The ring flared ice cold in my hand, but this time I kept a grip on it, letting the frost burn me. I wasn’t letting it out of my grasp until I was sure I knew how to destroy it.

  The ground shook, much harder than before. The colors of the aurora blazed. The mountain beyond darkened slightly, but just for an instant, as if covered by a shadow which quickly passed.

  Then the shadow fell over us.

  The creature that cast the shadow had flown out of the aurora, from the other world. It was a winged lizard, easily fifty feet long, its scales a deep metallic red in color. It roared in surprise at its new surroundings, and turned in the air to sail towards the nearest skyscraper. It landed on the tall building’s flat roof, then lumbered to the edge and looked down. It roared again, and a jet of fire erupted from its maw down along the side of the building. There had been people on a deck just one story below, gaping up at the monster in horror. They had no chance to escape the flames. The monster leaned further over the edge, snatched a burning figure in its jaws, and swallowed it in two bites.

  “What the Prime is that?” Astrith yelled.

  “That,” I said, “is a dragon.”

  Crap.

  Sixteen

  With a horrible screech the dragon launched itself off the roof. It landed on the side of a tall apartment building, its claws shattering windows to gain a grip. It reared its head back on its long neck and smashed it forward through a large picture window. It reemerged with a pair of legs sticking out of its mouth, tossed its head back, and swallowed. With a satisfied roar it launched itself into the air again.

  It started to head back towards the aurora. The mountaintop in the other world was still visible, but the dragon veered away at the last moment. It flew lower, below the tops of the buildings, and dive-bombed the street running alongside the far end of the plaza. There were scattered groups of soldiers, rebels, orcs and even a few citizens who had yet to find shelter. They tried to run, but the dragon blew out a jet of flame, strafing the street. Those who weren’t fast enough caught fire and ran, screaming and blazing, until they fell to the pavement to die.

  Meanwhile, Liz, Lock, Astrith and I stood and stared helplessly.

  “This is horrible!” Liz shouted.

  The ground shook again. The ring was still weakening the barriers between worlds.

  “How do we stop that thing?” Astrith asked.

  Near the fountain, Trinna rallied a small group of panicked soldiers. She got them to aim their rifles up at the flying lizard and fire. I couldn’t tell if they even hit the monster, but they got its attention. It roared and flew over us, towards them.

  I started to run to them, but was pulled short. Lock had grabbed my arm.

  “They’re too far,” he said. “It’s too fast.”

  The dragon was on them. It blew another jet of flame and the grass smoked and burned. I lost sight of Trinna and the soldiers for a moment. The dragon flew up again, heading further into the city. When the smoke cleared, there were just charred bodies on the ground.

  “Trinna,” Astrith said softly. “Oh, Trinna.”

  We ran to the fountain. Blackened corpses lay on the steaming patch of earth.

  “Wait,” I said. “There were more…”

  The sounds of splashing and gasping stopped me dead. Trinna and one of the soldiers burst up out of the fountain. The water was only two feet deep at most, but they had laid flat and it had covered them.

  Astrith jumped into the fountain and threw her arms around her. “I thought…”

  Trinna coughed. “I saw the dragon coming and jumped in. It must not have seen us in the water. The flames didn’t hit us but the heat…I feel like a boiled potato.” She looked at the bodies on the ground and rubbed at her eyes. “I shouldn’t have told them to…I got them killed.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, ma’am,” the soldier said. “We need to be fighting back. That’s our job.”

  “And you gave me an idea,” I said.

  Astrith turned to me. “Let’s hear it.”

  I shook my head. “Still forming. I need a minute.”

  The dragon roared. It was on top of another building, smashing windows and reaching for the people inside.

  “Not sure we have a minute,” Astrith said. “That…dragon…will destroy the whole city.”

  “It could destroy your whole world,” said a voice from thin air.

  Valerian and the rest of the group I had left outside the Broadcast Center suddenly appeared. Ryoh, still unsteady on his feet, was supported by Doric. Kud stared at his hands and Kollie patted herself down, as if reassuring themselves that they truly were visible again.

  “Geez!” Trinna shouted, her hand on her heart. “You scared the hell out of me!”

  “My apologies,” the elf said. “I had one more instance of the invisibility spell prepared, and it seemed prudent. Your soldiers and rebels have mostly broken off the fight with the orcs because of the dragon’s appearance, but the orcs have not done the same. They have begun invading homes and killing the citizens within. We had to abandon the position where you had left us. It was no longer safe.”

  Astrith hugged Ryoh and helped him to sit on the edge of the fountain. I pulled Valerian and my two fellow agents aside. “What can you tell us about this dragon?”

  “Little that isn’t obvious. They are fearsome creatures, particularly the fire-breathing variety.”

  “If the stupid beast would just fly back through that open portal,” Lock said, “we could get back to work figuring out how to destroy the ring and end all this.”

  Valerian shook his head. “This is no animal. Dragons are highly intelligent. It surely understands that the portal is its way home. If it’s not flying through, it is because it does not want to.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Okay. If it’s intelligent, it can be reasoned with. I just need to talk to it.”

  Valerian frowned. “Jed, these types of dragons are creatures of pure evil. They revel in chaos. I am unsure a conversation will be productive.”

  “I have to try, Valerian. We can’t just kill it without giving it a chance.”

  Lock put his arm around my shoulders. “Buddy, you know I admire your, ‘ask questions first, shoot later,’ approach, but this might not be the time…”

  I smacked his butt. “Trust me. My plan’s coming together. Astrith! And…uh…soldier guy…?”

  “Soldiery Fourth Rank Dekin, sir.”

  “Dekin. You have any kind of air force here? Planes, helicopters, anything?”

  Astrith shook her head, then looked to Dekin for confirmation. “Nothing in the city,” he said. “There is an airfield with a few working aircraft, but it’s an hour’s train ride away, at least.”

  “Too far,” I said. “I need to get up there for a face-to-face somehow. Valerian, you still have one of those jumping spells, you said?”

  He nodded. “But it will not get you nearly high enough, Jed.”

  “I just need a boost. Kollie, what condition is the Gauntlet in right now?”

  “Mostly as you left it,” the young Broadcaster replied. “We replaced the destroyed rest areas with fresh earth, so we could reach everything. But there hasn’t been time to reset the Challenges.”

  “Perfect. Okay, everybody listen up. Trinna, Dekin, Astrith. Round up all the soldiers you can – everybody with a projectile weapon. Head out of the city, towards the far end of the course – just past the maze, on the near side of the merfolk’s pool. Once you’re there, start firing. Get the dragon’s attention, get it out of the city and headed towards you.”

  Dekin glanced down at the still-smoking bodies on the ground. “Won’t it…”

  “Jump into the tank, if you need to. The merfolk can lead you to a cubbyhole under the water where there’s air.”

  “We’re on it,” Astrith said. She turned to Trinna and Dekin. “Split up. Get everyone you can and meet back at the gates in ten minutes. Watch out for orcs.”

  The other two nodded, and the three of them headed out in different directions. Dekin made straight for a disorganized group of soldiers not far from us, who seemed relieved to be given some clear orders.

  “Doric, Lock, you’re on orc duty. Get the rebels organized, anyone who can fight who isn’t needed out on the Gauntlet.”

  “You want my blaster?” Lock asked. “If you’re having a heart-to-heart with that overgrown salamander you might want some extra firepower.”

  “Keep it,” I said. “I won’t need it if this works, but you might. I will take your spanner.”

  His eyes widened. It wasn’t a small favor I was asking. Spanners are considered a huge personal responsibility. Losing mine was a big deal, and Lock willingly giving his up, even to another Agent, was a massive breach of protocol.

  He didn’t ask any more questions. He slid it off his wrist and handed it to me.

  “Thanks,” I said, as I slipped it on.

  “Which one’s Doric?” he asked.

  Doric had been sitting on the fountain, his arm around the shaking Ryoh. “That’s me.”

  “Good,” Lock said. “I was hoping it was the big one. Let’s go, kid.”

  “Kollie,” I said as they ran off, “you’ve got maybe the most important task of all.”

  She swallowed. “Me? I’ve never even thrown a punch.”

  “You’re not fighting. I need you to get back to Broadcast Control. As soon as the soldiers start firing at the dragon, I want you to switch all the Challenges back on. Can you do that?”

  She nodded. “But why?”

  Across the plaza I spotted Trinna with a group of soldiers, already headed towards the gates. “No time. Just do it. Liz, go with her, keep her safe. You might need to fight through some orcs between here and there.”

  She cracked her hairy knuckles. “Not a problem.” She gave me a quick hug. “Don’t get burned to death.”

  “Don’t get stabbed to death. Hurry, she needs to be there in time or none of this will work.”

  They ran off past the collapsed stage towards the Broadcast Center. I took a breath. Valerian, Kud and Ryoh were all looking at me expectantly.

  “What about us, Jed?” Kud asked.

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “You’re staying here. You and Valerian watch out for Ryoh, all right?”

  He shook my hand off. “You don’t need to keep me safe, Jed! I’m not a kid!”

  “Then don’t act like one!” I snapped. “Somebody needs to be here if and when the other Champions come back, to fill them in on what’s happening. I don’t want anybody on their own, and Ryoh can’t fight, so that means you and Valerian are a team right now. Is that important enough for you or do you need to assert your manhood some more?”

  His scowl vanished. He blushed. “I…sorry, Jed…”

  I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “No, I’m sorry, Kud.” I put a hand on his shoulder again. “I’m not going to stop worrying about you any more than I do about the rest of the group. But you don’t have anything to prove, to me, or to anyone else. Okay?”

  He nodded. “You can count on me.”

  “I know I can.”

  Ryoh coughed. “I’m sorry, Jed. I don’t know why I’m so weak.”

  I had a feeling I knew, but this wasn’t the time to get into it. “It’s all right, Ryoh. You sit here and rest.”

  “Is there anything else you need from me, Jed?” Valerian asked.

  I looked over towards the gates. Astrith and Dekin had joined Trinna, and the three small groups of soldiers they had gathered combined into a larger force. They started out the city gates down the hill and I lost sight of them.

  “Walk with me to the gates,” I said. “I need to be ready when they make it across the Gauntlet.” I looked out across the grassy plaza. It was orc-free, the fighting having moved on into the city proper. “Kud, watch out for Ryoh. We’ll be just over there.”

  Kud nodded seriously, and Valerian and I hurried over to the gates. The soldiers were moving quickly, and had already almost reached the bottom of the large hill.

  “You’re about to attempt something foolhardy, aren’t you?” Valerian asked.

  “How tough is this dragon’s hide?” I asked.

  “Tough,” he said, “but not impenetrable. Dragons can be slain by a well-placed blade. The trick is not getting bitten, clawed or scorched to death before you’re close enough to do so. Do you need a sword?”

  “Not what I’m thinking,” I said, “and I’m hoping it won’t come to that. How’s your magic doing?”

  “I feel strong. But again, I have few spells at the ready.”

  “And nothing destructive?”

  He frowned. “I have already told you this. My combat spells are exhausted. Why?”

  “We might need something with a lot of bang. After the dragon is dealt with. One of those fireballs or lightning bolts would be perfect.”

  “For the ring?”

  “I thought maybe a spell would work? Use magic to destroy magic? It’s worth a try, anyway.”

  “I will need to rest. It will take several hours.”

  “I don’t think we have…”

  Another quake came. The mechanism housing the giant gates creaked worryingly. From the city behind us came more screams of terror. They could have been caused by the quake, the orcs, the dragon, or all of the above.

  I almost lost my footing. Valerian grabbed me by the waist, steadying me.

  “Time is short, indeed,” he whispered. He pulled me closer and looked up into my eyes. His silver hair gleamed in the magical light from the sky. “Perhaps, while we have this moment…”

  The sound of gunfire interrupted whatever he was planning. Damn, those soldiers made irritatingly good time.

  The dragon was too far away for the soldiers’ weapons to hit, but it wheeled in the air at the sound. It circled the city a few times, cruising low over the buildings. Each time it circled it got a little closer to the source of the attack.

  I watched the dragon closely, examining its movements for any sign that it was going to break off its circling and head out of the city. “How long does your jump spell last?” I asked Valerian.

  “Only a short time,” he said. “And you’ll only be able to make four leaps, at the most.”

  “What? You didn’t mention that before!”

  “You never asked for the details.”

  My plan depended on me keeping pace with the dragon. I had been counting on being able to leap down the hill fast in order to do that. “Okay, cast it on me now.”

  He muttered his usual mumbo jumbo, then bent down and touched my leg. I didn’t feel anything.

  “Here.” He reached into a pouch and pulled out four grasshopper legs. He dropped them into my palm.

  “Yuck.”

  “Snap one as you make a jump.”

  The dragon roared. He had made a feint towards the city gates, then turned back. He made a spin in the air and headed straight back again.

  “Oh, crap, I think he’s going for them. Wish me luck.”

  I didn’t wait for any wishes of elven fortune. I ran down the hill, the grasshopper legs held tight in my fist. I used Lock’s spanner to change my boots into running shoes. Every little bit helps.

  I was right about the dragon – over the sound of gunfire I could hear it roaring behind and above me. It had left the city to investigate the noise.

  Close to the bottom of the hill I ran into a cloud of dust. I started to cough but didn’t stop moving. I was confused about the source of the cloud for a moment, until a crack from the giant wall next to me sent a splinter of granite across my cheek.

  Oh, right. Bullets. The soldiers were firing at, but not hitting, the dragon, and what comes up must come down. It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d be running right into a hail of gunfire. Nothing to do but keep running and hope the walls would offer some protection and luck would offer the rest.

  I hit the bottom of the hill and cleared the dust cloud. I skidded to a stop at the point where the chasm began. This was the far edge of the minefield, where Ryoh had fallen to his supposed death from one of the pillars of undisturbed earth. The Broadcasters hadn’t had time to fill in the pits, according to Kollie. Steam rose from the boiling water far below.

  The dragon screeched above me. It was finally within range of the soldiers’ weapons and understood that it was under attack.

  No time to think, and no time for hopscotch. I moved back a few steps, took one of the grasshopper legs between my fingers, and ran. I reached the edge of the chasm, snapped the leg, and jumped.

  It felt the same as before, like a perfectly normal jump that just happened to be taking me way, way further than it had any right to. I landed on a patch of dirt on the far side of the chasm, slightly in from the edge of the grass. It was the furthest point cleared by the cannon that Trinna had modified, so I could see which spots were safe and which weren’t.

  But the dragon was above me, and moving fast. I didn’t have time to navigate. I snapped another grasshopper leg and jumped. Sorry, Jiminy Cricket.

  I soared over the cleared patch of dirt and all the various tricked-out mines. I landed on a part of the grass that was still within the minefield, but hadn’t been rendered safe by Valerian’s earthmoving spell.

  I had a few feet to run before my next jump. I’d have to depend on my memory. I had maneuvered through this section safely before, I’d do it again.

  I looked up at the dragon. The jumps had gained me some ground, but I was losing it again.

  There was a tiny patch of exposed dirt in the middle of the green. A mine lay in the center of it. That was my target.

  I crossed my fingers, hoping that Kollie had gotten to Broadcast Control in time and done her job, or else this would have all been for nothing.

  I ran, following in my earlier footsteps as best I could. Nothing exploded underneath me, which meant either my memory was solid, or Kollie had failed.

  I readied another grasshopper leg between my fingers.

  I reached the mine. As I jumped squarely onto it, I snapped the leg.

  The mine went off. It fired me like a cannonball into the air. I hurtled towards the towering wall of the maze.

  This was the first explosive mine we had encountered, the one that had sent poor Grahs to her death, slamming her into the solid rock face of the maze. I used the air cannon like a trampoline, counting on the magic to give me some extra height.

 

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