“VERY GOOD,” NECRAFA said as she gazed down at Dreadbane. She waved him toward her. “Bring me the rings.”
Arkayna knew this was it. If she didn’t get the rings back now, the whole realm would be destroyed. She jumped back onto her griffin and flew up in the air to talk to Dreadbane. “Don’t,” she pleaded. “She doesn’t love you, Dreadbane.”
“Lies!” Necrafa snapped. “Together we will purge the realm with the dragon’s rage.”
“You have to fight for the things you love,” Arkayna urged. “Your home. Your friends. Your starmates. Your sisters. But there’s nothing you can do to make them love you back.”
“Tell me you love me,” Dreadbane said, looking up at Necrafa.
“I love you,” she lied.
“Don’t listen to her, Dreadbane!” Arkayna begged.
“I love you, I love you, I love you!” Necrafa grew angrier each time she said it. Dreadbane stared up at her, his eyes sad, like he wasn’t sure what to do. “Now, give me the rings!”
Dreadbane clutched the rings in his hand. He didn’t move. He looked up at Necrafa, then back at Arkayna. He seemed confused.
Necrafa couldn’t take it any longer. She blasted him with her dark magic, letting him wither in pain.
“I hate you, you worthless pile of bones!” she snapped. “Give me the rings!”
She blasted Dreadbane again. When he sat back up, he had tears in his eyes. “Alas, Necrafa…” He held the rings away from him. “It’s time for me to let go.”
He released the rings and they fell toward the ground. Necrafa grabbed them with her magic, drawing them up toward her in the sky.
But Zarya acted fast. She aimed up and shot an arrow at Necrafa. It sailed past the rings and high into the air.
“Ha! You missed!” Necrafa laughed.
“I never miss,” Zarya said. As the arrow came back down, it took the two rings from Necrafa and brought them down to the roof. Arkayna and Zarya raised their hands up and a golden ring slipped onto each girl’s finger.
“The prophecy was right,” Arkayna said. “The realm will be purged by the dragon’s rage.”
“But not your dragon,” Zarya said.
“Ours,” Arkayna and Zarya said together. “Unleash the twin dragons!”
Powered by the energy of their rings, Arkayna and Zarya shot into the night sky in a swirl of energy. Together they transformed into two fierce Dragon avatars. They spun around each other, soaring up toward the moon, and let out a fearsome roar.
Then they set their sights on Necrafa. She charged toward them on the Spectral Dragon and they zoomed down to meet her. They collided in a huge explosion of light and sound.
“No!” Necrafa screamed. “Noooo! Noooo!”
Arkayna couldn’t see a thing. The light was blinding. Her and Zarya’s powers had never been stronger, and the energy surged through them, creating a glowing green orb. Then the energy around them exploded, sending a ripple of magic through the city. In seconds, Necrafa and all of her spectres were gone.