Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
My pulse thrums in my ears as we rush through the portal and out onto the wide grasslands outside the wards of the Unseelie Court.
Thick gray clouds blanket the heavens while strong winds sweep over the landscape, making the grass tremble.
And there, on the horizon, is a squad of silver dragons with two massive ones at the front.
The Icehearts have come.
Oh Goddess, I wish the Dryad Queen and Lavendera had joined us for this. But as long as the Mother Dryad is still trapped in Lavendera’s head, the Dryad Queen won’t risk putting her in harm’s way.
“We need the other dragon clans for this!” Draven yells as he, Galen, Lyra, and Diana start sprinting farther out onto the grass.
“The four of us can’t handle that many silver dragons on our own.
” Turning his head, he casts a glance at Orion over his shoulder.
“Tell Grey to start opening portals to get them here.”
Grey looks to his king, who jerks his chin down in a nod. After slamming his previous portal down into the ground, he immediately starts summoning another one.
“Selena, you’re with me,” Draven calls. “Alistair, go with Lyra. Isera and Orion, you know what to do. And Diana…”
She slides her green eyes to him. “As soon as more of my people are here.”
Then, before Draven can so much as reply, she shifts into a dragon. Draven, Lyra, and Galen quickly do the same. Black smoke spreads across the grass. Before it has even cleared, Alistair sprints right into it and towards Lyra.
In the sky, the cluster of silver dragons is closing in quickly.
Draven and the others flap their wings, clearing the black smoke from the ground.
I dart towards him. He swishes his tail towards me, and I leap onto it.
My heart pounds in my chest as I run up along his spine and then settle in that place where his neck meets his shoulders.
The moment my hands are wrapped around the spikes before me, he launches into the air.
My stomach lurches as we shoot upwards.
I grip the spikes hard, but Draven quickly levels out so that he is hovering in the air in front of the wards that protect the Unseelie Court. Galen and Lyra fly up so that they are flanking him. I exchange a glance with Alistair from where he sits on Lyra’s back.
A little to our right, Diana also hovers in the air, her purple wings beating it with slow strokes. But she keeps glancing down to where Grey used to be. He must have disappeared through his portal already.
Ahead, the Icehearts and their silver dragons are drawing closer.
I draw in a steadying breath that does absolutely nothing to calm me down. I didn’t think they would come here this soon. We haven’t even gotten the other clan leaders here yet. And without them, we won’t survive this.
Oh Goddess, I wish Grey was able to just transport everyone here the moment one person walks through the portal, the way he did during the Great Games.
That would save us so much time. But apparently, that only worked because we were inside a pocket reality that Hana was controlling.
Now, we will need to wait for him to go through the portal, get them, and then for them to run back through on their own.
But by then, it might already be too late.
Below me, Draven lets out a low rumbling noise, as if he can feel my tension.
The Icehearts draw closer. They’re almost here now. Less than one minute, then they’ll be right on top of us.
I swallow and then try again to suck in a bracing breath.
But deep in my treacherous mind, my brain whispers in excitement. Because a battle means that I will need to use my magic again. And then, I will at least feel that intoxicating sense of pleasure once more.
Wings boom through the air as the silver dragons speed towards us.
My heart pounds.
Draven lets out a low growl, to which Lyra and Galen respond with similar sounds.
The Icehearts open their jaws.
Ice flames shoot towards us.
I suck in a sharp breath as Draven suddenly lurches upwards while Lyra and Galen dart to the sides.
Clenching the spikes with both hands, I hold on tight as the three of them speed through the air in a rapid attack.
The Icehearts roar and the silver dragons behind them break formation for a moment as Draven plows right towards them while Galen and Lyra breathe dragon fire at them from the sides.
Atop Lyra’s back, Alistair summons his magic and starts shooting torrents of fire in other directions as well.
Panic ripples through their previously so neat lines as they scramble to reorient themselves and figure out how to deal with this new threat. Bane lets out another roar, trying to scare them back into formation, while storm clouds and lightning form around Draven like a churning black sea.
Calling up my magic, I shove it towards the bone white sparks of fear in their chests.
Not everyone is afraid, unfortunately. But three of the silver dragons at least have a small flame of fear in their chests when they’re faced with the Shadow of Death. Latching on to those flames, I pour my magic into them until they flare brighter.
Those three dragons jerk back slightly, causing the ones next to them to almost crash into them while they close the final distance to us.
Lightning cracks through the air. I slam more magic into my connections.
Animalistic cries of terror rip from their throats as those three dragons break rank completely and speed away. A villainous grin spreads across my mouth as I watch them flee.
But it’s short-lived when Bane and Jessina surge forward, aiming for Draven together.
Panic clangs inside me, and I create a massive violet flame of pain that I shove straight towards Jessina’s chest. My soul thrums in anticipation of the pleasure that I know will come when it connects.
But right before it can, it slams into some kind of invisible shield.
The abrupt halt is so jarring that I actually jerk back. But I don’t even have time to react, because Bane and Jessina reach Draven.
Draven roars and breathes a torrent of dragon fire at them while storm winds slam into them from the front, forcing them back right before they can hit him.
They growl in anger and breathe ice flames back at him.
But Galen and Lyra, aided by Alistair, manage to block the attack with fire before it can reach Draven.
I create another flame of pain and try slamming it into Bane instead.
But just like with Jessina, my magic smacks into some kind of invisible shield.
That’s when I see them. Hana and Severin Godblessed.
Jessina is holding both of them in her claws.
Understanding clicks into place. On the Icehearts orders, Hana must have commanded Severin through the dragon steel to create some kind of shields with his magic that will protect the Icehearts from attacks.
My stomach drops.
I don’t know if it blocks only magic or all physical attacks, but this isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.
Draven swerves as Bane shoots forward, aiming for his wings. His claws rake the air where Draven’s right wing used to be only seconds afterwards. Panic clenches my heart.
Dragon fire streams through the air as Lyra and Galen try to both help Draven and keep the rest of the silver dragons back. Alistair shoots fire in Lyra’s blind spots, keeping her from being swarmed as the silver dragons lurch forward.
Storm winds howl around us and lightning cracks through the sky as Draven tries to keep the Icehearts away from both us and the wards.
A silver dragon shoots up towards him.
Summoning a violet flame of pain, I slam it into the dragon’s chest. He doesn’t have a magical shield, so my magic smacks into him with enough force to make him scream and jerk back in the air.
Pleasure thrums through my entire body the moment that my magic makes contact. I start increasing it rapidly while relishing that incredible sensation.
The dragon screams in pain as my magic flares into a wildfire.
Bane and Jessina breathe ice flames straight at Draven.
He shoots downwards, barely managing to escape them. Ice crackles through the air above us, but I can’t even feel worried anymore. All I can feel is that addictive pleasure. I keep increasing the magic, making the silver dragon thrash in the air.
Release the magic and focus on someone else, the rational part of my brain is saying.
Just a little while longer, that terrible craving insists.
I try to force myself to release the magic, but my mind balks at the idea.
Draven dodges another stream of ice fire. Galen and Lyra breathe torrents of real fire at the Icehearts from the sides while Draven slams his wind magic into them. Lightning splits the air, illuminating the dark clouds that are churning around us like beasts.
Another silver dragon aims for Draven.
But I still haven’t released the first one.
I scream, and my overwhelming need to protect Draven is enough to at last force me to break the connection.
Cold harsh reality rushes back into my soul. It’s like sucking in a lungful of freezing water right before you drown. The sharp contrast between the warm pleasure and this hell is so shocking that I can barely concentrate.
Summoning a bone white flame of fear, I manage to slam it straight into the new silver dragon’s chest right before it can clamp its jaws into Draven’s leg.
The dragon screeches in fear as I force my magic into it.
It buys Draven the extra seconds he needs to get out of the way at the same time as he is dodging more ice flames from Bane and Jessina.
Dragon fire roars through the air as Galen attacks Jessina furiously while Lyra and Alistair try to keep the rest of the dragons at bay.
But it’s a losing battle. In a minute, we’ll be surrounded.
Pleasure pulses through my whole soul as I keep increasing that silver dragon’s fear even though he is already speeding away.
“Release it,” I growl to myself.
Goddess damn it, I need to release my magic so that I can use it on someone else.
But my mind screams at the thought. Because then, those awful emotions will rush back in again.
Jessina shoots up towards Lyra.
The sudden change of direction is so abrupt that Lyra almost doesn’t manage to get out of the way in time. A torrent of ice flames streams past her only half a second later. Alistair throws a blast of fire magic at it, making steam explode through the air.
But the distraction is enough to give the other silver dragons a moment to reorganize their ranks.
I finally manage to break the connection to my magic right as the entire row of them surges towards us. Slamming another violet flame of pain into the closest chest, I try to force them back while Draven swerves around Bane’s attack. But it’s too late. Jessina accomplished her goal.
Lyra and Galen are about to get swarmed.
I scream in panic as the silver dragons reach them.