ARKAYNA STARTED DOWN a dark tunnel. Fire still surged through her hands. With each step she grew angrier with Nova Terron. What did he mean, “to protect the realm”? How could a newborn baby do anything wrong? Hadn’t her sister deserved a chance to grow up with Arkayna, to have a real family? To be loved?
She turned down another tunnel. She could hear him following along behind her, but she didn’t bother to turn around. She kept going, and as they got closer to the dragon’s lair, the tunnel became littered with broken weapons. There were skeletons and piles of dusty treasure. She picked up a sword and it turned to dust.
“Fallen dragon hunters and thieves from a bygone era,” Nova Terron said.
Arkayna pointed at the glowing green light at the end of the tunnel. “The dragon’s lair…” she said, starting toward it. “I’m going in.”
“I’m coming with you,” Nova Terron said. “We must fight as one if we wish to survive.”
Arkayna just stared at him. “I’ll fight ‘as one’ to save the realm. But for your survival? Not a chance.”
She started back down the tunnel, getting closer to the lair. There was a small ledge above the opening and she walked up to it to survey the scene. Dozens of green crystals floated near the ceiling, like little islands. An egg was perched on the center one, held up by shards of green rock.
“It appears we’re not hunting a dragon,” Nova Terron said, “but rather its egg.”
“The twins need to be united for the egg to spawn the dragon,” Arkayna realized.
“Yes,” Nova Terron said, arching an eyebrow. “but if we destroy the egg—”
Arkayna had a vision of the baby dragon that could hatch from that egg, and she was angry all over again. “Maybe that’s how you operate,” Arkayna snapped. “But not me. We take the egg and keep it safe from Necrafa.”
“No, it must be destroyed,” Nova Terron argued. “It is the only way to prevent—”
An evil laugh split the air. Arkayna and Nova Terron looked up to see Tazma and General Tibion, the leader of Necrafa’s spectres. When Necrafa returned to life, she transformed Tibion and his army of skeleton warriors into spectres—horrible winged monsters. With Tazma and Tibion perched on one of the crystal formations high above, the army of spectres couldn’t be far behind. “You can’t stop fate,” Tazma called out. “The end of days is inevitable!”
Tazma shot a bolt of dark magic at Arkayna and Nova Terron, knocking them off their feet. Then Tazma flew up to retrieve the egg. Arkayna blasted her with a green fireball from her Dragon Staff, then tossed another bolt around Tazma’s ankle, throwing her off-course. As soon as she had a chance, she grabbed Nova Terron and rocketed him along with her to a crystal island high above.
But Tibion was closing in on the egg. Nova Terron hit him with a blast of his full power, giving Arkayna an opening. She flew to the egg. It was so close … she could almost reach it.…
Before she could grab it, Tibion shot his own blast of dark magic, sending her hurtling over the side of the crystal. Arkayna tried to climb back up, using all her might, but the rock was too slick.
Nova Terron leapt up to get the egg, but Tazma shot dark shadow tendrils at him, tying him up. She raised him into the air in front of her and smiled. “Your time has come, ‘Star Master.’ And you, Dragon Mage,” she said, turning to Arkayna, “you’re a fool to think you can stop the Queen of the Undead.”
Tazma grabbed the dragon’s egg from its crystal perch. “Tibion, finish them,” she snarled.
Tibion’s hand glowed crimson red. He hovered in the air in front of Nova Terron, bringing his magic down just inches from Nova’s face. Just as Tibion was about to end him, a pixie blast hit him from the side.
Arkayna glanced up to see her friends (well, her friends and Proxima) perched on a ledge high above. Zarya expertly shot arrows at Nova Terron, freeing him from the black tendrils that tied him up without so much as nicking him.
“Awww, what a cute dragon egg,” Piper said, glaring at Tazma.
“It won’t be so cute once it spawns,” Tibion spat.
“Not gonna happen,” Em snapped.
Arkayna climbed back up onto the crystal ledge. “You’re outnumbered. There’s nothing you can do.”
The Mysticons aimed their weapons at Tazma, ready to fight.
“Think again, Mysticons,” Tazma said.
Before Arkayna could do anything, Tazma blasted dark magic into the roof of the cave, shattering a hole in it. The explosion rocked the crystal islands, sending shards raining down on the girls. Em threw up her shield to protect Zarya, Piper, and Proxima, but Arkayna was left exposed. A rock hit her and she flew off the island, plummeting toward the ground, far below.
“Hang on, I gotcha!” Zarya fired a cable arrow straight down, the cord catching around Arkayna’s ankle. Em and Piper rushed in behind her, grabbing the end of the cord and yanking with all their might. When they finally pulled it taut, Arkayna was hanging in midair, her head mere inches from the floor. She looked up just in time to see Tibion and Tazma escape through the hole in the cave’s roof, the dragon’s egg clutched tightly in Tazma’s hands.
Nova Terron didn’t waste any time. He shot out of the roof, following Tazma and Tibion, with Mysticons and Proxima in his telekinetic grip. As soon as they were in the sky he released everyone right above their griffins. One by one, the Mysticons fell onto the giant creatures, with Nova Terron taking a seat behind Arkayna. Proxima joined Em on her griffin.
Tazma was still in their sights.
“Stop the Shadow Mage at all costs!” Nova Terron yelled.
But Tibion and his army of spectres had already closed ranks around Tazma to protect her. They descended in a barrage of dark magic, trying to knock the Mysticons off their griffins.
“Out of my way!” Arkayna cried, holding up her bracer. Her Dragon avatar emerged from her bracer and spread its giant green wings, blasting through a row of spectres. Em, Piper, and Zarya all followed, letting their avatars explode into the sky. The Wolf, the Battle Unicorn, and the Phoenix all charged toward Tibion, while Arkayna remained focused on the fleeing Tazma.
“The Dragon Mage will never stop her,” Tibion laughed. Then he turned to his army of spectres, ordering them to fight. “Finish them, finish them all!”