Drake’s puzzlement returned. “Why?”
“Why? Because it’s a seriously magical talisman. If Emmett has it, he’ll be unstoppable.”
“He is already enormously powerful, for a human,” Drake said. Why such an elaborate trick, when he could simply kill you and take the mirror?”
“I don’t know. Because he likes drama? Or because Mick and I are hard to kill?”
Three dragons screamed at us in a low pass, buzzing us like strafing aircraft. Drake tackled me, sending me to the ground, him on top of me.
The dragons flew past, two flames arrowing in to blast Mick. Mick rolled out of the way, and the flames hit dead trees at the edge of the forest, setting them alight.
I knew from living in dry country how quickly fires could spread. Before I could think hard about it, I brought out a ball of Beneath magic laced with storm lighting and threw it at the flames.
I’d seen Gabrielle do this, and I hoped I’d figured out the technique. The Beneath magic hit the fire, surrounded it, and squashed it out like fire retardant.
Before I could feel triumph, the dragons circled back, the two older ones right on Mick’s tail. He ducked with a sudden back-push of his wings, and the other two overshot him.
Aine recovered first, turning on one wing like a giant seabird and heading straight for Mick. She attacked, mouth open, taking out a large chunk of Mick’s shoulder before he could spin away.
By that time, Bancroft had banked and now arrowed straight for Mick, bringing his talons down on Mick’s back. At the same time, Aine darted in, her mouth closing over Mick’s sinuous neck. Mick thrashed, his tail smacking her, but Aine held on. Blood spurted from Mick’s neck and showered over Aine’s white hide, staining it scarlet.
I screamed. Mick rolled and flailed, but Aine held on with tight jaws, Bancroft clawing through Mick’s back.
All three of them fell, Mick’s wing catching a line of trees and flattening them as the dragons plummeted toward earth. They went down on the other side of the clearing, shaking the ground like an earthquake. Mick’s outstretched wing shattered with a sickening crunch of bone.
I screamed again. My magic was ready to kill, and I sprinted for them.
I’d never make it in time. The clearing was large, and Aine and Bancroft had landed on Mick and were starting to tear him apart.
Drake was right behind me, but running with me. “This wasn’t what happened!” he shouted, as though that would stop the dragons. “This isn’t what happens!”
“What did happen?” I yelled back at him.
“Mick bested them.” Drake’s words came at me as he passed me, his legs longer, his muscular body in the best training. “He won his point. This time, they’re killing him.”
I tried to increase my speed, but even in a dream, I panted and gasped, trying to keep up with Drake. He ran like an athlete, the dragon tatts on his back moving as he sprinted toward the carnage. Dimly I knew it would take him longer to turn dragon than to simply run, but I wished he’d sweep me up and fly me over there.
Aine and Bancroft were peeling Mick’s hide from his bones. Mick fought, snapping and snarling, catching them with claws and teeth.
I gathered all the magic I possessed, grabbed at the lightning and hail, and hugged them to me. I shot enough magic at the ground to lift me and sail me through the air to land just behind Drake.
“Stop!” Drake was shouting at the dragons. “You must stop!”
Bancroft turned around and shot a ball of fire at him.
I jumped in front of Drake, shoving him aside and taking the ball of fire fully on myself.
The flames eagerly surrounded me and bit into me, plunging me into a furnace. My voice died, not even letting me cry out as my skin began to melt.
Chapter Sixteen
I was dying. Flames ate my body and liquefied my skin. I couldn’t even scream.
Even so, Mick sensed my anguish somehow. Through the red of the fire I saw him lift his head and look at me, just before my sight failed. I heard him bellow in rage and grief, and then I heard nothing, felt only pain so great it had no meaning.
I tried to draw on my Beneath magic, to dampen the fire as I had on the trees. Nothing happened. I didn’t know if I could do nothing because this was a dream, or the dragon fire had destroyed me too much for there to be a me anymore.
If the dragon fire consumed me in this dream, would I awaken? Would I be lying in my bed, with Mick and my friends surrounding me as they had the first time? Or was killing me in a dream Emmett’s only hope of taking the mirror?
Sweet dreams, Janet, he’d said.
I seemed to hear Emmett’s voice even now. “Don’t move,” he said in his cold tones.