Wings of Tavea (37 page)

“And what about the giant dragon sleeping behind the Manor?” Drustan reminded them. “Do you think he will just let Alcander stand there while we wait to see if the unknown scouts appear?”

“He’s right,” Alcander admitted.

Kiora put her finger to her lip, tapping it as she thought. “Drustan,” she said, trying to project more confidence than she felt. “If you deal with Soolan while Alcander unbubbles, it will keep Alcander open. I can stay by him to help with the scouts. If they are here, we can stop them from delivering the message. If not, then Alcander and I will go in after Emane.” She looked to Drustan and then to Alcander. Both looked grim but nodded their approval.

As they moved closer to the manor, they sent Drustan out first. Shifting back into a dragon, he leapt out of the bubble, launching an attack on Soolan before the other dragon even woke. Soolan snarled and bellowed through the clearing as the two dragons rose into the air. Next, Alcander stepped out of the bubble. Kiora could feel movement within the manor. Dralazar was aware of them. A moment later two Taveans dropped their bubble at the tree line, grinning like red-eyed wolves. Both had long black hair, although one still had blond tips at the very end.

Alcander spun towards them, dropping into a crouch with his hands out.

“Well, well, well,” one yelled across the clearing. “What do we have here?”

Alcander turned his head slightly to the side, the shake of his head almost imperceptible. He didn’t want her to drop her bubble, not yet.

“Since when does the mighty Prince Alcander travel with Shifters?” the other asked as the two strolled across the grassy expanse.

“Lomay sent me after the Witow,” Alcander announced, still crouched. “It looks like you are here for the same.”

“If we wanted him, we would have taken him days ago,” the first said, stopping within a few feet of Alcander.

Alcander was pumping them for information. Kiora didn’t like it. The tension was crackling her nerves. Movement at a window of the Manor caught her attention as Layla pulled back the curtains to peek out.

“We are looking for something else,” the second one said, “but now we found you.”

He laughed. “If you think you can take me, then why are we all standing here?”

The two Taveans glanced at each other. He makes them nervous, Kiora realized. They aren’t sure what to do.

“The others will be here soon enough,” one said.

Alcander scoffed. “You haven’t called them, not when you could take me in all by yourselves. I have heard the reward is quite substantial.” Kiora saw what Alcander was looking for—confirmation in their eyes. They had not called anyone.

The two Taveans dropped low to match his stance, magic flickering across their fingers. “It is two against one,
my prince,”
the first one mocked. “Alive or dead, it makes no matter to us.”

“If I couldn’t win against two, I would have been dead a long time ago,” Alcander said. His wrist flicked, the other hand throwing a shield. The first shot sent one Tavean to his knees, while the other attack bounced off Alcander’s shield. Alcander leapt into the air, straddling the Tavean he had knocked down. Swiftly reaching down, he grabbed the Tavean’s head with both hands and twisted it violently to the side. His neck snapped as it broke.

Kiora’s body jerked at the violence. Swallowing back bile, she dropped her bubble to help. The other Tavean froze for a second, looking between Alcander and Kiora before he turned to run, throwing a bubble.

“Go get Emane,” Alcander yelled, sprinting past her after the Tavean. He flicked out a sphere, the light traveling in front of him and revealing the Tavean as he broke through the tree line.

She ran towards the Manor. If Alcander didn’t catch him, she had no idea how much time she had left. She was almost to the house when the two dragons careened towards her, Soolan spraying fire. Yelping, Kiora threw herself against the side of the Manor as a line of fire scorched the grass where she had just been standing. Drustan came in at an angle, gripping Soolan’s neck with his teeth and forcing him off course. Kiora leapt up. Pushing the door open she ran into the Manor. She followed the threads until she reached the room Emane was in.

Layla was waiting just inside, stationed between Kiora and Emane. Layla’s stance was wide, her arms straight out with her fingers spread in a magical threat.

“Layla,” Kiora said, skidding to a stop.

“Kiora,” Emane yelled, running to the bars. Kiora glanced at him. He looked healthy—good.

A dark, brooding laughter bubbled up from Dralazar, who was sitting calmly in an armchair by the fireplace. “What are you waiting for, Layla?” he asked. “Take care of your sister.”

Screaming, Layla spurted fire from her fingers. It caught Kiora off guard to actually see her sister do magic, but Layla’s attack was much slower than what she had been training with. Kiora threw up a shield, and the attack sheeted down the front like red water.

Kiora looked over at Dralazar. Why would he send Layla after her? Why was he just sitting there? Dralazar ran his fingers over the arms of his chair, a calculating smile on his face.

“Again, Layla,” he cooed.

Layla obeyed, attacking again. This time she darted to the side, trying to get around Kiora’s shield.

Dralazar didn’t just want her dead, she realized sickly. He wanted her to suffer.

Kiora moved her shield to the side. “Layla, please don’t do this. He knows you can’t beat me. He’s trying to force me to hurt you.”

Layla’s eyes blazed with a hatred Kiora had seen for years. But it burned brighter now, no doubt fueled by Dralazar. “Did he force you to leave us in the village when the dragons attacked?” she screamed. “Did he force you to leave us in the woods to be eaten by Hounds?” She threw out more fire.

“Kiora!” Emane yelled again. “Get out of here!”

Dralazar laughed at the show.

Kiora looked between the three. She didn’t have time for this. She didn’t want to hurt Layla, but she couldn’t stand here fending off attacks until the Shadow came. Grabbing the wind, she pushed it forward with a grunt, picking up Layla and throwing her across the room. She landed hard, sliding across the floor before cracking her head on the fireplace.

Kiora held her breath. Layla’s thread stayed strong, but she didn’t move.

Dralazar looked down at Layla, groaning as if highly annoyed, and pushed himself from the chair. Kiora put one foot behind her, preparing to throw her first attack when the Manor groaned and popped in protest. Splintering pieces of wood and dirt rained down on them. Kiora shrieked, covering her head with a shield.

Dralazar whirled, roaring at the ceiling. “Soolan! You
idiot
dragon, get off the roof!”

The roof cracked open as one giant dragon foot broke through, sending a large beam plummeting towards them. Kiora dove out of the way, and the beam landed between her and Dralazar. Soolan’s snout poked through the hole, preparing to breath fire.

Dralazar yelled. Soolan’s fire wouldn’t just take out Kiora. He took a shot at the underside of Soolan’s jaw, redirecting the fiery attack and sending it careening into the curtains, which went up like tender.

Drustan’s thread reappeared overhead, and Soolan roared in pain. The volume of it rattled the windows and door. Soolan’s foot and snout yanked itself free of the roof as the dragons took the fight back to the air.

“Drustan,” Dralazar growled, glaring at the hole Soolan had left behind.

Kiora took advantage of the chaos and ran towards Emane.

“You have to get out of here,” he shouted frantically.

She put her hand out to grab the bars.

“Don’t,” Emane shouted. “You can’t touch them.”

She pulled back, looking over the crackling red cell.

Emane reached through the bars, grabbing her arm. “Kiora, you have to go! I know you feel my pain. Please, go. If Dralazar figures it out—”

She shook her head, “I fixed it. I have to get you out of here.” Something slammed into her shoulder like a red-hot hammer. She jerked forward, the motion pulling Emane’s arm through one of the bars. He fell backwards, his skin flayed open from elbow to wrist, blackened. He twisted, biting back his cry as his eyes ran frantically over Kiora. She could see relief flood him as he grabbed his arm to heal it.

Kiora turned, trying to ignore the throbbing in her shoulder as she threw a shield a second before Dralazar’s next attack hit.

“Was he telling you what a marvelous healer he is?” Dralazar asked, lobbing magic from both hands before holding up his once wounded hand and wiggling his fingers.

She turned her head to look back at Emane. His arm was nearly healed as he looked up at her from underneath his hair. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It was the only way I could make it stop. I couldn’t let him hurt you anymore.”

Dralazar doubled his power, and his red magic began to burn through her shield. A hole opened and a blast slashed down her arm. She screamed. Bubbling, she scrambled to her feet and ran.

Dralazar spun around, laughing as if he hadn’t had this much fun in years. “Hiding, Kiora? Is that the best you can do?”

She was already angry at Dralazar, but the thought of Emane lying there, tortured, and feeling her feeling it as well—her ears burned with rage. Moving to the curtains, she dropped her bubble. She swept the fire across the floor towards Dralazar.

Dralazar called wind, pushing the fire back towards her. In a split second decision, she dropped to her knees and redirected the wind. The fire followed the path, burning a circle around her.

“You’ve been training,” Dralazar said. “But you forget, I can control all four elements as well.”

* * *

ALCANDER RACED THROUGH THE forest, sending out another sphere to track down the Tavean. Nothing. He leapt into one of the trees. Pulling himself up several branches, he sent out a second sphere. This one was larger and burst out in a circle. He searched as his magic rushed through the trees. There, to the left.

He sent a burst of magical attacks volleying into the sky as he leapt down and ran in the new direction. He heard the Tavean yell as one of his attacks struck him, sending him face first into the dirt. The Tavean looked over his shoulder, throwing an attack with one hand while using the other to push himself up.

Alcander put up a hand shield, knocking the attack to the side while leaping over a fallen log. The Tavean tried to put up another bubble, but Alcander was too close—the Tavean should have known better. Alcander spread out both hands, shooting a spray of magic. The bubble popped almost instantly. The Tavean turned, firing a similar shot, forcing Alcander to put up a shield.

* * *

ANOTHER BEAM FELL FROM the ceiling, this one crashing through Emane’s cage. The bars sizzled and snapped from contact with the wood, smoke already beginning to curl upward. Emane scrambled back, nearly falling into the bars again. She had to get him out of there.

Kiora rolled forward, firing a shot that knocked Dralazar’s feet out from underneath him. He threw a shot from where he lay before leaping to his feet.

Smoke filled the room, and fire danced up and around the walls and ceiling. The floor was still burning in spots. Kiora was running out of time even faster than she had thought.

“I think,” Dralazar said, stalking towards her, “I am done playing games.”

Games. Kiora jolted. That was exactly what she was doing. She was still holding back, even with Emane’s life at stake. She had to turn it off—the fear, the guilt, everything. Dropping down, she placed her hand on the floor, willing it to move. The ground rolled in response, bucking up the wooden floorboards and spilling Dralazar backwards.

His hand flung out as he snarled, spiraling splinters of flaming wood and ash towards her. She put her hands up, willing the attack to stop. Her arms were shaking from her injuries, and sweat dripped between her shoulder blades. The wood and ash hung in the air between them for a moment, each shoving against the other’s power. Dralazar suddenly dropped his resistance, throwing a quick shield as the wood rushed back to him. Then he dropped his shield and flung his arm to the side, sending Kiora flying into a wall. She yelled as she cracked against it.

“You are a very foolish girl,” he yelled. “And I think it’s time you pay for it.” She struggled against his magic, but he pinned her hands to the wall.

He glanced over with a smile as Layla stumbled to her feet, her hand on her head. The magic that had been holding Kiora to the wall threw her to the floor, pushing her between Layla and Emane. She struggled to her feet as Dralazar shouted over the crackling fire and creaking wood. “Listen very carefully, Kiora. I am giving you a choice of who lives and who dies.” He strutted in front of her, both his arms out—one pointed at Layla, one at Emane.

Kiora’s hand started to come up but Dralazar stopped her. “If you are busy attacking me, they both die.”

She stopped. The scene was very reminiscent of the woods in Meros. Only then Eleana had known Dralazar’s magic wouldn’t work from his wounded hand. Now his hand was very much healed.

“Dralazar?” Layla asked hesitantly, her eyes darting nervously between he and Kiora.

“I’m sorry, my love. But you were good for one thing and one thing only: hurting Kiora. And now you will fulfill your role. Choose, Kiora! Who will you save, your Protector or your sister?” With no more warning, two spires of red magic flew in opposite directions.

Kiora only had time to glance at the horrified look on Layla’s face before she threw herself and a shield in front of Emane. Layla screamed, falling to her knees as Dralazar’s magic shuddered through her. Another second and her body fell, limp and disjointed, to the ground. Kiora cried out as her sister’s thread silenced. She had chosen Emane over her own family. Shame washed over her.

“I can’t say I am surprised.” Dralazar laughed at her pain. “And I doubt Layla was either.”

Kiora stood, rage eliciting a screaming sound she had never heard herself make. She dropped her shield, using both hands to fire shot after shot at Dralazar’s shield. She fired, harder and faster until he couldn’t see anything past the magic raining down in front of him.