I could hear Tristan shout my name as he fought, but there were too many of them and he could not get to me.
I tried to shield myself, but the crushing weight of the Drakaar’s combined magic was immense, shrouding my power in a veil of hopelessness. I screamed in agony as my shield shattered and the Drakaar’s sorcery started to suck my power out of me.
Flashes of a palace burning and my mother screaming slammed into me as the Drakaar fed me memories of my parents’ deaths. They were feeding on my fear and despair, and it made them stronger. Their voices rang in my head as they poured their thoughts into my mind.
“We were there, fae-mage,” hissed one Drakaar.
“We killed your father,” said another.
“And we will enjoy killing you, too,” chimed the third Drakaar, stepping forward, his sword of blackened iron gleaming in his hands. “The time has come for you to die, Princess Aurora.”
I tried to push myself up, but I had no strength left, no more magic. I would die here today.
“Help me,” I whispered in my mind, and I hoped he heard me. “Abraxas, my magic is not enough.”
“Get up,” ordered the voice of the great dragon. “Faith is the greatest magic of all. It can lift the world out of the darkness and bring it into the light. Be the Star of the Morning, the light that fills the world with magic. Be the Lightbringer, the Breaker of Shadows. Believe in yourself, Aurora Firedrake; believe in the Dawnstar. For if you have faith, anything is possible.”
My mother’s face flashed before my eyes, giving her life so I could be safe; so I could save her and all of Avalonia. I closed my eyes and plunged down into the depths of my magic, and a wall of darkness rose up to greet me. I pushed at it with all the faith I could muster. I could do this. My kingdom was waiting for me, my people expected me to come home and save them. My mother believed in me and so did Illaria; I was her weapon, I was the Dawnstar. I had to survive; I couldn’t give up, not now, not ever.
With the last bit of power I had left, I punched at the darkness with my magic and a small spark ignited within. All my fears and doubts fell away, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of hope and courage, of faith in who I was.
I started to glow brighter than ever before, pushing myself off the ground slowly as the Dawnstar arose in a fury of unrestricted power; my hands flashed with the magic of the ancients.
The Drakaar froze. “You should be dead,” said their leader, his black eyes wide. “No fae could survive that.”
“I’m not just any fae,” I responded as I stood up. “I am a Dragonlord of the ancient house of Eos-Eirendil. I am Aurora Shadowbreaker, I am the Dawnstar—and you, Drakaar,” I growled, “are in my way.”
I unleashed my magic in a blinding ripple of power that blazed out of my hands. The Shadow Demons shrieked in fury and dissipated immediately as the wall of white light reached out to engulf everything in its path. The Drakaar sorcerers surrounding me screamed in fear and tried to get away, but the light pierced through their bodies and swallowed them up as the magic of the Dawnstar cleaved through the darkness and obliterated them forever.
I scanned the battlefield—Andromeda had nearly reached Lucian. The archmage strode forward, his hand outstretched. “Give it to me.”
I ran toward her. The book!
Andromeda stopped. She clutched the book to her chest.
“What are you doing?” screamed Lucian, his eyes swirling with dark magic. He flung power at Andromeda, but her shield deflected it.
“I don’t trust you, Archmage,” said Andromeda. A portal beside her opened, and Skye stepped through.
The archmage faltered. “Give. Me. The. Book,” he shouted, gathering more magic.
“I will give Morgana the book myself,” offered Andromeda, flashing me a dark grin and turning to the portal.
“No!” I screamed, flinging magic at her.
Andromeda took Skye’s hand and stepped into the portal just as my magic struck. The portal shut behind them.
The Book of Abraxas was gone.
The Rise of the Dawnstar
I stood in the midst of the still-raging battle, numb. I had failed.
“This is all your fault,” screamed the archmage as he stretched out his hand and blasted me with dark magic.
I vaguely felt his power hit me, but I didn’t flinch as I turned my gaze on him. Lucian’s magic could not penetrate my shield. It had become so strong, nothing could get through.
From the corner of my eye I saw Tristan charging at the archmage, his gleaming sword raised. Before I could do anything, he swung his sword and brought it down on Lucian’s neck, severing his head from his body. It rolled toward me with a thump as the lifeless body of the Archmage of Avalonia fell to the ground.
The remaining Drakaar, realizing their commander had fallen, started to retreat. The field was streaked with blood and black ash, and the terrified screams of death resounded in the air as the fire-fae warriors and Abraxas drove the rest of the Drakaar and their demons back through the pass.
I looked down at Lucian’s headless body and felt sick. Momentarily frozen with the sight of it, I fell to my knees.
Lucian was dead, the battle was over, and Elfi was safe. But we hadn’t won yet, not by a long shot. Andromeda had the Book of Abraxas, and it was only a matter of time before she gave it to Morgana. I had failed to protect the book, and the world would have to pay. I’d tried my best, but it wasn’t good enough.
Rhiannon and the Elders came forward to reinforce the wards around the kingdom until my grandmother had recovered fully. The rest of the army assisted the Elite warriors
