Marci didn’t understand. “But—”
You are Merlin now,he said. No matter what you decide, there will be consequences. Someone is going to get hurt, and it will be your fault. That’s the burden of leadership, but I wouldn’t have chosen you if I didn’t think you could carry it.
He looked over his shoulder at Amelia, who was still watching Marci like a tiny red hawk.The dragon and I both chose you because we trusted you to make the right decisions when the time came. Not the safe ones or the easy ones, but the choices that will actually get us to where we need to be. That’s the burden we place on you, but you don’t have to carry it alone.We are with you, whatever you decide.
He held out his ghostly hand as he finished. After a moment, Marci took it, sliding her shaking fingers into his still, freezing ones. It felt wrong and reckless to accept so much trust. She’d been punching above her weight class since the night she’d blown up her childhood house. Even now, standing as a Merlin in the Heart of the World, she was making it all up as she went. She had no idea what she was doing, how she was going to pull it all off without disaster, and yet, despite everything, she was the Merlin. Even if Bob had pulled the strings that got her in front of it, the Merlin Gate had opened for her.That had to count for something.
“Audacity is the baseline for entry,” she whispered, clutching her spirit’s hand as she turned back to Amelia. “We’ll wait.”
The dragon slumped in relief, but she was the only one. Everyone else looked deeply concerned, including Marci herself. But then, just as she opened her mouth to tell them—and remind herself—of all the times Bob had pulled off the impossible, something incredible happened.
Later, looking back, Marci was never able to say exactly what it was. There’d been no jolt, no flash of light or swell of magic. It was just a feeling. An odd giddiness that spread through her mind like golden sunshine.
If it’d been only her, Marci might have written it off as the relief of finally making a decision, but Amelia had clearly felt it, too. The moment the happiness had blossomed in Marci’s mind, the little dragon had jumped, leaping so high, she nearly fell into the scrying circle.
“Did you feel that?!”
Marci nodded, eyes wide.
“I felt it, too,” Ghost said, his deep voice rich with wonder. “It was beautiful. What was it?”
“Dragon magic of some sort,” Amelia said, her eyes round. “Insanely strong, too. Almost primal. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
“Is that good or bad?” Marci asked.
“I don’t know,” Amelia said with a sharp-toothed grin. “But I bet it’s our signal.”
Myron scoffed. “I didn’t feel anything.”
“Neither did I,” Raven said, his croaking voice deeply disappointed. “Can you describe it?”
“No,” Marci said, grinning as wide as Amelia. That only made Raven more upset, but she couldn’t stop. The beautiful golden feeling was getting bigger by the second, filling her to bursting with happiness and an insane confidence that whatever she tried, no matter how risky, it would work. Today was her lucky day. It was all going to work!
After a terrifying half hour of waiting, the sudden joy was like a starter pistol. Amelia was already racing for the mountain’s edge, flapping her little wings frantically as she shot off the cliff, over the green forest, and out toward the tumultuous blue sea.
The smile fell off Marci’s face. Even the supernatural giddiness wasn’t enough to stop the flood of panic as she realized what Amelia was doing.
“Wait!” she cried, running after her friend.
“No more of that,” Amelia called back, flapping faster. “I’ve waited centuries for this. I’m not waiting another second. Somewhere out there is the spirit of dragons, and I’m going to find it!”
“But you don’t even know where it is!” Marci shouted, skidding to a halt at the cliff’s edge. “There are thousands of spirits out there. At least wait until I can help you find—”
“I told you,” the dragon yelled, her voice fading as she flew farther and farther away. “No more waiting. This was my signal as much as yours. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but Bob told me it was the only way, and he’s never let me down.”
She looked back over her shoulder, her eyes flashing with excitement. “I’ve got this, Marci! Go with Raven. He’ll take you back so you can actually do all that Merlin stuff we went through all this nonsense for.” She turned back, folding her wings close against her body as she prepared to dive. “Just stick to the plan, and I’ll see you on the other side.”
“But how are you even going to get there?” Marci yelled. “Amelia!”
But it was too late. The little dragon was already falling like an arrow, her serpentine body vanishing with barely a splash into the intense, endless blue of the Heart of the World’s interpretation of the Sea of Magic. Marci was still staring at the place where she’d gone under when a heavy weight landed on her shoulder.
“There, there,” Raven said, clutching her gently with his talons. “She told you she was going to take over a Mortal Spirit, and she can hardly do that from up here.”
“I didn’t know she was going to dive into the water!” Marci said frantically. “She could barely keep herself together in the Sea of Magic without Ghost. How’s she going to find the right vessel before the magic grinds her to paste? She doesn’t even know where she’s going!”
“That’s her yoke to bear,” Raven said with a wink. “But you’re not the only one who’s good at playing things by ear. I’ve known Amelia since she was younger than you are. She’s as twisty and conniving as the next dragon, but she never jumps unless she knows she’s going to land on her feet. She’ll be fine. You need to worry about yourself.”
He ducked his head, leaning over to stare straight into her eyes with his black, beady ones. “It’s time to keep your promise, Merlin.”
