Page 57 of Magic Claimed

Robbed of his vengeance, the black dragon turned as he hovered, eyes slitted, looking for a new target.

A nagging voice whispered in my ear, drawing my attention to all the details that didn’t quite add up, but I could barely focus over the roar of the flames and the rush of wind from the dragon’s wings. Couldn’t hear my doubts clearly over the silent scream of my terror that Callum might be too far gone. That we might have to hurt him before he hurt anyone else.

We’d been lucky so far. Nothing was broken beyond repair, except perhaps the humans’ ability to trust their Idrian neighbors. There would be so many videos. So many eyewitness accounts of the attack. And so many who would have heard that cry, identifying exactly who…

“Callum, you have to stop!”

There it was again. A woman’s voice. She still sounded terrified, but this time, I heard her more clearly, and a faint glimmer of recognition kicked me in the gut.

That voice didn’t belong here.

But I couldn’t remember why, so after one last glance at the dragon, I finally forced myself to move. Abandoning the shelter of the bridge, I raced down the sidewalk, yanking water from the air, from the gutters, from anywhere I could reach. There wasn’t much, but it was enough to douse the edges of the flames so that I could pass without being singed.

I could see The Portal up ahead. Its unassuming brickfacade looked just as it always had, thanks to the glamour anchored to the trees along the sidewalk. It was late afternoon. There would be a handful of customers. Faris would be in his office, unless he’d heard the commotion, and then he would be heading outside, ready to protect his territory.

Seamus, Marilee, Irene, Emberly… how many others were in there?

I was running full out, but every step seemed to take forever, as if I moved through jello. I looked up and back as the dragon turned its head. Looked my way. Traced my path…

I was going to win. I would not let this imposter destroy my people or my city.

Those massive wings shifted as the dragon twisted in mid-air—still hovering as it drew in a breath.

No, no, no…

I heard a distant scream from Kira, and a jet of white fire struck like a lightning bolt, splashing across the black dragon’s neck with a sound like sizzling steaks on a grill, burning through scales and muscles to leave a deep, smoking wound.

The black dragon screeched, and his tail whipped through the air, too quickly for Kira to dodge. The bronze dragon fell from the sky, landed in the street with a grunt, and lay still.

I had to help her. I had to warn everyone. But I was too slow, and now it was far, far too late. Despite his injuries, the black dragon let out a roar of anger, opened his fanged mouth, and breathed out a stream of fire that crackled and hissed through the air less than a hundred yards away…

To slam into the unprotected front of The Portal.

The shockwave threw me off my feet, but I barely felt it.

I wastoo busy screaming in denial. Crying out in terror as the front wall of The Portal crumbled, the glass melted, and the wooden frame blazed up.

No.

I had to do something. Put out the flames. But there wasn’t enough water. Wasn’t anything I could do.

“What do you need?” The strangely calm voice penetrated my panic, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Ethan, still looking cool and unaffected, his hand clutching Logan’s as he tugged the younger boy behind him. Logan could only stumble in his wake, his face blank and white with shock.

“Water,” I managed to say. “But I don’t know how…”

A cry erupted from Logan’s throat—of rage, of fury, of fear—and his magic nearly exploded in answer. His clenched fist punched outward, and the concrete buckled, toppling a nearby fire hydrant right off its base and spewing a jet of water into the air over our heads.

I reached for the water. Saw Kira wobble to her feet, shaking her head.She was okay.

But the dragon still hovered. Preparing for another shot. I needed it distracted while I put out the flames, but who else could help us?

“I’ve got this,” Kira called, but she didn’t take flight. Didn’t spread her wings or breathe fire. Instead, she seemed to focus intently, and a moment later, the black dragon faltered in the air. Slipped towards the earth. Only for an instant, but for the space of a breath, it was as if it had forgotten how to fly.

Kira snarled, and this time as she focused I heard her mutter a single word aloud: “Stop.”

It faltered again.

But for a second time, it shook her off too quickly. I could tell it was struggling to maintain altitude, but somehow remained aloft. Still dangerous, but turning now to focus on Kira as the main threat.