made it across to the next hill, the wind suddenly died away.
Trees rushed up to meet him. With all of his remaining strength, Timothy forced himself to beat his wings.
Red-hot agony pierced his senses, but he clenched his jaw against the pain and forced the injured wing to carry him.
Just in time, they made it over the trees on top of the hill without crashing into them.
Timothy’s heart was pounding in his chest. His pulse was as loud as a drum in his ears, drowning out all other sound. He could barely make out the green valley opening up before them. Everything was turning dark before his eyes.
He saw a meadow spreading before them. He was in too much pain to think. Instinct made him lower his wings, and new pain tore through him.