all that power I’d been coiling blast forward. It caught the White square in the chest, lifting the dragon off its feet and sending it crashing down, a dozen yards away, where it skidded on its back toward the end of the helipad.
It lay still for a few minutes, and I prayed I hadn’t killed it.
‘Anyan!’ I shouted again. Maybe it would get to its feet, and the White would be knocked out, and Anyan could take control, tell us how to get rid of the White…
But when the dragon finally did rise, it was to gaze at me with green eyes full of hate.
Carefully, I invoked phase two of my plan. I held my trembling knees still with an iron engagement of will, and I made the labrys blaze as if that hit with which I’d just leveled the White was merely what I had on for starters.
The dragon’s green eyes narrowed as it assessed its chances, alone against the champion. And then it slipped backward, off the end of the building, beating a hasty retreat.
Only when it was far out of range did I let my knees unlock, sending me downward in an ungainly slide.
The truth was, I’d blasted the White with everything I had, and then bluffed more power.
‘Jane!’ Ryu said, catching me as I toppled the rest of the way to the ground. My ex hugged me close, telling me what a great job I’d done.
I guess that, technically, we’d won that round.
But I’d felt only loss when confronted with the White’s cruel jade eyes.
Chapter Eight
For some reason, I wasn’t all that surprised to find myself standing in front of a hut wearing a hat. Woven thatch made a strange cone that went low over the side walls, and the doorframe yawned in front of me.
The night was cool; I was chilly, and the warm light of a fire beckoned from inside the structure. So I went inside.
The hut’s round walls were painted with bright, circular patterns in yellows and reds. They looked very Celtic. The place was also very clean, with a small sleeping area curtained off by animal skins tucked against a wall, and the rest used for living. Storage was high up, with shelves holding woven baskets and piles of stuff, so that there was more space on the floor.
I felt very at home, so I went ahead and sat down by the fire, warming my hands by holding them out in front of me.
‘There you are,’ came a low, rough voice behind me. ‘I’ve been hoping you’d find me.’
I smiled, feeling both exhilarated but oddly calm. ‘Of course I found you. I’ll always find you.’
I looked up into Anyan’s smiling gray eyes.
Intense relief flooded through me, but I couldn’t for the life of me think why. This was Anyan’s hut; why wouldn’t Anyan be waiting for me?
The barghest knelt, wrapping his arms around me from behind, cloaking me with his heavy body. We sat like that for a few minutes while he drew in long breaths, as if memorizing my scent.
‘I’ve missed you,’ he whispered in my ear. ‘I’ve missed you so much…’
I appreciated the sentiment, of course, but I couldn’t imagine, for the life of me, what he meant.
‘Miss me?’ I said. ‘Why? I’m always here.’
He stiffened around me, and I wondered what I’d said wrong. But he didn’t tell me.
‘Of course you are,’ was all he said, and then he moved so he was sitting next to me.
I leaned against him, and we watched the flames for a long time. It felt so good to be in his arms, but I knew it should be normal, after all this time.
‘How are things, Jane?’ he asked eventually, his voice a low hum in the dim light.
‘Oh, fine,’ I said. I tried to think of something to tell him about, but I couldn’t. ‘Nothing’s going on. Everything’s just … fine.’
The truth was, I felt like I did have something big to say; that there was something very important, to both of us, which had happened. But every time I thought I was about to remember what it was, it slipped away.
‘You can’t think of anything going on you want to tell me about?’ Anyan’s voice was still soft and low, but I knew him well enough to detect the faintest note of desperation.
‘There is something … but I can’t remember. So it can’t be that important, can it?’ I said with a laugh he didn’t return.
Anyan remained quiet for a bit, as