Page 15 of Goody Magic Academy: Year Three

My wings faltered for a moment, buffeted by her malice. Then instinct took over. My muscles coiled and then released as I surged forward, tapping into a well of speed I knew I possessed. The wind howled past my ears as I put distance between myself and the high priestess, praying it was enough to evade any spell she might cast.

As Goody Magic Academy receded behind me, my thoughts turned to my parents. Worry gnawed at my insides, twisting like a knife. How could they possibly be safe? One was imprisoned, the other lost in the untold depths of a coma. The idea that their fates were in my hands weighed down on me, heavier than a mountain.

The Dragon Nexus. The words echoed in my mind, a beacon of hope amid the chaos. That was the key. If I could find it before the high priestess did, maybe, just maybe, I could save them. The very air around me was charged with the urgency of my mission.

I banked, my wings catching an updraft as I circled the Enchanted Eldercare Center once. The familiar building looked so small and vulnerable from up here. How much had changed in so brief a time. With a heavy heart, I turned away, setting my sights on the horizon.

The night stretched out before me, a canvas of velvet blackness painted with pinpricks of starlight. Each beat of my wings carried me further from everything I’d known and closer to a world of both danger and possibility. The cool air rushed over my scales, carrying scents I’d never noticed before—thetang of distant waters, the musk of forests, even the acrid touch of human civilization.

I wasn’t flying into the unknown, not really. My destination was clear, even if the path to reach it was perilous. New Orleans beckoned, a city of magic and mystery, where danger lurked in every shadowed alley and behind every ornate facade. The thought of it sent a shiver down my spine, from my snout to the tip of my tail.

As I soared through the night sky, the weight of our mission pressed down on me. This wasn’t just about adventure or discovering my newfound powers. Many lives hung in the balance—the lives of my parents, of my friends, perhaps even of all of dragonkind. If we failed... The thought was almost too terrible to contemplate.

With each powerful beat of my wings, I reaffirmed my vow to myself. Failure wasn’t an option.

Not ever.

Chapter

Eight

As the first light of dawn painted the sky with soft hues of pink and gold, the sprawling expanse of New Orleans unfolded beneath us. Jaxon’s words echoed in my mind—dragons flew faster than planes. He had been right. A journey that would have taken hours by conventional means had passed in a blur of starlight and rushing wind. But it hadn’t been easy, not by a long shot. My wings shook with fatigue and my dragon energy was slowly fading, like a leak in a gasoline tank.

The mighty Mississippi River came into view, a silver ribbon snaking its way around the city, its surface shimmering with the first light of dawn. The Gulf of Mexico stretched out beyond it and after that the ocean, a canvas of blue-green meeting the lightening sky at the horizon. The sun peeked over the water’s edge, casting long shadows across the awakening city.

My wings ached and fatigue weighed heavily on me, my dragon muscles trembling with exhaustion. The last hour had seen our speed dwindle, our once-swift progress reduced to little more than a labored glide.

We had only stopped once during our journey, a brief respite that felt like a lifetime ago. Somewhere over the rugged peaks of the Appalachians, Rose, Jaxon, and Valentin had grown tired.Even their vampire stamina had its limits. And so we had paused on a mountaintop, allowing them to shift from their bat forms back to their human ones, carrying them for the rest of the flight.

Now, Jaxon and Twyla rode on my back, their combined weight a constant, nagging presence between my shoulder blades. I could feel Jaxon’s hands gripping my scales, his body tense and alert despite his fatigue. Twyla’s occasional gasped and muttered words of awe reminded me of the incredible nature of our flight.

To my right Finn soared high, his red scales gleaming in the early morning light. Rose and Valentin were perched on his back, their forms so small against his massive frame. I could see the strain in Finn’s eyes, the determined set of his jaw as he pushed through his own exhaustion.

Kamaron lagged behind us, his flight still unsteady and lacking confidence even after hours of practice. His wings beat in an erratic rhythm, his body dipping and rising unpredictably. The decision not to have anyone ride on his back had clearly been a wise one; even now, I found myself watching him anxiously, ready to swoop in if he faltered.

As we approached the outskirts of New Orleans, the city slowly stretching awake below us, a mix of excitement and trepidation bubbled in my chest. We had made it this far, but I knew that our journey—and our challenges—were hardly over. With heavy wings and weary bodies, we began our descent into the heart of the Big Easy. Rose had said we should go to Red Rose Academy. She was sure that Costin Tarus, the headmaster there, would help us.

Rose and Valentin shifted into bats and led us to the academy, located right in the heart of New Orleans. They flew over an ornate gate and then past a bubbling fountain covered by roses of every color. All the buildings had white Corinthiancolumns and looked like something straight out ofGone with the Wind.

They flew toward an antebellum mansion set among some trees. A tall, slender man with a bald head opened the door as if anticipating our rival. Rose and Valentin had told me back at the academy that Headmaster Costin Tarus was loaded. This had to be his butler.

I landed right in front of the white columned home and Jaxon and Twyla climbed off my back.

Jaxon looked at me and smiled. “Just shift. I’ve got you covered. Literally.” He held up my clothes.

The last thing I wanted was for the butler or anyone else to see me naked. Why did vampires get to keep their clothes on when they transformed? Not fair at all.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, feeling the familiar tingle of magic coursing through me as the shift back began. The thick scales covering my body began to soften and shrink, becoming smooth human skin. My elongated snout receded, and my features rearranged into a human face.

A series of muffled cracks and pops signaled my bones shifting and shrinking. My massive, leathery wings disappeared into my shoulder blades, muscles and tendons twisting to pull them in. Compared to shifting the other way, the process was not that painful, but the sensation of my body reshaping itself still freaked me out. I didn’t know if I would ever truly get used to it.

My tail, a powerful rudder just a few minutes ago, slowly retracted into my spine. My claws dulled and shortened into human nails, while my four dragon limbs transformed into arms and legs. The immense strength of my dragon form receded.

It was as if an unseen force was carefully reshaping my body, sculpting every detail until I stood there in human form again. Transformation complete, I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, getting used to my infinitely weaker human senses.

The grass tickled the bare skin of my feet, a sensation so different from the way it felt against my tough hide. I flexed my fingers, marveling at their dexterity compared to my claws. A light breeze caressed my skin, and I suppressed a shiver, missing the warmth insulation of my scales.

Not looking at anyone, I did my best to cover my nakedness with my hands. My face heated up so fast I thought it would melt. I would never get used to stripping in front of God and everyone to shift into my dragon.

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