“Yes.” Seren closed his eyes. “Yes, perhaps. Long ago, the island was pure and untainted by the evil ones. In those days, it was named for the silt that existed on the island’s central mountain—a very strange, mirror-like substance that was said to reflect the stars at night.”
My heart leapt. This confirmed it—Verutith was to be the bloom’s final resting place. Only one problem—how did I find it?
“Is this substance still there?”
“I cannot say. The dark ones use the island’s magic. Whether they have corrupted the sand or not is a mystery.”
“Then I must travel there in order to find out. How do I get to Verutith?”
“The islands are all connected by tunnels that run from one to another. There are tunnels in these mountains that will take you there if that is your wish, but I beg you to reconsider. Verutith is a treacherous place. The Convergence is not to be taken lightly.”
“The Convergence?” Was that what Firro had referred to?
“Yes, the point where our worlds are joined. It is a portal of sorts, although no living thing can cross through it. Your people have visited it many times.” Seren sighed. “We watch them when they come in their boats. So greedy for the items they plunder.”
This didn’t surprise me. Captain Tobin had wanted to keep us away from the smaller island. He was afraid we would find out where he got all his precious Earth Kingdom junk.
“The fading magic has taken its toll on all creatures,” Seren said, interrupting my thoughts. “We inhabitants of the outer islands have found ways to preserve our magic, but not all are so fortunate.”
My thoughts turned to Fan’twar. I remembered how weak he’d looked, and my heart clenched at the thought of losing him. I’d already lost Uli. I couldn’t handle the loss of another friend. Fan’twar was more of a father to me than my real dad. I had to save him.
“Then I must restore the magic,” I said. “I have no other choice.”
“No,” Seren said. “You cannot continue this quest. Your young powers are nothing compared to the strength of the dark ones.”
“But if I don’t continue, the magic will never be restored.”
A thin trail of steam snaked from Seren’s nostrils. “Then perhaps that is the way of things.”
“But won’t you die without the magic?”
“As I have said, we have found ways to survive.”
“How? You are creatures of magic, no different from any other species. How have you found a way to survive?”
He flicked his tail. The walls began to move. Forms took shape. Dragons appeared where I had thought only rocks had been. They slithered along the walls, making the cavern seem alive.
“Consuming the flesh of other magical creatures gives us great power,” he said.
My skin tingled. Alarm bells rang in my head.
Seren’s eyes popped open. “Your flesh will provide us with the magic we need to continue our survival. Fan’twar has forgotten the true nature of dragonkind. He has grown soft. Because of his weakness, he lies dying while we survive. We will outlast him and so shall take our rightful place on his throne.”
The mass of bodies wriggled along the walls. Growls echoed through the cave.
“But how can this be?” I shouted over the racket. “You would have felt great pain at the loss of a fellow magical creature.”
“No,” he answered. “We are not like our mainland cousins. The loss does not affect us. We will feast on your flesh. First, we will take your eyes—where all magical visions are stored. Then, we shall steal your heart while it still beats—taking the source of your powers. And finally, we shall bathe in your magic.”
I balled my fists. Fear made adrenaline burn through my veins. “Fan’twar will never let you get away with this,” I shouted over the dragons’ shrieks. “He is stronger than you think. I will restore the magic, and he will come after you. He will not forget your treachery.”
Seren laughed, a grating sound that made my skin crawl. “Fan’twar is not as powerful as you imagine. His weakness for humans will be his undoing. We will take your power for our own. We will become the Deathbringer!”
The dragons took flight, filling the chamber with the deafening sound of beating wings as they circled overhead in a black cloud.
Through the chaos, I heard a man yelling behind me. I turned to find Kull standing at the cave’s mouth. I would have been relieved to see him, except that he looked like a character from a horror movie. Blood was smeared over the naked skin of his torso and face, his pants were ripped, and mud was caked to his bare feet. He carried his sword, which also had blood drying on its blade. In his other hand, he dragged behind him the head of a dragon.
Madness glinted in his eyes. I wasn’t sure he recognized me.
He hefted up the severed head. “Dragon!” he roared. “Release the woman, or suffer the same fate as your brother!”
Seren let out a bloodcurdling roar. I saw a primal madness in his reptilian eyes as he leapt off the rock pile. His eyes glowed green, and then, above us, lightning swirls of magic spun around the sun-patterned ceiling. The electrical charge made my arm hairs stand on end.
The ceiling split open with a thunderous crack. Humid air smelling of greenery rushed inside the cavern, and stars appeared through the ceiling’s fissure.
“You shall die for this treachery!” Seren cried.
Kull tossed the head, and it landed with a thud at Seren’s feet. Kull rushed at the dragon just as Seren leapt at him. The Wult prince slashed at the dragon, opening a wound in the beast’s tail. The king of the ore fae bared his teeth and circled the warrior as droplets of blood spattered the ground.
The flurry of dragon bodies circled the cavern with the sound of hundreds of beating wings. I felt as though I stood in the midst of a thunderstorm.
