“This is insane!” Mavlyn shouted as explosions shook the air. Her eyes were wide as she looked down at the screaming guards, and I caught the stricken expression on her face as she watched a griffin stumble out of the stables, one of its great wings engulfed in flames. It let out a shriek of agony, and even I felt a twinge of guilt as I watched it suffer.
But the last thing we needed was another griffin attack. They’d nearly gotten us when Adara and I had fled Lady Mossi’s. And while Leap was formidable on his own, even he wouldn’t be able to withstand an entire fleet of them.
Satisfied that I’d put a dent in the castle’s defenses, I flew straight to one of the main towers, where purplish black vines writhed along the stone walls, just waiting to snatch us up in their clutches.
“There, there,” Mavlyn crooned, stretching a hand out toward them. “It’s all right. We’re friends.”
The vines reluctantly lowered themselves away from the window, but I could see it was a struggle. “Damn shadow magic,” Mavlyn grumbled under her breath. “It’s interfering with my ability to control them.”
I tucked Mavlyn tight against my body, then folded my wings around us and aimed feet first for the window. We crashed through the glass, and I hissed as shards ripped at my wings, sending streaks of burning pain through them. Several guards who had been playing a game of dice shouted in alarm, and they jumped up from the table, already drawing their swords. I was on the first one in a second, using my clawed hand to rip out his throat, and blasting the other two with fire. Their screams, along with the scent of charred flesh, would draw attention, so I tossed the dead body aside and yanked the door open, then began running down the stairs.
“Where are we going?” Mavlyn panted as she ran behind me. I could hear the sounds of fighting outside, and I hoped Leap was doing all right. It was incredibly brave of him to take on the guards outside like that, but I’d left him half the bombs, and he was quick-witted and resourceful. I had to believe he would be okay.
“Following the scent,” I answered, reaching the bottom of the tower. I flung open the door, and we ran down a wide hallway, past dozens of rooms. I expected to run into guards, but the halls were suspiciously empty aside from a few servants who scurried fearfully the moment they saw us coming.
“Where the hell is everyone?” Mavlyn voiced my thoughts aloud. “Why isn’t anyone trying to stop us?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted as I turned a corner, passing an enormous set of double doors I suspected led to the great hall. I didn’t sense Adara in there, though, so I kept running. “This smells like a trap. Is there any way they could have known we were coming?”
“Anything is possible,” Mavlyn said darkly. “But there’s no way we can turn back. Not as long as we’re sure Adara is here.”
“Do you hear that?” I asked, slowing my pace. I could hear the sounds of fighting down the hall—shouting, the roar of flames, someone laughing darkly.
“It sounds like a battle,” Mavlyn said grimly. She reached into one of her pockets and withdrew a fistful of seeds as we followed the sound, stopping in front of a door. “Is Adara in there?”
“Yes.” I could feel the bond tugging, demanding that I storm in there and take what was mine. “Are you ready?” I asked Mavlyn, grabbing the doorknob.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I wrenched open the door, and Mavlyn and I charged through, only to skid to a halt at the sight before us. We were in a large, well-appointed dining room, except the massive table that had likely sat in the center had been thrown to the side, the room littered with broken furniture, dishes, candelabras, and food. Adara and Aolis were engaged in a fierce battle in the center of the room, a clash of fire against shadow.
“Ahh, we have company,” Aolis said in a bored voice, glancing toward me. His arms were outstretched toward Adara, shadow magic pouring in snake-like rivers from his body. It looked like he was trying to plunge the entire room in darkness, and an icy shiver raced down my spine at how close to death we all were.
“I know.” Sweat poured off Adara’s brow as she countered with fire magic, and I watched in astonishment as her flames ate away at the shadows. It was one thing to use fire against shadow creatures, but I’d seen Aolis use his magic firsthand to cut down dragons as though they were nothing more than blades of grass. Even the strongest of us hadn’t been able to use our fire to stop him, but Adara was keeping him at bay somehow. “Meet my friends, Aolis.”
Adara didn’t turn to look at me, and I didn’t blame her. I could see that it was taking every ounce of effort to keep Aolis back, and I frowned, wondering why she even bothered when she was impervious to shadow magic. But then I spotted a huddled form in the corner a few yards behind Adara, and the two guards flanking her. Chills ran over my skin as I recognized one of them as General Slaugh, but it wasn’t him who had my attention.
It was Gelsyne. Adara’s guardian.
“Please,” she whispered, turning to face us. Even bedraggled and ruined as she looked, I recognized her instantly as the lady-in-waiting who had dragged Olette away during the wedding feast. “Help her. She can’t hold out much longer.”
“There’s nothing any of you can do to help,” Aolis scoffed. “Adara may be strong, but she’s no match for my shadow magic. Not while her light magic is still locked away. She’d have to complete the ritual first, and I won’t allow it unless she marries me.” He smirked at her.
A haze of red swam over my vision, and I nearly shifted into dragon form on the spot. “Marry you?” I thundered, taking a step toward Aolis. “It’s not enough for you to steal one dragon bride, eh? You have to go for two?”
King Aolis froze, and his shadows faltered. “You two aren’t mated,” he said, his gaze cutting to Adara. “Are you?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Adara said through gritted teeth. She used the distraction to blast more fire at Aolis, and he hissed as a flame latched onto his arm, burning through his robes. Snarling, he waved his hand, and a current of water flew across the room from an upended pitcher, dousing the fire.
“Then you have no claim over her, dragon,” Aolis sneered. He gestured to General Slaugh and his guard. “Kill them,” he ordered. “They are of no use to me.”
To my surprise, the soldiers didn’t move. “I don’t know about that,” General Slaugh drawled, a lazy smile curling his ruined mouth. “I think it might be fun to keep a dragon chained up in the dungeons as a pet.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Slaugh,” Aolis snapped. “Kill them, now.”
But Slaugh merely inspected his fingernails, looking completely disinclined to move. I stared at him, puzzled—I knew the bastard hated dragons with a passion. Why was he staying his hand?
“How dare you,” King Aolis seethed when Slaugh continued to ignore him. “You refuse to do as your king commands?”
