Page 82 of Betrayed By Dragons

I turn toward the door back into the castle, but the new and definitely-not-improved Li steps in to block my path.

"Take the girl alive," he hisses.

And that's great. Super awesome. They don't want to kill me--just kidnap me.

Actually, that might worse.

I don't have time to contemplate the sheer terror freezing my insides. I don't know what the hell they want with me, but it can't be good.

Jianyu's dragon roars, shaking the very ground beneath our feet. He dives toward Li, and Li shifts, erupting into an enormous ebony dragon. Li's dragon opens his mouth, but instead of fire, black smoke pours from his maw.

Jianyu's dragon recoils as if burned. Sympathetic pain tears at my arm as purple spots glow on his scales. He roars even louder. If I'm feeling even a fraction of what he is, he must be in agony.

Rafe's dragon lets out a cry of his own as he soars directly at the invaders. Hot fire jets from his mouth, enveloping the attackers, but they're undeterred.

A pit of despair opens up inside me. We can't win. We're hopelessly outnumbered.

But we shouldn't be.

Where the hell are the Fire Kingdom's warriors? I need to sound the alarm; surely their wards must have gone off by now.

A dark presence prickles the back of my neck. Dread dripping like acid into my veins, I cast my gaze over my shoulder.

The king's advisor, Gethen, stands on one of the balconies overlooking the courtyard. He's in human form, but enveloped in shadow. He waves his hands, and great balls of crackling purple and black energy form in his palms.

I barely have time to duck as he flings them forward. I step backward, protectively lifting my own arms.

My bracer burns.

Brilliant purple light streams from my hands, creating the protective bubble that saved me and Amy both at the summit, and I could cry with relief, if I weren't so utterly screwed.

In desperation, I try to throw my magic toward my mates, to protect them, but I don't know how to control my power. Gethen flings more spheres of rippling dark energy at me. My shield deflects them, but I feel every impact weakening my defenses.

We have to get out of here--I have to think.

Rafe lets out deafening roar as he takes a hit to his side. Tears form in my eyes at the spray of sympathetic agony spreading across my midsection. His dragon falls out of the air, only to right himself, but he's wounded--badly. He covers it with his wing, but his flank is bubbling, the scales melted away to reveal bare dragonflesh beneath. He jets searing flame at the dragons surrounding him, but there are too many of them.

I try yet again to throw my protection magic in his direction, but I was already struggling. Between my two mates and me, I'm stretched too thin.

Another ball of Gethen's shadow magic lands at my feet, and its darkness sticks this time. A creeping numbness begins to rise, cementing me in place. Panic claws at me. I fling more protection bubbles in every direction, but they're growing weaker with each one. I'm flailing wildly, and I can't go on like this.

We can't.

High Priestess Fang's words suddenly appear in my mind.

Focus. Think of those you want to protect.

More dragons pour out of the portal. Jianyu takes another hit, and pain shoots through the part of my leg that has yet to go numb. Rafe narrowly dodges a bolt of shadow energy only to drift into the oncoming path of another, and I cry out, my vision swimming.

Focus.

An unexpected calm falls over me. The raging battle and the chaos are impossible to block out. The threat to my mates slashes my concentration, but there's a sudden haziness to it all.

Think of those you want to protect.

My protection spells are too weak, even with the need tearing at me.

My eyes fall closed. I feel the power welling up inside my bones. The heat of fire and the solidity of stone.

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