Page 30 of Mountains of Mist and Magic

The rogue dragon finally came into view, soaring several hundred feet in front of her, and about one hundred feet in the air. Selenia's breath caught in her throat.

It was Beauty.

Selenia had completely forgotten they had their own dragon defense.

“Beauty!” she shrieked, and the dragon flew closer. Selenia instantly saw what Beauty carried in her mouth, and another tremor of relief coursed through her.

Beauty had Brandle in her jaws. In his panic to get away, he must have crossed over into the magical paddock that Cyrus had enchanted before Renya and Grayden left for their honeymoon. Beauty was full size now, and she had needed a larger place to roam, so Cyrus had enchanted the north hill as her enclosure. There were no visible bars, so the dragon didn't have the appearance of being caged. It would have been easy for Brandle to mistakenly cross into her territory.

Sion finally noticed Selenia, and headed back down the hill towards her. From the look on his face, she knew he was unhappy at her interference and for putting herself in danger. She knew she would hear about it later, but she didn't care.

Beauty finally dropped down to the ground, next to Selenia and Sion. Brandle's screams and sharp cries pierced the frigid air. He was still alive but thrashing violently in the beast's mouth. One leg stuck out at an odd angle, and Selenia instantly knew it was broken.

Almost as if she was spitting up a bad meal, Beauty launched Brandle at the snow, right in front of Sion's feet.

“Good girl, Beauty,” Selenia heard Sion whisper.

Brandle scrambled in the snow, trying to get away. Beauty quickly nudged him back down with her strong snout, and then looked at Sion expectantly. It was almost as if Beauty knew that it had to be Sion. The dragon could have easily killed Brandle, but instead, she maimed him and brought him to Sion.

Selenia hadn't realized how intelligent dragons were.

Beauty's pink eyes continued to stare at Sion, unblinking. Selenia held her breath, frozen as the situation played out in front of her eyes.

Sion pulled his dagger out from his boot, and Brandle started shrieking again, begging for his life. Selenia could barely make out his words, the sounds from the tunneling dragons drowning out the cries.

She watched as Brandle tried desperately to stand, but he fell back down in the snow. Sion moved swiftly, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him up. Sion's hand rose, but he hesitated for a split second.

“Do it, Sion,” Selenia whispered to him.

It was all the encouragement Sion needed. In a flash, his dagger struck, and blood came forth, splattering the frozen snow with a hiss as hot met cold.

Sion dropped the body, stepping back quickly, almost as if he couldn't believe what he had done.

Beauty gave a happy chirp and grabbed Brandle's body, taking away the evidence of Sion's deed.

They were alone on the hill.

Sion came over to Selenia, his mouth open like he was going to scold her. But instead, he just pulled her to him, and they both watched as Beauty flew farther into her enclosure, carrying Brandle's limp body into the mountains and out of sight.

Chapter Fifteen

Sweat ran down Renya's back as she squared off with the dragon. Her aunt stood beside her, their combined powers stretching out like invisible tendrils. Renya gritted her teeth, pushing every ounce of magic from her body. The effort made her head throb, her vision blurring at the edges.

Belinia, a massive creature with purple scales resembling the darkest wine, thrashed against their magic. Her roar shook the foundations of the lodge, debris raining down from the partially collapsed ceiling. Renya could feel the heat of her breath, smell the strong scent her carnage brought forth.

“Hold steady!” Agatha shouted, her own magic pulsing with dark energy.

Renya nodded, redoubling her efforts. Golden threads of magic shot from her fingertips, weaving through the air like liquid light. They wrapped around the dragon's powerful limbs, its wings, its snapping jaws. Agatha's darker strands crisscrossed with Renya's, forming a complex web of magical restraints.

Belinia bucked and writhed, her tail lashing out and nearly knocking Renya unconscious. She ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as it passed overhead.

“Renya!”

The shout cut through her concentration. She turned quickly, her heart leaping into her throat. Brutus had finally breached the wall of Cressida's cell. The beast's massive head pushed through the opening, its eyes fixed on its mistress.

“Quick, Renya! Drop the magic on the bars before she gets away!” Grayden's voice was thick with panic. He was desperately trying to get past the enchanted cell bars, his sword drawn but useless against the magical barrier.

Renya's mind raced. If she dropped the magic on Cressida's cell, she'd have to release her hold on the first dragon. But if she didn't, Cressida could escape on Brutus's back.

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