“Just a bonus,” he said. “And you can’t really blame me for trying last time, can you?”
She smirked at him. “Kai Drachenburg, you are shameless.”
“One of my finer qualities, no doubt.” Kai intertwined his fingers with hers, then turned to their allies. “We’ve found him. He’s at Witching Point.”
The door banged open with a blast of magic that ushered Ares inside. “I have information!”
As Kai shot him a suspicious glare, Lara ran in after him, shouting, “You are all in grave danger!”
The crowd looked at her. A few people asked one another who she was—and why Ares had not come earlier.
Ares pointed at Lara. “You can’t trust her.”
She spun around to stare him down. “No, it’s you they shouldn’t trust.”
Kai hurried toward them, catching each of them by the arm. He led them out of the ballroom, into a small office across the hall. Sera followed. As she entered the room, Ares and Lara were already fighting, throwing accusations back and forth.
“You can’t trust her,” Ares told Kai. “She’s been working for them for ten years.”
“I was kidnapped as a child.” Lara flicked her nails at him. “What is your excuse?”
“Undercover work.”
She put on a mocking smile. “Oh, very good. Did you think up that excuse all by yourself, or did Alden feed it to you?”
Ares lunged forward. She snarled into his face, daring him to make the first move. The two of them looked a few seconds away from a full-out mage duel.
“Enough.” Kai’s voice cracked like a whip.
They froze.
“At the Summit, Alden set us up,” he told them. “Those two people you said he would target had already been turned. They killed the guards around them. They lured Sera in. And then Alden got her.” Kai looked angry enough to punch something—or someone.
“I’m your sister,” Lara said. “Surely, you don’t think that I had anything to do with this.”
“You’ve spent the last ten years with one of Alden’s minions. As far as I know, you’re not my sister anymore.”
Ares grinned and Lara glowered. Kai ignored them both.
“You have known me for years, Kai,” Ares said. “I wasn’t raised by a psychopath. You know I would never help the Grim Reaper.”
“I used to think that about the Council,” replied Kai. “That as power-hungry and cruel most of them are, they wouldn’t turn. Because they cared too much about upholding the rules. As you can see, my faith in them was sorely misplaced.”
“Alden clouded their minds,” Ares said.
“And who’s to say he didn’t cloud yours? I can’t trust either one of you.”
“He can shift into a dragon now, you know,” Lara told her brother.
Kai looked at him.
“I practiced,” Ares said.
Kai continued to glare.
“Ok, yes, I used some of Alden’s magic too. But I didn’t give up my mind.”
“It’s a two-way street,” Sera said. “You get some of his power, and he feeds off of your devotion, which makes him stronger. Alden doesn’t dish out free power, no-strings-attached.”
“My mind is my own,” Ares declared. “And Lara can shift into a dragon too.”
“I’m a Drachenburg and Kai’s sister, dimwit,” she shot back. “Of course I can shift into a dragon.”
“But did you tell your brother that as of recently, you can also summon dragons? No one has ever been able to shift into a dragon and summon dragons, not even a Drachenburg. If that isn’t a sign of dipping deeply into Alden’s power, then I don’t know what is.”
“I don’t care what you think, traitor,” she snapped. “Now stop talking before I stomp on you.”
Magic flared to life on Ares’s hands.
“You will not destroy my building,” Kai told him. His head snapped around to Lara. “Either of you. And the only person who gets to stomp on people here is me.”
They grew silent. The magic on Ares’s hands died out. The magic in Lara’s eyes faded.
“The thing is,” Kai said. “I can’t trust either of you.”
“I came here to tell you that Alden is in the city,” Ares said quickly.
“No, I came here to tell you that,” Lara said. “He’s made his base in Witching Point.”
“We know.”
They looked at Kai, clearly surprised.
“You know? How?” Ares asked.
Lara looked at Sera. “You two tracked him.”
Ares let out a low whistle. “I knew a Dragon Born mage could track magic over great distances, but this is amazing.”
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “You two are a liability. You know about Sera.” He nodded at Sera. “Break their magic.”
Doing that would knock them unconscious too. It took a really strong mage, like Kai or Alden, to not pass out completely.
“I came here to help you,” Ares said.
“You need me.”
“You’re making a big mistake.”
Kai was deaf to their words. “Do it,” he told Sera.
She stepped up to Ares. He tried to run, but she caught his arm and pulled him back. She set her hand on his chest, breaking his magic. Ares fell to the ground, unconscious. She turned toward Lara.
She smirked at him. “Kai Drachenburg, you are shameless.”
“One of my finer qualities, no doubt.” Kai intertwined his fingers with hers, then turned to their allies. “We’ve found him. He’s at Witching Point.”
The door banged open with a blast of magic that ushered Ares inside. “I have information!”
As Kai shot him a suspicious glare, Lara ran in after him, shouting, “You are all in grave danger!”
The crowd looked at her. A few people asked one another who she was—and why Ares had not come earlier.
Ares pointed at Lara. “You can’t trust her.”
She spun around to stare him down. “No, it’s you they shouldn’t trust.”
Kai hurried toward them, catching each of them by the arm. He led them out of the ballroom, into a small office across the hall. Sera followed. As she entered the room, Ares and Lara were already fighting, throwing accusations back and forth.
“You can’t trust her,” Ares told Kai. “She’s been working for them for ten years.”
“I was kidnapped as a child.” Lara flicked her nails at him. “What is your excuse?”
“Undercover work.”
She put on a mocking smile. “Oh, very good. Did you think up that excuse all by yourself, or did Alden feed it to you?”
Ares lunged forward. She snarled into his face, daring him to make the first move. The two of them looked a few seconds away from a full-out mage duel.
“Enough.” Kai’s voice cracked like a whip.
They froze.
“At the Summit, Alden set us up,” he told them. “Those two people you said he would target had already been turned. They killed the guards around them. They lured Sera in. And then Alden got her.” Kai looked angry enough to punch something—or someone.
“I’m your sister,” Lara said. “Surely, you don’t think that I had anything to do with this.”
“You’ve spent the last ten years with one of Alden’s minions. As far as I know, you’re not my sister anymore.”
Ares grinned and Lara glowered. Kai ignored them both.
“You have known me for years, Kai,” Ares said. “I wasn’t raised by a psychopath. You know I would never help the Grim Reaper.”
“I used to think that about the Council,” replied Kai. “That as power-hungry and cruel most of them are, they wouldn’t turn. Because they cared too much about upholding the rules. As you can see, my faith in them was sorely misplaced.”
“Alden clouded their minds,” Ares said.
“And who’s to say he didn’t cloud yours? I can’t trust either one of you.”
“He can shift into a dragon now, you know,” Lara told her brother.
Kai looked at him.
“I practiced,” Ares said.
Kai continued to glare.
“Ok, yes, I used some of Alden’s magic too. But I didn’t give up my mind.”
“It’s a two-way street,” Sera said. “You get some of his power, and he feeds off of your devotion, which makes him stronger. Alden doesn’t dish out free power, no-strings-attached.”
“My mind is my own,” Ares declared. “And Lara can shift into a dragon too.”
“I’m a Drachenburg and Kai’s sister, dimwit,” she shot back. “Of course I can shift into a dragon.”
“But did you tell your brother that as of recently, you can also summon dragons? No one has ever been able to shift into a dragon and summon dragons, not even a Drachenburg. If that isn’t a sign of dipping deeply into Alden’s power, then I don’t know what is.”
“I don’t care what you think, traitor,” she snapped. “Now stop talking before I stomp on you.”
Magic flared to life on Ares’s hands.
“You will not destroy my building,” Kai told him. His head snapped around to Lara. “Either of you. And the only person who gets to stomp on people here is me.”
They grew silent. The magic on Ares’s hands died out. The magic in Lara’s eyes faded.
“The thing is,” Kai said. “I can’t trust either of you.”
“I came here to tell you that Alden is in the city,” Ares said quickly.
“No, I came here to tell you that,” Lara said. “He’s made his base in Witching Point.”
“We know.”
They looked at Kai, clearly surprised.
“You know? How?” Ares asked.
Lara looked at Sera. “You two tracked him.”
Ares let out a low whistle. “I knew a Dragon Born mage could track magic over great distances, but this is amazing.”
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “You two are a liability. You know about Sera.” He nodded at Sera. “Break their magic.”
Doing that would knock them unconscious too. It took a really strong mage, like Kai or Alden, to not pass out completely.
“I came here to help you,” Ares said.
“You need me.”
“You’re making a big mistake.”
Kai was deaf to their words. “Do it,” he told Sera.
She stepped up to Ares. He tried to run, but she caught his arm and pulled him back. She set her hand on his chest, breaking his magic. Ares fell to the ground, unconscious. She turned toward Lara.
