The voice nearly caused me to leap out of my skin. A familiar red-snouted face popped out of the bushes and shifted into human form.
“James,” I said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I ran, obviously!” He threw his hands up. “Those dragon freaks let me go as soon as they had you and Halo.”
“No, I mean, what are youstilldoing here? It looks like you were waiting for someone.”
“Well, I was,” he admitted. “As much as I’d love to run from this place and forget this ever happened, I can’t do that. You and Halo risked your lives for me.” James grimaced, like he was afraid to ask his next question. “Um… WhereisHalo?”
My heart clenched in agony. “He’s still there. Caged.”
“What? Why?” James cried. “Why didn’t you get him out?”
My temper flared and I had to restrain myself from shouting at James. “Because I’moneman.”
“You’re an alpha dragon!” James argued.
“Againsttwoother alpha dragons,” I growled. “If I got myself killed, I wouldn’t be much good to Halo, would I?”
James hung his head sheepishly. “You’re right. Sorry.”
I sighed. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to snap, this is just so…”
“Shitty?” James offered.
“Yes,” I admitted. With a heavy heart, I sat on a rocky outcrop and buried my face in my hands. “What am I supposed to do?”
I felt James’s hesitant hand on my shoulder. “Er, not to make you feel worse, but… Do you know what Zenon is planning to do with Halo?”
“No,” I replied miserably.
James’s voice caught in his throat. “Oh.”
I lifted my head. “Why? Do you know something?”
“Kind of,” James said, now clearly uncomfortable.
I shot up and grabbed him by the upper arms. “Tell me.”
James seemed to deflate, like the truth was weighing him down. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” I snapped. Not wanting to scare him, I removed my hands and repeated in a calmer voice, “Yes. Please, James.”
“You might want to sit back down,” James suggested, his face tense. My impatient scowl and refusal to move made him sigh. “Okay, then.”
The fact that he was delaying the inevitable irritated me. “Just spit it out.”
James’s hard eyes met mine. “Zenon is planning on using Halo to… create a magic army.”
The words sounded like nonsense. Agitated, I said, “What?”
“Do you really not get it?” James asked. “Zenon wants to breed Halo to have his children.”
My heart turned to lead, and my blood to ice. The world crashed down around me. I could barely understand what I was hearing, but I knew horribly in my core that it was the truth, as much as I didn’t want it to be.
“But - ” I tried to think of any reason,anythingat all, that would refute James’s words, and couldn’t find anything. “No, he can’t!”
James’s frown was full of sympathy. “I’m sorry. I almost wish I hadn’t overheard.”
