Chapter 16
There’s a taste of ash in my mouth and a ringing in my ears that won’t stop as I roll over and stare up at the empty sky as light pours across the sky for only a second.
My chest burns with every breath, and the air tastes like scorched stone and something sweeter underneath it—magic, maybe, or the last of the fire disappearing.
The smoke clears with the wind, showing me three dragons flying in the bright sunlight, and I smile, knowing they are safe.
They circle once, wingtips catching the light like they’re made of it, and something in me finally unclenches.
I cough and sit up, my cloak the only surviving part of the fire.
I hear my mother’s words, her promise of being a dragon and the magic I’ve felt in the heirloom ring given to me.
I didn’t know what the magic in the ring was, not for a while, but a few spells told me the truth.
It made anyone with dragon blood immune to dragon fire.
The ring was the final protection from my parents.
I turn it over on my finger now, the metal still warm.
A pain slams into my chest, the ache of realizing Lyra is gone and her bonded too.
The grief is quiet and enormous, a hole where a heartbeat used to be, and I don’t have time to fall into it yet.
Flames flicker into the air around me, and I sit up, looking for Vale.
The rocks and rubble shift near me, and a very naked Vale crawls out of the rubble to get to me.
Dust and blood streak down one side of his face, and for one terrible second, I can’t tell if he’s hurt or just filthy.
“Fuck, don’t ask me to do that again, Hex.
” He grabs me into his arms and holds me tightly.
His heartbeat is frantic against my ear, too fast, and his hands shake even as he holds me still.
“I’m okay. We’re okay,” I murmur into his chest.
Maz lands on the edge of the broken side of the building, making more rubble tumble down before he shifts back into his human form and begins climbing down.
He moves carefully over the loose stone, checking his footing even now, always the steady one.
Kane and Black are next, and when they have all checked I’m okay, Kane spells cloaks for them to wear.
The fabric shimmers into being over bare skin, and for a moment, none of us say anything, just breathing in the fact that we’re all still standing.
“You did it.”
“Vale did, to be clear. I suspected it was scared of dragons and fire,” I cough out. “But it was a guess. I wasn’t sure.”
“You’ve always been too smart for anyone to handle.” Vale smirks at me.
“Lucky you’re ours.” Maz winks at me. “Does this mean the fight is over?”
“I’m not sure…” I murmur.
The ground suddenly shakes below us, and Vale and Kane fall to the ground, clutching at their chests. “KANE! VALE!”
I grab at Vale as he falls away from me, and Kane lands right next to him.
Their faces have gone gray, lips pressed thin against whatever pain is tearing through them, and I can’t reach either of them fast enough.
The both of them begin convulsing, and I look up at Black and Maz in horror.
“The academy is falling and taking them with it.” The thing’s gone, but the academy has nothing to stop it slipping into Lyra’s spell and this world ending for good…
along with my mates. My mind goes white with panic, every plan I’ve ever had scattering, until the only thought left is that I refuse to lose them like this.
I crawl over to the center, where a series of runes make a circle, and I brush the rocks away to clear it.
My hands are shaking so badly I can barely feel the stone under my palms. I pull out the tarot cards and the watch before lying them down on the runes.
Finally, I reach behind my neck and take off Minnie, placing her down in the chaos where she looks so small and fragile.
She’s trembled against my skin for years, and seeing her lying there now, alone on the cold stone, makes my throat tighten.
“Time for that binding spell,” I tell her and the others. “You came to me for a reason, and I will never use you for power like the others before did. You can see my soul—I believe that, Minnie—and I want only a life with my mates and peace.”
She blinks up at me before lying down on the watch and cards, and she begins to glow gold.
The ground continues to shake, and magic fills the sky above us, a bright, cascading gold light.
It almost looks like stars are falling, flickering through the night, and it is beautiful.
I can feel it pressing against my skin, warm and enormous, like standing too close to a sun that somehow doesn’t burn.
A hand lands on my shoulder. “Do it,” Black says. “We’re with you.”
Maz agrees, touching my other shoulder. “Together or not at all.”
I begin the spell, words woven softly around the area, linking myself, Black, and Maz to the castle.
The syllables come easier than I expect, like they were only ever waiting for me to ask.
The further I get into it, the more I feel the magic in the space.
It’s not good or evil, it’s just magic. Pure and endless.
It moves through me like breath, like blood, like something I’ve always known and only just remembered.
The weapons glow the brightest gold color before merging, spinning in the air around Minnie, who looks up as glittering drops of light fall around us.
A sudden boom sends us all flying backwards, and when I open my eyes, I can feel it.
The academy and Minnie. She floats in the middle of the room, gold light pouring in every direction, and she’s beautiful.
She’s a small dragon of some kind. A beautiful gold dragon, no bigger than a dog, with pretty wings.
She turns her head towards me, eyes bright and knowing, before she beats those small wings and rises higher.
She flies up into the sky, disappearing out of our sight, and we all sit silent. Vale sits up, rubbing his face. “That hurt.”
“Agreed,” Kane groans. His voice is rough but steady, and hearing it is the sweetest sound I’ve ever known.
Relief pours through me and I run to them, grabbing them both and hugging them tight as tears fall down my cheeks. At some point, Maz joins and Black sighs, standing near us as I grin up at him. “We did it. I know we did.”
“You’re amazing, Juniper Daygan.” Black kisses the top of my head, careful not to touch the others. “We should get outside. This room is not exactly stable now that we’ve burnt half of it down and it’s falling in,” Kane murmurs in my ear.
Just as he says it, more of the wall crashes down, and we all decide he is right.
We climb up the wall to get out because the staircase is blocked in with rubble.
Well, they climb. I’m half-carried by Kane, who passes me to Maz for the final bit.
My arms are too weak to do much more than hold on, and I let them, trusting them completely.
When we get outside, each of us goes silent.
It’s so quiet and peaceful. The sky is a mix of oranges and yellows painted across the blue. There isn’t a storm in sight. After everything, the stillness feels almost unreal, like the world is holding its breath along with us.
“Let’s go up here and see what is left,” Black suggests, pointing at the staircase around the side of the academy.
We walk up, going up to the familiar rooftop and staring in every direction.
Gold light still pours across the sky, slightly dimming now, but there’s nothing but sea and this island for miles.
The wind carries the smell of salt instead of smoke, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I let myself breathe easy.
“I’m guessing the spell worked! We are free!” Wini shouts up.
Relief pours into my chest as I look down at the small crowd around her, Luke, and Aster who wave. “Welcome home!”