Chapter 3 #3
She didn't yell. She didn't rage. She merely stood her ground, her spine turning to liquid steel as she met the fierce gaze of the Dragon Elder.
“Carrick, I love you,” Sydney said, saying exactly what she was thinking.
Her voice was terrifyingly calm, vibrating with an ancient authority that made the air in the room hum.
“I respect you. You know what a special place in my heart you have, but if you believe for one second that I’m going to sit safely behind a ward while my Mate is being tortured somewhere in the dark, then you clearly haven't been paying attention.”
Inside her skull, a fierce, golden warmth flared. “Attagirl,” Kara purred, the Dragon Queen baring her teeth in predatory approval.
Carrick held Sydney's gaze for three long seconds. The rigid, unyielding line of his shoulders slowly eased, just a fraction. He reached up, roughly scratching at the heavy stubble on his jaw, a low, exhausted sigh slipping past his lips.
He didn't argue. He didn't push back.
Sydney saw the truth. It was as plain as the nose on his face. Carrick had known exactly how the conversation was going to go before he even opened his mouth. He had just needed to see if she was ready.
And he got his answer. Sydney was definitely, without a doubt, one-hundred-percent ready to go.
The argument was over. It was time to hunt.
Sydney didn't wait for permission. She closed her eyes, shutting out the sight of Carrick’s stubborn jaw and Ginnie’s anxious eyes.
Taking a slow, deep breath, she let her mind sink past the physical room, down into the raw center of her soul.
She had spent so much time desperately throwing her energy into the dark, searching blindly for Garrett, and that was why she had failed.
She had been hunting for the Guardsman, her Mate himself, trying to pierce a shroud designed to hide him from the world.
She needed to stop searching for the man. She needed to follow the road he had paved.
“Kara,” Sydney mentally called, her voice ringing like a bell. “Don't look for Garrett. Look for the footprints he left behind when he shouted at us. Trace the warning.”
A fierce wave of golden comprehension flooded her mind. Kara didn't hesitate. The Dragon Queen grabbed Sydney’s Magic, locking their powers together in perfect, seamless sync.
“Sydney, wait…” Carrick started, but Ginnie cut him off, stepping forward instantly.
“Anchor her, Carrick,” Ginnie instructed, her fingers already flying through the air, weaving a stabilizing protective web around Sydney’s glowing aura. “Don't stop her. Hold her steady!”
Carrick swore under his breath, but a heartbeat later, a wall of pure, roaring Dragon Magic slammed into Sydney's back. It wasn’t intrusive and did not crush her. It was there to brace her against the pressure of the Void.
With Ginnie anchoring her spirit and Carrick fueling her fire, Sydney thrust her consciousness directly into the fading echo of Garrett’s final cry.
The world shattered.
For one agonizing heartbeat, the darkness broke. Sydney gasped as a blinding rush of images flooded her mind. It was a chaotic, fractured montage, but through the static, a single, horrifyingly clear vision locked into place.
She didn't see Garrett. She saw his prison.
Carved into a floor of weeping black stone was a massive, ancient sigil. It twisted in the dark, forming the unmistakable shape of a black, serpent-like Dragon… the mark of Leviathan.
Then came the sound. Beneath the crackle of the phantom fire, Sydney heard the heavy, rhythmic churning of water. Not a gentle stream, but a massive, crushing pressure. It was the terrifying echo of primordial waters shifting in absolute darkness.
The Abyss.
“No!” A nameless, echoing voice hissed from the shadows.
The connection snapped like a whip.
The magical backlash hit Sydney like a physical fist, throwing her backward. Carrick caught her instantly, his massive arms locking around her waist as they both stumbled into the table behind them.
Sydney’s chest heaved. Sweat soaked her hairline, and her vision swam with angry black spots. But as she looked up into Carrick and Ginnie’s panicked faces, she didn't cry. She didn't despair.
Slowly, a sharp, fierce smile spread across her lips.
It wasn't a smile of happiness. It was the dangerous, predatory smirk of a hunter who had just caught the scent of blood.
“I have the trail,” she whispered, her brilliant blue eyes glowing brightly.
The room was suffocatingly quiet, except for the ragged sound of Sydney’s breathing. Carrick’s hands were still steady on her shoulders, grounding her, his face a mask of intense anxiety. “Sydney,” he urged, his voice tight with a desperation he rarely showed. “What did you see?”
Slowly opening her eyes, the disorientation faded, replaced by a cold, hard focus that settled deep into her bones. She looked up at Carrick, then over at Ginnie.
“Enough,” she simply said.
Inside her head, Kara erupted. “What?!” The Dragon Queen was practically tearing at the boundaries of Sydney’s mind. “ENOUGH?! Tell them! Tell them about the serpent! Tell them about the dark waters! Tell them everything!”
Ignoring Kara’s frantic, mental screaming, Sydney held Carrick’s gaze. The fear that had paralyzed her on the floor just minutes ago was completely gone. “I know where to start,” she added, her voice steady and deliberate.
Letting out a short, sarcastic chuckle, a dark, humorless sound that echoed off the walls. “He told me to run...”
For a fraction of a second, the human warmth in Sydney's eyes vanished. A fierce, blinding spark of gold ignited in her irises. Kara’s unmistakable Dragonfire flared to the surface, bright and lethal.
“He really should know me better than that.”