“I don’t know how you survived,” Carlyle said.“And how you’re a dragon again.It shouldn’t be possible.”His smile was terrifying.“I took all that magic from you, but since you have it back, I can do it again.You always did like to make things easier for me.”
Were Carlyle and Emory still bonded?Could Carlyle force a bond if they weren’t?Sol wished he had more answers and that he knew more about the world he’d been thrust into so recently.
Emory started shifting.By the time he was back in his human form, he was panting even harder, and blood dripped on the ground in front of him.Whatever Carlyle had done to him, he was in bad shape, and someone needed to help him.
“I won’t allow you to do that to me again,” Emory said.“I’d rather die.”
“Don’t worry.I wasn’t planning on keeping you alive,” Carlyle answered as he raised his hands.
Sol saw the other mages and dragons get ready to attack.He did the same.He had no idea what was about to happen or what he could do to stop it, but he wouldn’t just stand there and watch as Carlyle took everything away from Emory a second time.
* * * *
DALLIN WAS READY TOthrow himself at Carlyle if it meant neutralizing his magic and ensuring that Emory wouldn’t get hurt.The man had been through enough.Dallin wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt him, especially not a monster like Carlyle.
Carlyle should cherish Emory.He should protect him, but instead, he was hurting him, and he wouldn’t stop unless the mages intervened.Emory didn’t deserve anything that had happened and was still happening to him.
When Carlyle reached for Emory, everyone moved forward as one.Jarvis had his hands up, apparently ready to create a portal between Carlyle and Emory.Roots shot out of the earth, all of them aimed for Carlyle.If Dallin could reach Carlyle, he could end all of this.As long as Dallin touched him, Carlyle wouldn’t be able to use his magic.
None of them were fast enough.Dallin was too far, no matter how fast he ran.He wasn’t the first one who got there.None of the mages were.
Graham threw himself at Emory, knocking him down and out of reach of Carlyle.Emory screamed, no doubt from the pain in his stomach, but at least he was away from Carlyle.Graham didn’t get up.He pressed his entire body against Emory as if trying to shield as much of it from Carlyle as possible.Simon yelled at his brother, but Graham didn’t move except to wrap his arms around Emory.
That was when Tyne finally acted.
Blood spurted from Carlyle’s arm.He screamed and turned toward Tyne, who was striding toward him.Tyne’s magic was geared toward offense and attack, but he hadn’t been able to do anything until now because of how close Emory had been to Carlyle.He wouldn’t have wanted to hurt him.
But Emory was nowhere near Carlyle now.
Carlyle clutched his arm to his chest.“This isn’t over,” he declared.
Tyne cracked his knuckles and threw his hand forward, grinning when more blood spurted from Carlyle’s other arm.“You’re right.It’s not over.”
Carlyle wouldn’t take it lying down.With a scream, he pushed his magic forward.The ground in front of Tyne exploded, sending him stumbling back.Meyer was on him in seconds, pulling him back before a second explosion could hurt him but putting himself in danger in the process.
Meyer screamed.The sound sent shivers down Dallin’s spine.It was a sound of pain and terror.
Had Meyer been hurt?Dallin couldn’t see anything because Tyne was in the way.Tyne knelt next to Meyer, who was on the ground, still screaming.Tyne seemed to be okay.He wasn’t hurt beyond a few cuts on his hands and cheeks, but his attention was on Meyer, and the distraction was enough for Carlyle to be able to grab Simon and open a portal.
Dallin ran forward.He needed to get to Carlyle in time.He had to stop him.
He tripped and fell.He hadn’t been watching where he was going and had no idea what he’d tripped on, but it didn’t matter.The only thing that did was that he fell face first on the ground, giving Carlyle the time to slip through the portal, dragging Simon with him.Simon called out for Graham, but the portal vanished with a pop.
For a moment, nothing happened, and no one moved.Dallin was almost afraid to breathe.Time and sound were suspended, but not for long.
Meyer was still screaming, and from where Dallin was, he could see that his leg was folded in a way that shouldn’t be possible for a human body.For the first time, Tyne didn’t look angry at his dragon.He was frantic instead, his hands hovering over Meyer’s leg but not touching him as if he was afraid to hurt him more than he already was.Tyne wasn’t good at healing spells.His magic tended to be offensive, and it wasn’t what Meyer needed right now.
Emory made a strangled sound.Dallin turned in time to see Graham quickly move away from him.There was blood on Graham’s T-shirt, no doubt Emory’s, but Graham appeared unharmed.
He’d thrown himself into danger.He’d protected Emory from Carlyle, even though it could have killed him.Carlyle would have if he’d had the opportunity.Graham was human, and he wouldn’t have been able to defend himself.He’d been incredibly brave, and Dallin promised himself that if Tyne still didn’t trust Graham after this, he’d strangle his brother.
Tyne wasn’t thinking about Graham right now.He’d moved to crouch next to Meyer’s head and was softly talking to him.Meyer was clutching one of Tyne’s hands as if it was a lifeline.To him, it probably was.
Jarvis and Keylon were already moving toward Graham and Emory, so Dallin ran to Meyer, Sol right behind him.He hadn’t put more than a few feet of space between them since they’d left the castle’s protective spells, and Dallin didn’t think he would anytime soon.
“You have to help him,” Tyne said as soon as Dallin reached him and Meyer.
Penley got there, too.He was out of breath and looked like he was about to start crying, but he didn’t hesitate to kneel next to Meyer and reach for his leg.Dallin was fairly good at healing spells, but Penley was better, maybe because of his magic’s affinity to nature.Together, they started working on Meyer.The dragon would still have to rest and allow his magic to finish healing him, but they could take away the pain and hopefully reset the limb.
