I swallowed hard, looking around for anything to help.

  Nothing caught my eye. Just the acid sea and the far shore. The bassinet dragged at my arm, suddenly heavier. I look inside. A coiled rope had appeared.

  I grinned. Good thing I hadn’t chucked the bassinet into the sea.

  Though I had no idea what to do with it, I withdrew the rope. The prickly hemp scratched my palms.

  The rope writhed and shifted, turning into a snake with glinting green scales. A small shriek escaped me just as the snake leapt from my hands.

  I swore it had grinned at me, fangs shining in the light.

  It plunged into the acid sea, then raced for shore, cutting through the water like a great anaconda. It grew as it swam, stretching between the shore and the stone I stood upon.

  When it reached the bank, it stopped. The tail was at my feet, flicking on the stone.

  “Oh fates.” I swallowed hard, studying the snake.

  His body grew wider and flatter. A bridge?

  When he turned his head back to look at me, the invitation was clear in his gleaming black eyes.

  “Are you serious?” I asked the snake.

  He didn’t really nod, but it looked like he smiled. Could snakes even smile?

  I took it to be a yes and tentatively moved a foot toward his back. I pressed down with a bit of weight, heart thudding in my ears. When his back didn’t bow and he didn’t slither away, a weak laugh escaped me.

  “All right, then. I think I’m in a weird fairytale.” I stepped on the snake’s back fully.

  I hesitated just briefly, awed at the insane circumstance—I mean, I was used to weird magic but a friendly snake bridge?—then I raced across, balancing on the back of my new friend.

  I leapt over his head, landing on solid ground. I laughed, sounding crazed to my own ears, then turned.

  The snake was already shrinking and slithering away, not at all bothered by the acid.

  “Thanks!” I called to his retreating back.

  The Pūķi flew over to hover above my head. I looked up. “Have you ever seen anything like that?”

  They just stared at me.

  “I’ll assume you agree with me.” I turned to search the area where I stood. It was dark and barren, lit with the Pūķi’s eerie red glow. “Onward.” I clutched the bassinet and moved forward.

  It wasn’t long before a great big stone appeared in front of me. It was the size of an office desk. A sword stuck out of the top of it.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered.

  The Pūķi fluttered down to sit on the ground near the stone. Their gazes riveted to the gleaming blade. I approached, studying the sword.

  “That’s my blade!” I cried.

  I didn’t care that I’d moved fully into talking-to-myself territory. This was too weird. That was the sword that Laima, the goddess of fate, had given me. How did it get here?

  I reached out, gingerly touching the end of the pommel.

  It didn’t feel quite right. A replica of my blade.

  “I guess this makes me Arthur.” I peered into the bassinet at my side, just to see if another helpful thing would appear. Maybe a chatty baby would explain what the heck was going on.

  But of course there was nothing in the bassinet.

  So I set it on the ground and turned back to the sword. I rubbed my hands together and tried to think worthy thoughts. Things like helping old ladies across the street and cleaning up trash on the sidewalk.

  I wrapped my hands around the hilt and propped my boot on the stone, then I yanked with all my might, giving it everything I had.

  I flew backward, sword gripped tightly in my hand, and landed hard on my butt.

  Pain flared through my tailbone, and tears popped to my eyes. Through the tears, the blade sparkled in the red light of the Pūķi’s glow.

  Damn. That had hurt. Probably should have tried with a little less force.

  I climbed to my feet, aching.

  This worthiness stuff was tough.

  In front of me, the stone transformed into the white basin that had originally sat in the center of the room. The darkness receded, as did the acid sea. Light returned, the walls around me gleaming white.

  I spun, searching for Ares.

  He lay on his back at the side of the room.

  “Ares!”

  2

  I raced for Ares’s prone form and fell to my knees at his side. I shook his shoulder, my heart thundering. “Ares!”

  He blinked blearily, sitting up.

  I gripped his arm to help him. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” His voice was scratchy. A sparkly silver dust glittered on the front of his shirt. “I think I fell asleep.”

  I pointed to the dust. “Magic. Sleeping potion, maybe.”

  “Damn.” He looked up at me, eyes now alert. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. A little bit of excitement, but I’m fine.”

  “A challenge?” His gaze fell on the sword that I’d laid on the ground. “Did you have to pull that from a stone?”

  “I did.” I almost cracked a joke about the Illuminarium needing to come up with their own ideas, but the memory of the snake bridge stopped me. They had their own ideas. And a sense of humor, perhaps.

  Ares stood, and I joined him, swooping down to pick up my blade.

  “What happened to your hand?” He grabbed my wrist and raised my hand, studying my fingertips.

  I winced at the sight of the skin there, reddened and eaten away from touching the acid sea. I couldn’t see bone, but it was close. It still hurt, but not as badly. Because the nerves had been damaged?

  “Part of the challenge,” I said. “Mostly a mistake on my part.”

  “Come.” Ares led me to the stone basin in the center of the room. Holding my injured hand, he dipped my fingertips into the clear liquid within.

  It was thick, a viscous substance. Pain flared. I jerked my hand, but Ares held me firm.

  “I’m sorry.” Regret rang in his voice. “Your nerves are repairing themselves.”

  The pain faded. Through the clear liquid, I could see my fingertips turning less red and ragged. Finally, they were whole again. Ares withdrew my hand.

  “How’d you know to do that?” I asked.

  “I’ve made use of this basin myself.” His gaze met mine, a sexy grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Did you meet the snake who forms a bridge?”

  “I did!”

  “Charles is a good sort,” he said. “I’ve always liked him.”

  “Where did—”

  A door opened in the wall, in a place where there had been no door at all. I snapped my mouth shut.

  A cloaked figure entered. I could see no face and got no hint at gender. The sparkling white cloak draped gracefully to the floor, the hood concealing any features.

  “Come.” Ares waved me forward.

  I followed him toward the figure, who waited patiently, silently, by the door. Tension prickled across my skin, and my heart thundered.

  This was the figure who’d put me through the trials. Dangerous trials. I had to assume I’d passed, but that didn’t mean I could trust someone who’d surrounded me with a sea of acid.

  The figure inclined its head as we neared, then gestured toward the door with a sweep of his hand.

  We entered a huge space, round and bright. A dome overhead glinted with a mosaic of rainbow tiles. Firefly lights sparkled above, making the tiles glitter with gemstone brilliance. I had to drag my gaze toward the rest of the room, which was all stark white. Bookshelves lined the walls, but every spine was white and blank.

  In the middle of the room, a large round table stood. Built of white marble, it looked like a massive altar. Chairs surrounded it, each containing a cloaked figure.

  Every single thing and person in here—besides the fabulous ceiling—was the color of snow. I’d almost missed seeing the people, they blended so well with their surroundings.

  Magic signatures filled the room. The smell of ink, old paper, and leather binding. The feeling of paper beneath my fingertips and the little rush a breeze created when one flipped through the pages of a book. The feeling of satisfaction after having finished a good story.

  Knowledge. These were the signatures of knowledge.

  A large black gemstone sat in the middle of the table.

  The magical battery.

  As Ares and the original cloaked figure joined me, I could feel the scrutiny of those sitting around the table. It burned my skin. This felt like being on stage.

  As a group, the thirteen individuals around the table lowered their hoods.

  Their skin was the snow white of the marble table, but they had no real features. They had noses—sort of—and lips. Almost. The subtle topography of eyes. They looked like unfinished statues. Modern art.

  A figure to my left rose gracefully, and spoke, the voice somewhere between a man’s and a woman’s. “You have done well, Phoenix Knight, and proven yourself worthy of the information that we will pass on to you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It is vital that this knowledge be protected and used well. The Pūķi appeared to you, lighting your way and proving your worthiness.”

  I hesitated to mention that I’d been friends with the Pūķi for a while now. Though they probably already knew a lot about me if they’d managed to create a replica of my sword.

  “What did you learn about the battery?” I asked. “What is it made of?”

  The figure sat, then stared at the stone. “Extensive tests have determined that it is a crystal of Synnaroe. Its magic is a gift from the gods, who each gave a part of their power to the stone so that their magic would live on even after they were long gone.”

  I frowned. “You said a crystal of Synnaroe. Are there more?”

  “Yes. It is part of an ancient pair of crystals formed at the center of the earth and recovered by giants over three thousand years ago. They were separated long ago.”

  “Which means that the other battery Drakon seeks—it is the partner stone.”

  “It stands to reason, yes.”

  “Do these crystals have any connection with dragons?” Ares asked.

  “Not to our knowledge.”

  “Do you know where the dragons’ final resting place is located?” I asked. Ares had asked them this over a week ago, but I couldn’t help but try again.

  “There have been no new discoveries on that front. But the other crystal, the partner stone—we do not think that Drakon has found it yet.”

  Hope flared bright. “Why’s that?”

  “We felt a massive disturbance in the magical energy of the world when this one was stolen from its sacred resting place. We have not yet felt that again.”

  “But he is close to recovering it.” Ares leaned forward. “We have a contact in the League of FireSouls who was able to see into Drakon’s mind. He saw that the bastard is close to finding the other stone.”

  “When he does find it, it will not be easy to access,” the figure said. “The stone is well hidden and even better protected.”

  I shook my head. “It can’t be protected from him. Not if he knows where it is.” I pointed to the crystal on the table. “And he got that one, right?”

  The figure inclined his head. “True.”

  “Is there anything you can tell us about where the other stone is located?” I asked.

  “Yes. It is in Annatlia, near the southernmost part of Greece. Guarded by gods and legend. If you ask your dragon sense to take you there, it will. It’s a mythical place, another realm located on Earth. The land of the Greek gods.”

  “Like Olympus?” I asked.

  “Similar. Zeus rules in Olympia. But the other realms are ruled by the other Greek gods.”

  Hmm. That wasn’t terribly descriptive.

  “Do you have contacts there?” Ares asked. “Anyone that you can inform of the threat so that they can be on the alert?”

  “Not us.” The figure shook his head. “It is an ancient land inhabited by ancient gods. The Greeks. But you may go there and warn them yourselves.”

  “Not just warn them,” I said. “We have to beat Drakon to it. Because whatever guards they have—they cannot stand up to him.”

  “And you would fare better?” the figure asked.

  A wry laugh escaped me. “I’m supposed to.”

  An hour later, Ares and I arrived back in Magic’s Bend. It was noon here, but the winter wind was bitter as it whipped down the street.

  I pressed my fingertips to my comms charm. “Del? Cass? Meet at my place in ten, okay?”

  “On it,” Cass said.

  “Me too,” Del added.

  “Later.” The gleaming windows of P & P caught my eye from across the street. My stomach growled. I looked up at Ares. “Want to grab a bite on our way over?”

  He nodded. We hurried into the coffee shop. The warmth and music welcomed us, as it always did. Magic sparked in the air from the enchantments in the coffee and the potions in Connor’s back workshop. A couple of old men sat in the corner reading newspapers. Blue steam drifted from the tops of their coffee cups. They must be drinking a rare beverage indeed. Though Connor’s enchanted coffees were imbued with magic, I hadn’t seen blue steam before.

  A feeling of home washed over me. As familiar and wonderful as this place was, there was always something new.

  “I love this place,” I murmured to Ares. It was everything good about the magical world.

  And Drakon sought to take that from us. Not only would he steal our magic, and thus a part of our souls, he’d destroy everything about this place, too. It’d be wholesale slaughter down to the smallest little bit of magic. He wanted to own it all, even the enchanted blue steam.

  For some reason, that made me angrier than anything.

  It bubbled up in my chest, choking me. If I even started thinking about what Drakon would do once he had the magic….

  Nope. Wasn’t going to think about it.

  I was going to stop him before it came to that.

  “Hey, guys.” Connor smiled, flipping his dark hair back from his forehead.

  “Hey, Connor.” I approached, noticing that he had a dustpan full of broken glass in his hand. “What’s that?”

  A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Well, you’re not going to like it, but your dragon was in here.”

  “Jeff?”

  “The very one.” Connor dumped the glass in the bin behind the counter. “Seems the little guy has a taste for whiskey and thought he’d help himself.”

  “Oh no. He broke that, didn’t he? What do I owe you?” I was going to have a talk with that little troublemaker. Talk about growing pains.

  “Oddly enough, nothing.” Connor picked up a gold coin from the counter and held it up. “He left me this. Recognize it?”

  I took the coin. It was old and unfamiliar. “No.” My mind raced. “Can Jeff make gold?”

  “Why not? He’s made of magic,” Connor said. “And at least you don’t have a thief on your hands. Clumsy, but well intentioned.”

  The mental image of Jeff sneaking in, fumbling the whiskey purchase, then leaving a gold coin made me smile. “I guess I’ll have to ask him. But before that, could we have some pasties and coffee to go?”

  “Cheese and potato for you, obviously.” Connor’s gaze went to Ares. “Steak and Stilton?”

  “Perfect,” Ares said.

  Connor wrapped up the food and made the coffees, but when I tried to pay, he waved the money away. “Jeff picked up your tab.”

  “Uh, okay.” I spoke through a laugh.

  Though Drakon’s dark threat loomed over us, it warmed my heart to know that there could still be moments of such unexpected joy.

  I didn’t know what was coming for me with Drakon. More than likely, it’d be terrible. Deadly, even. Without a doubt the greatest challenge I would ever face.

  But I had all this to fight for. My friends and family, my dragon and even the coffee shop that had become my home away from home.

  I fought off the nerves and focused on my determination.

  We took the coffee and pasties, thanked Connor, then headed for the door. My stomach grumbled as we stepped out into the chill winter air. Unwilling to wait, I fished the pasty out of the bag and bit into the buttery crust, enjoying the savory taste of cheese and potato.

  “Don’t choke,” Ares said.

  I swallowed and grinned at him, not surprised to see that he’d already bitten into his as well. We were so hungry that we’d polished off our lunch by the time we passed the glass storefront of Ancient Magic. My heart twinged at the sight of the closed sign and the dim interior.

  Add one more thing to the pile of reasons that I needed to defeat Drakon. I needed to get back to work.

  We let ourselves in through the green door and climbed the steps to my place. Del and Cass were waiting for us outside my door. Aidan and Roarke stood with them. Behind Del sat three huge dogs—hellhounds. Two black ones and a white one with brown spots. They grinned, fangs gleaming and tongues lolling.

  “What are Pond Flower and her buddies doing here?” I asked.

  The hellhounds were friends with Del, sensing her affinity for animals. Though they lived at the League of FireSoul’s headquarters, the magical beasts had the ability to transport themselves at will. There were actually thirteen total, so I had to be grateful there were only three here.

  “They showed up an hour ago, but I don’t know why.” Del frowned. “They haven’t visited in weeks.”

  “Do you think they sense oncoming danger?” Ares asked. “I’ve heard they can do that.”

  “It’s not the worst idea,” Del said. “With Drakon, things have been getting dicey. I’ve been worried. Pond Flower may sense that.”

  Pond Flower, the white and brown dog, woofed.

  “That sounds like a yes.” Which made me worry even more. Magical animal were good at sensing threats.

  Del turned to Pond Flower. “Can you head back home now? If there’s any trouble, I’ll call for you.”

  Pond Flower looked indecisive for a moment, then disappeared, her two friends along with her.

  She was gone for now, but if trouble was brewing—which it definitely was—she’d be back.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90