Gabs wrapped a long Aldrion blue cloak around Mel’s shoulders and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. Their gazes met for a second and Mel felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn’t want to leave Gabs here at the Dragon Forge while she ran out to face the dragon. But she didn’t know what else she could do. Gabriella hadn’t had time to practice the new magic, and it was more important to Mel that she wasn’t harmed during their attempt.

It was bad enough that Austin was already out there with his elemental warriors, waiting for her to join them. That Marcus was somewhere in Aldrion fighting the darkness and that if they didn’t succeed today, the governor would know they’d gone behind his back.

She swallowed hard, bringing out her quiver and handing it to Gabs. She filled it with the special arrows they’d spent days creating. Gabs wrapped a dark cloth around it, and after she was done, she attached it with a purple ribbon around the length. They didn’t want anyone seeing what Mel carried.

Mel pulled the hood over her head and let it hang down across her face, obscuring her features. She gave Gabs a quick embrace and then gave Master Foss and the other students a curt nod. This was where their paths split, and Mel would have to put her trust in a group of elemental warriors she’d never met before. But she trusted Austin, and she trusted when he said they were loyal.

Master Foss walked toward the opening into the Dragon Forge and to where her two guards stood watching the sun setting on the horizon. The blood red light shone inside and mingled with the glow from the four dragon stones. Mel took her position in a dark corner of the forge, close to the entrance. Her breath came in quick bursts and her heart was pounding, threatening to leap out of her chest.

She sent a silent prayer to the dragons and the mother, hoping that at least one of them was listening and wished tonight would go as planned. Master Foss reached the entrance, making the guards turn to him with concerned expressions.

“I don’t know where she went,” Master Foss said, holding his arms out along his sides. “I’m not sure if she could have gone anywhere, but I’ve looked all over the forge. I can’t seem to find her.”

“What? How is that possible? You assured us this was the only exit.”

Master Foss dragged a hand over his beard. “Yes, I thought so. But I guess with the magic we have within these walls, perhaps she could have created another way out.”

Both of her guards drew their swords and followed Master Foss further into the Dragon Forge. Mel dragged in a long breath, trying to calm her nerves. She didn’t want to fall down onto the uneven floor and make too much noise while leaving.

When the guards were sufficiently far away, Mel slipped out of the entrance and made her way down the first couple of steps toward the city. The sun was only a red slit on the horizon now, and Mel knew she didn’t have much time to make it to Austin before the dragon arrived.

From the forge she heard Gabs’ voice frantically telling lies to the guards. “Melissa picked up one of the double imbues and started melting the back wall. She used air magic to cool the rock and then ran through a long tunnel all the way out the other side of the mountain. Quickly, you need to…”

A smile played on Mel’s lips as she stumbled down the steps, taking them two at a time. Gabs really was a great actor and an even greater friend. She hoped she wouldn’t be in too much trouble after the guards realized Mel hadn’t created a tunnel to the other side of the mountain.

Mel ran across the Falden school grounds and made her way to the road leading down to town square. She dragged the cloak tight around her body and felt the quiver of arrows slapping against her back. There were only soldiers and elemental warriors out on the streets by now. Everyone else was hiding in the bunkers.

A squad of soldiers spotted her on the road and yelled after her, but Mel didn’t glance back. She kept running and ducked into one of the many alleyways, making her way to the burnt down tower. The one Headmaster Lorken had used to detonate his new weapon in. Inside the ruins, hiding from any commander, were Austin and a group of elemental warriors. Mel guessed they must be around fifteen in total.

She slipped into the ruin, and when Austin saw her, he immediately wrapped her into a hug. Mel’s body felt stiff against his embrace, and her eyes flickered back and forth between him and the elemental warriors. They looked similarly startled at Austin’s sudden show of affection. But after the awkward second passed, Mel hugged him back and pressed her lips against his cheek. It was good to see him.

Austin pulled back, clearing his throat and gesturing toward the warriors. “This is my elite force. They have been trained with double imbues and know what to do.” He gestured to Mel. “This is Melissa Temper, the inventor of the double imbue and a member of the dragon cult.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Mel winced at his introduction of her. She wasn’t sure she wanted this group of people to know who she really was. Would they follow her and Austin if they knew she was from the dragon cult?

“She’ll provide us with the special arrows and help us kill the dragon.”

The group of people looked at her with shocked disbelief, and Mel couldn’t help but feel like Austin had given too much away.

“My second in command, Oliver Reneti, will give the order to shoot the dragon.” Austin pointed at an older man with a beard and the customary elemental warrior uniform in navy blue. But Mel felt like she recognized his face and his manners. He gave her a faint smile, but Mel couldn’t return it.

Austin took the quiver off her back and unwrapped the cloth Gabs had fastened to hide it. He handed out an arrow each to the elemental warriors and then one to Mel and himself. He dragged two bows from his back and handed one to Mel, giving her a confident smile.

Mel shook her head at him and a confused expression grew on Austin’s face. Oliver Reneti started speaking to the elemental warrior in a calm but rehearsed tone. Mel dragged Austin to the side and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“We can’t trust him. Oliver is not to be trusted. He used to follow me and Marcus around everywhere. I think he’s working for someone else.”

Mel pulled back, catching the disbelief in Austin’s eyes.

He shook his head at her. “No, I trust him. He has proven he can be trusted. Perhaps you’re mixing him up with someone else.”

Mel tilted her head, giving him an exasperated look.

“Okay, maybe not. I’m sorry. But I believe in Oliver. I know he wants to kill the dragon just as much as we do. Please, can you trust me?”

Mel sighed and rolled her eyes at Austin. “Fine, but if this all goes to hell because of him. We’re all screwed, you know that.”

Austin’s lips drew into a thin line, and he gave her a curt nod.

Mel placed her arrow between her fingers and wished she’d practiced with a bow more. She didn’t even know if she could hit anything at all. Sure, it was a big dragon, but it wasn’t like she could just pick up a new weapon and master it right away. She needed to trust Austin and the other elemental warriors, trust they would come through even if she didn’t.

A growl sounded from the sky and the familiar flapping of large wings hung in the air like a sign of doom. Mel’s heart pounded, and she heard Austin yelling for the warriors to step into formation. Mel joined them, trying to keep up with what they were all doing at the same time as her body filled with fear.

They stood in a long line inside the ruin, with Oliver Reneti standing behind them. Mel was sure now he was the same person who had used to sit at Pedro’s noodle place and listen in on hers and Marcus’s conversations. She couldn’t exactly prove it. But she recognized his face. She was sure the man who’d followed her before had informed Derek about their plan to go into the wastes. She was sure Oliver would inform him about killing the dragon, too.

Hopefully, he would do so when the deed was already done and Mel could accept the consequences of her actions. But if he tried to jeopardize their mission today, make sure the dragon survived, she wasn’t sure she’d let him live.

The dragon circled the sky, getting down lower for every lap. It flew past their tower in a rush and behind them they heard screams. The dragon got back into Mel’s line of sight, stopping right in front of them, hovering with its wings flapping against its sides.

“Ready your bows,” Oliver yelled.

Mel dragged her bow tight across her chest and felt the feathered end of the arrow tickle her fingers. She licked her lips and connected to the double imbue surrounding the tip of the arrow. It glowed orange and around her, the arrowheads from the others came to life, glowing with hers.

The dragon filled up its belly with energy and Mel felt the heat from the red light on her face. It was strong, and she got a sense of the fire magic she hadn’t gotten before. It came to her as life. Like the dragon’s own life was pooling inside its belly.

“Aim.”

Mel brought her bow higher, trying to aim for a spot above the dragon. It was close to her now, and she hoped she could actually hit it like this. But she knew she’d have a bigger chance if she wished for the arrow to hit its belly rather than its head or toes.

The dragon opened its jaws and fire spilled down from its mouth onto the streets and the soldiers fighting underneath. Screams and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, and Mel swallowed hard.

“Fire,” Oliver yelled.

Mel released the string of her bow and the arrow shot through the air. It wobbled and fell quicker than she’d anticipated. It looked like it would fall to the ground rather than pierce the dragon. She watched the small glow of the arrowhead as it traveled through the air, her breath caught in her lungs. If it missed, it was okay, many of the other arrows seemed to hit.

The first couple of arrows bore down onto the dragon, hitting it in the center and neck. Mel’s arrow sipped past and landed somewhere far away and she felt herself losing her connection with the imbue. Like it was out of her reach.

The dragon’s mouth snapped closed and the energy in its belly swirled around in angry red waves. The beast let out a loud growl, flapping furiously and trashing toward the ground. Mel took a step back and so did the rest of the elemental warriors, fearing the dragon would crash-land on them. But the monster regained its balance in the air and instead it picked up altitude, ascending toward the sky.

“Activate your magic,” Oliver yelled.

Mel saw the elemental warriors scramble to regain themselves from the shock and fear. Austin shook his head. The dragon’s wings carried it further away from them, toward the eastern gate, back into the wastes.

“It’s too far away,” Austin said. “I’ve lost connection.”

Mel ran toward the edge of the ruin and watched the dragon pulling further away from her.