love you. Forgive me. He aimed the knife at his chest.
A sudden shriek made him look up. Dimitri? No, there were three dragons! One of them grabbed him so fiercely, the knife fell from his hand. He wasn’t sure which dragon had him, but he carefully kept his hands and face from touching the one who had saved him.
He looked about. Another dragon had grabbed Rupert. The third dragon was breathing fire on the remaining sea creatures. And there to the east, Leo spotted the elfin navy.
Suddenly, the wooden ships began to rise. Higher and higher until they floated in the air just above the ocean surface.
It was the Woodsman! Leo watched in amazement as King Brennan of Woodwyn brought cracked ships back together. Broken pieces of wood in the water flew back to patch up holes. Once the ships were intact, the Woodsman lowered them into the water. He flipped capsized lifeboats back over, and seamen scrambled in to row back to their ships. Using ropes, the sailors climbed back onboard.
Cheers rang out, and Leo sent up a silent prayer of gratitude. They were saved.
Rupert started blowing the repaired ships back toward the harbor.
A bolt of lightning shot toward the third dragon, and Leo quickly struck the bolt aside. With a screech, the dragon zoomed toward the Embraced army and breathed fire, setting the grassy bluff ablaze. The soldiers retreated while Darroc used his power to blow the flames out.
Rupert sent a blast of wind at them, knocking them all back a hundred feet. The younger soldiers ran for the cover of the nearby forest, where other children were waving and calling them over. That had to be Nevis’s group, Leo thought.
Only the oldest two soldiers remained.
Darroc aimed a gust of wind at the dragons, but Rupert knocked him back another hundred feet.
“Damn you!” Alfred shot a lightning bolt at Leo’s dragon, but Leo managed to divert it.
His dragon breathed fire, forcing Alfred to retreat into the castle garden. The strangely clipped hedges were now aflame.
Alfred turned and shot another bolt, aimed straight at Leo. Quickly, Leo returned fire, hitting Alfred’s bolt head-on. The two bolts sizzled and crackled, sparks flying where the two had collided.
Leo reached into his inner reserves, forcing all his strength into his bolt. With a loud crack, he forced Alfred’s lightning back till the power of both bolts struck the young man in the chest and sent him flying.
He landed in a green-colored pond, where his body thrashed and jolted in an electric seizure. Finally, he grew still.
Leo’s dragon swooped down to the ground, dropping him, then landing about twenty feet away. The dragon shifted into human form.
Silas. Leo smiled at him. “Thank you. I’d shake your hand, but . . .”
Silas snorted, then glanced at Alfred. “A shame to die so young, but he gave you no choice.”
Leo nodded. The other dragon shifters joined them, both in human form, with Dimitri dragging a frightened Darroc by the shirt collar.
“A-Alfred,” Darroc whispered as he spotted the young man’s dead body in the pond.
Dimitri tossed Darroc on the ground. “Aleksi and I will go back to rescue anyone still in the water.”
“Thank you,” Leo told them. “Where is Rupert?”
“He’s blowing the ships into harbor,” Aleksi replied. Then he and Dimitri shifted into dragons and flew off.
Silas strode up to Darroc, who was cowering on the ground. “Prisoner, I have a question for you.”
“I-I’ll tell you everything.” Darroc pointed at the castle. “Kendric is in there. And Queen Cahira.”
“And Brody?” Leo asked.
“I-I don’t know him.”
“The Seer?” Leo corrected himself.
“Oh. He’s in there, too.” Darroc bobbed his head nervously. “And Princess Maeve.”
“Now here is my question,” Silas growled.
Darroc’s eyes filled with tears. “Anything, I’ll tell you anything.”
Silas crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Where can I find some breeches?”
* * *
Maeve froze at the sight of all the broken glass around her. Blood stained her sleeves where she’d been cut. Oh, dear goddesses, no. This was just like her dream! She glanced up and saw Brody advancing on her mother. Would he kill Cahira now? She recalled the look of her mother’s glassy eyes.
“I thought you might be here,” a voice sneered from the doorway.
Brody spun around.
Maeve winced. The Chameleon strode into the room, brandishing a sword. Would he stab Brody as he had in her dream?
The Chameleon glared at Brody. “So you have arrived. The meddlesome animal shifter, always showing up at the last minute to ruin my plans.”
“Actually, I’ve been here for days. I