He jumped out of the water, running straight toward us. His rheumy eyes opened wide with fear. I held my shield in place and backed away. Malcolm moved with me, keeping his hand on my shoulder, lending me his strength.
Argentum slammed into an invisible barrier and bounced back. He crashed to the ground. The earth shuddered. I stumbled, but Malcolm held onto me, keeping me on my feet.
I strode toward the shield one of the dragons had erected, fitting the mask to Argentum’s face, squeezing all the oxygen from it.
Argentum thrashed, tearing at his snout with his claws. He rolled on the ground. His tail whipped through the air. Then he slowed. His head slumped.
Chapter 37
Decisions
The dragons regained their visibility. Aurelia and Russ strode toward Argentum. Aurelia nudged his head with her snout. “Unless you want to kill him, release him.” Her voice was soft, making it clear that she would stand by me no matter what I decided.
There was no choice for me. Two deaths on my conscience were more than enough. I knew I couldn’t cope with another one. I dropped my hands to my sides and became visible, staring at Argentum’s face. His eyes were rolled back in his head. His forked, black tongue hung out of his mouth. His yellowed fangs were chipped and cracked.
Malcolm clasped my shoulder, and the steady flow of his energy streamed into me. I felt like I’d had far too much caffeine. My heart raced, and my muscles shook. I pulled away from him. “Thanks. I’m good.”
A gold haze surrounded Aurelia, churning and spinning. She emerged from it in her human form. Long, golden hair hung to her waist. Her skin shimmered slightly in the dim lighting left by Argentum’s fire. She waved her hand, and the dragons other than Malcolm went to her. They surrounded Argentum, and each of them laid a hand upon the silver beast. He dwarfed them, but he hadn’t so much as twitched since he fell.
“Take care of her,” Aurelia said to Malcolm before they disappeared with Argentum.
Malcolm held his hand out to me, and as I slipped mine into it, I asked, “Where’d they take him?”
“To the elder council, I imagine.” He teleported us back to my room.
Cody jumped up off the couch. Lines of tension disappeared from around his eyes and mouth as he took in my appearance. He brushed his hair back. “You’re okay.”
I nodded. “The others took him.”
“So … is it done?”
I stepped up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He slid one hand into my hair and pulled me against him with his other one. I leaned into his embrace. “I don’t know.”
“He’s powerful.” Malcolm’s voice was low. “He might be able to break free from the council or use his magic even from containment.”
I dropped my head onto Cody’s chest. “He’ll hate me even more now.”
“Silver dragons pride themselves on being just.” The chair creaked, and I imagined Malcolm sitting in Cookie Monster, holding his head in his hands. “It isn’t hatred that drives him. He believes he’s doing what’s best for the world.”
I stepped back from Cody and turned toward Malcolm. He sat in the chair exactly like I’d pictured he’d be. “Well, that’s just great.”
“How’s she convince him otherwise?” Cody asked.
Malcolm shook his head. “I don’t know if she can.”
D
When the dragons returned, I called everyone and asked if they wanted to come over for pizza. I wanted to talk to them, but I didn’t want to do it in public. I thought it might be best to keep the Nephilim from knowing what had happened with Argentum. There was always the possibility they’d decide I was a danger to them again.
While waiting for everyone to show up, Malcolm went to Aurelia’s room, and Cody sat on the couch, watching me pace. By some small miracle, I hadn’t worn a path into the lavender carpet yet.
I felt Samantha’s and Dan’s auras. A few seconds later, the doorknob turned. I stopped and stared at it. As soon as they opened the door, Samantha dropped her bag and ran toward me, hugging me. “How do you keep walking into danger? I was so worried about you the whole time.”
“It’s not like I want to.” I shrugged as she pulled away from me. “I’d like to have a peaceful … normal life.”
“What happened?” Dan stepped up beside us.
I sat on the floor in front of Cody. “We’ll find out.”
The dragons came over right after Bryce and Cassandra showed up. Aurelia stared out the window with her hands behind her back. “We took Argentum to the elder council.” She spun around. “They questioned him. Then they threw him in the dungeon.” Her expression was caught somewhere between anger, disgust, and disbelief. “At one time, he was one of the best of us. He was just and honorable.”
“I’m sorry, Aurelia.” I stared at the floor.
She shot me a sad smile. “You are not to blame. Argentum made his choices. He feels that you are a threat to dragons, but he does not know you. He does not see what is in your heart.”
“Yeah.” I pulled my hand through my hair. “The Nephilim felt the same way.”
Cassandra snorted. “If this is what good guys are like, wouldn’t it be easier to deal with bad guys?”
“Sometimes, the lines between good and evil become blurred.” Russ looked around the room. “Other times, who the good guys are and who the bad guys are depends on which side you stand on.”
Cody snatched a piece of pizza. “Couldn’t the Nephilim and elder council read her aura and figure out that she’s good?”
“Yeah.” Dan tilted his head as he looked at Aurelia. “Wouldn’t that have been easier?”
“Woulda saved a lotta trouble.” Cody shook his head
