But these were the bad guys.

  My heart lodged in my throat as we reached the bottom of the valley. From down here, the crush of demons looked impenetrable. They were packed in like sardines. Their magic made me gag.

  Ares reached for my hand and squeezed, then let go and led the way. We wove between the crowds of demons, careful not to touch anyone. The hair on my arms stood on end as we snuck by a group that searched the air where we stood.

  Could they see us?

  A demon sprawled in front of me, dead or passed out, I couldn’t tell. Ares stepped over. I jumped.

  We were halfway across when the crowd crushed in around us. They were on all sides, pressing ever closer. They were all watching something that I was too short to see. There were shouts and jeers. The smacking of fists. They were crowded around a fight to the left. I edged away.

  “Oy, what you doin’?”

  I stiffened at the rough voice and turned. A demon raked his gaze over me. He could see me. Fear spiked in my chest. But none of the other demons seemed to notice. All their gazes were riveted on whatever had formed this crowd.

  Could this demon see through invisibility potions?

  “Oy.”

  I didn’t let him finish. Just conjured a dagger and sank it into his heart. I’d never moved so fast in my life. The demon gurgled, but made no other noise. Ares appeared a millisecond later, grabbing the demon’s body and lowering him to the ground.

  The crush of demons around us was so fierce that no one seemed to notice. Tension tightened my muscles as we left him where he lay and hurried off. Please don’t let us get caught.

  We were about twenty yards away when the shouts started up. Someone had found him. But it seemed that no one saw us.

  “We’re close,” Ares whispered.

  “How close?” I craned my neck. I could see the cage containing my deirfiúr because it was on higher ground, but not the edge of the demon army. We were still in the thick of it, as far as I could tell.

  “Twenty yards.” He gripped my hand and led me through the crowd.

  When we reached the edge, I sucked in a breath of sweet, fresh air. The slope led upward toward the glowing blue cage. It was a dome, like Alton’s had been, and Cass and Del stood frozen within.

  My heart ached to see them like that. I burned to race up the mountainside toward them, but we had to be smart.

  “Go from the side,” Ares said.

  I nodded my agreement. We edged along the crowd of demons, toward an emptier area. There’d be fewer demons to see our footprints in the snow over here. We’d just have to pray they didn’t look.

  As fast as I could, I raced up the mountainside. Del and Cass were a couple hundred yards up, and my lungs burned by the time I reached their elevation. Once I did, I hurried toward them, Ares at my side. Tension tightened every muscle as I waited for a demon from below to spot our footsteps, or for my invisibility potion to wear off.

  No one shouted.

  The magic of the dome burned my skin as I approached. I shuddered. I’d never felt anything like this, and didn’t want to ever again. The electric blue of the cage bars pulsed with light as I neared.

  “Del, Cass!” I whispered.

  They didn’t move, but I thought maybe I saw something in their eyes.

  “I’m going to get you out!” I drew my sword from the ether and raised it high overhead. With a quick prayer to the fates, I brought it crashing down on the blue cage.

  Electricity shot up my arms. I flew backward and landed hard in the snow. Light flashed.

  Blinking, pain racing through me, I scrambled to my feet.

  My deirfiúr were still trapped.

  Shit!

  I stumbled toward the cage, raising my sword and slicing down.

  Boom!

  I was thrown backward again, electricity singing through me. I surged up.

  “They’re still trapped.” Ares rose beside me. Apparently he’d been thrown back as well.

  And he was right. The cage was still intact. My deirfiúr still frozen.

  “Drakon has changed the magic.” Panic surged in my chest. Had he imbued it with some of his own strength? My blade didn’t work on that. “My sword worked before.”

  “He’s smart.”

  A roar sounded from below. The demons were charging up the mountainside, straight for us. My attempts on the cage had alerted them. My heart leapt into my throat. They were only a hundred yards away.

  A screech rent the night air, chilling my skin.

  “Drakon.” I raised the sword one last time, desperate, and sliced down on the cage. Electricity threw me backwards. Pain sang. I dragged myself up.

  The cage was still there. My deirfiúr still wrapped.

  The demons were closer, bearing down on us.

  And in the sky above, Drakon raced for us. He was still several hundred yards off, but gaining.

  “Jeff!” I screamed, praying he could find us despite our invisibility. My gaze raced back to my trapped deirfiúr. My heart broke in my chest, pain like I’d never known.

  I had to leave them.

  If my blade couldn’t free them, then only one thing could—the dragons.

  Jeff swooped from the sky, the size of a house. He landed with a heavy thud in the snow. Thank fates his magic had allowed him to see us.

  Jeff turned to face the oncoming demons. The first wave was only forty yards away. He roared, breathing a massive jet of fire on them. They clambered backwards, some of them alight.

  I climbed onto his back, Ares behind me.

  “Go!” I screamed.

  Jeff launched himself into the air. I clung to his back as the cold wind pulled at my hair and stung my eyes.

  In the distance, the red Pūķi tried to distract Drakon, shooting flames at his eyes. I leaned over Jeff’s back and peered into the valley below. An open circle in the middle of the crowd caught my eye. Two men were tied within—Roarke and Aidan. They were conscious at least, tied to a pole. The demons around them jeered and screamed, but they couldn’t reach them for some reason. A force field, maybe. Ares had been right though—they were being saved for something. Whatever use Drakon had for my deirfiúr and their men … No way I was letting it happen.

  I pointed and screamed. “That way!”

  At least I could save them before I went into the mountain. Jeff swooped toward them. I turned back to Ares. I didn’t even have to ask.

  He nodded and kissed me hard. Jeff plunged low over our friends, and Ares leapt off his back, landing right next to Roarke. No one could see him but me, though Roarke and Aidan jerked, clearly able to hear that something was up.

  As Jeff flew away, I watched Ares cut their bonds with his shadow sword. It took several tries—possibly to cut through magic as well—but eventually the men burst free.

  Immediately, they shifted. A dark gray tornado formed around Roarke. His dark wings flared wide, and he lunged into the sky. Golden light glowed from Aidan, then the massive griffon stood in his place. Ares leapt upon his back, and they flew high into the night.

  A shriek from my right forced me to look away.

  Drakon was fighting his way toward me, but the Pūķi were trying to hold him off. Three more figures pelted him with blasts of light. I squinted, trying to make out their forms in the dim light.

  Three flying horses, each ridden by a woman in armor. One wore gold, one silver, and one opal.

  The goddesses of fate. Laima, Karta, and Dekla had made their way here.

  For the first time, hope surged in my chest. No matter what happened to me, we’d be victorious here today. We had to be. The goddesses of fate fought on our side.

  “To the back of the dome!” I cried to Jeff. There was no time to race along through the tunnel. It, too, was surrounded by the dome, so it wasn’t a shortcut. We’d have to go straight in.

  Jeff flew toward the dome, looking for a place to land. Magic and power flowed through me, coming straight from my dragon. He did make me stronger, as Fiona had said he would.

  Jeff climbed high in the air. I looked down, catching sight of my friends perched on the mountainsides that ringed the valley, hidden. Waiting to attack. It was possible Drakon might see them from the air. I’d have to be fast.

  Jeff climbed higher. I caught sight of another valley.

  It was full of demons. Demons we hadn’t seen. Fear turned my blood to ice. There were twice the enemies as we’d thought, outnumbering us now.

  No. No. No.

  My success was vital. I had to wake the dragons now. It’d always been necessary, but this made it even more so. To have any hope of survival, my friends needed the dragons fighting on their side.

  And they needed them quickly. I had to get through the dome. But if my blade hadn’t cut through the electric blue cage, would it work on the dome? It was probably made of stronger stuff as well.

  My mind raced. How was I going to do this?

  Jeff neared the dome, clearly looking for a place to land.

  But maybe we shouldn’t land.

  I needed Jeff’s strength. His power.

  “Hover near the dome!” I cried.

  Jeff flew close. I leaned over his side, reaching out with my blade. I struck, stabbing hard into the smoky barrier.

  “Fly forward!”

  Jeff followed my command, flying along the dome. I kept my blade sunk into the black mist, tearing a hole in the barrier that was big enough to fit us both. His magic had helped—no question.

  From there, Jeff knew what to do. He plunged through the barrier, going straight through the weak spot. I shuddered as we passed through, then I was in the darkened interior of the mountain.

  The white light shined up from below, beckoning.

  “Down!” I called.

  Jeff flew down. I clung to his back, heart pounding. He landed on a ledge between the silver and black dragons. This was right where I’d stood when I’d watched my deirfiúr be abducted. The dragons were still dead asleep.

  I climbed off Jeff’s back, then walked around to his face. I touched his cheek and looked into his black eyes. He was just so big now, but I could still see the little dragon there. “I love you, Jeff. I always will.”

  He snuffled, his nose blowing warm air all over me.

  I smiled. “Now go help my friends. And be safe.”

  Confusion glinted in his onyx eyes.

  “Go.” I hardened my voice. “They need you. Be ready to pick up Cass and Del when they are freed.”

  Understanding shined in his eyes. He nodded, then took off, flying back up through the mountain and slipping through the tear that I’d created.

  Suddenly, I felt so alone.

  The dragons were no company. They were so deeply asleep that they might as well be dead.

  But that was the whole reason I was here. To see to it that they wouldn’t die. I looked at the three of them, the source of all magic, and couldn’t help but be awed all over again. I focused on that awe as I stepped toward the edge of the pit.

  White magic and light flowed up, feeding the dragons.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  Because I possessed the rest of that magic. I was life. Not just for me and not just for the world, but for the dragons as well. All the magic that Elesius had given me wasn’t for me. I was just a custodian.

  I still wasn’t sure how I was supposed to give them my magic—Elesius’s magic—but instinct drove me to hold out my hands, directing them at the glowing pit below.

  Tears rolled down my cheeks as I forced my magic out of myself. I envisioned it as liquid pouring from my fingertips, falling into the light below.

  My village had sacrificed for me, and I would sacrifice for the dragons. For the world. This magic had never been mine, but theirs.

  Weakness stole over me as the magic poured out of me. Was Elesius growing weak as well? Without me to help it grow, would it die fully?

  Was I sacrificing my village as well as myself?

  Pain lanced me at the thought, but I remembered my mother. She was obsessed with the choice, and she’d made hers. Elesius had made theirs. As I would save the dragons, so, too, would they. Because of them, I would save the dragons.

  I forced more magic out of myself, my muscles trembling. According to the laws of magic as I knew them, this shouldn’t be possible. But I was standing in an impossible place, doing an impossible thing.

  Possible meant nothing.

  The air sparked around me as my magic flowed into the pit, and then into the dragons. I could see it pulsing as a white light, no longer my own. Soon, I could hardly stand. Weakness flowed through me. I forced more magic out. More. More.

  But the dragons didn’t wake.

  Finally, there was nothing left to give. Or at least, whatever was left was so small it couldn’t find its way out of me.

  And still, the dragons slept. The energy in the air was stronger. They looked stronger. But they slept on.

  Tears poured down my face. It wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough.

  I dragged in a ragged breath.

  Or was I?

  Was I only giving it half? Did I need to give everything, even my life?

  My mind calmed.

  It was obvious, wasn’t it? I hadn’t wanted to believe the forest spirit, but she’d been clear. I had to become one with them. Or my magic did, at least.

  I dragged in a ragged breath and said goodbye to Cass and Del. Their faces flashed in my mind’s eye. Memories. I said goodbye to Ares. My parents. Aidan and Roarke, Connor and Claire. Mordaca, Aerdeca, Dr. Garriso. All of them, their names in my head, I stepped off the ledge.

  This time, nothing rose up to meet me.

  Wind tore at my hair as I fell, plummeting into the light. But my mind was calm, my heart convinced.

  I didn’t understand this magic, but I didn’t have to.

  When the white flames engulfed me, the pain was sharp, but brief. It tore through my bones and muscles. But right before my world went black, I heard the dragons roar, and I smiled.

  13

  Light exploded behind my eyes. Power surged through me, foreign and strange. My body felt wrong.

  But instinct drove my muscles, my mind. I moved my arms, realizing only then that I no longer had arms.

  I had wings. Brilliant red wings, tipped with yellow feathers.

  I was a phoenix.

  Lightness and joy tore through me. I flapped my new wings, clumsy at first, in the middle of this bright white light, then stronger. Fiercer.

  I shot from the light, following my instinct toward the sky.

  Was this real?

  Did I care?

  Not even a little. I pushed my new body, flying toward the darkness above. Flying was amazing. I felt so strong, so free. The roar of dragons echoed from above. Calling to me. I followed their cry, shooting up from the pit and into the mountain cavern.

  The dragons no longer slept. The ledges were empty. My heart soared as I flew for the top of the mountain. I shot out into the sky. Drakon’s barrier was broken—no doubt by the dragons.

  The aurora borealis shone bright in the sky—purple, green, yellow. It highlighted the two dragons who swooped through the night, diving for the demons below. It was impossible not to notice them—they were terrifying and beautiful. Power incarnate, lunging toward the demons below and blasting them with their brilliant red flame. There were only two dragons, though. Where was the third?

  I didn’t know how long I’d been—dead?—but the battle raged in the valley and on the mountainside. I swept up into the air, taking in my surroundings. The mountainside teemed with my allies, racing down through the snow to collide with the enemy in the valley below. The demons roared and ran for them, brandishing weapons and throwing bursts of flame and magic.

  I sought my deirfiúr, but their blue magic cage was gone. It had happened when the dragons had destroyed the barrier, most likely.

  Cass and Del were gone as well. Demons crowded in their place, as if they’d raced for the captives when the cage had been destroyed. Fear chilled me. I dived low, flying over the place where their cage had been. Demons trampled the ground, but I saw no sign of them.

  I shoved aside the fear. They couldn’t be dead. I would feel that.

  Drakon was nowhere to be seen, but perhaps he was in the other valley. As I flew that direction, hoping to find him, I inspected the battle below.

  From the mountain to the west, the shifters pounded down into the valley. Bears, tigers, wolves, and dogs. All variety of predators raced toward the demons. The clash was fierce, with the biggest animals going straight for the demons’ throats. An orange house cat rode on the back of a bear, straight for a demon the size of a football player. A house cat?

  Even as a phoenix, I realized that this was seriously weird. The battle animals were usually large predators, like the lions. As the bear neared the demon, he turned right, headed for another enemy. The cat leapt off the bear’s back, fangs glinting in the light of the aurora. It landed on the demon’s chest, sinking its fangs into the neck. Blood sprayed. The demon roared. The cat chomped again.

  I could hear it.

  My senses were incredible. I had to be two hundred yards away, but I could hear that specific fight because I focused on it.

  No longer worried for the cat—that cat could handle himself—I swooped low over the battle. The mercenaries from the Order of the Magica were on the eastern slope, launching coordinated attacks against the demons in the valley below. They lobbed massive balls of fire and sonic booms, bowling over the enemy. They used their positioning to their advantage, hiding behind conjured barricades. I didn’t see Claire with her colleagues.

  Please be with Cass and Del.

  Her loyalty was to us first, so odds were good that she was with them and not already downed.

  Movement through the demons in the valley caught my eye. A large vehicle drove through the crowd, plowing the demons aside.

  Ana and Bree!

  Ana drove the modified buggy. It had larger tires—for the snow?—and a cage around the cockpit. Bree hung off the platform in the back, wielding a sword like a madwoman. She was wild, slicing at the demons with more enthusiasm than skill. But it worked. Blood flew as she cut them down. Ana shrieked every time she hit a demon, a bloodcurdling war cry.

 

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