The drake rounds the corner, cutting us off from the exit. Draven flicks his arm to the side, that magical sword of his forming from his ring, burning. The drake slams its claw down at him, and Draven cleaves a finger from its deadly paw. The beast rears back, screeching, and Draven summons the Sun, fire burning to life in his open hand … illuminating the smaller, lion-sized drake, rising behind him.
“DRAVEN!” I shout, and he turns, eyes widening, fire shooting out at the drake’s murderous hatchling. His friends and guards are screaming for us, rushing our way. I throw myself between him and the mother drake.
The sight of Draven in danger forges something powerful and raw within me.
He’s helped me finally feel the thing I haven’t dared to since I could remember. Hope. In all its messiest impossibilities. He is the light I’ve searched for. One I refuse to let be stomped out.
The drake’s mouth froths with acid that could strip me to bone. I summon the World, with the Star rising in front of it, focusing on a vision for my family, my friends, and for a better future, with him.
Hope that I can heal.
A shield of starlight forms across my left forearm, my right suddenly weighted with a sword glowing with heavenly fire. Asthe drake bears down on me, it shoots acid, and my shield protects us both.
Draven steadies me from behind, stopping my feet from slipping, and when the beast clenches its stained, blade-sharp teeth on the sides of the shield, threatening to yank it off me, I hear his voice in my mind,Strike it now!
I charge forward with that sword, remembering the lesson between him and Kenzo, every emphasis on pivoting my hips to pack a harder blow, and thrust that blade straight into the drake’s feral eye. Blood and gore bursts forth, the monster reels, and I release the handle, just as Draven blares his might into the Sun card, channeling his fire, protecting our back as more of the smaller drakes come streaming over the ridge. One slips his defenses and snaps around his leg. I channel all my rage and fear into my cards. The drakes can have their zenith, can have the world, but he is mine.
I drop the Star and summon the Sun, too. My anger scorches through it, my flames dancing with his, exploding through the space around us, encircling us and engulfing both drakes. Fire and starlight explode. I switch back to the mother and even when my arms shake from the effort of holding that fire I don’t relent, knowing I’d rather die standing here than let it get any closer to him.
The mother screeches, vibrating the hollow, and drops with a mighty thud, smoking.
“Are you okay?” My eyes rake over him, searching for injuries.
“I will be.” Draven’s gaze is hungry, like he wants to kiss me right here. But he staggers, the bite on his leg bleeding heavily. I throw his arm over my shoulder, and we hobble toward the exit.
There’s more distant screeching as the surviving drakes divert toward the others, scared away from us, and crest the hill behind, snarling and calling to each other in a strange whooping cry.More surge from all over, a veritable army. Commander Soto and his soldiers take the smaller drakes head-on, but it’s deadly. A drake tackles a druid to the ground, jaw clenching around his skull, bursting it like a cherry.
“Retreat!” Draven calls to his friends and Commander Soto. Malik grabs Zara’s hand as they run and leap over the chasm from where we came. Scorpius ushers Fable ahead of him, both of them taking wingless soldiers. I watch winged druids dive over the chasm, buffeting to their escape.
Draven picks up a shard of zenith with his bare, un-channeling hand, and it activates, veins glowing and sparking within it. He throws the crystal back into the cavern, landing in a large pile of zenith.
He sweeps me into his arms and I grapple onto him, barely secure, as he dives off the side of the cliff. I watch the drakes rise, blasting acid and smog at us just before the zenith blows, swallowing them in flames.
30The Crystal Wand
The worst part about all of it is … even if she ran a dagger through my gods damned heart, I would likely grasp her hand just to hold it a moment longer.
—Burned page of Draven Vos’s personal journal
THE JOURNEY BACKto Sedah is quick and fraught with tension. Many of Commander Soto’s soldiers have been injured or killed, five of the ten-elf envoy died, and Fable’s entire left arm is bandaged from acid. Draven’s able to heal his leg enough to travel and, to my chagrin, refuses a brace until we’ve left the elves. We’ve gathered only maybe a third of the zenith we’d come for, but the wand I’ve kept hidden is more valuable than all of it combined.
Eldarion seems nearly surprised to see us return, though he quickly pivots to focusing on the tragedy of lives lost, skirting blame for the drakes still occupying the cave, claiming ignorance to the mated pair and their nest of hatchlings. All of us are worse for wear and more than one druid has whispered that it felt like a setup.
Flying on the wyvern is the best part of our return journey, short as it is. When we finally arrive back at the Forge, many aretaken to the healing quadrant. But Draven’s already seen to my wounds, and soon Commander Soto’s approaching him.
“You’ll need to be with us when we bring the zenith to the palace. His Majesty will want to hear about this incident from you personally.”
“Just … give me a moment alone with Rune.” Draven leads me toward our Hearth, limping along. He’s healed himself enough, but he will need rest.
As we get closer to our house, I notice Ember waiting at the steps.
“Talk with your friend, but then it’s my turn.”
“Hey, Em—”
I’m cut off as she throws her arms around me, freezing up slightly at the warm affection, before returning it. Draven smiles at her before disappearing inside.
I ask, “Are you okay?”
