DWARVES FILLED THE CITY OF Dra, lining the edges of the cavern on every level, from the very top to as far down as the eye could see. The huge roaring cheers were so loud that they were almost painful, and powerful enough to send tremors through the rock.
The dragon floated down slowly and carefully in circles around the enormous statue of the Spirit Old One that rose from the center of the city. On his back, a human boy wearing a silver amulet around his neck watched the dragon’s flight carefully, offering suggestions every few seconds that sounded vaguely like orders.
The packed crowds of dwarves weren’t cheering for the dragon or the boy, though. The object of their worship instead lay at the very bottom of the city, where three Old Ones posed regally in diamond chairs, sculpted individually to fit their forms. Before the Old Ones, lines of younger dwarves stood in silence, having yet to go through the Ritual that would take their spirits and replace them with absolute loyalty to Q’baos.
That would change in a matter of minutes.
As the dragon neared the ground, the dwarves’ cheers cut off at once, like someone had abruptly muted them all. The three Old Ones all rose from their thrones and turned to face the descending dragon.
A purple light glowed from the hands of Q’baos, the Old One immortalized in the statue that the dragon was currently circling. A matching glow appeared around the dragon’s head, and the dwarves began to cheer once more. The dragon’s heart now belonged to the Old Ones, they knew, and that alone was reason to celebrate, even if they hadn’t been controlled by Ketas, the Old One of Mind magic.
The dragon’s speed increased since it no longer felt apprehension about the Old Ones below, and the boy on his back was forced to hold on tightly to avoid falling off.
As they neared, dozens of elder dwarves cleared a path between the assembled younger ones, opening a place for the dragon to land. He did, though it was a bit of a rough landing, almost knocking the boy off of his back.
After landing, the dragon immediately bowed to the three Old Ones, who sat back down on their thrones.
To the side of the three thrones, two humans stood, one a girl, the other a large boy. Both stepped forward. The girl’s eyes were filled with hatred, controlled as she was by Ketas.
The boy, however, just looked worried when he caught the eye of the boy on the dragon.
“WE WELCOME OUR FORMERLY IMPRISONED BROTHER,” said D’vale, the Old One made entirely out of flames. “WE REGRET THAT HIS DISLOYATY NECESSITATES THE USE OF OUR SISTER’S POWER”—she nodded at Q’baos, the Old One of Spirit magic—“BUT WE WILL DO AS WE MUST, AS WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE.”
IT SEEMS THAT HE HAS BROUGHT US A GIFT, the master of Mind magic said, his words beating inside the skulls of everyone present. ONE THAT BELIEVES A TRINKET AROUND HIS NECK MIGHT PROTECT HIM. BROTHER, PRESENT THIS HUMAN TO US TO PROVE YOUR DEVOTION. IT IS THE YOUNG ONE WHO HURT US, WHEN WE LAST ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO OUR HOME.
The dragon nodded and lay down to let the boy climb off of his back, which he did. The boy then moved slowly toward the three thrones, his eyes on the Old Ones.
The young dwarves behind the boy began to shout in protest, but the Old One of Mind magic glowed yellow, and they all fell silent, still rebellious, but now unable to speak.
“You wished to find the last dragon?” the boy said as he stopped within a few feet of the thrones. “I regret to inform you that there are no more. The one you see before you is the last of his kind.”
The three Old Ones looked past him to the dragon. “THAT IS NOT THE LAST,” Q’baos said. “THERE IS ANOTHER.”
Ketas gestured at Gabriel, who stared at the boy sadly. THIS ONE HAS GIVEN US THE LOCATION OF THE LAST DRAGON IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS KIN. NOW WE WILL RETURN TO EARTH AND RETRIEVE THE DRAGON.
Gabriel stepped forward. “I told them where it is, Fort, in exchange for them returning my brother to me.”
The boy standing before the Old Ones raised an eyebrow at this, then shook his head. “I am afraid I cannot let that happen.”
“YOU?” Q’baos said. “YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE THE POWER TO STOP US?”
The boy nodded, and the Old Ones began to laugh.
“OUR BROTHER,” Q’baos continued, gesturing toward the dragon. “SHOW ME YOUR DEVOTION. USE YOUR MAGIC TO TURN THIS ONE’S BODY INSIDE OUT. BUT KEEP THE HUMAN ALIVE. WE WANT TO SHOW THE YOUNG DWARVES THE PRICE OF DEFYING US.”
The dragon nodded and scrunched up his face, like he was trying hard to do as ordered. A minute passed, then another, until finally, he let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. “I WANT TO DO AS YOU SAY, WITH ALL OF MY SOUL, BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW. I DON’T KNOW THAT KIND OF MAGIC.”
WHAT? Ketas leaped up from his seat, followed immediately by the others. He leaned in to the boy, to get a closer look, only for his tentacles to flail about as he hissed, retreating quickly. NO! he shouted. WE HAVE BEEN DECEIVED—
His words cut off as blue light surrounded the three Old Ones, freezing them all instantly.
“Unfortunately, all he knows is a bit of space magic,” the boy said, nodding at the dragon. “Perhaps if you had not been so arrogant, you would have checked his mind before stealing his spirit?”
The boy reached out his still-glowing hand, and blue light now flooded over the dragon. The creature’s wings shrank into his back, and his front legs pulled up, shortening into arms as his tail disappeared into his back.
As the dragon morphed into a human, the opposite happened to the boy, his body enlarging as it grew wings and a tail. A moment later, the Old One had resumed his dragon shape, while Fort stood behind him, staring down at his now-human hands in wonder.
“ONE MORE THING,” the dragon said, and Fort’s whole body began to glow blue, as did those of every dwarf assembled except for the young ones, and Rachel, too. A moment later, and all traces of Q’baos’s Spirit magic had been expunged from the assembled crowds. The effort seemed to have exhausted the dragon, but he still looked up at the Old Ones in triumph. “NOW, MY BRETHREN, WE SHALL SEE WHO IS PUNISHED FOR THEIR CRIMES.”