Forged in Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector Book 5) Page 7

  I had no idea what we’d do when we reached it, but something.

  Except that Drakon was nearly at the top now, his great body clawing up the dark stone. He scrambled through the great windows that glowed from the stone.

  “No!” I could just barely see him wrap his huge body around the glowing light until it was extinguished completely.

  Then he disappeared.

  Gone.

  Frustration tore through me. Failure. I wanted to scream, beat at the earth. Have a tantrum of epic proportions.

  It was Jeff, and worry over him that saved me from doing that. As Ares slowed the stallion to a halt, I turned to look back at my dragon. He was sitting upright now, smaller than he had been. Only the size of a very large cow. He shook his head, wobbly.

  I collapsed against Ares’s back, gratitude welling in me. But failure was hot on its heels. Worry and grief, too.

  “We failed,” I said.

  “Just this time.”

  I nodded, my mind racing. What would we do from here? What was our next move supposed to be?

  Galloping hoof beats sounded from behind us. I turned. Artemis rode toward us, her blond hair whipping in the wind. She stopped her horse near us.

  “Your bravery was commendable,” she said.

  “I’ve failed.”

  “But not permanently.” She glanced around, her gaze landing on the bodies of the fallen beasts of war. “I must go. Athena may not like that I was here. But when this is over, I will come to you for my tribute.”

  “All right. Thank you for your help.”

  She nodded, her silver eyes serious, then turned her horse and galloped back, aiming for a section of land bridge that would take her over the crevasse. That must have been the way Ares had come for me.

  I turned back to Ares. “What now?”

  “Home. Then we come up with another plan.”

  It was all there was left to do, really.

  A woman’s voice sounded from nearby. “I must say, I’d hoped you’d stop him.”

  I turned toward the tower, catching sight of a figure striding toward us. A woman with dark hair, serious gray eyes, and wearing ancient Greek armor. A white owl perched on her shoulder. Her magic was like a one-two punch to the gut. A feeling of both calm and chaos, the sound of battle, the smell of blood. But also the comforting sense of knowing what to do in a bad situation.

  “Athena,” I said. “Goddess of wisdom and war.”

  She inclined her head.

  “I’m sorry about your beasts of war,” I said.

  She stopped about a dozen feet from us. “They will regenerate. As for you … You were lucky to survive this.”

  With every muscle aching from the electric shock and my bones feeling jolted to the marrow, I had to agree. Whether I’d survive my next encounter with Drakon? That was yet to be determined.

  “Do you know why my blade didn’t kill Drakon?” I asked the question that had been lurking in my mind. “I hit him right in the heart. I saw it.”

  She nodded, lips pursed. “Only the beak of the phoenix can kill Drakon.”

  “What does that mean?” I didn’t have a beak. Was it figurative?

  “Only you can determine that. And before you ever get that far, you will have to work on your flaws.”

  “Flaws?” Didn’t love the sound of that, even though it was likely true.

  “Yes. Your greatest flaw is lack of belief in yourself. It has colored your experiences here and in the mortal world. But it needs to stop. You’ve proven yourself here, today. Your kindness in helping Nestor, your bravery in defeating the beasts of war. You are worthy, Phoenix Knight, and you will need that knowledge and strength of will to carry you through to the end of this journey. You will not survive if you doubt yourself.”

  So I might survive. That was good news. “I’d never realized I doubted myself so much. I really thought I’d been getting a handle on it lately.”

  “Doubt is an insidious thing, creeping up when we least expect it. Have faith. Pursue your course of action and trust that you are good enough. You’ve proven it over and over.”

  Warmth pushed away some of the pain in my muscles. Ares reached back and gripped my hand. I could feel his agreement. It radiated from him like the light of the sun.

  His closeness also made me realize that I was still mounted on Artemis’s horse. Should I get down to greet the goddess?

  I’d probably fall flat on my face. And since she didn’t seem to mind…

  I stayed seated. In the distance, Jeff wobbled through the air, trying out his wings.

  “Will he be all right?” I asked.

  “Yes, though that was quite a blow for your familiar.”

  “He’s brave.”

  “That he is.” Athena made a gesture with her hand, then twisted her wrist so her palm faced upward. A white charm lay in her palm. She approached, her magical signature growing stronger with every step.

  Frankly, it was damned uncomfortable. Wisdom and war created two very conflicting magical signatures. I sucked in a shallow breath and braced myself, my weak muscles threatening to give up the fight and send me plummeting off the horse’s back.

  Athena raised her hand, offering the charm to me. My gaze darted to her owl, which watched me with thoughtful golden eyes, and then to the charm.

  “What is it?” I asked, remembering all the tales of tricky gods.

  Athena, for all her wisdom and power, had also been the one to smite Medusa. She was dangerous.

  “A gift. Freely given, which I am not always wont to do.” Her steady gray eyes met mine. “But you will need it, Phoenix. Very soon. You came here today and did not get what you wanted. But I hope you will get what you need. This charm is a temporary gift of wisdom and mental clarity. You will know when to use it—when your sisters are near—and it will make all the difference.”

  Well, I couldn’t look that gift horse in the mouth. “Thank you.”

  I reached for the charm. It tingled coolly against my fingertips as I plucked it from her palm.

  “When you have defeated Drakon, which I hope desperately that you do, return the stone to me,” she said.

  “Of course.”

  “I will send you home now. You don’t have time to make your way back through the Underworld.”

  “Nor the strength.”

  Athena’s eyes traveled to Ares. “You have been quiet, vampire.”

  “It’s not really my show, is it?” Ares said. “I’m the backup.”

  “Phoenix will not be able to accomplish this without you. Or without her family and friends. Your strength is in your bond. In your unity. Don’t forget that.”

  I swallowed hard, hating to hear that. I didn’t want to put any of them at risk. But she was right. If today had proven anything, I wasn’t nearly strong enough on my own to defeat Drakon.

  Chapter Seven

  Athena sent Ares and me back to Magic’s Bend with a flick of her wrist. Magic swirled around us and sucked us through the ether. It was dark when we arrived back in Magic’s Bend. The moon was out and the streetlights on. What time it was, I had no idea. I’d lost all track.

  Cold wind cut across my cheeks, stinging my eyes. I sighed. This had been one long winter. I hoped I’d be welcoming spring with Drakon and the Triumvirate duties behind me.

  Then my deirfiúr and I would be safe and free.

  I held on to Ares for support—my muscles still felt like noodles—and turned to inspect the street. We were in front of P & P. The lights within glowed warm and welcoming. It was empty other than Cass, Del, Aidan, and Roarke, with Connor behind the bar. The little sign on the door was flipped to Closed.

  “Perfect timing,” I said. My stomach grumbled as if it agreed.

  Ares grinned, then wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me inside. The door wasn’t locked, so we let ourselves into the warmth. The scent of coffee and pastries made my mouth water.

  “Nix!” Cass stood.

  Del joined her. “You
look like hell.”

  I laughed, but stopped short when the movement made my chest hurt. “I’m good.” My gaze landed on Jeff, who already sat in one of the chairs. He was small again, and an empty glass of whiskey sat in front of him. There was a bottle of Dr. Pepper next to it. Apparently he was expanding his tastes. “When did he get here?”

  “Just a couple minutes ago.” Aidan grinned, his auburn hair glinting in the light. “He went straight for my whiskey, so I gave it to him. Then he pulled a bottle of soda from the fridge.”

  The little dragon burped, looking content. At least he was getting better.

  Ares helped me stagger to the chairs.

  “Coffee and food coming right up. Leftovers from the day all right?” Connor called from behind the counter.

  My stomach grumbled. “Amazing.”

  “Thanks.” Ares smiled at him, then helped me sit.

  “Are you okay?” Cass’s concerned eyes met mine. “You really do look pretty rough.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be okay. How did it go with looking for the dragons?”

  “Aren’t you going to tell us about the stone and Drakon?” Del asked. “We’ve been on the edge of our seats.”

  “I failed. And I will tell you. But first, I have to know how you did. Any luck?” It was our only hope, now.

  “Maybe,” Cass said. “We went to the tallest mountain in Norway, as Hildr the Valkyrie told us to. It’s located in the central part of the country.”

  “But there were definitely no dragons there,” Del said. “Just a ski resort full of humans and a few supernaturals.”

  Shit. “A ski resort?”

  “Dragons wouldn’t be sleeping beneath a ski resort,” Ares said.

  “No kidding.” Del nodded. “But while we were poking around, this strange old woman came up to us. Her magic was different. Unidentifiable. And she said, ‘This is not what you seek, for it is not on this land.’”

  “And then she freaking disappeared.” Cass threw her hands up.

  I scowled, trying to piece it all together. “But you’re certain she recognized you somehow? Or knew what you were there for?”

  “Yes.” Cass nodded emphatically. “She reminded me a bit of Hildr. Just much older. And wearing a fluffy black parka.”

  Del passed me her phone. I took it and looked at the screen. It was a photo of an older woman’s side profile. She wore a bright pink jacket and had a cloud of white hair. Her gaze was serious. There was something special about her.

  “Hmm. Old ladies are now giving us clues.” I leaned back in my chair. That was actually a good thing, since old ladies were just young ladies who’d seen and done more stuff. Which made her message more likely to be legit.

  Connor approached with coffee and food. I took my plate and cup, then shot him a grateful glance. Right now, he was my savior. “Thank you.”

  Ares repeated the sentiment.

  “Anytime, guys.” Connor grinned and went back to the counter, clearly keeping an ear perked. Which was fine by me, since he’d probably be jumping into this with us soon enough.

  I bit into the pasty—a regular beef and potato one, which tasted divine right now—and studied the picture of the old woman. “You said that she told you that what we seek is not on this land?”

  Cass nodded.

  “Strange choice of words,” Ares said.

  “Yeah.” There was something there—a connection my mind wasn’t making. Hidlr had definitely said the largest mountain in Norway. Yet this woman said differently.

  So what was the deal?

  As I chewed and swallowed my pasty, I remembered the charm that Athena had given me. This was the moment. She’d said it would come soon and that I’d be with my sisters, as she’d called them. I needed clarity of thought. Wisdom. A mental jolt of Adderall or something.

  And I could just feel that the information was here, buried in this woman’s message.

  I reached into my pocket and withdrew the ivory charm.

  “What’s that?” Cass asked.

  “Gift from Athena. For wisdom.” I clutched it in my hand, asking the magic to help me. As if it understood, it flared bright, light shining between my fingers. For the briefest moment, my mind felt clear. Like I could understand everything that happened and all the connections in the world.

  Oddly, the first thing my brain latched onto was Ares. Every moment of our time together played in my head, so fast it was over in a flash. But it all made sense. Though it’d been such a short time, loving him was so honest and so right. Any fear I’d had about my feelings being from our blood bond had been banished last week—but this just cemented it even more in my mind.

  I forced my thoughts from Ares and to the dragons. To what Hildr had told us, and then what the strange old woman had said.

  “Oh!” I gasped. “The tallest mountain in Norway is not on the mainland. It’s hidden from all eyes and has never been charted by topographers.”

  “Where is it?” Ares asked.

  “Svalbard.”

  “Where the hell is that?” Cass asked.

  “It’s an island, north of Norway, far into the Arctic Sea. A territory of theirs.”

  Del leaned back in her seat, a smile on her face. “Of course. That makes perfect sense. Norway is remote, but not remote enough for dragons. And that’s what the old woman meant when she said ‘not on this land.’ It’s in Norway, just not on the mainland.”

  I smiled, a bit of hope finally rising within me. Athena’s charm had already faded in my hand, the magic extinguished. I let out a shaky breath. That had been a wild trip.

  “So now we know where the dragons are,” Cass said. “Roughly. What happened with Drakon?”

  I frowned. “It didn’t go well. He got the battery, which I’m sure you assumed. And I can’t kill him with my sword—not even with a direct blow to the heart.”

  It’d been my last hope. At least, the last idea I actually had.

  “So that’s why you want to know if we found the dragons,” Del said. “We have to bring the fight to him.”

  “Exactly. He can’t use his spell without a FireSoul conduit. We are his ideal conduits. Without us, he can’t do anything.”

  “Doesn’t that mean you should stay away from him?” Roarke asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, ideally. But we can’t sit back from the fight. I am the only one who can defeat him, and Athena made it clear that I can’t do it without my deirfiúr or Ares. If we wait too long, avoiding him in hopes that he won’t go through with his plan without us, he’ll likely settle for another FireSoul to use as a conduit. Maybe more than one.”

  “So you three being his chosen FireSouls might buy us a couple days to come up with a plan,” Ares said. “But in the end, you will have to face him.”

  “I think so.” I downed the rest of my coffee in two gulps. “Which means finding the dragons and figuring out a way to stop Drakon.”

  “We’re bringing the fight to him,” Cass said.

  “Better to be on the offensive anyway,” Del added.

  I nodded, pleased to see that Ares, Aidan, and Roarke seemed to agree. Jeff, for his part, was already asleep.

  I set my cup down and pulled the mirror that Pan had given me from my pocket, hoping that I could see Drakon. It was blank—just a regular mirror again. Even though I couldn’t see Drakon, I had to imagine that after our battle, he was resting and recovering.

  Which was what we needed to do, as well.

  After finishing our drinks, we all agreed to get a good night’s sleep. No way I’d be able to trek through Svalbard in my current condition.

  When Ares helped me rise, that became all the more apparent. I could barely walk.

  “Drakon really did a number on me,” I said. “If I thought his touch was electric, stabbing a blade into his heart is a whole new level.”

  Ares wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me through the door of P & P. Jeff had decided to sleep it off in P & P, and everyone else was staying a few more minutes,
so we had the quiet street to ourselves as we walked.

  I couldn’t help but think of what we’d just been through—my injuries made it impossible to forget.

  “Had I even been close to stopping Drakon back there?” I said.

  “Perhaps not,” Ares said. “Our best chance was beating him to the stone and stealing it to hide it. Once he appeared on the field, our odds were dismal.”

  “I wounded him, at least.”

  “And learned plenty in the process.” He squeezed me lightly around the waist. “And not just from the wisdom charm that Athena gave you.”

  “You mean, believing in myself?”

  “That too.”

  I sighed. “An important lesson.” If anything, I was going to force myself to take something positive from the failure with Drakon. It was another stepping stone closer to defeating him. Sure, I’d wanted to end it there. But we didn’t always get what we wanted. “Hey, when Athena said that sometimes we get what we need, not what we want, do you think she was singing that Stones song in her head?”

  Ares chuckled. “Maybe. But somehow I doubt it.”

  I laughed, enjoying the quiet moment beneath the stars. It was a rare, clear-skied winter night. Despite the golden streetlights, I could still see the stars above. It was dark inside Ancient Magic, and I wished the shop were open.

  It would be. It had to be.

  Because now, more than ever, we were closer to defeating Drakon. And with my friends’ help, we had a chance.

  I opened the green door to our building and wearily made my way up the stairs. Halfway up, Ares swooped me up into his arms.

  “Hey, I can walk.”

  “Not easily.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

  “Clearly not.” I leaned my head against his shoulder, reliving the moment when he’d told me he loved me. That had really happened.

  Ares let us into my apartment and sat me on the couch. I pulled him down next to me, my muscles trembling from the strain.

  He turned to me, clearly about to say something, but I spoke first. “Could you heal me?”