Page 127 of Spark of Sorcery

I snort. “Come on. We’re wasting time.”

“Have you seen how fast that thing can move?” he says, a few minutes later. “He could be anywhere.”

“You’re right,” I say. I dip into the pocket of my jacket and pull out a small package wrapped in cloth.

“Stars above, what in the realm is that?” Fly says, pinching his nostrils with one hand and waving his other in front of his face.

“Blaze’s favorite snack.”

I unwind the cloth and hold the dead rat up by the end of its tail.

Fly gags into his hands, his nostrils still pinched. “Gross, that is actually so disgusting.”

I wave the rat around in front of me, walking deeper into the forest. We’re far from the academy now and soon we’ll hit the hilly landscape of the highlands, with all its boulders, crevices and caves. The kind of landscape I suspect might attract a dragon.

“Blaze!” I call. “I got a ratty for you.”

Fly cups his hands around his mouth and calls too. “Here, draggie waggie. Good draggie waggie.”

I roll my eyes and keep calling the dragon’s name, waving the rat about in all directions.

“This isn’t working,” Fly moans after a few more minutes.

“You don’t have much patience,” I observe.

“You sound just like my mother.”

“Give it time. He has to catch the scent of the rat.”

I keep calling while Fly leans against a tree and examines his nails.

After another fifteen minutes there’s still no sign of the dragon.

“We should have brought Dray,” I mutter. “He would have been able to follow the dragon’s scent.”

“Can’t you use your magic or something?”

“Funnily enough, I don’t know any spells for retrieving lost baby dragons.”

“But do you know any for retrieving, you know, lost items in general?”

I frown. I hadn’t thought of that. I run through the ones I know in my head. None are suitable for this specific task, but there is one I could try to adapt.

I let the shadows race from my fingers (Fly taking four decided steps away from me) and start whispering into the air.

It’s a struggle. The shadows are raging hot, bent on destruction, retribution and revenge. They want to crush the people that hurt her. Annihilate them completely. But that will have to wait. Right now, I have a dragon to find.

I keep whispering, my voice rising, as I battle tocontrol my magic. It soars and sweeps around the trees, and I grit my teeth, battling to keep it under my will.

“Keep back!” I warn Fly as I grapple with it, the words flying from my mouth more quickly.

But it’s no good. The shadows are too angry. They tried to kill our mate and revenge is all they want.

With a grunt and a heave, I force them back inside my body. Then I stand there panting and sweating, my breath loud in the suddenly silent forest.

“Wow,” Fly says, “that was–”

“Hopeless,” I mutter. “Come on. Let’s keep searching.”