Chapter Thirteen
IT LOOKED LIKE, FOR now, the spells that protected the castle were holding up. Dallin was glad for that, but it wouldn’t last. It sounded like Carlyle was putting a lot of firepower into his attack, and the spells couldn’t withstand them for long.
Jarvis’s expression was grim as he looked around their group.
“I hope all of you are ready to do this.”
Dallin wasn’t, but he nodded anyway. Ready or not, none of them had a choice.
“Stay close to your dragons, and if you have to choose between your life and getting Carlyle, I want you to survive. We can always fight him again, but we would never be able to replace any of you.”
Dallin was relieved when he saw that Tyne was already talking to Meyer. For once, they weren’t fighting or bickering. Both of them were serious, and Meyer nodded along with whatever Tyne was saying.
“I really should have worked harder to gain some experience,”
Sol grumbled.
“How would you have practiced being attacked?”
“I only needed to practice protecting you.”
“You’ll be fine. It’s instinct. You’re a dragon, and that’s what you do.”
Sol looked like he didn’t quite believe Dallin, but Dallin couldn’t waste time to reassure him.
They needed to stop Carlyle before he breached the protective spells on the area.
Dallin didn’t want to leave the safety of the courtyard, but he forced himself to move.
He opened the side door that would lead him and the others outside of the protection of the castle.
He sucked in a breath, told himself that he knew what to do, and rushed into danger.
He wasn’t surprised to see Carlyle standing by the lake.
He was right in front of the wider protective spell, battering it with everything he had.
Simon was there, too, staring at him with stars in his eyes as if he’d never seen anything more beautiful.
Even when he looked up and saw the mages, he didn’t move.
This felt too easy.
Dallin didn’t know where to start, but Carlyle wouldn’t back down.
He no doubt had protective spells all over himself, but if Dallin managed to reach him, he could neutralize them.
He just had to get there.
“What now?”
Sol asked.
This was why Jarvis had wanted to wait.
Even though they had, they still needed more time to coordinate and come up with a plan.
Of course, that plan would probably have been obsolete right away, but they’d have had a starting point.
Instead, they were standing there, watching Carlyle trying to breach one of the spells that protected the castle.
A loud roar made Dallin jump.
He turned sideways just in time to see Emory run by in Carlyle’s direction.
Carlyle looked surprised to see him.
Another explosion made Dallin squeak in surprise.
Carlyle had to stop casting a spell to face Emory, but things were never easy with him.
He was focused on Emory, but he hadn’t come unprepared.
Simon started throwing small objects toward the mages and their dragons.
They had different effects—one of them pelted them with big rocks taken from the shore, while another pulled out water from the lake to try and drown them.
Dallin was the only one who was unaffected by all of them because as soon as the rocks and the water touched him, they vanished.
The rocks dropped to the ground, and the water evaporated.
He didn’t even have to think about neutralizing this magic—he just did it because it meant protecting his dragon.
He needed to get rid of all of these objects so that they could return their focus to Carlyle before he seriously hurt Emory.
No matter what Carlyle had done in the past, what he would do now would be even worse.
Emory might not have been with the mages for long, but Dallin considered him part of their family, and he’d protect him as such.
He would protect the other mages and dragons, Emory and Sol, and all the people in the castle, no matter what.
Even if it killed him.
SOL HAD NO IDEA WHAT was happening.
He’d been thrown into the deep end, and he needed to learn to swim right away.
He had to protect Dallin.
But to do that, he needed to understand what was going on.
He stuck close to Dallin as he attempted to take in everything happening around him.
Emory had gone straight for Carlyle, who had to stop blasting the invisible shield that protected the castle.
That was good, and Sol hoped it would last.
It depended on Emory, and luckily, the man seemed to have everything under control.
He’d shifted into his dragon form and was going at Carlyle, who was struggling to protect himself.
Every time he moved to attack, Emory thwarted him.
Then, there was Simon.
He’d been hiding behind Carlyle earlier, but he’d moved away from him.
He was throwing objects at the mages, and they were protecting themselves as much as possible.
It wasn’t easy, especially because more objects seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Sol saw Penley trip when something exploded under his feet.
Thankfully for him, Bennett was there to push him away from the small blast, but it was clear that Carlyle and Simon had placed traps all over the area.
That was what most of the mages were focused on.
Jarvis was close to Emory and Carlyle, ready to intervene if he had to.
He tried to step in a few times, but Emory roared at him, keeping him away.
It was clear that he wanted revenge, and while Sol understood why Emory was doing this, he couldn’t imagine a dragon ever hurting his mage.
He glanced at Dallin.
He knew he would never be able to hurt him, no matter what he did.
Of course, he would never have to worry about Dallin stealing his magic or anything like that.
Dallin wasn’t like Carlyle.
Hopefully, no one was.
They needed to get rid of Carlyle, and while there would always be bad people in the world, no one wanted to deal with Carlyle or anyone like him.
The sooner this was over, the better.
Simon threw something at Sol’s face.
Sol raised his hands, hoping to catch it in time, but also worried because it might explode.
That seemed to be a favorite of Carlyle’s.
Either that or he was still trying to blast through the shields using smaller spells and objects.
Dallin snatched the object aimed at Sol’s face with a hand.
Sol sucked in a breath and waited for it to do something, but it didn’t.
Dallin barely paused before he dropped it to the ground and turned his attention back to Simon.
“How did you do that?”
Sol asked as he scrambled to follow Dallin.
Simon had been smug earlier, but now that the mages were closing in on him, he kept glancing in Carlyle’s direction, and his smile had vanished.
He was probably expecting Carlyle to save him, but Carlyle was too busy.
He was trying to talk to Emory, but Emory wouldn’t listen.
Good. After what Carlyle had done to him, Emory deserved whatever revenge he wanted.
“Neutralizing spells is my specialty,”
Dallin said as he crouched next to a rock.
Sol couldn’t see anything weird about the rock, but when Dallin touched it, his fingers sparked.
The rock started smoking, and Dallin got back to his feet.
“Every mage has a specialty, a range of spells we’re more comfortable with.
We can cast most spells, but for those, we need a lot more magic and ingredients, while our specialty spells come as easy as breathing to us.
Jarvis creates portals, Penley manipulates nature, and I neutralize magic and spells.”
Sol wished he had more time to learn all these things before they were attacked.
He was in awe of what Dallin and the other mages could do, but at the same time, he felt he couldn’t focus on it enough.
His job was to protect Dallin, but there was little else he could do.
They weren’t facing dragon shifters.
They weren’t even facing Carlyle.
Simon was the only one standing there, and he was still throwing stuff at them.
The bag on his shoulder was starting to empty, though.
Soon, he wouldn’t have anything left. He was human, which meant that once that happened, he would be unable to defend himself. He clearly realized that and was starting to panic.
Sol felt sorry for Graham, but he couldn’t say the same for Simon.
He’d been given an opportunity to come to their side, but he’d refused.
He was about to face the consequences of that.
A loud explosion made Sol jump.
He grabbed Dallin and pushed him behind his back, deciding that Simon was the least worrying of their enemies.
A massive cloud of smoke surrounded Carlyle and Emory, and no matter how hard Sol blinked, he couldn’t see anything through it.
“What happened?”
Dallin asked.
“I don’t know.”
Sol needed to do something, but what? He couldn’t leave Dallin.
It was his job to protect his mage, and even though he didn’t want anyone to be hurt, if he had to choose between Emory and Dallin, he wouldn’t even have to think about it.
Emory didn’t have a mage to work with, though.
He was more vulnerable than the other dragons. He was especially vulnerable because he was fighting Carlyle.
Sol sucked in a breath when the smoke started to dissipate.
He realized that Penley was doing it, no doubt using his control over nature.
His expression was grim, and Sol understood why when he saw the scene in front of him.
Emory was still in his dragon form, but he was on his side on the ground, panting and clutching at his stomach.
Whatever Carlyle had done, he’d hurt his dragon.
Sol wasn’t sure that Emory could still be called Carlyle’s dragon.
A mage shouldn’t hurt their dragon, but Carlyle had, and he still was.
He stood in front of Emory, looking down at him with a smirk on his face.
Sol wanted to grab and shake him, maybe throw him into the lake, but before he could move forward and do something stupid, someone cried out behind them.
He grabbed Dallin again, ready to tear any attacker apart.
He didn’t have to.
Tyne had reached Simon and taken his bag from him, throwing it far enough that Simon couldn’t reach it.
Carlyle didn’t even look in Simon’s direction. It was as if Simon didn’t exist.
“You really thought he could beat me?”
Carlyle asked in a deceptively cool voice. His full focus was on Emory.
Everyone’s attention was on Emory. That was the only explanation Sol could come up with when Simon darted past him to join Carlyle. Tyne swore, but he didn’t try to go after him.
Emory growled.
He tried to get to his feet, but Carlyle kicked him close to the spot he was holding on to his stomach.
Emory cried out, and Sol moved, ready to help.
He didn’t know what he’d do against Carlyle, but he’d try.
Dallin was safe enough now that Simon wasn’t behind them anymore and that his weapons had been taken away. Sol could focus on helping other people.
“I don’t know how you survived,”
Carlyle said.
“And how you’re a dragon again. It shouldn’t be possible.”
His smile was terrifying.
“I took all that magic from you, but since you have it back, I can do it again. You always did like to make things easier for me.”
Were Carlyle and Emory still bonded? Could Carlyle force a bond if they weren’t? Sol wished he had more answers and that he knew more about the world he’d been thrust into so recently.
Emory started shifting. By the time he was back in his human form, he was panting even harder, and blood dripped on the ground in front of him. Whatever Carlyle had done to him, he was in bad shape, and someone needed to help him.
“I won’t allow you to do that to me again,”
Emory said.
“I’d rather die.”
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on keeping you alive,”
Carlyle answered as he raised his hands.
Sol saw the other mages and dragons get ready to attack.
He did the same.
He had no idea what was about to happen or what he could do to stop it, but he wouldn’t just stand there and watch as Carlyle took everything away from Emory a second time.
DALLIN WAS READY TO throw himself at Carlyle if it meant neutralizing his magic and ensuring that Emory wouldn’t get hurt.
The man had been through enough.
Dallin wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt him, especially not a monster like Carlyle.
Carlyle should cherish Emory.
He should protect him, but instead, he was hurting him, and he wouldn’t stop unless the mages intervened.
Emory didn’t deserve anything that had happened and was still happening to him.
When Carlyle reached for Emory, everyone moved forward as one.
Jarvis had his hands up, apparently ready to create a portal between Carlyle and Emory.
Roots shot out of the earth, all of them aimed for Carlyle.
If Dallin could reach Carlyle, he could end all of this. As long as Dallin touched him, Carlyle wouldn’t be able to use his magic.
None of them were fast enough.
Dallin was too far, no matter how fast he ran.
He wasn’t the first one who got there.
None of the mages were.
Graham threw himself at Emory, knocking him down and out of reach of Carlyle.
Emory screamed, no doubt from the pain in his stomach, but at least he was away from Carlyle.
Graham didn’t get up.
He pressed his entire body against Emory as if trying to shield as much of it from Carlyle as possible. Simon yelled at his brother, but Graham didn’t move except to wrap his arms around Emory.
That was when Tyne finally acted.
Blood spurted from Carlyle’s arm.
He screamed and turned toward Tyne, who was striding toward him.
Tyne’s magic was geared toward offense and attack, but he hadn’t been able to do anything until now because of how close Emory had been to Carlyle.
He wouldn’t have wanted to hurt him.
But Emory was nowhere near Carlyle now.
Carlyle clutched his arm to his chest.
“This isn’t over,”
he declared.
Tyne cracked his knuckles and threw his hand forward, grinning when more blood spurted from Carlyle’s other arm.
“You’re right. It’s not over.”
Carlyle wouldn’t take it lying down.
With a scream, he pushed his magic forward.
The ground in front of Tyne exploded, sending him stumbling back.
Meyer was on him in seconds, pulling him back before a second explosion could hurt him but putting himself in danger in the process.
Meyer screamed.
The sound sent shivers down Dallin’s spine.
It was a sound of pain and terror.
Had Meyer been hurt? Dallin couldn’t see anything because Tyne was in the way.
Tyne knelt next to Meyer, who was on the ground, still screaming.
Tyne seemed to be okay.
He wasn’t hurt beyond a few cuts on his hands and cheeks, but his attention was on Meyer, and the distraction was enough for Carlyle to be able to grab Simon and open a portal.
Dallin ran forward.
He needed to get to Carlyle in time.
He had to stop him.
He tripped and fell.
He hadn’t been watching where he was going and had no idea what he’d tripped on, but it didn’t matter.
The only thing that did was that he fell face first on the ground, giving Carlyle the time to slip through the portal, dragging Simon with him.
Simon called out for Graham, but the portal vanished with a pop.
For a moment, nothing happened, and no one moved.
Dallin was almost afraid to breathe.
Time and sound were suspended, but not for long.
Meyer was still screaming, and from where Dallin was, he could see that his leg was folded in a way that shouldn’t be possible for a human body.
For the first time, Tyne didn’t look angry at his dragon.
He was frantic instead, his hands hovering over Meyer’s leg but not touching him as if he was afraid to hurt him more than he already was.
Tyne wasn’t good at healing spells. His magic tended to be offensive, and it wasn’t what Meyer needed right now.
Emory made a strangled sound.
Dallin turned in time to see Graham quickly move away from him.
There was blood on Graham’s T-shirt, no doubt Emory’s, but Graham appeared unharmed.
He’d thrown himself into danger.
He’d protected Emory from Carlyle, even though it could have killed him.
Carlyle would have if he’d had the opportunity.
Graham was human, and he wouldn’t have been able to defend himself. He’d been incredibly brave, and Dallin promised himself that if Tyne still didn’t trust Graham after this, he’d strangle his brother.
Tyne wasn’t thinking about Graham right now.
He’d moved to crouch next to Meyer’s head and was softly talking to him.
Meyer was clutching one of Tyne’s hands as if it was a lifeline.
To him, it probably was.
Jarvis and Keylon were already moving toward Graham and Emory, so Dallin ran to Meyer, Sol right behind him.
He hadn’t put more than a few feet of space between them since they’d left the castle’s protective spells, and Dallin didn’t think he would anytime soon.
“You have to help him,”
Tyne said as soon as Dallin reached him and Meyer.
Penley got there, too.
He was out of breath and looked like he was about to start crying, but he didn’t hesitate to kneel next to Meyer and reach for his leg.
Dallin was fairly good at healing spells, but Penley was better, maybe because of his magic’s affinity to nature.
Together, they started working on Meyer.
The dragon would still have to rest and allow his magic to finish healing him, but they could take away the pain and hopefully reset the limb.
Dallin glanced up, relieved to see that Bennett and Sol had moved to frame Tyne.
He was surprised to see Tyne leaning against Sol, but also glad that his brother felt he could get support from Dallin’s dragon.
They hadn’t been a family before Carlyle took the dragons’ memories, but they were now.
They’d be there for one another, no matter what happened.
Meyer screamed, and Tyne reached for him.
Sol and Bennett stepped in, stopping him and gently pulling him away.
Dallin couldn’t afford to be distracted, so he returned his focus to Meyer.
He took the man’s hand and squeezed, knowing he would be more useful doing that than trying to help Penley.
Penley was sweating, and his skin was pale, but his jaw was set, and he was working hard on Meyer’s leg.
He didn’t look away, not even to check in on his dragon.
His entire being was focused on Meyer.
Dallin wasn’t surprised when Penley wrapped both of his hands around Meyer’s leg.
He paused for a moment and glanced up at Dallin, who nodded and pressed his arm against Meyer’s upper body.
He used his entire weight to keep Meyer down as Penley put the leg back as it should be.
Meyer’s scream was burned into Dallin’s memory.
He would never forget it, no matter how long he lived.
It was raw and pained, and it would give Dallin nightmares.
This needed to be done, and Penley did it as quickly as he could.
Once the leg was set, Penley healed the bone and tissue.
Meyer panted and slumped against the ground, and Dallin pushed himself up, giving him more space.
The worst part was over.
“You’ll be fine,”
he reassured Meyer.
“It doesn’t feel like it right now.”
Meyer’s voice was rough and trembling. Dallin wouldn’t be surprised if he fainted. Hell, he was surprised Meyer hadn’t fainted when Penley had reset his leg.
“Penley’s good at healing spells. You will be fine,”
Dallin repeated, hoping Meyer would believe him.
A hand landed on Dallin’s shoulder.
He glanced back to find Sol looking down at him, his expression grim.
Bennett was still holding Tyne back, but it looked like Tyne had relaxed.
Dallin didn’t think he’d leave Meyer’s side any time soon, which hopefully would bring them closer.
It was time for Tyne to let Meyer in.
Dallin finally allowed himself to take in the area.
Carlyle had created several craters with his explosions, making the area look like a war zone.
In a way, it was.
They’d won this fight, and it was a relief, but it wasn’t the end.
They still had to defeat Carlyle, and while Dallin didn’t want to stop hoping for more peaceful times, part of him couldn’t help but wonder if they’d be able to do that.
SOL FELT USELESS.
HE wanted to help Meyer, but there was nothing he could do for the dragon.
Hell, it looked like there was nothing Dallin could do for him, either.
He was holding Meyer’s hand while Penley used magic on Meyer’s leg, but that was it.
Sol didn’t let go of Dallin’s shoulder.
He didn’t think he could, not after what had just happened.
He needed to reassure himself and his dragon that Dallin was okay, and the easiest way to do that was to keep his hold on him.
Emory appeared in bad shape, but Jarvis and Keylon were helping him.
Graham hovered close by, his hands clasped to his chest, seemingly unable to look away.
He’d saved Emory’s life.
Sol was proud of him in a way he didn’t understand, but he was glad that Graham had shown the mages that he could be trusted.
There was no way any of them could think he wasn’t on their side after what had just happened.
If Graham had been just a bit slower, Emory would be dead.
Hell, if Carlyle hadn’t been surprised by Graham and Tyne, Graham and Emory would both probably be dead.
Sol wasn’t sure how long they stood there, waiting.
He breathed easier as time passed because he could see that both Meyer and Emory were getting better.
Meyer wasn’t screaming anymore, and while Emory was covered in blood, Jarvis and Keylon looked less stressed by his condition.
Eventually, Jarvis got to his feet.
“Emory will be fine,”
he said as he turned his attention to Sol’s group. “Meyer?”
“Broken leg,”
Dallin explained.
“Penley’s almost done, though.”
“He’ll need rest and not to use his leg for a few days, but he’ll be fine,”
Penley said.
He looked too exhausted even to get up as he leaned back and sat on his heels. Bennett was there instantly, hauling him up and into his arms. Penley didn’t even argue. He allowed Bennett to cradle him against his chest as if he weighed nothing.
Dallin and Sol helped Meyer into a sitting position first, then to his feet. Meyer grimaced, but he was able to put his foot down, so clearly, Penley had done a great job. Meyer couldn’t use the leg yet, but it definitely wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier.
Sol expected to have to help Meyer to the castle, but Tyne pushed him and Dallin aside.
He didn’t pause or hesitate before he wrapped an arm around Meyer’s waist and dragged him closer until their sides were pressed against each other.
Meyer blinked in surprise, but Tyne kept his gaze forward as he started moving.
Meyer had no choice but to move with him, and Sol watched them walk away.
“I hate that it took Meyer getting hurt for Tyne to stop being an asshole,”
Dallin murmured as he leaned against Sol’s side.
Sol hooked his arm around Dallin’s shoulders, needing him close. Dallin hadn’t been hurt, but it had felt too close for comfort.
“At least he’s giving him a chance now.”
“Maybe, but how long will it last? I wouldn’t be surprised if Tyne dumped Meyer in his room and left.”
“If he does, we’ll help Meyer. I think they’ll both need time to wrap their minds around what just happened, and maybe the best way for them to do it is apart.”
Sol glanced at Emory to check if he needed help, but Graham was already there with Marlow.
Sol hadn’t noticed it earlier, but Ansley and Parker were poking around the area, moving rocks and other objects Simon had thrown at them.
There were probably spells that needed to be naturalized by Dallin, but Sol wasn’t ready to let go of him.
“We won this fight,”
he murmured.
“But not the war,”
Dallin said with a sigh. They had to win the war because if they lost, Carlyle would kill them. He’d steal their magic and use it against them.
When Dallin tilted his face up, Sol leaned down to kiss him.
Dallin’s mouth was dry and warm, and he smelled of ozone and sweat, but Sol had never been so happy to be with him.
Before, when he hadn’t known about the mages and the other dragons, he’d thought he would die alone.
He’d known that he would outlive his human best friend, and he’d tried hard not to think too much about that.
Now, he had a family.
He had people who would make it so that Pippa lived as long as she wanted.
He had a man he was falling in love with and who he hoped would one day love him back.
He had so much more to lose and to fight for than he could have ever hoped for, and thinking about it made him want to scream.
It was terrifying.
Before, Sol hadn’t had anything to lose.
Now, he had everything to lose, and he didn’t know how he’d cope if that happened.
That was why they needed to win the war against Carlyle.
Sol wouldn’t allow the mage to take everything he’d gained away from him.
Even if he had to sacrifice himself, he would make sure that Dallin and everyone else survived.
He wouldn’t have it any other way, and he could be incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be.
Today, they’d shown that they could rattle Carlyle.
There was no way to know who would’ve won if Carlyle hadn’t left, but Sol suspected that Carlyle had hurried away because he’d known it wouldn’t be him.
Hell, if Meyer hadn’t been hurt trying to protect Tyne, Tyne would probably have made Carlyle’s head explode or something.
Part of Sol felt sorry they hadn’t gotten the opportunity to do that, but they would eventually.
Next time, they would be ready to fight Carlyle.
He was just one mage.
He didn’t have anyone who would use healing spells on him.
He didn’t have anyone who would support him beyond Simon, and Simon was human.
Carlyle might be a powerful mage, but he was alone, and that would be his downfall.