A loud explosion rocked the castle.Pippa screamed and tripped back, but Sol grabbed her and pulled her back.He looked around frantically, needing to find Dallin.He felt better when he saw that Dallin was with Parker, but part of him also felt guilty because that was his job, while Parker should be focused on Ansley.
“What was that?”Pippa asked.
Sol pushed her toward the closest door into the castle.“I don’t know, but you’re not sticking around to find out.You need to run and hide.”
Pippa clung to Sol’s arm.“I can’t leave you alone.”
“You can, and you will.Go with the others.You know what to do if the mages fall and the castle is breached.”
No one had wanted to think about that, but the mages had put together a plan so that the humans who worked for them would be safe.As long as Pippa stayed with Thorne and Jillian, nothing would happen to her.They’d be able to leave the castle if they had to.Hopefully, Carlyle would be distracted by the mages and their dragons and wouldn’t try to stop them.
Another explosion shook the ground.Pippa squeaked as Sol pushed her into Thorne’s arms, but she didn’t try to stop him from leaving.He hoped this wasn’t the last time he would see her, but he couldn’t avoid wasting time saying goodbye.He didn’t want to say goodbye because it would make all of this feel final.He had to believe he’d see Pippa again.
“What’s going on?”Sol said.
He had to scream to make himself heard over the sound of a wailing siren.
Jarvis’s expression was grim.“We’re under attack.”
Chapter Thirteen
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IT LOOKED LIKE, FORnow, the spells that protected the castle were holding up.Dallin was glad for that, but it wouldn’t last.It sounded like Carlyle was putting a lot of firepower into his attack, and the spells couldn’t withstand them for long.
Jarvis’s expression was grim as he looked around their group.“I hope all of you are ready to do this.”
Dallin wasn’t, but he nodded anyway.Ready or not, none of them had a choice.
“Stay close to your dragons, and if you have to choose between your life and getting Carlyle, I wantyouto survive.We can always fight him again, but we would never be able to replace any of you.”
Dallin was relieved when he saw that Tyne was already talking to Meyer.For once, they weren’t fighting or bickering.Both of them were serious, and Meyer nodded along with whatever Tyne was saying.
“I really should have worked harder to gain some experience,” Sol grumbled.
“How would you have practiced being attacked?”
“I only needed to practice protecting you.”
“You’ll be fine.It’s instinct.You’re a dragon, and that’s what you do.”
Sol looked like he didn’t quite believe Dallin, but Dallin couldn’t waste time to reassure him.They needed to stop Carlyle before he breached the protective spells on the area.
Dallin didn’t want to leave the safety of the courtyard, but he forced himself to move.He opened the side door that would lead him and the others outside of the protection of the castle.He sucked in a breath, told himself that he knew what to do, and rushed into danger.
He wasn’t surprised to see Carlyle standing by the lake.He was right in front of the wider protective spell, battering it with everything he had.Simon was there, too, staring at him with stars in his eyes as if he’d never seen anything more beautiful.Even when he looked up and saw the mages, he didn’t move.
This felt too easy.Dallin didn’t know where to start, but Carlyle wouldn’t back down.He no doubt had protective spells all over himself, but if Dallin managed to reach him, he could neutralize them.He just had to get there.
“What now?”Sol asked.
This was why Jarvis had wanted to wait.Even though they had, they still needed more time to coordinate and come up with a plan.Of course, that plan would probably have been obsolete right away, but they’d have had a starting point.Instead, they were standing there, watching Carlyle trying to breach one of the spells that protected the castle.
A loud roar made Dallin jump.He turned sideways just in time to see Emory run by in Carlyle’s direction.Carlyle looked surprised to see him.Another explosion made Dallin squeak in surprise.
Carlyle had to stop casting a spell to face Emory, but things were never easy with him.He was focused on Emory, but he hadn’t come unprepared.Simon started throwing small objects toward the mages and their dragons.They had different effects—one of them pelted them with big rocks taken from the shore, while another pulled out water from the lake to try and drown them.Dallin was the only one who was unaffected by all of them because as soon as the rocks and the water touched him, they vanished.The rocks dropped to the ground, and the water evaporated.He didn’t even have to think about neutralizing this magic—he just did it because it meant protecting his dragon.
He needed to get rid of all of these objects so that they could return their focus to Carlyle before he seriously hurt Emory.No matter what Carlyle had done in the past, what he would do now would be even worse.Emory might not have been with the mages for long, but Dallin considered him part of their family, and he’d protect him as such.
