And there wasn’t a goddess to stop it this time.

  Tegan let out a cry that brought my focus to him. He clutched one of his shoulders and smoke floated between his fingers. His face was contorted with pain and I smelled burned flesh.

  “Let me see it!” I insisted as I scrambled around to his back.

  Tegan reluctantly released his hand and revealed a mess of scorched flesh. A bit of the melted stone had dropped onto his back.

  He turned to face me and grasped my shoulders. “You have to get out of here.”

  I didn’t like the implications in his words. “I’m not leaving without you.”

  “You won’t be able to withstand the heat of its flames. I can.”

  I stabbed a finger at his back. “That says you’re wrong! And even if you were right, I’m not going to let you find out alone! Like Virma said, we need to do this together!” The earth trembled and a gold coin rolled down one of the nearby mounds to stop near us. Its smooth surface glistened beneath the glow of the burning ceiling. My eyes widened and I whipped my head to Tegan. “And I might just have an idea but I have to know if you can burn that dragon like he burns you.”

  Tegan pursed his lips and lifted his eyes to the behemoth lizard. “We’ll have to find out. Stay here.”

  He slipped out before waiting for my reply and I watched with more than a little trepidation as he sauntered over to the dragon. The beast noticed him and snapped its jaws in the air in his direction. “What does thy demand of me, hatchling?”

  Tegan lifted one hand so the palm was face-up. “Only this.”

  A huge column of fire shot out and some fifty feet in the air. The fire licked the dragon’s nose and it jerked back. Tegan jerked his hand downward so the column flew forward, slashing across the dragon’s chest. The creature gave a roar and smoke shot out from the burning gash.

  I slipped out of my hiding spot and rushed over to him as he watched the dragon stomp its claws. “Can you do that again?” I asked him.

  He nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know how many times.”

  I swept my eyes over the glistening gold. “If we do this right we’ll only need once.”

  He studied me with a curious look. “What’s your plan?”

  I nodded at the coins and jewels. “Maybe I can reflect my light push on all this shiny stuff and aim it at the dragon. It’ll shoot back at the dragon and pin it there, and then it’s your turn.”

  The dragon let loose a roar as the last bit of smoke was extinguished. It whipped its face around to glare at us, its eyes promising death as it stomped one clawed foot against the ground. “Thou will pay for what thou hast done to me!”

  The dragon swooped down with its teeth bared. I stretched out my hands on either side of me and gritted my teeth. Light shot out of my palms and struck the countless pieces of shiny treasure. The push caused some of the mounds to shove backward but the sheer weight anchored them. The brilliance of my magic reflected off the gold, amplifying the blinding light and projecting it upward at an angle onto the dragon. The beast let out a roar as my magic not only blinded it but pinned it in place. It thrashed and squirmed and I winced as its strength forced me to use more magic, sapping my energy.

  Tegan had braced himself for the impact of my magic and now he opened his own palms. Huge pillars of fire burst upward and burned on either side of the dragon. The force of my push shoved the columns into the fell beast and the creature let out a horrible roar as our combined magic engulfed its body. The beast thrashed but couldn’t escape our power as its body became consumed by flame and light.

  The dragon released one last cry of fury before its body collapsed in on itself. Tegan’s fire burned it to cinders and my light compressed it to a neat little pile.

  I dropped my arms and collapsed to my knees. We’d done it. We’d saved the valley and the town.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  My whole body shook from the effort and my heart pounded forcefully in my chest. Tegan hardly looked better off as he turned to me. His face was pale and his palms were scorched. He knelt in front of me and looked me over.

  I managed a smile and nodded. “I’m. . .I’m fine. Really. I. . .I could just use a break.”

  “You’ll get one when we get out of here,” he promised as he helped me to my feet.

  I winced as the burn scabs on his palms crinkled beneath my hands. “What about you?”

  “Nothing a little visit to the doctor won’t fix,” he swore.

  I couldn’t wait to take in some fresh air as we climbed out of the tunnel and into the first grotto. That is until Tegan froze in front of me. I crashed into his back and glared at him. “What’s the-”

  That’s when I saw it. Or rather, them. The scima Tyran had left behind as rear guards. Their bodies were now strewn about the room. Blood splattered the walls.

  I covered my mouth with one hand to stop the bile from rising. “What happened?”

  Tegan shook his head. “I don’t know, but stay alert.”

  We slowed our pace as we moved up the tunnel. The sound of fighting reached our ears halfway up the path. Tegan tensed and looked over his shoulder at me. “Stay close.”

  I nodded and we shot forward. We reached the mouth of the tunnel and stopped at the edge of the grotto. The scima were in a full-on fight for their lives against two rampaging beasts. Many of their number had already fallen to the monsters and others had escaped out the entrance.

  And those monsters were Tyran and Loso.

  The two men were no longer human but had been transformed into hideous dragon-man hybrids like what had happened to Gy. My mouth fell open as I recalled all the green mist down in the dragon’s lair. They hadn’t protected themselves from its fumes and now their bodies were covered in scales and their hands were claws.

  The pair thrashed at their former comrades with the viciousness of mindless animals. The remaining scima were backed into a corner unable to fend off the violent and mindless blows from their former bosses.

  Tegan whipped his head around to me. “Do you have enough magic to stop them?”

  I bit my lower lip as I rummaged inside my battered body. “I-I don’t know, and I had to touch Gy to cure him.”

  “Then I’ll capture them and you grab a hold of them,” Tegan instructed me.

  I would have argued about such a dangerous plan but I had no other to recommend. Tegan moved toward Loso who, without his weapons, would have been easier to deal with in his new state. The dragon leapt at the transformed man from behind and wrapped his arms around him. Loso thrashed and snapped at him, but Tegan wrenched him around to face me.

  “Now, Kate!”

  I rushed forward and grabbed the man’s arms. Loso stiffened as my light spilled out of my palms and into his body. His form shivered and shook violently as his human shape returned. In a few moments, Tegan opened his arms and the renewed Loso dropped in a lifeless lump onto the floor. That left only Tyran.

  The transformed man had seen our attack on his comrade and spun around to face us. He snapped his fangs in our direction before he lunged at Tegan. Tegan grabbed his clawed hands and the pair grappled.

  I waited for my opening and saw it when Tegan twisted his foe around so Tyran’s back faced me. I rushed forward and clapped my hands around his neck. The man stiffened and his eyes widened as my light engulfed his body. The scales and claws vanished, and he soon joined his comrade on the floor.

  Their other companions had taken the opportunity to flee, leaving us alone with the scima leaders.

  I looked them over before raising my gaze to Tegan. “So what do we do with them?”

  “I expect they won’t be moving for quite some time, so we’ll alert the town where they are,” Tegan suggested as he stepped over Tyran to get at me, being mindful to take a nice heavy step on the scima leader’s back. He looked me over. “You look exhausted.”

  I gave a sheepish, shaky grin. “I feel it, too.”

  Tegan swept me into his arms and I was too glad for the lift to even scold him. “Let’s go.”

  He carried me out of the way and into the cool night air. The stars twinkled above us as we made our way down the mountainside. The town was ablaze with lights and a small contingency of flyers guarded the northern side which faced the mountain.

  We were greeted by some friendly calls from the guards. “Stop there!”

  Tegan stopped as a half dozen flyers zoomed toward us. One of them gave a shout and I recognized Frae’s voice. “Bael! Kate!”

  Our old friend dropped down in front of us with Lucy near him. Both looked worse for wear after their earlier fights with the scima. Even their brooms had notches and holes in them.

  Frae hurried over and looked us over. “What happened to you?”

  “It’s a long story, but you might want to pick up the two leaders of the scima in that cave behind us,” Tegan advised him as he jerked his head over his shoulder.

  “Gladly,” Lucy spoke up as she jumped onto her broom.

  She led a small contingent to fetch the pair while Frae held out his broom to us. “You two look like you could get off your feet.”

  Tegan smiled down at me. “I’m comfortable.”

  “And tired,” I countered as I nodded at the broom. “At least let me fly us the rest of the way.”

  Tegan sighed but grudgingly set me on the floating sweeper. He joined me and together we flew off with Frae following on another broom. We arrived at the center of town and I couldn’t help but gape at the huge crack that ran down the entire center of the main road to wind itself to an end at the central square. Many of the townsfolk had taken refuge in the open area away from the falling buildings.

  My heart leapt when I saw Fia among them with a bandage around her head. She rushed over to us as we landed and captured Tegan in a tight hug before he even got a chance to step off. “Thank the gods!” she sobbed.

  Tegan drew her away and smiled down at his tear-stained mother. “I’m glad to see you, too, Mother.” He reached up and brushed a hand against her bandage. “What happened?”

  She smiled and wiped a few loose tears from her cheeks. “Nothing to speak of.” She turned her attention to me and embraced me in a tight hug. “And I’m so glad to see you, too, Kate.”

  “Ditto on that,” I replied as we parted.

  Fia grasped both our hands and smiled at us. “You both look exhausted. Let me take you home.”

  I was never more glad for that invitation and the bed that awaited me.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  I slept like the dead and awoke in the early afternoon of the next day. Voices chatted away outside my door so I tossed on my spare clothes and peeked my head out the door.

  The living room was crowded with friends. Frae and Lucy stood near the fireplace while Smolt and Terwine occupied a seat. Tegan stood nearby while I heard his mother in the kitchen.

  “The damage will take quite a while to repair, especially the main road,” Terwine admitted.

  “And the houses?” Tegan wondered.

  “Bad shape but we’re rebuilding already,” Frae assured him.

  Tegan turned toward the door as I opened the creaking entrance. He smiled at me and the others followed his gaze. “Good afternoon.”

  I rubbed some sleepiness out of my eye and stepped out. “What’s everyone doing here?”

  “Checking to see how the heroes were doing,” Frae told me.

  “I think there were a lot of heroes last night,” I countered as I sidled up beside Tegan. “We weren’t the only ones flying out there.”

  “Speaking of that,” Lucy spoke up as she took a broom that leaned against the wall near the fireplace. “I found this wandering around the town last night.”

  She held out the broom to me and my eyes widened. It was mine, complete with the war wound from Loso’s weapon in the handle. I accepted the broom and brushed my hand against the wood. “So you made it, too, huh?”

  “And walloped a few loose scima, too,” Frae added as he nodded at my sweeper. “I’ve never seen a broom fight that much without someone attached to it.”

  I hugged the broom against my chest and smiled at Lucy. “Thank you.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me. From what I heard, we should all be thanking you. You not only got rid of the scima but found the treasure.”

  “What’s to be done with the horde?” Tegan inquired of the mayor.

  Terwine shook his head. “Nothing as of yet. I don’t want anyone going down there for quite a while in case the spirits linger there.”

  Frae folded his arms over his chest and sighed. “If what Bael said was true about that dragon putting off the spirits then there’ll be no more of that cash. We’ll need the treasure to pay for all the repairs. The gem merchants will be wanting to come take a haul, too, as soon as they hear about what’s down there.”

  “I can’t believe the tales were really true,” Lucy mused as she furrowed her brow. “Who knew a dragon was sleeping down there all this time.”

  Smolt grinned. “Our forefathers knew, Lucy. They watched the imprisonment.”

  His words brought a question to my mind. “But what kept it from escaping?”

  “Perhaps it was the town itself that kept the dragon at bay,” Fia spoke up.

  We all turned to her with quizzical expressions on her face as she walked over to us with a platter filled with cups. She paused and patted a foot against the floor. “The goddess shaped the town as one of her sacred symbols. Perhaps there was magic there that sealed the dragon and the recent earthquake broke the magic.”

  “But couldn’t the dragon have just broken the seal earlier with his earthquakes?” I pointed out.

  Tegan folded his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow. “Maybe not. The sealing took place countless years ago and no magic, not even that of a goddess, lasts forever. Maybe it had weakened enough that the dragon was able to break it only recently.”

  “And Gy pissing it off probably helped,” Frae chimed in. “He admitted this morning that he’d tried to make off with some gems before the sickness overcame him.”

  Fia had passed out all the drinks and Smolt gingerly rose to his feet and raised a glass toward Tegan and me. “To the dragon and his lovely woman, without whom we would not have overcome such foes.”

  The others smiled and raised their drinks. “To Kate and Bael!”

  I blushed underneath such attention and glanced up at Tegan. He had a contemplative expression on his face. I leaned forward to catch his eye. “Something wrong?”

  He shook himself from his thoughts and smiled at me. “No. I think things are finally going right.”

  I wanted to ask him what he meant but Fia came out with platter after platter of goodies to celebrate. I finally had my chance to munch on a modsefa cake and found myself in heaven. It was like an unholy alliance of angel food cake and devil food cake. Sweet and light but with a heavy dark chocolate taste.

  I could have eaten it all day, but a few hours into the celebration Tegan sidled up beside me. He leaned down and whispered into my ear. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to show you.”

  I lifted an eyebrow but let him take my hand. We slipped out of the house and into the street. The town was abuzz with repairs which we meandered through. The people were tired but diligently fixing their lives back to what they were. I was dying of curiosity for what Tegan wanted to show me, but the serious look on his face told me I would have to wait for the punchline.

  He guided me to the dragon gate which still stood and along the road that led off the mountain. However, at the intersection, Tegan took me up the righthand path that led toward the mountains.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked him.

  “You did say you wanted to see the Gleam,” he reminded me.

  We walked up the dirt trail and soon found ourselves among a small grove of beautiful silver-barked trees. A fresh sweet scent tickled my nose and birds chirped overhead. The trail turned and looped back to face away from the mountain. In a short while the path parted and we found ourselves on a little outcropping of grass. The area overlooked not only the town but the whole valley.

  The view of such lush greenery took my breath away as I stepped up to the edge. “This is. . .this is beautiful,” I whispered.

  Tegan didn’t take his eyes off me. “Very beautiful.”

  I turned to face him and he grasped one of my hands in both of his. My heart skipped a beat as he knelt on one knee in front of me. “Will you marry me?”

  My mouth dropped open. “Is. . .is that what this place is for? Wedding proposals?”

  Tegan grinned. “Yep, but you haven’t answered my question.”

  A wonderful warmth filled me and a smile brightened my face. I threw myself into him and wrapped my arms around him. “Of course!”

  Tegan reluctantly drew me away and cupped my cheek in his hand. His shimmering eyes studied my face with a gentle smile. “I love you, Kate.”

  “And I love you, Little Bael,” I teased.

  Tegan leaned forward and captured my lips in a long, delicate kiss. I leaned into the union and a delicious heat swept over me. Unfortunately, we had to separate for air and I found my cheeks as warm as his fires.

  “What do you say to settling down here and having a small family of twelve children?” he suggested.

  I turned around and admired the view with even more glee. “Twelve sounds like a good start.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and chuckled. “We should get started then.”

  I was just about to take him up on that offer when a strange sensation flowed through my body. It felt like somebody was running their hand through my veins. Tegan, too, shifted and a low growl escaped him.

  “Damn that Domini. . .” he muttered as he released me.

  I blinked at him as Tegan held up one palm. “What’s going on?”

  “What you’re feeling right now is the blood contract we signed with Domini,” Tegan explained as he lengthened a finger into a claw and cut his palm. A bit of blood flowed out over his lines. “Apparently he wants to speak with us.”

 

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