WITH A QUICK mystic blast, Arkayna shot the track of the oncoming train. That activated a turn switch, making the other train swerve away just before it collided with Arkayna’s. But Malvaron was still falling hundreds of stories down.
The Mysticons leapt after him. Arkayna caught him—but now they were all falling. Em activated a force field around all five of them as the street rushed closer. “Brace yourselves!” she shouted.
“How long does this last?” Arkayna asked.
The force field fizzled out, leaving the Mysticons and Malvaron falling in midair.
“Does that answer your question?” Zarya said. All four girls plus Malvaron plummeted toward earth. At the last second, Piper was able to use her hoops to swing them all off a flagpole near the ground. They landed in a heap.
It took Malvaron a few moments to open his eyes. “What did I miss?” he asked.
“Let’s just say your sister tried to destroy you,” Zarya said.
“Hmm, not surprised,” Malvaron said. “But it still hurts.”
Arkayna looked around at her friends, her stomach tied in knots. “I’m sorry, guys.…”
“Why’s she sorry?” Piper said, turning to Zarya.
“Because she thought being the leader meant she didn’t need to be part of the team,” Zarya said.
“But then she saved our lives, so…,” Em added. It seemed like a wash.
Zarya smiled and put a hand on Arkayna’s shoulder, letting her know all was forgiven. “Em makes a good point. Lead the way. Let’s find Tazma and take back that Codex piece.”
“Tazma said she wanted to take down the Astromancers in front of their heroes,” Em explained. “But that’s us, right?”
“Not exactly,” Arkayna said. She pointed off into the distance, where the Hill of Heroes rose up against the sky. Magical energy swirled around it.
The Mysticons knew what they had to do. They climbed onto their griffins and raced toward the Hill of Heroes. As they got closer, they could see Tazma surrounded by dozens of Shadow Mages. She’d transformed the piece of the Codex into a powerful green bracer—a large bracelet—which sparked and glowed on her wrist.
“Lead the way, Archer!” Zarya yelled as her griffin dove into formation with the others. The Mysticons unleashed a wave of attacks using their fire bolts, hoops, sword blasts, and arrows. They took out a whole line of Shadow Mages, but there were more right behind them. The mages cast up dark energy, which swirled around Tazma in black tendrils, protecting her behind a wall of evil. The Mysticons tried to break through, but more dark tendrils moved toward them, strengthening the wall.
“You’re too late, Mysticons,” Tazma said from behind her protective bubble. “The power of the Codex piece is mine. Your doom is imminent.”
A long, dark tendril flared out, grabbing for Zarya. Another reached for Arkayna. Arkayna knew there wasn’t much time.
“Mysticons, punch a hole!” she said. “Now!”
They all turned toward the wall, focusing their energy. Arkayna hurled fire bolts, and Em launched devastating sword blasts. Zarya and Piper added to the barrage with arrows and hoops. Finally, they broke open a small hole to the other side.
Arkayna saw her chance. She launched herself through the hole and dove on top of Tazma, wrestling her for the bracer. Magical sparks flew through the air.
When the two separated, Tazma reached for the bracer on her wrist, ready to strike a final blow. But the bracer wasn’t there. Arkayna had managed to steal it in the struggle. Arkayna’s now, the bracer unleashed a serpentine, fiery dragon that slammed Tazma backward. It was her Mysticon avatar, the Dragon, an animal of glowing energy summoned by her bracer. The Dragon smashed through the dark force field, shattering it, and the other Mysticons leapt forward, landing beside Arkayna.
“Thank you, Solon Tazma,” Arkayna said with a grin.
“For what?” Tazma asked angrily.
“For working us so hard to become the team that will defeat you,” she said.
Zarya, Piper, and Em flanked Arkayna on both sides, daring Tazma to strike back. Who was Tazma now without the bracer? Did she think she stood a chance on her own?
“You…,” Tazma said, struggling to her feet. “You have no hope of protecting Drake City from what’s to come.”
Before they could reply, Tazma dove through the air, morphing into a dark shadow. She disappeared into the night.
Arkayna was disappointed, but then she looked down at her wrist, as if she wasn’t sure the bracer was real. They’d gotten it; the first Codex piece was theirs.