I landed nearby and kept my eyes glued on McKenzie and the dragon queen. McKenzie pulled her arms in toward her and the dragon queen seized up as if in pain. McKenzie pulled more and I saw the green energy around her intensify. The dragon queen let out a scream that I had never heard her release before. This was true pain. Whatever McKenzie was doing, it was working.

  I watched as McKenzie seemed to tug on an invisible cord while the dragon queen attempted to break away. It looked like it was causing physical strain to both of them, and I wasn't sure who was going to win. I wanted to help my friend, but I didn't know how. If I went over there and I interrupted whatever spell she was casting, it could destroy the entire spell. Then it struck me, this wasn't a normal spell. This was necromancy.

  13

  I've seen McKenzie use necromancy magic once before, and I had wondered about the use against the dragon queen at the time. In the chaos of the last few days, I forgot to ask her about it.

  Necromancy wasn't legal. And it wasn't something you could learn easily in Realm's Gate. I knew McKenzie had grown up outside of the magical city and had been trained differently than I had. I also knew McKenzie had some secrets in her past, but who didn't? What I didn't know was exactly how much power she could wield.

  The little trick she had done with the skeletons at the Mage Order was something that might have been taught as a protection against necromancers. This showed me that McKenzie was trained in necromancy as an art. She knew what she was doing, that much was clear.

  The dragon queen continued to struggle, fighting back against the magic. McKenzie's heels dug into the ground as she was pulled across the grass, toward the downed queen. Whatever spell this was, it wasn't going to last much longer. While the queen looked to be worn out, McKenzie was struggling to maintain control.

  I was close enough to McKenzie that I could see the sweat dripping from her brow, and I worried that she was doing too much. The magic she used to get rid of the skeletons had drained her for the rest of the afternoon. What would this kind of magic do to her?

  Deciding it was worth the risk, I ran toward the queen. The spell was still holding her on the ground, making her weaker. It was possible I could do enough damage to give McKenzie the opportunity to escape.

  As I got closer to the dragon queen, I saw her eyes flash over to me. Then, in a blinding flash of green light, the dragon queen broke free of McKenzie's magic spell.

  She shot up from the ground, wings spreading in an impressive expanse, and let out a shriek.

  Both of the wild dragons reappeared, joining her in the sky. The queen flew away with the wild dragons trailing behind her.

  I sat on my hind legs letting my wings drop to my side. I was exhausted, and hoped that the dragon queen was done for this round. I took a moment to let my heart rate slow to normal before walking over to where James and Quinn were both sitting in the grass. Thankfully, James seemed to be unharmed and Quinn looked like she'd only suffered a few minor cuts and bruises. Both dragons cocked their heads to the side to look at me. If I were a mage right now, I'd probably be blushing. I didn't like so many eyes on me, especially not from Dragons.

  "Are you okay?" James's voice sounded inside my head.

  Startled, I looked over at the large dragon next to me. I blinked a few times as I processed the voice inside my head. I guess it was a dragon thing to be able to communicate this way. At least I wouldn't be alone in my own head. "I'm fine," I thought the reply in my head.

  "I'm sorry, Morgan." James the dragon moved a little closer to me and I backed away. "We're going to find a way to help you," James's voice played inside my head again.

  I nodded. "I suppose I just have to wait for Tavas."

  "Tavas will be here soon," McKenzie's voice came from behind me. "Is everyone okay?"

  I turned around and looked at her. She was pale and had huge dark circles under her eyes. It was as if every ounce of energy had been drained from her body.

  I wanted to ask her if she was okay, I wanted to check on her, and make sure she was getting whatever she needed to recover from the magic she just used. It broke my heart that I had to stand by and do nothing after my friend had done so much and risked so much to save me.

  "I know what you're probably thinking," McKenzie said. "You probably never want to speak to me again after what I just did."

  I shook my head trying to communicate as best as I could. Who was I to judge? I worked for a vampire crime lord and could shift into a dragon. We all had our things. At least McKenzie's necromancy magic came in handy. What use was I while I was randomly shifting into a dragon and getting stuck in that form?

  "James," I said the words in my head again, hoping that he could pass the message along. "Can you tell her thank you and that we all have our secrets."

  James's dragon form shimmered for a moment before it started to shrink down, transforming into the handsome blue-eyed man I'd fallen for.

  He walked over to McKenzie and put his arm around her to stabilize her. I was glad that he was there to be able to help her.

  "Morgan says thank you," James said to McKenzie. "And she told me to remind you that we all have our secrets."

  McKenzie smiled weakly and then I watched as her knees buckled. James swept her into his arms so he could carry her.

  I moved a little bit closer and leaned down, my massive head almost the entire size of James's human form. I wanted to make sure McKenzie was still breathing. After I saw the rise and fall of her chest, I felt much better. I backed away and sat back down, and turned my gaze on Quinn.

  "Quinn, are you okay?" I thought the words to the dragon in front of me.

  "I'm okay," she said inside my head. "Are you going to be okay if I shift back? I can stay in this form as long as you need me to."

  "I'm fine," I thought about it for a moment wondering if I really was. I suppose none of us were actually really fine and I wondered if I would ever be fine again. Right now, the closest thing I had to look forward to was Tavas's arrival so that I could get some help to shift back to my mage form.

  "Just one question," I thought to Quinn.

  "Anything," Quinn said.

  "You weren't attacking the city, were you?" I asked, feeling guilty for the question. We all knew you couldn't trust what you saw on television, but I had to hear it from her.

  Quinn seemed to smile at that question, which was a bit unsettling coming from a dragon. Then, I reminded myself I was a dragon too, so I shouldn't be too terrified by the expression on that toothy grin.

  "There were four wild dragons here at one point," she said. "I got two of them. Unfortunately, there were some damages along the way."

  "Well, I'm glad you're safe," I said. "And I'm glad you're on our side. You can shift back to your other form anytime you're ready. I'll wait for Tavas."

  I didn't like being out in the open, standing in the middle of the baseball field made me feel exposed. Even more so than usual considering the fact that it was hard not to see a massive dragon sitting in the middle of the field. Considering the fact that the town had just come under attack of several dragons, I didn't think it was safe for me to stay where I was. I should've said as much to Quinn before she shifted back into herself, but the thought didn't cross my mind until I was faced with silence. It was almost peaceful as we all stood there silently, taking in the gravity of what had just happened. I knew it was a false sense of peace, though. We had a long road ahead of us.

  The dragon queen had help. The dragon queen had eliminated the wards around the city. Yet, there was a silver lining in all of this. McKenzie had found a way to temporarily render the dragon queen unable to fight. If we could get her to do that again, while we had a knife to give her the final death, we had a shot.

  I moved as close to the tree line as I could, trying to get out of the view of anyone who might be wandering around or flying overhead.

  McKenzie had said that she called for Tavas before she passed out and I hoped he would be here very soon.

  Thankfully, we didn't have to wait much longer before a familiar form came walking into the park.

  "Seems like I missed all the fun," Tavas said with a smile on his face.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to make it clear that I wasn't in the mood for joking. Then, I remembered I could talk to him. "Can you just help me please? I'd really rather do without the commentary today."

  "All right," Tavas said. He turned from me to look at the others standing nearby. "James, Quinn, I'm going to need you to stand guard. Morgan and I need a minute."

  I rolled my eyes at the way he said the words. He was back to his old flirtatious self and it was driving me crazy. "Why do you talk like that?" I asked in my head. "I thought we were past all of that."

  "Old habits die hard, little dragon." He took a seat next to me and nodded to the ground so I followed suit.

  "You remember how to do this?" Tavas asked.

  I nodded. I remembered how painful it was last time but I would do just about anything to not be stuck in dragon form.

  I didn't know how Alyssa lived with it for so long. Why had she chosen to stay like this? While in dragon form, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin, like I wasn't myself.

  It had to be different for James and Quinn, they were Dragons who could shift into humans. I wonder if they felt equally at home in both forms. All I knew, was that I didn't like being a dragon. I didn't care how much power it brought me. I just wanted to be me.

  I didn't wait for any more instruction before I closed my eyes and focused on returning to that space inside my mind were Tavas could join me.

  Each time I performed this task, it seemed to get faster and easier. There was hardly any space between the time my eyes closed and finding myself standing in the dark nothingness of my mind. Relief spread through me as I looked down at the perceived vision of myself with fingers and legs and arms and feet. Actual human feet. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

  "I still think you make a beautiful dragon," Tavas said. "But I rather like you better as a mage."

  "That's something we can both agree on," I said.

  "You ready for this?" Tavas asked.

  I nodded and situated myself on the ground, legs crossed, and ready to work.

  It was an odd sensation sitting in front of Tavas again. Trusting him to guide me through the process. I was desperate to learn how to do it myself, but there was not enough gratitude in the world to express how much I appreciated his help.

  "I know," he said. "You don't have to get all mushy on me."

  "I didn't even say anything," I said.

  "Your thoughts are extra clear in here," he said.

  I wanted to be upset, but I was getting more used to him being in my head. "I mean, it. Thank you. I couldn't be stuck in dragon form all the time. I miss the old me."

  Tavas opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't say anything. I waited, but he just stared at me blankly, mouth open.

  "Tavas?"

  He didn't respond.

  I leaned forward and realized he was frozen in place. Panic surged through me. Was I stuck in here? What was happening?

  I glanced around, looking for anything that might be out of place. Just beyond Tavas was a door. A plain brown door, just floating there in the inky black of my mind. I stood and walked over to it. Carefully, I turned the doorknob, but it didn't budge. It was locked.

  Taking a step back from the door, my brow furrowed as I considered it. What did this mean? If this was inside my head, shouldn't I be able to open it. Suddenly, letters appeared on the door, one at a time, glowing for a moment before settling into words that appeared to be carved into the wood. I blinked at the words, unsure of what it meant.

  Dragons can enter, but they can't come out

  The phrase wasn't exactly welcoming, but it didn't set off any internal alarms. I reached for the doorknob again and as I touched it, my fingers slid right through it and the door vanished.

  "How did you get over there?" Tavas asked.

  I pivoted back to where I had come from and settled back on the ground in front of him. "The strangest thing just happened."

  He lifted an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.

  I explained the door and watched as his eyes narrowed in thought.

  "What do you think it means?" I asked.

  He sat silently for a moment, then licked his lips. "We'll come back to that later, right now, we need to get you back to yourself."

  14

  The transformation back into a mage was just as painful and just as tedious as it had been the first time. And once again, I ended up naked in front of all my friends. Thankfully, this time Tavas was prepared and quickly handed me the shirt off his back. I tried not to blush at the sight of Tavas's muscled chest as I tugged his shirt over my head.

  "Thank you," I said. And I meant it. I was so beyond grateful for Tavas's help getting me back into my mage form.

  Tavas nodded. "Any time. And you know I mean that."

  "I know," I said. "And I know more now than ever, that I do have to learn how to do it by myself. Not just for my sake, but for Alyssa's. There's no way she is enjoying being stuck in dragon form."

  "To be fair," Tavas said. "She has been a dragon almost longer than she was a fae at this point."

  "I know," I said, "but it's different. It's not the same as being the thing you are supposed to be. The thing you want to be. Some people, maybe they feel like they're supposed to be something different. I've never felt that way. I've always been happy being me. Think about the people who get changed into vampires who never wanted to be one." I knew I didn't need to elaborate for Tavas. Every year, there were vampires who were changed without wanting to be changed. Often, they didn't survive as vampires. Many of them took their own lives because they couldn't handle being something that they didn't want to be. It was a tricky thing, finding your identity. While I knew some creatures preferred to stay in one form or glamour themselves into another form, it didn't really matter as long as you are happy with what you were on the inside and the outside.

  "I get it," Tavas said.

  I noticed James and Quinn watching me. James was still holding McKenzie in his arms and prickle of guilt rose up inside me. I hated that I didn't want to be a dragon because I respected James and Quinn so much. "James." I didn't know how to explain it to him.

  James readjusted McKenzie in his grasp, and smiled at me. "You never have to justify that to me."

  "We get it, Morgan." Quinn said. "And I don't think it's the fact that you hate being a dragon to be honest. I think it's the lack of control." Quinn said.

  "You are a bit of a control freak," Tavas said.

  I ignored his comment because I knew it was true. But it did make me consider the dragon thing from a new perspective. If I was able to control when I shifted, would I enjoy having the ability to do so? Would I feel more comfortable in dragon form? "When I learn how to control it, I guess we'll find out."

  "We need to get McKenzie somewhere where she can get some help," James said. "Are you okay to walk?"

  "I'm fine," I tugged the shirt as low as it could go, grateful that Tavas was so much taller than me. It just barely covered my rear end. "I could use a pair of pants, though."

  Quinn shrugged her jacket off of her shoulders and stretched it out to me. "You can tie this around your waist. It might get you home without showing the entire city your ass."

  I took the jacket from her and tied it around my waist. It still didn't do much to increase my confidence but at least I could pull the shirt down in front a little more.

  "Where's Dima?" I suddenly remembered that when we got to the mage order, we've been greeted by silence. Dima was supposed to be there along with James and Quinn and some of the mages that stayed behind to help rebuild the order. Instead, we walked right into the dragon queen's trap.

  I closed my eyes to press my palms into my temples, then took a deep breath. I felt terrible. Why didn't ask about her sooner? I dropped my hands and let out a sigh. I was such a terrible friend. "What happened at the order? The dragon queen ambushed us after we were told that you were there."

  I looked at McKenzie, still unconscious from her necromancy. She was the one who had received a call but I didn't think she had any more details than I did.

  "We were never at the Order," James said. "I was with Alec at Joanna's house when the dragons attacked."

  "Where the hell is Alec?" I really was a terrible friend. "Or Joanna?"

  "He took Joanna back to your place," James said. "I called for Quinn so she could help me."

  "Shit. This is getting completely out of hand. I can't keep track of anyone and everyone keeps getting hurt." I shook my head. I was tired of feeling so overwhelmed about everything and wished I had some answers. "Let's go back to my place. We'll find someone who can take care of McKenzie, and then we need to find Alec and Dima. And I have to talk to you about this knife."

  We started walking, James carrying McKenzie as if she weighed nothing. "What knife?"

  "I found a page in my mom's book about a knife that can give the final death to a dragon," I glanced over at him "I wanted to ask you about it before we did anything with it. It seems like dark magic and it seems very dangerous to any dragon not just the dragon queen."

  "I thought that spell was long gone," Quinn said. "I'd heard rumors about magic like that, but you're right, if it exists, it's dark magic."

  "Any idea what the price might be?" I asked.

  "Nobody does," Quinn said. "There's nobody alive who's ever used that spell. I wasn't even sure if it was real."

  "It sounds like it is if it's in that journal. It might be our only shot to win this," James said. "But if it's too risky, it might not be worth it."

  "How do we find out?" I asked. "As far as I know, there isn't anyone around who knows enough about this sort of thing."

  "There's one," James said.

 

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