Chapter 18 - White Fire
Varrik screamed.
The sound shattered every window in the palace.
Elara’s white flame crawled across his black scales.
Not burning.
Changing.
The iron spikes in his neck glowed red and fell out.
For one hopeful second, Mara thought Elara was healing him.
Then Varrik began to shrink.
His vast body twisted in the collapsing chamber.
Soren stared.
“What is she doing?”
Selene understood first.
“She’s taking back the blood he stole.”
Varrik roared inside their minds.
STOP HER.
No one moved.
His claws became smaller.
His gold faded.
Centuries hit him all at once.
The great dragon king collapsed into a thin, ancient creature barely larger than a horse.
Elara stopped breathing fire.
Varrik lay panting.
Mara approached carefully.
His eyes opened.
For the first time, they looked afraid.
Kill me, then.
Mara shook her head.
“No.”
Varrik stared.
“You don’t get to become a martyr.”
Soren came beside her.
The old dragon looked at him.
Son.
Soren flinched.
Mara looked at her brother.
“You decide what that word means.”
Soren’s eyes filled.
He knelt beside Varrik.
“You saved me.”
The dragon closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
“And you used me.”
Silence.
“Yes.”
Soren stood.
“Then we are finished.”
Above them, the palace groaned.
Lucan burst through the broken chamber doors with Tessa and rebel soldiers.
“Everyone out!”
The ceiling cracked.
Mara helped Rowan stand.
He nearly collapsed.
“Can you walk?”
“No.”
“Wonderful.”
“I can complain.”
“You’ve been excellent at that.”
They moved toward the stairs.
Then Elara screamed.
Mara turned.
The baby dragon had shifted back into human form.
And she was floating above the floor.
White fire circled her tiny body.
Brin pushed through the crowd and stopped dead.
“Oh, no.”
Mara’s heart dropped.
“What now?”
Brin looked at the open pit.
“The crown seal didn’t just hold Varrik.”
Something moved far below.
May you like
Something much larger.
Brin whispered, “It held the things even he was afraid of.”
