Nothing happened.
Reaching for my powers, I found a vast chasm in their place.
Several torches flared to life.
“What’s going on?” I held my hand over my eyes, blocking the unexpected light. I turned toward Tye to find him in his dragon form. He was about half the size of the others with brown and green scales.
He nodded his horned head toward the water. “My massster is coming. We mussst wait for him.”
“Why?” Every kind word Tye had said, every time he’d been nice to me played through my memories. How could he betray me?
“Draconian never controlled me.” He stalked toward me. His finned tail swished through the air. “He gave me a home, a purpose, power. I couldn’t let the othersss know, so I had to pretend like you’d freed me, too. Then thisss opportunity arose. It wasss too good to be true.”
I stepped back from him, but that put me closer to the water’s edge and whatever sped through it. “Why not just kill me?”
“Where’sss the fun in that?” He laughed. “Thisss time it wasss my turn to be the trickssster.”
I tried again to call on my power, to bind it to me, and make it mine, but nothing answered.
His head snaked along the floor as he prowled toward me. “It wasss much better ssseeing you fall apart and debate becoming a caged beassst.”
I needed to keep him talking while I figured out how to get away. “Why’d you pretend to like me?”
He chuckled. “That was a niccce touch. Wasn’t it? You’re so easssy to fool. You never once thought to look at my memoriesss, to sssee if I would betray you. Acting like your friend kept me off your radar. If I’d have acted hateful like Cash, you would’ve sussspected me all along.” He stepped closer to me. “No, I just needed to bide my time. I knew I’d get the chance to bring you here eventually.”
“Did you?” I took another step away from him.
“I wasss a little worried when you disssappeared with the boy.” He grinned at me, showing his fangs. “I planned to kidnap your friendsss if necccessary.”
Something lifted out of the water behind me. If the splash was any indication, it was massive. The ground trembled, and I nearly fell over. I turned to the side so I could keep one eye on Tye and one on whatever emerged from the water.
A massive silver dragon stepped out, and water sluiced off its body. Tye lowered his front legs to the ground, bowing to the ancient beast.
I staggered back. “Taipan, return my powers to me.”
He turned toward me, and for a moment, I thought it had worked. “You think you can control me when Draconian couldn’t?” He stepped closer to me. His finned tail swished angrily behind him. “I’m smaller than the othersss but ssstronger in different ways. Unlike them, I’ve been able to shield my true name.”
My heart plummeted. I couldn’t see a way out of this. I stumbled and stretched my arm out behind me to catch myself. A rock sliced through my hand, and both of the dragons lifted their snouts, breathing in the scent of my blood.
“Well done.” Argentum’s voice was like the rumble of boulders sliding against each other. “Her power will sustain me for centuries.”
“What?!” Surprise made my voice high pitched.
He lowered his head, looking at me with one rheumy eye. “You are far too powerful to live, so instead of sending you with the Nephilim as I’d originally planned, I am going to consume your flesh. It will strengthen me for centuries, maybe millennia.”
Tye’s eyes widened, and he stared at Argentum. “That wasssn’t our agreement.”
“The terms changed.” Argentum pulled his other foot out of the water, sending waves crashing against the rocks. “You fulfilled your end of the bargain. Now be gone.”
As Tye disappeared, my powers settled back into place.
Argentum roared. The sound was deafening as it bounced around the cave. I slammed my hands over my ears. Blood dripped from the palm of my hand down the side of my face.
My powers slipped out of reach again. “You are mine!”
Argentum’s lip lifted into a snarl, and flames rolled through his fangs. “No dragon will ever be yours. I will not let another human control us.”
“I don’t want to control another creature.” I scooted away from him, trying to get my feet under me.
Two massive steps shook the earth and he stood over me. “Then why did you say I was yours?” His forked tongue shot out, sliding up my neck and along the side of my face. His hot breath blasted my face.
My stomach heaved, and I turned away in disgust. I willed my pinky to turn invisible and thought I might sob in relief when it worked. “I didn’t claim you.” I wiped my injured palm across the ground, spreading my blood over the rocks, spilling it into the cracks. “I claimed my powers,” I said as I teleported to my room.
Five dragons and three humans stared at me when I arrived.
“What happened?” Malcolm’s voice was barely human.
I walked to the sink and washed my face and neck. I cringed when soap seeped into my cut, but I washed that, too. The dragons were too agitated to deal with my blood. Wrapping a towel around my hand, I turned toward them. “Tye was never under Draconian’s control, and he was working with Argentum.”
“I’m gonna kill him.” Russ’ amber eyes flashed with anger, and low growls filled my room.
Pulling the towel off my hand, I held my palm up. “I fell. Before I left, I wiped it on the cave floor.” I covered the wound back up. “I thought maybe Malcolm could track my blood.”
“Why can’t you just take them there?” Samantha tilted her head, studying me.
“I don’t know if I should go back.” I chewed on my bottom lip. Nobody in the room was going to take what I had to say very well.
Malcolm strode toward me. “Why?”
I lowered my eyes to the
