Most Likely to Eat, Sleep, and Breathe Blazewrath over Anything Else:
Definitely Victoria.
Most Likely to Bake You a Cake on Your Birthday:
Héctor. Our team captain and a wonderful soul.
Most Likely to Have Your Back in a Fight:
Oh, honey. It’s us seven against the world.
—Excerpt from Gabriela Ramos & Edwin Santiago’s interview with Sworn Magazine
WHEN THE TRANSPORT CHARM’S WHITE LIGHT FADES FROM VIEW, I’m standing a few inches away from the rooftop’s ledge, gazing down into the charred hole the Sire used to escape. Randall is still out cold, back inside the habitat. Even if his Dragon Knight buddies arrive, he’s not going anywhere.
Dragon roars split the sky into pieces.
All eight Un-Bonded Pesadelos are unconscious on the forest floor. Bureau agents have surrounded them, wands out in case they wake up.
The Sire, however, is very much awake. He’s headed straight toward a wall of five black dragons, all baring their teeth in defiance. The Sire rams himself into them, but they don’t relent. Rayo and Fantasma whip their tails against his sides. Puya and Daga blow fire at his face and neck. Titán bites down on his spine, holding him in place.
The Sire breaks their wall. He sends them flying in different directions.
“He’s getting away!” Takeshi yells.
“Samira,” I say, “do you think you can help me communicate with Héctor?”
“I can Transport my Whisperer to him, then he can talk to you through yours.”
Crap. “I left mine at the Compound!”
Samira conjures my Whisperer out of thin air. Her own Whisperer disappears from her wrist as she hands mine over. “He’s wearing it!”
“Héctor? Are you there?” I speak into my Whisperer. “It’s Lana. Can you hear me?”
“Why am I wearing a Whisperer, and why is your voice coming out of it?!” Héctor is barely audible amidst the roars surrounding him. “I’m very busy right now!”
Titán launches himself at the Sire, blocking his flames from the others. Then he fires back flames of his own. The streams meet in the middle like Samira and Randall’s lightning bolts. A deafening crackle comes from the Whisperer.
“The Dark Island could take his magic, right?” I ask.
“We’re trying to get him there,” Héctor replies. “But this silver bastard is tough!”
The Sire shoots a thick stream of fireballs.
Héctor and Titán dive out of the way, but the Sire’s flames travel with them. While he’s distracted with Titán, the other four Sol de Noches scramble into their circle formation, trapping the Sire in the middle. They spread their wings wide and rattle the earth with their roars. Flames edge out of their scales.
They’re going to cast a ring of fire again.
The Sire whirls around, shooting fireballs like a cannon.
He knocks the dragons away one by one. While they cry out, the Sire spews more flames, darting from one dragon to the other in blinding chaos.
I almost go bald yanking my hair. He’s too strong. How are we supposed to beat him?
“Takeshi,” Samira says, “do you still have that Freeze Charm?”
“Right here.” He points to one of the golden orbs on his belt.
“Lana, tell Héctor to lead the Sire over here. Takeshi and I will hit his fire propeller with Freeze Charms.” Samira aims her wand at the sky. “Once we strike, Randall’s Gold magic won’t let him burn anything ever again.”
Brilliant. I quickly relay it into my Whisperer. “Héctor, bring the Sire over to the habitat. Samira’s going to take his fire away with a double Freeze Charm!”
Crickets.
I’m about to call for Héctor again, when he yells, “Okay! Let’s do it!”
Takeshi carefully removes the Freeze Charm from his belt. At his touch, a little frost-white light blooms at the center. “Bring that coward over here.”
For the first time in a long time, Takeshi Endo makes me smile.
It doesn’t last long, though.
The Sire is pummeling, burning, and biting at the five dragons determined to stop him. Titán takes the beating of his life, shielding his brothers and sisters from the silver dragon’s fury. Puya and Daga angle themselves at either side of Titán. Rayo and Fantasma are hovering a few feet below the Charger dragons.
Then Titán shoots up higher. The Sire makes the mistake of looking at him. Puya and Daga zoom forward, crashing into the Sire’s lower body. Rayo and Fantasma slam into his shoulders, then clamp down on the Sire’s wings. The four Sol de Noche dragons move simultaneously, jostling the Sire across the forest sky. His shrieks are music to my ears.
“Lana, I need you to back up!” Samira says as Takeshi stands next to her.
I run farther away from the ledge but not too far. While Samira keeps her wand raised, Takeshi holds the golden orb behind him like a baseball he’s about to pitch.
My teammates finally make it to the habitat and pin the Sire against the ledge where Takeshi and Samira await. Titán glides toward the roof, and a vengeful Sire follows his every move, mouth open and ready for retaliation.
His propeller is in plain sight. It doubles in size as he preps to blow out the flames.
Then the Sire’s eyes find Takeshi.
“Now, Samira!” he yells.
The Sire rolls forward. His brute strength knocks Puya and Daga away from him. Rayo and Fantasma are dragged down as they cling to the Sire’s wings. With a sudden jerk, he flaps them so hard they’re thrown over his head. Free at last, the Sire drives his tail into the building.
It lands right between Samira and Takeshi.
They’re knocked off-balance. Takeshi drops the Freeze Charm, and the orb makes a beeline for the floor. I dive for the orb, just managing to catch it in my outstretched fingertips before it becomes shards. With a grunt, I cradle it close and search for Takeshi and Samira.
They’re not on the roof.
“No, no, no …” I race to where they fell. They’re sinking into a giant cloud of rubble and dust. A bluish light wraps around them like a halo. Maybe a Shield Charm?
“Lana, come on! He’s going to hit it again!” Héctor pulls up beside me and waves for me to hop onto Titán. “Hurry!”
“We need to help them!”
“And you need to get out of that building!”
The Sire’s tail comes whizzing down again.
I jump onto Titán’s back. By the time I’m settled, the Sire’s destroyed most of the roof and the side of the building. He’s sending more pieces of concrete, dust, and smoke raining down on Samira and Takeshi. I hold on tight to Héctor and the Freeze Charm. “Let’s go get them!”
“He’ll take us out easily if we turn our backs!”
I hate that he’s right. Fantasma and Edwin creep up on the Sire’s left. Fantasma swipes with his claws. Puya, Daga, and Rayo pummel the Sire with fiery battering ram–style attacks. It’s a frenzy of fighting dragons and teens sweating from heat and terror.
My heart speeds up. Samira could Transport with Takeshi, right?
Unless she’s unconscious.
The Sire bashes his head against Titán’s, sending us spinning like we’re stuck on a hellish Ferris wheel. I scream and squeeze the life out of Héctor. When Titán regains his balance, we’re out of the Sire’s range. His brothers and sisters rain down flames. Daga cries out. No matter how fast Luis steers her away, the Sire’s fire finds her.
For a second, I think I catch the Sire smiling.
“You okay back there?” Héctor asks, panting.
Sparks light me up from within. My best friend and the world’s greatest Striker are in danger. Or maybe they’re just out cold? My teammates and their steeds are also in danger. I’m not a Striker. My aim is probably in the top-five-worst category in the whole world.
And yet I’m the one who has to end this.
“Lana?”
“Get Titán closer to the Sire. I’m going to throw this orb at his propeller.”
Héctor looks at me over his shoulder. “Are you sure?!”
“He’ll be easier to strike if I drop it from above. Can you force him to look up at us?”
Whether Héctor believes in me or not, he nods. “We’ll attack right over him. When he opens his mouth, do what you need to do.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Héctor taps Titán. “¡Vamos!”
Titán obeys with a roar. Rayo is fielding off the Sire’s fire with her own, but her stream is getting smaller, the Sire’s flames blasting hers away. Puya, Daga, and Fantasma hit the Sire’s body over and over, then he twirls in the fastest whirlwind of limbs. His tail is a loose weapon. The Sire slams it into everything in its path. Once again, all four dragons are sent flying away.
Titán charges. I keep my breathing steady, ignoring the breakneck speed at which my heart is pounding, and hide the orb behind me. Titán swoops close enough to taunt the Sire, then pulls up. I lean to the side, angling myself so I can see down. The Sire stays below us as expected. He watches us glide above him with his shiny, narrowed eyes.
He headbutts Titán in the stomach.
Titán is thrust upward. He loses control of his wings, doubling over from the blow.
“Ugh!” Héctor and I rock back and forth. I’m losing my grip, but I hold on just in time to see the Sire’s teeth bared. He’s opening his mouth to burn us. I need to get closer now.
The Sire aims his wide-open mouth at Titán.
“Get down!” I unhook my arm from Héctor’s waist. I jump to a standing position and use Héctor’s shoulders to steady myself. He leans forward low enough so that I can leap over him. He yells something, but it’s white noise to me.
I run down the entire length of Titán’s neck, his head, until I get to his nose. The Sire’s propeller expands as if he’s bracing for a full-blown explosion.
This is it. I’m going to die.
And everyone I care about will live.
My heart’s in my mouth, but I push the words out anyway. “Héctor! I’m really sorry for everything. Please tell the others I’m sorry, too. And thank you for helping me!”
His whole face is a question mark. “What are you … Wait, no! LANA, DON’T!”
I’m skydiving right into the Sire’s line of fire.
Please don’t miss, please don’t miss, please don’t miss.
I put everything I have left into my throw. The white light at the golden orb’s center shines even brighter as it shoots out of my hand. Flames erupt from the Sire’s propeller. The orb and the fire crash into each other.
BANG!
Ice blasts out of the orb. It travels the length of the fiery stream, freezing everything it touches. The ice grows and grows until it bursts into sharp bullets, shooting out everywhere. I drop a few inches past the Sire’s lips. He lets out a strangled cry and tries to blow out more flames. He’s lurching and spitting, but no matter how hard he tries, the flames never come.
His fire is gone.
“Yes!” I pump my fist in the air, even though I’m still falling to my death.
Then something breaks my fall.
“Ugh!” I lurch forward as the wind’s knocked out of me. Whatever’s cushioning me is hard and soft at the same time, a bed made of jagged rock and supple skin. My whole spine is a throbbing extravaganza. Still, I look down at what’s beneath me. I sigh in relief—black scales. I’ve landed on a Sol de Noche’s back.
“Nice shot,” Victoria says behind me.
No. Freaking. Way. Am I hallucinating? Or did Victoria Peralta really save my life?
“What are you doing here?” I whisper breathlessly. “You said—”
“I know what I said. Now, hold on. This is gonna get rough.”
I rush to sit behind her, still making sense of what just happened. Victoria went against her word to rescue me. She’s steering Esperanza higher and higher. The Sire is trying to flee before she gets him. He’s still crying out, but the jerk is strong enough to fly away.
Five Sol de Noche dragons appear all around him. They trap him in a circle again.
“Do you know the plan?” I ask Victoria.
“Obviously! Hang on!”
The Sire turns around just in time to meet Esperanza face-to-face. When he roars at her, I can see what was once his propeller caged within ice. It’s cracked and dented from the Sire’s attempts to burn the ice away. Drops of blood splatter the ice cage’s roof. He still attempts to burn Esperanza, but his efforts only slow the rest of his reflexes down. Esperanza sinks her teeth into his neck, which causes him to growl in fury. Then she buries her claws into his wings.
Esperanza rips the Sire’s wings out.
They soar down into the smoke and debris. They’re a pair of gleaming silver petals sinking into a thick, gray cloud—worthless reminders of a dragon without flight and fire.
The Sire cries louder than Daga ever did. He’s trapped in Esperanza’s claws, which she attaches to his wingless sides. She shoves him down and falls with him. For a few seconds, the world remains the same. We’re hurtling toward the smoke and debris.
Then it’s all night and black sand. Esperanza launches us into the Dark Island. The other Sol de Noche dragons are hot on her trail. President Turner is right where we left him, his jaw dropping when he spots us. Esperanza shoves the Sire into the pit with the claw towers. While the team’s dragons hover around the pit, Esperanza pins the Sire with a victorious roar. Then she flies out, leaving the rest of the dragons to bend the towers forward with their claws, curving them into spikes aimed at the Sire. He can’t move without getting stabbed.
I half expect myself to smile. It’s over. He’s not hurting anyone else ever again. The only company he’ll keep is his tortured roars. But seeing him stuck does nothing to ease the pain of losing Andrew. It doesn’t wash away the bitterness of how I played a part in that loss.
I helped him win.
“What’s up with you?” Victoria surprises me with a soft, almost motherly tone, and I realize I’m crying again. “Cheer up. This is a happy moment.”
I give her a single nod, wiping my tears away. “Yeah … it’s just …”
I can’t even say he’s dead.
Victoria frowns but doesn’t try to coax details out. She calls to everyone, “Let’s hit the road. We’re still needed outside. That includes you, Mister President! We have to go!”
Farther away from the pit, President Turner is as still as a corpse. Then he reaches out in the Sire’s direction. His hand lingers in midair as if he longs to confirm what he’s seeing. I can’t imagine how it must feel to see the dragon that cursed him in this state. From the way the president’s shaking his head, I don’t think he fully accepts what’s happening. Tears pool in his heavy-lidded eyes. “His wings are … His fire …” he whispers. “He’s … nothing.”
“You can thank us later!” Luis smiles. “Hop on with Gabriela!”
President Turner can’t stop staring at the Sire as Gabriela helps him onto Puya’s back. It’s like he’s committing his weeping to memory. So I do the same. The Sire’s wails won’t bring Andrew back. Or erase the terrible things he’s done. But I’ll know he hurts because of us.
Six black dragons fly side by side with their triumphant chorus still ringing in my ears.
Then the darkness spits me back out into another sky made of night.