Page 109 of Dragon’s Rebel

Chapter 47

On the security monitors, Tempest could see Zane, Blaze and Tyr heading for the portal room, which gave them direct access to Vyrkos’ tomb. She saw sorcerers in there now, all anonymous in their long black hooded robes. With them came more and more hellhounds.

There couldn’t be that many. They must still be using illusion spells. She passed the information to Tyr.

Stay there, he said. Where you’ll be safe.

The moment he said it, she doubled over with cramps. She couldn’t stay here. Something bad was still happening—something she needed to fix. She grabbed her sketchbook and pens, and ran.

She headed first for the portal room, but that gave her another cramp. The other way, then. Somewhere she needed to be? No. Something she needed to do. No. Something she needed to get.

She headed for the armory, where the dragons kept their magical weapons. Zane had keyed the magical palm scanner to her and Blaze and Rebel, just in case.

This was the ‘in case.’

But the armory wasn’t right. Go on. Go on. She ran down the hall, anxiety clawing at her. Hurry. Hurry.

She passed the vault before she realized that was it. She skidded to a stop and went back, slamming her hand onto the scanner. The stone door slid open.

What’s here, what’s here, what’s here. The vault was full, shelves and shelves of artifacts, but there was something… something… there!

A golden statuette about four inches high, with an elongated face and a tall carved headdress. Its eyes were closed.

The idol that had belonged to Blaze’s coven. The idol Corwyn used to be trapped in.

She didn’t want to touch it. It was evil.

It’s not now, she told herself. He’s not in here. He’s out there, in Silas’s body.

Hurry. Hurry.

Steeling herself, she grabbed for the idol, and her hand bounced off an invisible wall. Strange runes glowed in the air.

Dammit. Damn over-cautious dragons. First the vault, now magical protection runes.

Her stomach cramped again. She had to get that idol. She had to get it now.

Only the idol would fix this.

Think. Dragons. Dragon runes. She wished she was a dragon, and could just make the damn runes do what she said.

Do what she said.Back in St. Johns, the first time she’d met the dragons—when Thorne came after Rebel—she made them do what she said.

She’d been frightened. And angry. Mostly angry, because she thought Thorne was going to hurt Rebel. They were all fighting, and she’d marched right out there and told him to stop, told them all to stop. She’d felt so powerful, like a goddess, and everything glowed around her.

And they did stop. Just like she said.

She called on her anger and her fear. She needed this idol. Glaring at the dragon runes, she demanded, “Give me this idol! Let it go!”

Power surged through her. The runes winked out. Tempest reached out and picked up the idol.

Holy cow.

The caverns shook, rocking under her feet like an earthquake. The tomb was failing. She had to go. Golden idol clutched in her hand, Tempest ran for the portal room.

In the cavern, Tyr was battling rank after rank of hellhounds. Zane, in human form, was taking on the sorcerers, with Blaze backing them both up.

They were all trying to figure out how many were real.