shift, nothing would have stopped him. But Wil was still bleeding, injured too severely to put up much of a fight.
“You keep watch, I’ll see what I can do for Wil.” Krysta switched places with Mace, doing her best to field dress Wil’s seeping wound while Mace stood guard.
“There are too many of them,” Mace said, just barely audible over the roar of the battle. Krysta looked up to see even more skiths had arrived, but the dragons were holding their own, as was Drake.
His fire flamed brighter and higher than any natural fire she’d ever seen. It got to the point where all Drake had to do was lob a swath of his magical fire at a skith and it would immediately burst into showering, cleansing flame.
Slowly, the dragons and Drake gained the upper hand, frying the skiths until there were none left. Only remnants of their acidic venom and acrid, burnt heaps of ash remained all around the inn yard. Drake took care of the dangerous acid by skipping magical flame from one area to the next. All around the inn yard, puddles of acid burned away until they were gone, the earth itself cleansed of their taint.
Mace stood on guard, but it soon became evident that the few enemy soldiers left had run fast and far away. He leaned against the stone wall next to Krysta as Drake took care of the last of the cleanup.
“Something’s wrong.” Krysta watched Drake with wide, worried eyes.
Mace looked over at Drake, startled by the fire that still surrounded him. Drake’s hands battered against forces only he could see. As Mace watched, Drake’s expression went from anger to despair and Mace knew he had to act quickly.
“Jenet, Nellin, can’t you do anything?”
“We can hold the fire away from others, but we can’t send it back to its source. We are creatures of fire, we can’t banish it.” Jenet was clearly worried.
“Drake has to do that himself.” Nellin sounded unsure.
Mace stepped right up to Drake, pulling back quickly when the flame surrounding him flared hot in his direction. Mace could feel the heat of the fire, but it didn’t burn him. Guessing Drake didn’t have long before the fire consumed him, Mace stepped forward into the living pillar of flame.
It hurt like hell, but it didn’t injure. Mace grabbed Drake’s forearms when he tried to move back. They held each other elbow to elbow in the way of warriors, grounding each other.
“Come back, brother. Control your magic and bring it to heel.”
“I don’t know if I can, Mace. Let go. I don’t want to take us both down.”
“You won’t. We’re partners now. Where you go, I go.” Mace gripped Drake’s arms, squeezing hard. “Master the fire, Drake. It’s what you were born to do.”
“Don’t do this. Krysta needs you.” Drake tried to break free, but Mace held strong.
“She needs us both, brother. This is your destiny. Your magic to control and call to heel. Do it. You have the ability. You were born of wizards. You’re the most accomplished man I know. Surely you can manage this one little thing.”
Mace held Drake’s gaze steadily, challenging him as he struggled to conquer the flames and quell the inferno he’d called. Little by little, the licking tongues of fire dissipated, caressing now rather than consuming. Mace gritted his teeth against the pain, but held firm to Drake’s arms, imparting his strength to his new brother.
“You stubborn bastard,” Drake said as the magical fire began to come under control. There was no heat in the words, only a gruff sort of affection that Mace understood.
“Takes one to know one,” he replied, sharing a grin with Drake as the flames he’d called finally flickered and died.
This, then, was what Mace had to offer their partnership. Drake was a creature of air and light, flame and magic. Mace was here to hold him steady, to anchor him to earth and to their partnership.
“Thank the Mother of All that you came to help, my lords!” A stout man approached them from the tavern, wringing his hands and shattering the moment of communication between the new fighting partners. “You’ve saved my inn and our village. Thank you!”
A cheer went up from the villagers. Many had stood and fought for their homes, but the old and the very young were just emerging from dragon-scorched buildings to tend the wounded. Wil was still bleeding, but even before Mace could comment, the first of the dragons from the Border Lair landed. It