The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,36

mist, revealing the curved edge of the dragon's backside as it continued to soar away.

Catch its interest? Rafe thought again with a frown, eying the power surging all around him, potent enough to sting as he sucked in a sharp breath. Magic—magic must be what the dragons want, what draws them in, what calls them.

His mind spun with the realization.

Suddenly Rafe was a boy again, back in his mother's rooms at the base of the castle, shivering before the fire as chills racked his small frame. He'd been ill all day. It was the last time he could remember ever feeling sick, yet he still remembered how odd the sensation had been. Not like the coughs that sometimes came with the winter chill. Not like the fevers that sometimes spread in the warm summer months. This had been a burning in his chest, a tingling of his limbs, as though every nerve in his body were being formed anew.

Maybe they had been.

Before the dragon, he'd been a normal boy. After, not a single day had passed without the magic stirring beneath his skin. At the time, he'd been lost in grief and afraid for his life. With Xander's help, he'd buried the magic and all that had come with it. He’d cursed the power for keeping him alive—he’d never thought to blame it for killing his parents, too.

Was he why the dragon had come that day?

Was his magic to blame?

Had he called it?

Rafe gripped the rail to keep from slipping off the platform as the boat swayed, as he swayed, his muscles going slack. He thought of that day on the sky bridge and the beast that seemingly manifested out of nowhere. Had he been using his magic? Sometimes he did it subconsciously, if his body was tired, if aches needed to be healed. Was he to blame for that fateful morning, too?

He had to know.

He was desperate for an answer.

Brighty sent another beam of light into the mist, burning it away to reveal the shadow of a dragon moving just out of reach. Before Rafe knew what he was doing, he was on his feet with his sword in his hands, the point aimed at his gut. With one swift jerk, the metal carved into his skin, sinking deep enough to slash vital organs. His magic stirred immediately, power flooding to the spot and working swiftly to heal the wound. Not a sound escaped his lips as he pulled the blade free and slumped against the mast, his body going weak. No one seemed to notice. No one seemed to care. They were too focused on the beast to see the man bleeding out high atop the ship.

But something noticed.

Something cared.

Not a minute later he heard the roar, and for the first time in his life that nightmarish sound was accompanied by a smile. Dark laughter spilled through his lips as he held his palm against his stomach, blood pouring over his fingers.

It worked.

The idea broke him and remade him at the same time. Both an agony and an ecstasy came with knowing all the hardships of his life had happened for a reason—all the losses, all the pain, all the heartache. He was responsible. Not Taetanos. Not Vesevios. Not an invisible dark cloud hanging over his head, determined to smother the light. Just him, and his godforsaken magic.

Another roar shattered the sky.

"Where is it?" Captain Rokaro shouted. "Where—"

A bubbling cloud of fire emerged from the mist, cutting her off as the heat blazed like a furnace, ready to burn them alive. Pyro acted swiftly, red sparks infiltrating the churning orange as she used her magic to keep the flames at bay. The beast carved through the inferno, unbothered by the heat, and turned its red eyes on Rafe. Those massive jaws opened to reveal a throat bright with volcanic fury.

Just as another blast of fire was released, a geyser laced with magic exploded from the ocean surface to smack the beast in the face, sending the blaze harmlessly into the sky. Steam sizzled from the dragon's skin, its scales wet yet burning. Chains rattled. At first, Rafe thought Captain had loosed the anchor, but then a man-sized arrow pierced one leathery wing. The beast wailed. Just as Brighty had said, Archer never missed his mark. But it wasn't enough. The dragon clamped its jaws around the stem and yanked the weapon free. A few pumps of its wings, and the beast disappeared into the fog.

"Find it. Now!"

Brighty acted