The dark mage at the school appeared to have been more decrepit, which meant this one was less powerful but not to be underestimated. They had patches of withered skin and narrow black veins but was not as decayed as the one at the academy. How could they still be so powerful yet their body was dying?
I circled my hands around each other in a fluid motion as I ran, charging my air magic. The black eyes of the mage greedily watched my advance.Idiot.I wasn’t going to get close enough forhim to touch me. I sent my air magic across the rooftop and it slammed into the dark mage, knocking him to the side.
The dark mage attempted to stand, but I honed in on the moss growing near his feet. My magic absorbed into its rhizoids, rapidly growing their size and strength. The false roots sprouted, wrapping around his ankles and legs, pinning them to the rooftop.
I went to run by him so that Ender and I would surround him, but he incinerated the vines and lashed out with a powerful blast of heat. Before I could use my magic as a shield, the fire soared around me as wind pushed outward. Ender held out his hands, creating an outward funnel encasing me like a domed shield—something that took practice and energy.
Black obscured my view as leathery wings flapped in front of me. The little dragon landed on his hind feet, expanding his wings so I was hidden behind him. He turned his head, glancing at me over his shoulder. I stared at him in disbelief. He was protecting me.
He shrieked and flinched as a rust-colored dagger pierced his scales, smoke trailing from the wound. He reached for it with his mouth but couldn’t quite reach. Without hesitation, I stepped forward, pulling the knife from the him and tossing it away from the dark mage. If I recalled correctly, there once was a weapon that could be created to harm dragons more easily.
I turned to face the dark mage, but thick emerald green vines wrapped around his torso as Miss Lee worked her magic.
I really despise those vines.
Aura stood at Ender’s feet, hissing, and Ender flung his arms forward, sending air magic at the mage. It sent the mage crashing into the parapet and down to his knees. Summoning my fire magic to my palms, I went to incinerate him, but the little dragon beat me to it.
The dark mage was unable to shield himself and the flames licked at his cloak, this time slowly melting it away until the fire reached the rest of him. I briefly wondered if the entire block could hear his screams, and I scrunched my nose at the nauseating smell of burnt flesh. I looked away.
Once the flames dispersed, I turned back to the dark mage, surprised to see his extremities weren’t as burnt as his core. There hadn’t been a noticeable mark on his hands during the attack, and he hadn’t been as strong as the mages who had attacked Mom, Viv, and me, but I had to check. I walked closer to the smoldering body, his face unrecognizable, and kicked his hand over. Nothing. I held my breath and walked over to his other hand, pushing back the smoking cloak with my sneaker.
His palm was free of a black circle.
“Are you okay?” Ender came to my side, studying me.
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Just checking to see if it had the same mark as the ones that killed my mom.”
Ender nodded and put a hand on my shoulder, the small gesture somehow comforting.
A cross between a whimper and a grumble came from behind us, and we turned to see the dragon trying to reach the wound on its shoulder.
“Hey. Hey … it’s okay.” I strode over to the dragon, resting a hand on his snout. He nuzzled into my hand, and I smiled.
Less than a second later, the dragon backed up, swaying his head in apparent agitation as he turned toward Miss Lee, who was picking up the dark mage’s dagger from the ground.
“It’ll be okay.” Miss Lee examined the dagger closely.
“What will be okay?” I put my arm out, trying to calm the dragon.
“Your dragon.” She nodded toward the dragon as she slowly set the dagger down, kicking it away from her.
“He’s not my dragon,” I said.
“You can tell yourself that.” She straightened. “The dagger was made with a dark mage’s familiar’s blood and not the blood of a dragon. It burns and harms them, but it doesn’t seep deadly toxin into their bloodstream.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ender walked over and stood between Miss Lee and me, his shoulders still tense.
“The familiar to a mage who becomes dark slowly dies, but if it’s sacrificed, its blood can be mixed with iron and forged into a weapon. It’s destructive to a dragon, but one nick doesn’t kill. A weapon mixed and enchanted with dragon blood would.”
“Ender, we need to go.” I nodded at the door. John and Priscilla were in danger if there was another dark mage.
Before we could leave, the door to the stairs swung open and John and Priscilla ran through, their concerned parental gazes scanning the rooftop.
“Sal.” John’s gaze landed on me as his chest heaved and brow wrinkled. He glanced at the lifeless body of the dark mage and ran over to me, resting his hands on my shoulders as he examined me. I tensed at the contact. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I studied the rips throughout his shirt, but he appeared to be okay. As he lowered his hands, I noticed black soot on his palms.Huh. Was he a fire mage? Normally, magic didn’t leave residue like that on your palms.
“That will need an explanation,” Priscilla said as she looked behind me. She had run over to Ender while John assessed me.
