“Nothing?” I asked anyway.
He shook his head. “I’ve visited every magical house on three continents. No one has seen the chronomancer.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, which was shaded with dark stubble. “Half of them had no idea a chronomancer was even alive.”
“Albie said they’re rare,” I murmured.
My father nodded. “They are. Time magic is fickle and unstable. Witches who dabble in it tend to go mad.”
The chronomancer had certainly seemed insane with his nonsensical speech and ticking clocks. If I never saw another watch again, it would be too soon. I stood by what I’d told him in the alley before my final jump.
I will find my mates. And I won’t need any magic from you or the gods to do it.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
My parents looked at me.
“What if we’re looking at this all wrong?” I asked, excitement building. “We don’t need witch magic. We need dragon magic.”
Mum’s eyes widened. My fathers shared a look.
“The chronomancer claims the gods chose me,” I said. “I did everything they wanted, but I had tomakeit happen. What if I have to make this happen, too?”
My father nodded. “You don’t need a spell. You just need?—”
“Me,” I said. “I’ll go back to the stones and speak in our tongue.”
Mum seized my hand in a strong grip. “You’re a full-blooded dragon, and so are they. Call them as only a dragon can.”
Hope burst like fireworks in my chest. This had to work. Ithadto.
“Let’s go,” Dad said, and pride shone in his eyes as he took my hand. “Portia will lead us.”
Twenty minutes later,I stood at the portal with my heart in my throat. Stars winked overhead. My parents flanked me. Malcolm had flown with us, and he stood a short distance away, moonlight turning his golden eyes a lighter shade.
I stared at the space between the stones. “What do I say?” I asked.
Da touched my shoulder, and I looked up at him.
“Magic is about intent. The words aren’t all that important. It’s the feeling behind them that matters.” He smiled, the expression softening his dark eyes. “And you feel things strongly, my daughter. It’s one of the things I love most about you.”
Our eyes held, a world of forgiveness passing between us.
“Thanks, Da,” I whispered.
He nodded toward the portal. “Tell your mates to get their arses where they belong.”
Laughing through my tears, I faced the opening between the stones. Then I took a deep breath and let the dragon tongue roll from my mouth.
“Tavish Ramsay! Alban MacLean!”Just in case, I added Albie’s nickname, too.“Albie MacLean! Come to me now. I’ve waited a lifetime for you, and I’ll wait no longer. Fate joined us. No power in this world or any other will keep us apart. COME. I command it!”
My voice echoed off the stones. My dragon shoved at my bones. She burned under my skin. Smoke streamed from my mouth as I continued to call for my mates.
Then I threw back my head and roared. I poured everything into it. My love. My longing. My desperate need to have them at my side.
The ground began to hum beneath my feet.
My voice echoed, bouncing off the stones and rolling across the clifftop like thunder.
Ticking filled my ears. Then it filled the air, hundreds of clocks marking time in a hundred thousand different rhythms.
