Cara had brought Dani through to this realm from her garden. Tyrez and Razir had preceded them by several hours. But the Legion Dragons had been here for almost a day already. They’d used another gate that spat them out in the distant mountains, hours away by wing. They had sneaked into the forest hoping Rindek’s Seer wouldn’t detect their presence.
In the huts not far from where Tyrez hid, Cara and her fellow Watcher, Bess, waited for the gate to activate. Their job was to pounce when Rindek came through, and either close it behind him, or hold it open for the Dragons to pursue if the Archmage should manage to retreat.
Tyrez’s heart constricted. Had Ash foreseen this? He’d been so fractured in that dream. And Dani had found him near death in hers. Did Rindek have another Seer? What if the new one hadn’t foreseen Dani, here and now?
They might have gathered here for absolutely no reason.
Tyrez was torn. A dark cloud of doom hung over this entire venture, and yet, if Rindek didn’t take the bait, he might never get to Ash. He thought of Dani’s dream. Were they already too late?
Taran had made it quite clear that Tyrez’s presence here was barely tolerated and that his responsibilities began and ended with Dani’s safety. His orders were to get her the hell out of here once the Dragon trap was sprung.
Orders. Tyrez snorted softly to himself. He didn’t report to Taran. Or the Emperor. Not anymore. He was only here for Dani and Ash.
Energy rippled over his skin. Unmistakable energy. Heart hammering, Tyrez hugged the ground, peering through the leaves toward the gateway framed by bent roots.
The air between them began to glow. Tyrez’s talons sank into the soft dirt. To his left, Razir slowly raised his mud encrusted head.
Rindek had taken the bait.
Five Dires shot through the gate, heading straight for Dani.
Her instructions had been clear—they wanted the Archmage, but she was free to engage with anything else that came at her.
It took everything Tyrez had not to leap out and tackle them as they bore down on Dani. But she merely straightened and lifted a hand.
A small tree ripped clear out of the ground and spun through the air, knocking the Dires sprawling.
A tall, thin figure stepped through the gate, long hair radiating aloft with rampant energy. He raised a hand, and blasted it toward Dani.
Tyrez was already in motion, throwing himself between it, and her. It sizzled as it burned through his scales, leaving a livid scorch mark.
Shards.It confirmed what he’d seen near the mountain fortress—it wasn’t a weapon the blasted Torshin was wielding—he was throwing pure power from hishands. And he wasn’t Rindek.
The tall figure turned and bolted back through the gate.
Cara and Bess ran from the huts, hands outstretched and glowing with energy as they grabbed the gateway and held it open.
Taran brought his Dragons streaming down from the trees. In their phase-one size, they flashed through with ease.
“Are you all right?” Dani ran to Tyrez, who kept his body between her and the active gate. No further energy beams passed from it—the Torshin must be in full retreat now that the Dragons pursued him.
“I’m fines.” And he was. The wound hurt like hell, but it had barely penetrated the scales.
Dani tried to step past him. “We have to get Ash.”
“Lets the Legion throughs first.” Tyrez kept his voice calm, but his big body twitched with the desire to join his Legion counterparts.
A small, warm hand pressed against his forearm, the fingers offering a gentle squeeze. “You want to be with them,” she said.
“I ams with yous,” he rumbled, and curved his neck around her so that his huge head was level with hers. “Their path iss differents froms ours. We haves another mission tos complete.”
They moved up alongside the gate, close to Cara. The two Watcher’s faces were tight with concentration as their elevated hands held the gate open. The very air glowed with energy, and on occasion, it was almost as though another form took shape around them. Equine forms, much larger than their human ones. With long, spiral horns radiating power.
Dani gasped.Unicorns. They were the ethereal shapes of Unicorns...
Cara glanced their way as the tail end of the Legion Dragon army passed through the glowing gateway. “Something isn’t right,” she murmured.
Tyrez stiffened. “Whats iss wrong?”
