Another pulse of agony sent Nikolai reeling, but true to his word, Lucas was there. Just as the chains held his body upright, Lucas held his mind and soul together through the onslaught. But by the time Galeran pulled loose, he’d slumped to the ground. And his mind swirled with a chaos that even Lucas couldn’t soothe.
The clouds dissipated, and the sunlight shone down upon a mound of pulverized stone. The pit had vanished. Bits of machinery stuck up from where it had been.
The silence was deafening. But small black dots appeared against the horizon, winging their way toward them.
Demeti gestured to his Dires, and they formed a line between Galeran and the oncoming Dragons.
“Get him through the gate,” Sebastian ordered the controllers.
The Bellatis leaned into their harnesses and dragged Nikolai. His tortured mind attempted to determine whether it would be best for the Dragons to get to them before they passed through. Or not. If Galeran called on the core energy to obliterate them, it would take a chunk of the realm with it. And maybe Nikolai as well.
Before he could weigh the risks and benefits, his Bellatis reached the gate. Many of their brethren had already left. Galeran obviously felt that retreat was the best line of defense, especially as he’d already achieved his goal for the moment.
They dragged Nikolai through, into the cave. As they fastened him back into his restraints, he sensed Lucas hadn’t deserted him. The Morph tried to hold him together by sheer force of will.
I cannot hold on much longer,Nikolai told him.Perhaps it is for the best.
No, Nikolai. You losing your mind will not stop Galeran from using your body to achieve his goals. You have to find a way to fight this. It is our only chance.
The word “our” rippled with all the possible dimensions—of a realm under attack, and others that would be next in line. But also of a deeply personal potential.
Aria. And Lucas.
Yes,Lucas said.You must do this for Aria. She belongs with you.
Why had Lucas omitted his own involvement? They were together, now, couldn’t he see that? But the agony of mind and body swirled the thoughts away, and when Lucas offered a vision of Aria, her warrior spirit shining through her beauty, Nikolai focused on it with sheer desperation.
Yes,he said.For her, I will fight.
43
Nikolai wasn’t going to make it.
Lucas knew it as surely as he knew that the crystal dust surging through his veins had already hooked into his soul.
Aria’s room door was shut, and if he closed his eyes and reached, he could sense that she had finally fallen asleep. Since taking the crystal dust, he’d been able to track her presence. Whether it was the power of the dust or the burgeoning connection between them, he didn’t know.
It didn’t matter, either.
Cara had vanished. The Watcher was likely meditating out in the jungle. Both women were exhausted after the latest session with Nikolai. And after being with the Perditor at the mine, Lucas had little doubt that they were running out of time.
He emerged onto the ledge and started to strip. When his head popped out of his shirt, he saw Mai sitting on the edge, wiggling her nose at him.
“Don’t you have a bug to eat? I don’t need you sending nude images to Cara.” He made shooing motions.
The shrew shook herself and then scampered off the ledge and into the forest. Lucas sighed as he stripped off his pants, set them down, and closed his eyes.
The crystal surging through him accelerated the morphing process, and in seconds, he crouched on the ledge. He took up more space than usual. Boosted, his golden Dragon was at least the size of Aria’s.
It was enough to fire his imagination, but he gave his head a shake and lifted his wings. The terror of spiraling out of control surged through his mind, but he squelched it. No diving for him. Just a quiet flit across the jungle.
Three powerful beats later, he was airborne, soaring over the trees. Take offs were easy. Technically, he hadn’t yet nailed an actual landing. He hoped Ash’s home had a larger landing pad than Cara’s meditation cave.
He had a rough idea as to its location, based on where he’d seen them appear and disappear, but it still took him several tries to find it. After a heart stopping moment when his wings almost tangled in the treetops, he finally spotted the cave opening, and the ledge sticking out in front.
Lucas was conscious of every clumsy move as he lowered himself in a series of careful hovers to the landing ledge. He sighed in relief when his talons slithered against stone.
A slim form waited for him, leaning near the doorway. He held something in his hands—a towel?
