Tempest Reborn (Jane True) - By Nicole Peeler Page 0,23

could focus the magic where they wanted it, and I was shocked at their control.

I was even more shocked when another dragon appeared in the air above us. Only this one seemed to be made of golden fireworks, sparkling in the sky.

I got ready to panic as it stretched silent wings, its head rearing back as it emitted a silent roar. But then I realized what it was: an illusion, fueled by the monks’ power.

You are good, I thought, thanking my lucky stars we’d wound up with such powerful allies.

Needless to say, I wasn’t the only one to notice the golden dragon. The Red and the White, upon making another lazy circle around the building, paused in their knocking off bits of the surrounding skyscrapers. I’d never known what a surprised dragon looked like, but now I did. I reckon it’s a bit like a gecko seconds before it’s run over by a car.

With a roar that shook the foundations of the building we stood upon, the Red and the White closed in on the golden dragon. It darted upward, trailing light just like sparklers did in the hands of running children on the Fourth of July. The dragons gave chase, and our dragon, the monks’ dragon, flew straight up, taking the Red and the White high into the sky before it made a sudden U-turn, plummeting downward.

Right toward us.

The golden dragon disappeared in a shimmer of power as it hit the asphalt of the helipad, the Red and the White crashing into the tarmac with far less graceful thumps that shook the whole building. It was the Red that recovered first, clambering to its relatively tiny little feet and galloping toward where Ryu and I waited.

Exactly what I didn’t want to happen. But beggars can’t be choosers, and neither can people who are about to be eaten by a dragon. So with a muttered curse word, I raised my labrys and invoked the power of the creature.

[Gotcha,] the creature said, almost gleefully. And just as the Red got close enough for me to see the hungry gleam in her emerald-green eyes and smell the sulfur on her breath, the Red disappeared with an audible pop.

The White roared in confusion, rushing toward where its mate had just been, but like a ghost in front of it, there arose the glittering golden form of the monks’ manifested power. This time it was in the shape of a phoenix, and it glided toward the White on silent wings, an act that seemed to confuse the White even more.

The ivory, pearlescent dragon skidded to a stop, snapping its jaws at the phoenix flying toward it.

That gave me just enough time to reinvoke the labrys and run forward a few paces, where I took what I hoped was a Xena-like power stance – my feet spread about shoulder’s length apart as I held the labrys with both hands, its power coiling up inside me like I was winding a jack-in-the-box. I’d come up with a plan in that instant. It was either a really good plan, or a really dumb plan, but I wasn’t going to know which until I did it.

Ryu joined me a second later, adding his strength to my own. I think it was only then he realized how puny it was, in comparison with how powerful I’d become.

‘Get back!’ I yelled at him. ‘Get back and shield yourself!’

I flicked my eyes to him, to make sure he obeyed, and I saw his indecision. I’d hidden behind him for so long, no wonder he couldn’t imagine a scenario in which he hid behind me.

This time, I went ahead and yelled, ‘Ryu, get back! You need to protect the monks! I have a plan!’

My words about the monks snapped the baobhan sith into action and he turned on his heel to dart back toward the door.

I turned back to the White just in time to see the glittering phoenix run straight into the dragon’s face … and disappear.

Realizing it had been fooled, the White galloped toward me with a roar of irritation.

Anyan, I prayed. If you’re in there, stop this now.

But the dragon kept coming, breathing out those jets of powerful air that hit my shields like a Mack Truck.

‘Anyan!’ I shouted, done with prayer. ‘Stop!’

My words did nothing. They didn’t even appear to register with the creature.

With a heavy heart, I played my card.

Opening my arms wide at the very last second, when the White was nearly upon me, I let