out her flickering hands, and nothing happened. Time didn’t stop. No lightning shot forth. No part of the dragon fell away in a shower of pixels. Nothing.
Hannah crouched, holding her hands above her head, as the dragon descended upon her.
Still running, Mara veered away from Hannah and headed toward the center of the creature’s torso. Right before slamming into its flanks, she turned to the left, now running parallel to the dragon’s body, approaching Hannah from the same direction. Leaning forward to gain speed, Mara gritted her teeth, strained against the weariness dragging on her legs and dashed past the dragon’s front legs. Bending down and extending her arms while still running, she scooped up Hannah and threw her over a shoulder in one smooth motion without stopping.
Dangling precipitously over Mara’s shoulder, Hannah arched her back so she could look behind them, as her aunt continued to run. The dragon’s maw snapped inches from her face and she squealed, “Run, Mar-ree! It’s coming!”
Taking a step forward and sending a tremor through the ground, the dragon jutted its head after them. As its thorny chin came within inches of Mara’s head, Hannah reached up and swatted at it, her finger grazing a bony quill on its chin.
The dragon exploded in a burst of blue light that flung Mara and Hannah into the air, careening toward the front of the burning house.
CHAPTER 58
Once again the sense of someone shaking her brought Mara back to consciousness, only this time the hand was smaller and the shaking was a little gentler. Mara’s eyes fluttered open, and she felt something hard poking into the back of her neck. Slowly pushing herself up, she looked back and realized she was holding onto the bottom step leading up to the front porch of the house. While the front wall of the house behind the porch remained intact, orange and yellow light danced from the windows. At Mara’s side, Hannah sat on the ground, pointing up in the air.
“It looks like bumblebees,” she said.
Mara blinked, trying to clear her eyes. After attempting to wipe them with the sooty back of her hand, then thinking better of it, she said, “I think it’s just ashes and embers floating around.”
“Nuh-uh, look how it moves in circles,” Hannah said.
Mara looked again and recognized the pattern, the movement of dust in the air as it swirled into a vertical column and condensed. Soon it darkened and shifted into a familiar silhouette. It was Ping undispersing himself.
After going through that strange phase where he appeared to be an immobile mannequin, suddenly he stepped forward, holding out his hand and asked, “Do you think you can stand?”
“I think so.” She grabbed his hand and took so long establishing her balance that he reached out and grasped her elbow. Swiping hair from the side of her face, she said, “Sorry, it’s been a long day. I’m still not even sure what just happened.”
“The dragon ’sploded,” Hannah said.
Stepping from the thick haze that hung over the yard, his hair sticking up in a flattened fan pattern on the left side of his head, Sam said, “Is that what happened? I was just getting up on my feet, when everything went blue, and I got slammed again.” He looked at his sister and asked, “What did you do? There’s a massive crater where the front yard used to be.”
“Daddy!” Hannah ran to her father. He crouched down beside her and gave her a hug. She tried unsuccessfully to press down his hair.
Mara shook her head. “I didn’t do anything. I think I was tapped out, metaphysicalwise. Nothing I tried worked. After this suicidal munchkin decided to make a run for the dragon, all I could do was chase after her, and I could barely do that. I’m not sure what caused the explosion.” She turned to Ping. “Was it your doing?”
“Not at all, but I suspect I know what happened,” he said.
In the distance they heard sirens approaching, and, from the end of the driveway, Diana called to them, “Do you think the four of you could find a better place to stand than next to the burning house? Come over here, so you won’t be in the way when the firemen get here.”
Ping nodded. “Good point.”
As they walked up the driveway, Diana’s eyes tracked Ping and said, “Nice to see you back to your old self, Mr. Ping.”
Mara stepped in front of him and said, “Mom, I know you’re a little POed about the house, but