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Fifteen

“Whoa-ho-baby!” Jordan cried, the first to breakthe silence as he stared at Xira with comically wide eyes.

Alex understood his reaction. Her draekon truly was impressive.

But Xira wasn’t the only magnificent beast now atop the cloud island, because within seconds, the six others had landed, responding to Xira’s mental command that they were free to be at ease now that Alex had won.

Aware that she had cheated—or that Xira had done so on her behalf by ordering the draekons not to let their riders win— Alex couldn’t bring herself to care, not when she had been set up to lose right from the beginning.

The Tia Aurans dismounted, five of whom glared daggers at her, with the sixth, her earlier rescuer, looking like he was a breath away from laughing.

As if fearing the wrath of their riders, the six draekons took to the air almost as soon as the Tia Aurans were clear, with Xira being the only one now remaining.

I need to leave in order for the Gate to return you to Vardaesia, he told Alex.But I’ll check in with you later. Sound good?

Better than good, Alex told him, running her hand along his glossy black scales—or what she could reach of them. She still couldn’t believe they were together again, not when she had been so afraid that he was gone forever.

Watch yourself, Alex. The Tia Aurans are a proud race—they won’t take lightly to what happened here today.

Feeling their glares like physical pinpricks against her skin, Alex had already figured as much. But still, she nodded.Talk to you later, Xira. And thanks for saving me.

Again, he said pointedly.

Alex grinned as she agreed aloud by saying, “Again. And it probably won’t be the last time.”

A deep, audible sigh came from Xira, and then he said in a rumbling voice that caused Alex’s friends to jump, as if they hadn’t expected him to be able to speak, “I’m already missing the peace and quiet of the last few millennia.”

His tone was humorously tired and, laughing now, Alex said, “And you calledmea terrible liar.” She pushed against his considerable weight, not sure he even felt her nudge. “We’ve already established that you missed me. No take-backs.”

“Impossible mortal,” he grumbled, yet with clear affection as he nudged her in return, a slight shift of his weight that sent her stumbling away. His actions, however, had also been to move her clear of him so he could stretch out his massive wingspan and then launch himself into the sky.Until later, Alex.

She smiled as she watched his enormous shadowy figure sweep through the air so fast that he was like a blur, and then he was gone from sight.

Just like he’d said, the Gate had been waiting for his departure, because a moment later there was a brilliant burst of light and Alex and her friends, as well as the six Tia Aurans, were flash-transported—parroned—back to the stadium.

But this time they weren’t met with cheers. Instead, there was an eerie, stony silence that surrounded them.

The six Tia Auransparronedaway almost instantly, flashing straight up to the viewing box with Saefii, Calivere and Tayros,talking furiously amongst themselves—too low for even Alex to hear in the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

“I’m not sensing good things here,” Bear whispered as Alex and her five friends closed ranks.

Alex felt the same, since not only were the Tia Aurans in the audience subdued, but they were also looking down with grim, almost appalled faces.

Resisting the urge to tug her sleeves down and hide as much of her glimmering skin as possible, Alex instead raised her chin, holding her head proudly in the face of their clear judgement.

When Saefii stood, all eyes turned to her, and the six Tia Auran competitorsparronedback to the dais once more. Five of them remained separated from Alex and her friends, as if being near the mortals would put them at risk of contracting some kind of disease. But the sixth one, Alex’s rescuer, strode straight over to her in an undeniable show of support, sending her a quick, reassuring wink as he stopped by her side.

“The Gate of Courage has been completed,” Saefii said, her grave tone matching her face. “However, there appears to be a dispute over who the winner is.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Declan called. “Your rules said that whoever set foot back upon thatLendasaplace first would be the winner. Alex landed first—that makes her the winner.”

“Alexandra cheated.”

While Alex had admitted as much to herself earlier, that didn’t mean she appreciated the empress’s blunt announcement. Not when the circumstances of her ‘cheating’ had been what they were.

“What?” shrieked D.C. “How can she have cheated if we weren’t given any rules?”

Alex laid a calming hand on her friend’s arm.