by Tara West
Balling up magic at the tip of his wand, Teju flung it at the king, shocked when the dragon absorbed the magic and then breathed out a bolt of lightning.
What the fuck?
Ouch! Ladon roared, curling up his tail. What the hell was that?
Tormung! Teju’s heart raced. Never before had he seen a creature unaffected by his magic, let alone transform magic into thunderbolts.
Did you know he could do that? Ladon cried, his tail smoking and raw at the tip, the scales having melted.
No. Teju clung to his brother as Tormung advanced again, the air around them crackling with static as blue bolts poured from the king’s mouth.
Hang on! Draque called to them before making a nosedive through a dense cloud.
The air whooshed from Teju’s lungs as Ladon flew after their brother. Closing his eyes tight, he clung to Ladon, his heart in his throat when they abruptly pulled up and soared through a narrow mountain pass, tipping and turning and making it harder for him to hold on.
Teju looked around for the mad king. The clouds were so thick above them, he had no way of knowing if they were still being pursued.
Holding his wand at the ready, he wracked his brain to think of any curse that could immobilize a dragon and not result in empowering Tormung with thunderbolts.
Out of nowhere, Tormung descended on them like a hawk landing on a mouse. Without time to think, Teju flung a curse at the king he hoped wouldn’t backfire, a freezing curse that would hopefully immobilize the king.
The mad king flinched and shuddered. Teju caught his breath, waiting for icicles to form on Tormung’s wings.
Instead the king blew back a curtain of ice, freezing the end of Ladon’s battered tail.
Teju clutched his wand with white knuckles. “Damn that mad bastard!”
He watched with horror as Ladon slowed, ice creeping up his scales. “Ladon!”
Draque shot away, abandoning them. Ladon dove for a narrow cliff and skidded to a stop. Teju tumbled to the ground, choking on a mouthful of dust. Ladon transformed into a human, curling into a fetal ball and shivering, icicles clinging to his legs.
Keeping an eye on the foggy sky, Teju waved his wand over Ladon’s legs, chanting a warming spell. Ladon’s teeth stopped chattering, which was a good sign, but tremors still racked him.
Teju smoothed a hand across Ladon’s brow, his blood running cold with fear. “You okay, brother?”
A roar resounded in the sky above them, shaking their precarious ledge with such force, Teju feared the structure would crumble beneath them. He heard beating wings, and a pair of red glowing eyes broke through the fog. Tormung charged the ledge, his jowls open as if he intended to swallow them whole.
Teju stood. Serah had been right. They were no match for the dragon king, and now it was too late. They’d die before their eggs hatched. He racked his brain for a spell that wouldn’t backfire.
Tormung was almost upon them when Draque fell from the sky, landing on top of the dragon king with such force, the king grunted and faltered. The two dragons grappled, then spiraled out of sight, head over tail, wings frantically flapping, clawing at each other like two warring eagles.
Teju ran to the ledge but they had dropped into the fog. “Draque!”
Shifting, he dove after his brother. They were falling like a comet in a death spiral, Tormung’s talons wrapped around Draque’s throat. Landing on the king’s back, he dug his talons into his wings, screaming when an electric current shot up his legs. He refused to let go, tearing through a wing until the king roared in pain. Tormung released Draque and vanished behind the fog.
Teju turned to his brother, who was coughing up blood. We need to get Ladon and go.
Draque nodded, and they returned to the ledge, where Ladon was curled up on his side. Scooping him into his mouth, Teju scanned the sky for threats and checked behind him to make sure Draque was still following.
The flight back to their grandparents seemed to take forever, but they made it without incident. His grandfather’s bubble had held, and King Tormung and his minions were no longer in sight.
Grandfather Jagua let down his shield long enough for them to go inside.
When Teju released Ladon, Grandmother raced to his side. “Oh, Ladon!” she cried, looking up at Teju with dismay. “What happened?”
“How can that maniac throw my spells back at me?” he asked.
“Every dragon in Tormung’s lineage has the power to deflect spells,” she answered. “How else do you think he is still king?”
Draque said, “Why did nobody tell us?”
“You weren’t supposed to be here.” Grandmother dug a jar out of her pocket, then applied a paste to Ladon’s legs. “I sent a dove to tell you to stay with the fae.”
Draque crossed his arms. “Too late. We were already on our way when we heard his roars. Did you think we’d just leave you to fight him alone?”
“The king and his army are gone.” Acheron scanned the skies, then turned to Teju and Draque, rubbing his white beard. “Were either of you able to injure him?”
“I ripped through one wing,” Teju said, feeling a small sense of victory that he’d managed to inflict even that slight injury to such a powerful dragon.
Acheron frowned. “Then he’ll be back soon.”
“Here he comes!” Grandfather Domov cried.
Acheron turned to Jagua. “Shield up!”
Jagua lifted his wand and the shield opened like a giant glass umbrella.
Teju studied it. It had too many weak spots, areas where the bubble warped and looked penetrable. Pulling out his wand, he added an extra layer to the bubble, making it so thick, it appeared to be made of frosted glass.
His grandfather gave him a grateful look. “Impressive bubble, grandson.”
Teju held tightly to his wand when Tormung and four other dragons hit the bubble with waves of fire. Their fires were so hot, he could feel heat radiating through the shield. He was afraid the fire would eventually eat through the bubble, and there would be no magic powerful enough to fix it.
“Are there any spells I can use against him?” he asked over the din of the inferno outside.
“You can’t.” The veins in Jagua’s forehead and neck stood out against his leathery skin. “They will backfire.”
“Fuck me,” Teju snapped, his gaze flying to Ladon, who was thankfully sitting up and drinking from Domov’s flask. “So what can we do?”
“Keep our shield up until he tires,” Jagua said.
What kind of plan was that? Eventually they’d have to leave to find food and water. Teju seriously doubted they’d be able to wait out the king and his dragons. “What if we tire before he does?”
His grandfather’s arms shook as he held up his wand with both hands. “We won’t.”
He wasn’t convinced. In fact, he doubted his grandfather would last another hour. “How can you be sure?”
He shot Teju a look that was a cross between panic and pain. “Because we don’t have a choice.”
VIOLET PULLED HER KNEES up, then covertly touched her nose, making sure she still had Katherine’s face. Her nose was still long with a slight crook, and her chin was pointy like the tip of a sword. Good thing, because she had used the last drops of her potion earlier that day. Though the thought made her sick to her stomach, she knew she’d have to escape tonight after everyone went to sleep. She couldn’t leave without Thaddeus, which meant she’d have to use the unbreakable curse to kill the guards, both witch and griffin. She refused to let them take her to Goldenwand’s lair. She and Thaddeus wouldn’t survive a confrontation with him.
Her attention alternated between Periwinkle and his witches at their campfire, Thaddeus, who was tied to a tree, and her small fire at the edge of the forest. They’d traveled through a cool mountainous region with snow-capped pines and steep cliffs. She’d recognized the terrain from her geography class and knew they were almost to the island of forbidden caves, where the legendary witch Gae was said to have d
isappeared to a thousand years ago. Some legends said she still lived.
Most of Violet’s griffin guards had gone into the forest to hunt. With the critical thinking skills of a bag of rocks, they weren’t good guards, and they weren't threatened in the least by the leers from Periwinkle and his witches. And Master Eagleheart thought they’d make a good army? Maybe if they had someone to give them directions every other second and if they chose to follow them. Otherwise, the winged lemmings would be easy to defeat.
Periwinkle had been sneaking drinks from his flask and glancing at her for at least an hour. He was planning something nefarious. She felt it in the marrow of her bones.
When he finally stood, stretching his long, lean arms, and then dragged a hand through his trim, blond hair, she knew his casual movements were forced. Swaggering like a pirate, his lip hitched up in a cocky smile as he approached.
“Mind some company?” he said, pulling out a different flask. He’d been drinking out of a silver one, and this one was bronze.
“I have company,” she said, but the griffins were still in the woods.
“But they don’t have pixie punch,” he said, looking far too confident and smug. His blue eyes and strong chin and cheekbones were attractive, but Violet had a knack for seeing people for who they really were, and his blackened soul marred his outer features.
“Sit,” she finally said, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get rid of him and needing to get some control over the situation.
He handed the flask to her. “Want a drink?”
She wasn’t an idiot. It had to have been altered in some way. Pushing it back at him, she said, “You first.”
He let out a laugh that sounded forced. “I’ve already imbibed enough tonight.” His smile was etched into granite features. “I saved the rest for you.” He pushed the flask back into her hands, eyeing her through narrowed slits.
His witch buddies were watching her, especially Penelope, whose wings angrily buzzed.
Uncorking the top, she sniffed and instantly recognized scyllshade, a powerful sedating herb. Too bad Periwinkle didn’t know she was an apothecary. She would’ve been insulted that they expected her to fall for their deception, but as her hand flew to her oversized nose, she remembered Katherine never struck her as a smart witch. Corking the flask, she tossed it to the ground and retrieved the wand in her pocket. “Is this your version of a date rape drug, or do you have another reason to put me to sleep?”
His smile faded, and he reached for his wand. “You’re smart for a griffin.”
Jumping to her feet, she pointed her wand at him, unsurprised when he mimicked her action.
He waved his wand like a snake charmer trying to put her in a trance. “Do you even know how to use that thing?”
She laughed, highly amused. They had little faith in the griffin bitch’s skills. “Do you want to find out? Why were you trying to put me to sleep?”
“I meant no harm.” He shrugged. “We can’t reveal the location of our secret lair.”
“And what were you planning to do to my guards?” The griffins were still soaring through the trees, crushing birds and squirrels in their talons. So much for their ability to protect her. They didn’t even notice she was in a standoff.
“Those mindless beasts?” He chuckled. “They’re easy to kill.” As if to prove his point, he zapped one out of the sky with a red bolt.
The creature didn’t even scream as it fell to the ground in a motionless heap.
Violet swallowed bile, and her hand trembled as she aimed her wand at Periwinkle’s heart. “And then I’d become a hostage, used for negotiations with Eagleheart.”
He gave her an appreciative nod. “I underestimated you.”
“It won’t be your last mistake.”
Backing up a step, she threw back her head, and channeling her inner-griffin, let out a screech.
The griffins swarmed them like bees to a honey pot, shielding her as the other witches ran toward them, red bolts flying through the air.
Standing in the center of the griffin whirlwind, she threw bolts faster than Periwinkle and his cronies. Knowing she was fighting for her life, she used the unbreakable curse without hesitation. To hell with the law. She refused to die after finally escaping her imprisonment. The first witch she struck was Penelope, who dropped without a sound, her translucent wings fanned around her like a halo. Violet had never killed anyone before, and she knew this battle would forever leave scars on her psyche.
Her griffin shields dropped around her, absorbing the curses meant for her and even a few of her curses when they were foolish enough to fly in front of her wand. She thought she heard Thaddeus roar, but she didn’t have the option of letting him distract her.
Panting, she wiped sweat and blood off her brow, not knowing if the blood was hers or the griffins’. She flung herself behind a tree stump when her bodyguards dwindled to only a handful, throwing bolts until Periwinkle was the only witch left standing.
She zapped Periwinkle’s wand out of his hand.
Cursing, he hunched over, cradling his hand. With a flick of her wrist, she shattered his wand into a million pieces.
Shaking his smoking fingers, he said, “You’re good with a wand for a shifter.”
Stepping over bodies of witches and griffins, she kept her wand aimed at his chest. “I’m not a shifter.” Even as she said the words, she felt her nose shrinking. “I’m a witch.” And learning how to be fast with a wand was a necessity when growing up with bullies.
He broke into a wide grin. “So you are. Where’s the real griffin bitch?”
“Thaddeus killed her.” She cast a glance over her shoulder, relieved to see he was unharmed. He fought his bindings, giving her a look that would melt lead. Aiming her wand at his hands, she zapped his chains, then turned back to Periwinkle, poking him with her wand when he tried to advance. “Don’t come any closer. I used the unbreakable curse on your friends, and I’m not afraid to use it on you.”
Thaddeus walked over rubbing his wrists, which were raw from his bindings. Slipping off the tau stone, he threw it on the ground and stomped on it. His tanned cheeks flushed crimson as he roared with each stomp.
“You’re a clever witch,” Periwinkle said to her as he backed away from Thaddeus. “We could use you in the Arcane Army.”
She laughed. “No, thanks.”
“You should reconsider.” He eyed her coolly. “I don’t want to have to kill a fellow witch.”
Wow, this cocky bastard was delusional. Crossing her arms, she leveled him with a glare. “Kind of hard for you to kill me when you don’t have a wand. Tie him up,” she said to Thaddeus. But he wasn’t listening. He was too busy engaging in a stare-down with Periwinkle.
“How about I burn him to ash?” he asked.
She held out a staying hand. “No. He needs to stand trial. Besides, he knows where Goldenwand is.”
Periwinkle’s lip curled. “I’ll never tell.”
Thaddeus walked a slow circle around him, gazing at him with derision. “You’re the bastard who hit me with the unbreakable curse.”
“I am.” Periwinkle gazed at Thaddeus as if he were no more significant than the mold growing under his boot. “Shame it didn’t kill you.”
Thaddeus went toe-to-toe with him, smiling when the witch trembled and turned his face away. “It takes a lot more than a curse to kill a dragon, and I’m going to have so much fun making you talk.”
Violet’s libido picked a hell of a time to spring to life, but Thaddeus’s low growl made her tingle in all the right places. What kind of wonderful things could he do to her with that forked tongue?
She picked up the flask of scyllshade and thrust it toward Thaddeus. “Make him drink this. It will put him to sleep.”
“I won’t drink it.” Periwinkle said adamantly.
“That’s okay,” Thaddeus said. “I know how to put you to sleep.” He punched Periwinkle so hard, the crack of the witch’s jaw resonated like a thunderclap.
> After Periwinkle dropped to the ground like a rag doll, Thaddeus turned to her with a smirk. “He’s right. You’re skilled with a wand.”
She shrugged off his compliment and looked around at the remnants of the bloody battle. Griffin wings and tails were scattered across the clearing, and witches were gazing up at the night sky with lifeless eyes, blood coming out of their mouths. It suddenly hit her that she’d almost died, and she’d broken the law ten times over by using the unbreakable curse. In the process of saving herself and Thaddeus, she’d committed hanging offenses. What would happen to her once the magic marshals discovered what she’d done? Would she be sentenced to a slow and painful death? The thought made her head spin and her gut roil.
Thaddeus grabbed her elbow. “Violet, are you okay?”
She didn’t know how to answer him. No, she wasn’t okay. She’d been forced to kill, and now she was so fucked. She opened her mouth to tell him as much. Instead, she vomited on his shoes.
Chapter Twelve
TEJU HAD JUST THROWN another layer around their protective bubble when the dragon king gave up. He and his four companions circled above them, no doubt recharging. This was the third time. Each one lasted a bit longer, giving Teju’s grandfather time to recover.
Teju, on the other hand, could not rest, even though his glasses were cracked and his arms ached from holding up the wand. Someone had to keep the bubble intact in case the dragon king dove toward them. Jagua sat on a boulder, letting Adora rub his shoulders while he drank the energy potion she’d brewed.
The poultice on Ladon’s leg had dried, and he was able to walk again. “Here, brother. Drink.” He held a flask to Teju’s mouth. “Keep up your strength.”
He drank, making a face as the bitter liquid raced down his throat like fire. “What the hell is that shit?”
“Grandmother gave it to me.”
Whatever it was, he felt instantly energized, as if he’d drunk a pot of coffee. Switching hands, he shook out each arm as electricity flowed through his veins. Thank the goddess his grandmother was good with potions.