This mission must not fail. The fate of the world hung in the balance. Grayson had sworn he would come back with the dragon ruby, and, if he didn’t, he might as well not go back at all. He and Zoe had already screwed up by walking through the campsite with a broomstick in full view. He would not pin the blame for that solely on Zoe. He could have told her to hide it, but he didn’t. They were both culpable. They both should have known better. And that one tiny mistake might have cost them the dragon ruby, the war, and Grayson’s chance at glory. Funny how, if we’re not careful, the tiny, seemingly unimportant mistakes we make can turn into huge ripples that wash away what truly matters to us. No mistake is without its consequences.
Grayson tried not to dwell on these negative thoughts as he pressed forward. He wasn’t that far from Red Point Mountain now. He could see it rising in the distance. Off to the right of the mountain, he saw in the valley the cluster of buildings that he knew was Shadowdale. He couldn’t see any wizards, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. If Saul’s soldiers were indeed heading for Shadowdale, they would be flying under invisibility shields. Grayson felt a pang of fear, thinking of Zoe flying straight into the heart of an enemy squadron, but he pushed the fear away. He was not responsible for protecting her. She was a big girl, and she was making her own choices. She was well aware of what the consequences might be, and he wasn’t going to let himself worry about how things would turn out for her. Not when the dragon ruby was so close at hand.
The wind whipped at Grayson’s dragon ears, the steady buzz of it blocking out all other sounds. He breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the fresh, cool air that he was sharing with the clouds, and he willed that fresh air to keep him going longer than he should have been able to. If ever there was a time to give something your all, this was it.
Grayson lost track of time. He flew on, intent only on getting to the dragon ruby as soon as possible. At some point, he saw a curl of smoke rising from the direction of Shadowdale. When he looked over, he saw a huge triangle of orange and yellow glowing beneath the smoke. Fire. Shadowdale was burning. Saul’s soldiers had arrived.
Grayson turned his gaze away, trying and failing at an attempt not to think about Zoe. The dragon ruby is all that matters, he told himself, over and over. But each time he repeated the phrase, he was less certain that it was true. His heart felt like a heavy weight in his chest, pulling him downward, urging him to leave the ruby quest and go help Zoe. He ignored his heart, which he should have known by now was never the right thing to do.
The smoke above Shadowdale was thickening as Grayson neared Red Point Mountain. He was so close to the ruby now that he could taste the fame and glory that would come with bringing that deep red stone safely back to Falcon Cross. And yet, he was close enough now to not only see the rising fire in Shadowdale, but to hear the screaming. The city was in chaos, with wizards, shifters, and humans all scrambling in different directions. Grayson could make out their sprinting forms, some running for their lives, others attacking to kill. The stomach-turning aroma of burning flesh filled his nostrils, and his wings slowed slightly.
Uncertainty was taking hold of him. He looked up at the mountain, looming in front of him, the guardian of the ruby. He only had another ten minutes to go, if that. He could reach the ruby. He could change the course of history. He could be the hero spoken of in all the history books, sung about in all the songs.
But even as these thoughts filled Grayson’s mind, his heart still pulled him down toward Shadowdale. Zoe was somewhere in that mess. He couldn’t see her, but he knew she was there. The more time that passed, the more he felt an uneasy stirring deep in his core.
She was his lifemate. He could not deny that. They had bonded, and he was forever connected to her. And right now, deep in his very soul, he could feel that his lifemate was in trouble. She needed him. How could he ignore her? As angry as her decision to go to Shadowdale had made him, he could not let Saul’s soldiers kill her off. He would not let them.
Grayson adjusted his course mid-flight. He expected to be filled with great sadness as he gave up his quest for the dragon ruby, but then, a funny thing happened. His heart, which had felt like a leaden weight in his chest, suddenly lightened. He knew in that moment that he was doing the right thing. He picked up his pace again, flying full-speed toward Shadowdale. And the closer he got, the louder the anguished cries became. They filled his ears, a terrifying symphony, even as the acrid smell of smoke and fire filled his nose.
Grayson felt ashamed of himself. Zoe had been right. These people needed help. They were being tortured and killed for the sole crime of happening to live near the dragon ruby. Grayson had let himself stoop almost to the level of Saul’s soldiers, only caring about himself, fame, and glory. He’d forgotten that the single most important thing in this war was protecting innocent lives.
Well, now he’d remembered. He was going to give Saul’s soldiers hell. Sure, he wasn’t going to win any medals of honor for something as basic as defending a bunch of humans under attack. But he was doing what he knew in his heart was the right thing, and that was more important. He wished Zoe was with him now, so he could tell her how sorry he was. She’d spoken truth to him, and he’d scorned her for it. He only hoped she could forgive him. That she would survive this battle to be able to forgive him. The thought of losing her filled his heart with a terrible fear, and he pumped his wings even harder. He was nearly above Shadowdale itself now. His eyes scanned back and forth, trying to see anyone that might resemble Zoe. But everything was such a mess. He wasn’t even sure where to start, so he decided the best thing to do was just start somewhere. He took a deep breath, and prepared to dive into the fray.
Before he could manage to begin his descent, however, a long, loud, and inhuman laugh filled the air. Grayson felt his blood going cold in his veins, an odd sensation for someone in dragon form. Usually, he felt like his entire dragon was boiling hot. But the evil in the laughter was just that awful.
Grayson swung his head around, and his eyes landed on the most awful sight he’d ever seen. In the distance, another dragon was flying through the air as well. This dragon was blood red, and even from this far away Grayson could see the scars criss-crossing the dragon’s translucent wings. Black, spikes covered the red dragon’s tail and the tips of his wings. Fire came spewing out of his mouth in an unnatural blood red color.
Saul.
The evil dragon wizard himself had come to Red Point Mountain. Grayson shouldn’t have been surprised. The dragon ruby was Saul’s last chance at achieving his quest to take over the world with evil. He wouldn’t have wanted to trust his soldiers alone to make sure the ruby was recovered. After all, his soldiers had already failed him in their attempts to capture the other dragon stones.
Saul had not failed this time. As the evil dragon flew, the fading sunlight caught the glint of two things. First, the blood red stone that was affixed to Saul’s wizard wand, a long staff that he carried in his left dragon foot. And second, the blood red stone that he held in his right dragon foot.
The dragon ruby. The shimmering stone was larger than Grayson had thought it would be. It must have been about the size of a basketball, and Saul’s claws were spread wide to hold it. Grayson felt like he was watching the hopes of his entire clan fly away as Saul turned to fly toward the west, his chilling laugh once again filling the air as he flew. An army of wizard soldiers surrounded him on their broomsticks, not even bothering with invisibility shields. Saul didn’t want to be invisible right now, Grayson realized. He wanted anyone from the side of good who happened to be around to see him, to know that he’d captured the ruby.
In one sense, seeing him with the ruby validated for Grayson that he’d made the right decision in turning toward Shadowdale. If Saul was already flying away with the ruby, then his men had reached it long before Grayson would have. No matter how fast he’d been flying, Grayson never would have reached the stone before his enemies. Helping Shadowdale had indeed been the bette
r choice, for more reasons than one.
And yet, that small validation didn’t do much to ease the sense of despair rising in Grayson’s chest. Saul had the dragon ruby. The air seemed darker now, and the candle of hope that had been burning for the armies of good was flickering low.
Grayson tore his eyes away from Saul, and back toward Shadowdale. There was no sense in chasing after the ruby anymore, or wasting energy lamenting its capture. There were hundreds of people right below him who needed his help, and Zoe, his destined lifemate, was one of them.
Grayson took a deep breath, and began to dive full-speed toward the earth below.
Chapter Twelve
The world was colored in shades of gray. Smoke hung so thickly in every corner of Shadowdale that no matter which way you turned, your eyes stung and your lungs felt like they would never be clean again.
Grayson ignored the pain. Smoke and fire were not enough to stop a dragon. Dragons lived for smoke and fire. Grayson ran through the city, roaring and swiping at every enemy shifter and wizard he found, taking them down with his razor claws. His aim was good, and he rarely missed. But if he did, he breathed a stream of fire at the enemy soldier to stop them in their tracks. He didn’t want to do anything to add fuel to the fires already blazing throughout the city, but he figured that, on balance, eliminating another enemy soldier was more important than worrying about a little extra fire.
Grayson had been searching for Zoe for what felt like an eternity. He was beginning to wonder whether he was going in circles, because all the buildings looked the same in this gray haze, and he felt like he should have found her by now. She was still alive, and close by. He could tell that much from the way his insides were twisting up in agony. The lifemate bond was still going strong, and it was letting him know that Zoe was here and in trouble.
Grayson continued running through the streets, doing his best to save as many of the townspeople as he could. Many of them were running around frantically, panicking in the same way that a squirrel caught in the middle of a highway might panic. They ran back and forth, in this direction and that, often straight into the oncoming traffic of evil soldiers. Grayson wanted to yell at all of them to run into their homes and hide, taking shelter as best they could until this all was over. But Grayson couldn’t talk while in human form, so he had to content himself with taking out as many evil soldiers as he could, hoping that he was saving several lives in the process.
The devastation in Shadowdale was unfathomable. Saul’s soldiers were having a heyday, treating their attempted annihilation of this city like some sort of afterparty for recovering the dragon ruby. Grayson could not contain his anger or disgust. He let himself fully vent his rage on all of Saul’s soldiers, all the while searching for any sign of Zoe.
He heard her long before he saw her. Roars of pain, explosions, and shrieks of terror filled the air like a devil’s symphony. In between the louder, more troubling sounds, Grayson could occasionally make out the words of a magic spell, spoken by Zoe’s determined voice. He raced toward the sound as fast as his dragon legs could run. He no longer stopped to try to kill every enemy he came across. He’d found Zoe. She was all that mattered now.
In less than a minute, he’d reached the city center. He came to a screeching halt just in time to avoid skidding into the middle of another giant explosion as it filled the square. He swung his gaze left and right, taking in the view with a mixture of horror and pride. On one side of the square, about a hundred dark wizards and shifters were gathered. They had formed ranks, and were launching attack after attack at the opposite side of the square.
And on the very edge of the opposite side of the square stood what appeared to be half the people of Shadowdale. Men, women, and children all cowered in fear, their eyes glued to the enemy army that stood across from them. In between these two groups stood Zoe.
Her military uniform was torn in several places, and blood oozed from below several of the torn shreds of fabric. Her hair, which had been in a tight bun earlier in the day as she flew away from him, now hung free in a tangled, glorious mess. She had put some sort of shield around the group of townspeople, but she herself did not seem to have a shield around her. Every blow that the enemy wizards managed to hit her with tore further at her skin. She was sacrificing herself, Grayson realized, to put the maximum amount of magical energy into a shield for the citizens of Shadowdale.
Luckily, she was still fast, even though she was severely wounded. For a few brief moments, Grayson stood on the edge of the city center, transfixed by her speed. She turned and bent and somersaulted through the volley of wizard attacks being thrown her way. She repeatedly shot repelling spells out at the shifters that tried to charge at her. Her movements were impossibly graceful. She was a beautiful ballerina, twirling placidly through the midst of a war zone.
There was nothing placid about her next attack, though. Just as Grayson started to move forward, he saw her raise her magic ring high above her head and bring it down rapidly, pointing it straight at the enemy lines.
“Magicae crepitus!” she roared. Grayson immediately started backing away from the city center. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in the midst of a Crepitus explosion. He’d seen firsthand in the training room how powerful that spell could be. He felt a rush of energy hit him and he lost his footing as the spell filled the air in town square. There were roars of pain, and more screaming from the townspeople as flames shot up into the air. The buildings surrounding the square shook in their foundations, and one of them crumbled. Grayson started running back toward the scene, hoping that the spell had worked as well as it did in the training rooms.
Town square had plunged into complete chaos. The shield that had been surrounding the townspeople had vanished, and most of them were running in scared circles, just like the rest of the scared townspeople Grayson had encountered in the city. To his right piles of dead enemy soldiers littered the ground. Most of the enemy wizards and shifters had died in the explosion. But several dozen seemed to have survived and were slowly stirring to their feet. Grayson looked around frantically for Zoe. It didn’t take him long to find her. She had fallen to the ground in the middle of town square, her hand with its magic ring stretched out in front of her, frozen in place. All around her, people, wizards, and shifters were running and screaming, but she did not move. She wasn’t dead, at least not yet. Grayson knew that much from the fact that the lifemate bond still burned within him. His core was going crazy now, telling him that Zoe was in mortal danger. But he didn’t need the lifemate bond to tell him that. He could see it plainly with his own eyes.
In the seconds it had taken Grayson to survey the scene, the enemy soldiers who had staggered to their feet had started running toward Zoe. He heard one of them whoop and raise his magic ring, preparing to launch an attack that would likely kill Zoe, who lay defenseless on the ground.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Grayson yelled. With one giant leap, he jumped through the air and landed right in front of Zoe. The attack the wizard had launched hit his dragon hide instead, as did several other attacks that the other wizards had launched a split second after the first wizard’s attack. Luckily for Grayson, his dragon hide was thick enough to repel most wizard attacks. He turned with a roar and breathed out a long stream of fire at the wizards who had attacked Zoe. They screamed in pain, and fell to the ground in burning heaps.
The next few minutes were a repetition of the same scene, over and over. Enemy wizards and shifters came rushing forward to attack, and Grayson beat them all back. He stood directly over Zoe, turning in giant circles, breathing fire and swishing his giant tail back and forth. Now and then, he swiped with his claws, taking out as many enemy soldiers with each blow as he could. All around him, people were screaming, wizards were yelling out spells, and shifters were roaring. But Grayson ignored the noise. His sole focus was protecting Zoe.
At last the enemy soldiers seemed to realize that they weren’t going to win against this giant of a dragon. The
y called out some sort of signal to retreat, and suddenly the whole sky filled with wizards. The remaining shifters and wizards started hightailing it away from Shadowdale as quickly as they could. Those that had still been scattered throughout the city left their attacks on the townspeople and followed the retreating crowd. Grayson roared after them, a menace in his tone that told them he’d be only too happy to finish them off if they dared to come back.
He would have loved to have followed them, but he would not leave Zoe’s side. Not when she was unable to defend herself. Ignoring the terrified screams of the townspeople that still rang out around him, Grayson swung his head around to nudge Zoe’s face gently with his warm dragon nose. She stirred slightly, then opened her eyes for a moment. When her gaze focused on him, a tired smile crossed her lips.
“You came,” she said. “You finally came.”
Grayson stepped a few feet back and left out a huff of smoke. Then, with a roar, he shifted back into human form. He ignored the gaping stares of the townspeople. They would just have to get over the fact that the dragon in their midst had just turned into a large, naked man. It’s not as though they hadn’t seen enough strange things already today.
“Of course I came,” Grayson said, his voice catching in his throat as he knelt beside Zoe once again. She smiled up at him, and opened her mouth as though she were going to say something else. But the words never came. Instead, she closed her eyes and went limp against the ground.
Frantically, Grayson jumped to his feet, looking around at the dozens of curious and terrified townspeople who still milled about.
“Doctor!” he shouted. “I need a doctor! Is anyone here a doctor?”
When Zoe’s heart stopped, Grayson felt like his did, too.
Chapter Thirteen
Courage and the Dragon (Redwood Dragons Book 9) Page 11