“Don’t listen to him,” Cyrene said. She ripped the shield down again and ran to shove Kael out of the way. “She is goading you. Don’t rise to the occasion.”
“I thought you were going to kill him,” Avoca said, taking up the defensive position next to Cyrene.
Dean raised his hands. “That’s what I said.”
“Surprise,” Cyrene said. “Now, can we focus?”
Malysa turned her attention back to Cyrene. She didn’t seem as if she was even breathing hard. In fact, she seemed to be having fun. Like this was a good warm-up for the main event.
“Don’t you know that Cyrene has never met a broken creature she didn’t want to put back together? Even if she had to waste most of her reserves to bring a worthless human like Kael Dremylon to life.” Malysa strode back and forth before them. “It is her flaw.”
“Some of us see it as a gift,” Dean said.
Malysa’s eyes flicked to him as he rushed her. She stopped his sword with a black blade of her own and then redirected his lightning up into the sky. The bolt flew into the empty sky, lighting it up. Malysa’s eyes narrowed a fraction and then rounded in surprise. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”
“The person who is going to end this,” Dean growled. He stepped back, shifting his feet through paces.
Cyrene flipped her blade, preparing for her next attack. “If I didn’t know better, I would think that you were stalling.”
“Stalling?” Malysa asked. “Why would I need to stall? I have nothing to fear. You, on the other hand, have much to fear. Like your little Daijan here.”
“Don’t call me that,” Dean growled low.
Malysa smirked. “I wish I’d known you had the gift long ago. I would have come for you.”
“It would have made no difference,” Dean said sternly. “I have been forced to serve one god. I will never serve another.”
“And who, pray tell, did you serve?” Malysa asked eagerly. The first news of home she’d had in thousands of years. She looked greedy for information.
“Valesamy,” Dean spat as if he hated the taste of her name on his mouth.
Malysa’s eyebrows rose. She spread her arms wide, and another shield shifted into place. As if this conversation was much more interesting than the fight. “That wouldn’t be Valesamy Rosengrave, would it?”
“Yes,” Dean said in surprise. “You knew her?”
“Oh, she’s a real nasty piece of work,” Malysa said. “She’s my cousin. Distant cousin.”
“Well, that explains it.”
“And how did you get to Domara?”
“As if I’m going to tell you that,” Dean said.
“I could make you tell me. Did you use the diamond?” Malysa’s eyes flicked to Cyrene’s throat. “Did you get it to work?”
“No. And, even if I told you how I did it, you’d die before getting there. You aren’t worthy.”
Malysa snorted, and darkness curled up her wrists. “It has nothing to do with worth and everything to do with power.”
“That is the part you’ll never understand,” Dean said as Cyrene slashed through the shield. They all advanced as one. “It is not all about power. Sometimes, it is about your humanity, which you do not have.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” Malysa said. “I’ll keep you alive at the end of this, and you can show me how you got there. Then we can see for ourselves if it’s power or your humanity. And, if it’s just power…I’ll kill you.”
“Doesn’t sound like a very good deal,” Cyrene said.
Then she exploded into action.
Cyrene sank deep into herself, pulling up the spirit energy and her connection with Avoca and Sarielle. They both pressed into her, feeding her more and more. Then she threw her arms out toward Malysa with enough magic to kill a person on the spot. Avoca threw a knife at the same time. It was hyper-focused by the wave of her magic. Dean shot lightning from his fingertips. His aim perfect. Even Kael slid in low, trying to cut Malysa off at the legs.
All together. All coordinated.
Malysa took the hit from Cyrene, only half-deflected by a wave of her darkness. She stumbled backward a step just as Dean’s lightning shot toward her. With anger roiling off of her, she threw up what looked to be a mirror in front of the lightning. And suddenly, the bolt was ricocheting back the direction it had come. Dean had to dive out of the way to avoid getting struck from his own magic.
She lashed out at Kael, reopening his already-injured shoulder.
And, to Cyrene’s dismay…Avoca’s shot went wide. The blade skittered across the balcony and landed with a thud against the stone.
Malysa’s dark hair came out of place. Her hands were balled into fists. Their attack had done nothing but provoke her.
“I have entertained you enough. Your army will fall. You will all lose. And I will make you watch it,” Malysa said. She snapped her fingers. “My Voldere are ready to end the last bit of resistance in your army. You are nothing. You have nothing.”
“I still have this,” Cyrene shot back, touching her fingertips to the diamond. “And, while I have this, I can still beat you.”
“That hunk of rock is practically useless. It always has been,” Malysa snarled. “You will need more than that to win. And you played all of your cards. You drew a losing hand.”
That was the moment they all heard wings.
The sound of hundreds of wings beating against the sky.
Malysa whirled around, and that was when they all saw what Cyrene had only hoped for.
Dragons.
Hundreds of dragons and their riders.
The Society had arrived.
69
The Society
Kerrigan
Kerrigan soared over the ground toward the battle raging in the distance. Her fiery-red hair blowing loose behind her. Bright green eyes burning with desire and purpose.
It had been two days since Cyrene contacted her.
She had been lying down on her cot within Draco Mountain. She had just finished for the day. So tired of hour after hour of tutors and etiquette training and swordplay. All before she did her duties as an official Dragon Blessed, which was the best part of it all.
The next thing she knew, she had awoken within the dragon quarters with Cyrene standing before her.
* * *
“Kerrigan Argon,” Cyrene said with something like relief.
“Cyrene of the Doma?” Kerrigan asked in shock. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”
“We are on the spiritual plane at the moment. This doesn’t technically exist. I was able to pull you to me while I was awakening dormant magic in the Doma of Emporia.”
Kerrigan blinked. She couldn’t imagine the magnitude that would take. To have the ability to activate magic in people.
“I think I could reach you because we are connected, you and I. The same in some way,” Cyrene explained. “But I don’t have much more time to explain. I just have this moment before I finish what I have started.”
“It must be a great need if you are here.”