Lucas exchanged such a heated look with Aria that it almost smoked.A Dragon can never fly too high.
Nikolai rolled his eyes.Morphs are sex addicts.
Better than some things,Lucas noted.Besides, I don’t hear you complaining while we’re flying and fu—
Okay, you two,Aria intervened. We are here to do a job, and Cara’s waiting.
Lucas waggled his brows at her as the black beast began to shrink. Slowly, his human version appeared. The erstwhile thief spun his scales into clothing. Like his Dragon’s, they gleamed.
The Morph’s ear did too. A silver earcuff, intricately woven into a type of knot. It matched the one on Nikolai’s ear, as well as Aria’s.
Following his thoughts, she reached fingers up to trace the intricate metal.The Power of Three,she whispered, and their link came alive as Nikolai and Lucas echoed it.
Lucas brushed leaves off himself and cast Nikolai a glance.Think I found them. Removed maybe six months ago?
Six months would coincide with what he sensed. Nikolai sighed and closed his eyes as he tapped into the life energy. It vibrated with reds, indicating that this section of the forest was very sick.
The men hadn’t just dug the mine, they’d been harvesting valuable hardwoods from the area surrounding it. And the first to go had been the Mother Trees. Their immense size made them especially valuable as a lumber source.
To the men that cut them down, they were just money. To the forest, they’d been the lifeblood.
Cara touched his arm. “First, we deal with the giant hole in the ground.” She looked at him and smiled. Through the smile, her face began to change. It lengthened and her hair expanded to form a thick mane over a gracefully arched neck. In moments, she stood in her equine form. Whiter than snow, she was, from nose to tailtip, with a graceful spiral horn emerging from the center of her forehead. It sparkled with every color under the rainbow.
Nikolai closed his eyes and opened himself to the life surrounding him. He sensed the imbalance as he embraced it to fuel his own change. It filled him, expanding his body, building wonderous new muscles supported by four slim legs.
Clinging beneath his mane, Mai squeaked. When he opened his eyes, Aria was smiling.
You are so beautiful.
Nikolai snorted.Please. You are the beautiful one. I am handsome.
Lucas rolled his eyes.Oh, spare me the mutual admiration society, okay?
Aria planted her fists on her hips.Are you saying I’m not beautiful?
Lucas took a step away.No, no, not at all.
“If thou three are finished gabbing, wee have a forest to save.” Cara’s bright-blue eye gleamed. “Ground thyself, Nikolai.”
He nodded. His own balance still required regular work. It was a hard-fought battle, but with Aria and Lucas supporting him, and Cara’s coaching, he was making progress.
Now, beneath Cara’s watchful gaze, he breathed deeply. He took the time to mentally touch both Aria and Lucas.
Their energy was distinct, and yet, they interwove with him without effort, each part bolstering the weaknesses of the other, until all three meshed with a perfect unity. Nikolai opened his eyes to catch Lucas’s wink.
You can do this, big guy.
Nikolai nodded, arched his neck, and reached for the core.
It seethed with far more than he could ever hope to control. But Galeran had showed him how to open small channels, permitting the power to flow through him. And now, Nikolai directed it upward, pumping its chaos into the atmosphere.
He called upon the clouds to give him a storm.
It took only seconds to build the cumulonimbus cloud. His father had paved the way for such knowledge. Nikolai may have been a hapless participant, but he’d also been an observant one.
Of course, Galeran hadn’t been concerned with collateral damage. To eliminate that threat, Nikolai required pinpoint strikes. As he fed the cloud, he paced forward to the very edge of the mine.
The easiest way to direct something was to be the focal point.
