THE ASSEMBLED DWARVES ROARED IN anger and began to rush the thrones, but the dragon snarled, stopping them all in their tracks. “THEY ARE MINE TO JUDGE,” the Old One told them.
“They’ve held us under their spell for generations!” one of the dwarves yelled.
“We’re owed justice!” shouted another.
“I CARE NOT,” the Old One said. “COME ANY CLOSER, AND I WILL DEAL WITH YOU AS HARSHLY AS I DO THEM.”
That did the trick, and the dwarves quickly backed off, only to turn their attention to the massive diamond statue in the middle of their city. “Tear it down!” one shouted, setting off a huge swell of shouts as they all ran for the base of the statue.
Up and down the city of Dra, Fort could hear the dwarves shouting and stamping their feet, sending massive quakes through the entire cavern, just as they had when cheering for the Old Ones. Yet this time their shouts were full of righteous anger, and their stamping threatened to knock down the whole city, not just the statue.
“YOU DESTROYED MY CHILDREN,” the Old One said, turning back to his brethren. “YOU IMPRISONED ME FOR MILLENNIA. YOU HAVE GIVEN ME NO CHOICE BUT TO—”
“WE NEVER HARMED YOUR DRAGONS,” D’vale, Old One of Elemental magic said, sounding almost amused. “YOU DID THAT. AND THERE IS STILL ONE DRAGON LEFT ON EARTH. KETAS HAS SEEN IT FOR HIMSELF, HAS BEEN IN THE DRAGON’S MIND.”
“LIES!” the dragon snarled. “I SAW THE EGG FOR MYSELF, THE ONE THAT MY ALLY TOOK AND HID. THE DRAGON WAS GONE!”
Ketas had been in the mind of the last dragon? Wait, but that meant—
“BELIEVE AS YOU WILL,” D’vale said. “BUT BLAME US NOT FOR YOUR OWN CRIMES.”
“Give me back my brother!” Gabriel shouted at the three. “You promised you’d return him if I gave you the location of the last dragon, and I did!”
Now that Fort wasn’t under the control of Q’baos, the extent of Gabriel’s betrayal hit him hard. Part of him couldn’t believe what Gabriel had done, but a smaller, darker part of Fort wondered if he himself would have done the same, if it had been the only way to get his father back. Would he have betrayed the entire world too? He couldn’t imagine it, but the idea of leaving his father behind absolutely ripped him apart inside.
But that was a question for another time. For now, he moved toward Gabriel, hoping to get some answers. But a fireball beat him there, flying straight at his roommate before Fort could move to stop it.
Gabriel saw it coming, though, and his hands glowed green as he opened a teleportation circle in front of himself, sending the fireball somewhere unknown.
Gabriel could cast Teleport? Since when?
“Traitor!” Rachel shouted, another fireball already on its way toward Fort’s roommate. As he dodged, she lowered her hands to the ground, and the earth beneath his feet jumped, sending Gabriel flying. He opened another circle in midair and emerged right behind Rachel, moving to bash her with his shield, only for Fort to teleport him away before his blow could land.
“What did you do, Gabriel?” he shouted, moving between the two.
“He tried to knock me out and go looking for the Old Ones!” Rachel shouted, lightning playing between her hands. “I got here after he told them where the last dragon was, but that one took over my mind before I could stop him.” She pointed at Ketas, the Old One with tentacles coming out of his skull helmet.
Fort turned to Gabriel, his mouth hanging open, but his old roommate just stared at Fort sadly. “It’s like I said, kid. You do whatever you have to do to save the ones you love. They have my brother. I hate them with every inch of my body, but I can’t beat them. So this was my only option.”
D’vale began to laugh again. “WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT HAS BECOME OF YOUR KIN. THE TWO HUMANS WE TOOK WERE MEANT TO TEACH US WHAT YOUR KIND HAD BECOME WHILE WE WERE EXILED. WHAT WE DISCOVERED, HOWEVER, IS THAT THE OLDER HUMAN NO LONGER HAD THE ABILITY TO CREATE MAGIC. BUT THE YOUNGER ONE WAS FULL OF POWER. AND WE UNLOCKED IT.”
Gabriel clenched his fists as he stared at the creature, then turned to the dragon. “You’re in control of them, right? Make them give me back my brother!”
“I CANNOT CONTROL THEIR ACTIONS,” the dragon rumbled. “AND I CARE NOT FOR YOUR KIN. I TIRE OF THIS, AND WILL HAVE MY VENGEANCE NOW!”
“Me too,” Rachel shouted, and sent lightning sizzling toward Gabriel. He dropped to the ground, then threw his shield right at her, but she slammed it with rock from the ground, sending it flying.
With Rachel distracted, Gabriel ran for the three Old Ones. Fort ran after him, not sure what the other boy intended, but it couldn’t be anything good. “Gabriel, what are you doing?” he shouted, but his roommate didn’t turn around.
“Stop him!” Rachel shouted. “Fort, he’s going to—”
Before she could finish, the dragon landed on the ground between Gabriel and the other Old Ones, roaring fire at the boy. Gabriel threw up a teleportation circle, but instead of using it to block the magic, he instead leaped through, emerging just past the dragon.
And that’s when Fort understood what Rachel had been warning him about.
“Gabriel, NO!” Fort shouted, and opened his own circle. He leaped through it to emerge at Gabriel’s side just as Gabriel opened another teleportation circle right below the three Old Ones, dropping them, himself, and Fort all through it.
They emerged in the now-empty cavern of the Dracsi, Fort’s momentum sending him crashing to the ground. He landed hard on his shoulder but quickly scrambled to his feet, a growing horror filling him as he turned toward the Old Ones.
All three were now moving, free from the dragon’s spell, thanks to Gabriel.
“There, you’re not paralyzed anymore!” Gabriel shouted at them. “Now return my brother. We had a deal!”
The Old Ones looked at him and laughed, the sound still so horrifying that Fort could barely comprehend it. “WE DID INDEED HAVE A BARGAIN,” D’vale said.
“WE WILL SHOW YOU WHERE YOUR BROTHER IS, AND ALLOW YOU TO USE YOUR SPACE MAGIC TO BRING HIM HERE,” said Q’baos.
Ketas raised his tentacles, and Gabriel shouted in pain as yellow light glowed around his head.
I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN IMAGE OF WHERE YOUR KIN IS, Ketas said in both their minds. BRING HIM HERE, AND LET HIM DECIDE WHAT HIS FUTURE SHALL BE. IF HE CHOOSES TO RETURN HOME WITH YOU, THEN HE SHALL. IF NOT, WE WILL DESTROY YOU AND THIS ONE. He pointed his tentacles at Fort.
“Deal,” Gabriel said, and opened a teleportation circle.