“Put me down!”
Tiggy did just that, but apparently I wasn’t as recovered as I would have liked. As I stumbled forward, Gary was there to stop my momentum, my hands going around his neck, his mane soft under my fingers. My legs were shaking, and I sagged against Gary, letting him take my weight for a little bit.
“Kevin,” I heard Ryan say. “Can you go grab Ruv? I don’t think he can make it over.”
“On it, boss man.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Sure thing, boss man.”
“Godsdammit. Just… get him.”
“Leaving now, boss man.”
“You okay, kitten?” Gary asked, rubbing his cheek against mine. “That was… impressive.”
“I’m fine,” I muttered. “I don’t… I don’t know what happened.”
“You put on a very powerful display,” Gary said softly. “Something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.”
“Great,” I sighed. “Because that’s just what we need right now. Me getting more out of control.”
I felt Gary shake his head. “Don’t think we can call it that, Sam.”
“Maybe. Whatever it was, I’m sorry it took too long. I know you don’t like to worry.”
Gary pulled back so he could look at me. “Took long?”
I tested my legs, bending slightly at the knees. They still felt a little soft, but it was getting better. My strength was slowly returning, which was a good sign. “Yeah, I don’t even know how long I was stuck in that storm. Felt like ages before I found Tiggy and Ryan.”
Gary opened his mouth and then snapped it closed again.
“What?”
“Sam,” he said slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully. “It only lasted seconds.”
And that sent a chill down my spine. “What?”
Gary glanced at Tiggy and Ryan before looking back at me. “Ryan and Tiggy went under. Kevin and I were about to come after you and them when you just… exploded. Sam, I could taste the magic in the air. One minute you were standing and the sun was shining, and the next, there was a thunderstorm overhead and the sand just rose around you. We could barely see you on the path. Before we could even shout for you, you were struck by lightning and then you were moving.”
“Moving,” I said. “I don’t—”
“To put it bluntly, kitten? You were surrounded by a gigantic ball of lightning and were moving almost faster than the eye could see. One moment you were on the walkway, and the next, you were electrifying everything. It was so bright, we had to look away. When I could see again, the sand, the mermaids… everything was gone.”
“Huh,” I said. “That’s… something.”
Gary leaned in until his face was pressed against mine. “You want to know how it happened?” he asked, breathing heavily. “Because I can tell you.”
I was going cross-eyed trying to look at him. “Why did it happen?”
He panted against my face. “Because of love.”
I groaned and pushed his face away. “You shut your fat mouth.”
He was laughing, but it had a hysterical edge to it. “Sam, I’m not even joking. You thought Tiggy and Ryan were in trouble, and you literally destroyed a sea of sand to get to them.”
“Hey! They were in trouble! They were the ones stupid enough to get themselves sucked under!”
“I love you too,” Tiggy said. “You my favorite wizard.”
“Damn right I’m your favorite wizard,” I muttered. “Too bad you’re both on my shit list right now.”
Ryan wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him and kissing the side of my head. “You love me,” he said into my hair.
“You can go fuck yourself.”
“You love me.”
“Less and less every second.”
“You love me.” He kissed me again.
I clung to him, just a little bit. “You can’t do that,” I said in a low voice. “You can’t do that to me again.”
He turned me until he could cup my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his gaze. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. “You came for me,” he said. “Even though I told you to go.”
“You have stupid ideas.”
“Oh gods,” Gary moaned from somewhere behind me. “They’re going to start getting sappy. Tiggy, kill me now.”
“No,” Tiggy said. “Tiggy loves you. No killing.”
“You adorable, wonderful giant. How I cherish you.”
“You came for me,” Ryan said again. “Just like I would come for you.”
“I never said I was smart either.”
He leaned in and kissed me sweetly, lips lingering. I wanted to deepen it, make it more than it was, but I knew it would be tinged with desperation. I still felt frantic, the image of him slipping under the sand burned into my mind.
“They’re so fucking cute it’s terrible,” Gary said. “Tiggy, will I find love that makes other people want to vomit and punch me in the spleen?”
“You did.”
“Why, I have no idea of what you speak!”
“You an idiot,” Tiggy said succinctly.
“Don’t do that to me again,” I murmured against his lips. “I swear to the gods, if you die, I will resurrect you just to kill you myself.”
I felt him smile against me. “Deal. And stop worrying about the magic.”
I pulled away. “I’m not worried.”
“Sam.”
“Okay, fine. Maybe a little worried. But you saw what I did. Ryan, no one should be able to do that. Randall can’t even do that.”
Ryan shrugged. “He’s already said you’re more powerful than he is. He just thinks you’re unfocused.”
“Being unfocused with that level of power will get someone killed,” I said.
“It’s a good thing you have me, then.”
“Oh my gods. Of course you would make this about your ego. You dickbag.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re the most powerful wizard in an age. I’m your cornerstone. Therefore I’m the most powerful cornerstone in an age. It’s my destiny, after all.”
I wiggled my fingers at him. “I will curse your tongue so it falls out of your mouth.”
“Ungh,” he said, eyes glazing over.
“Heart boner definitely gone,” Gary muttered behind us. “Their sex games are so weird.”
“I don’t like sex games,” Tiggy said. “I like puzzles.”
“Gaah, I love your face. Tell me I’m beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.”
“I know.”
There was a flap of wings, and a large shadow passed overhead. Dust and sand kicked up around us as Kevin lowered himself back onto the island, holding Ruv in his claws. He let Ruv drop down before he landed, folding his wings against his sides.
Ruv was wide-eyed as he stared at me. “They said you were powerful.” He shook his head. “They have no idea, do they?”
“I don’t think anyone does,” I said honestly. “It’s still a work in progress.”
“A work in—Sam. I have never seen that kind of magic before.”
“Oh. Well. You’re… welcome?”
“How can you do that?”
“The power of positivity?”
“He doesn’t know,” Gary said. “Isn’t that fun? You meet him, you think, oh, there’s a cute little twink with a perky butt, and the next, wham! He’s exploded your liver and turned your blood into burning oil.”
“I’m not a twink!”
“Notice how he didn’t deny the other stuff,” Gary whispered to Ruv. “Think about that the next time you let Vadoma call you his cornerstone and you don’t try to correct her.”
“Eep,” Ruv squeaked.
“Yesss,” Gary hissed. “Your fear gives me strength.”
“Well,” Ryan said, clapping his hands. “As fun as threats against Ruv are, we should probably move forward before something else happens.”
I stared at him in horror. “Why would you s
ay that? Now something else is going to happen because you jinxed us!”
“Sam,” he said with a sigh. “Something always happens when you’re involved.”
“That’s not even—okay. Yes. That’s pretty much true. I have nothing.”
“Sam, before we go, if I may.”
“Yes, Kevin.”
“I know your mother and I have ended our relationship.”
“I changed my mind. Stop.”
“And I know I’ve been a distant stepfather at best.”
“Oh my gods.”
“But son? That whole lightning thing? That was hot. I would just destroy you if you’d let me.”
“Oh my gods.”
“Remember when I used to hate your magic because wizards suck?”
“I wish that was still the case.”
“Well now I like it, and I hope wizards suck.”
“Why aren’t you defending my honor?” I asked Ryan, poking him in the chest.
He shrugged. “I don’t disagree with what he’s saying.”
“Useless. All of you. Since Ryan jinxed us, we should get moving before we get eaten or—”
From farther into the island came the deafening roar of an unmistakably large creature. It echoed through the cavern around the island until it finally faded.
“—or the dragon wakes up and knows we’re here,” I finished weakly. “Because holy fuck, it’s awake and knows we’re here.”
We all turned toward the dome, expecting to see it slithering toward us, teeth bared, ready to eat our legs and patellas, but there was nothing there.
But I could feel it. It wasn’t whispering to me in my head anymore, at least not in words. There was just that hook in my brain, jerking me forward, and all I could think was now, now, now.
“Well shit,” Gary said. “Sam’s got glowing eyes again. That will never not be freaky.”
“Kevin?” I asked without looking away from the dome. “Can you feel it?”
“Yes,” Kevin said, sounding dreamy. “He’s in there.”
“He?”
“Yes.”
“Can you talk to him?”
“No. It’s not…. I can just feel him. He’s awake. He’s waiting for us. He’s waiting for you.”
“Eh, maybe we should think about this,” Ryan said. “Since anytime we’ve rushed headfirst into anything without thinking it through, it’s never really worked out in our favor.”
“You rescued the Prince and landed the wizard without thinking it through,” Gary pointed out. “In fact, I don’t know that you ever think things through.”
He glared at Gary. “I think things through all the time. It’s not my fault I’m surrounded by all of you people.”
Gary narrowed his eyes. “And just what do you mean by you people?”
I ignored them. “Anything else we should know about Jekhipe before we go?”
Ruv was watching me with a look on his face that I couldn’t quite place. I didn’t know if my eyes were still doing their weirdness, but I thought they probably were. I didn’t think he was scared, but… wary? Cautious, probably. My little display had probably thrown him for a loop. I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. Or what’d he’d say to Vadoma when we returned to Mashallaha.
“Just that he’s dangerous,” Ruv said finally. “A trickster. You cannot underestimate him.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t underestimate anything.”
“Um,” Gary said. “You do it all the time.”
“No one asked you, Gary!”
“Okay, you need to point those freaky eyes at someone else, Miss Thang. I don’t need your creepy hoodoo business all up in my shit.”
“I think they’re hot,” Ryan whispered to me.
“I know,” I said. “But you’re really weird, so.”
“It’s not weird.”
“What they whispering about?” Tiggy asked Gary.
“Probably something disgusting,” Gary said. “Remember when Sam was a virgin? I miss those days.”
“His precious flower,” Tiggy said mournfully.
“Team Sam, move out!” I announced.
Which, of course, everyone protested, because they were lame and wouldn’t know a good team name if it punched them in the throat.
THE RUINS were in far worse condition than they’d appeared from far away. Everything that still stood—the parapets, the battlements, the towers—looked to be on the verge of collapse. Great piles of stones littered the whole of the island. Everything was smooth and bleached, worn down by blowing sand and sun. There were vague shapes in the broken statues—feet here, an arm there. There was a stone hand that held a dagger lying on the ground near the remains of an archway.
The ruins felt dead.
And haunted.
“What was this place?” I asked Ruv, even as the dragon whispered unintelligibly in my head. “I’ve never heard of a castle this far out.”
Ruv stepped over a mound of stone. “The name of the castle has been lost in time. But the gypsy people call it Prikasa.”
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t even blink when he said, “Bad luck. A dark omen.”
“Of course that’s what it means,” I said. “Because you guys suck.”
He ignored me. “It’s supposed to be older than Verania itself. There was a man, or so it is said, a fierce warrior, who ruled over many lands. He and his army worked their way east, laying siege to everything in sight, taking it for himself. He was blinded by greed and power and the need to own all he could see. By rights, he was very good at what he did. He built himself castles for every new territory he consumed. This was said to be one of them.”
“What happened to him?”
“What happens to all men with great power,” he said. “Someone wanted it more and killed him for it.”
“I feel like you’re trying to tell me something.”
I didn’t miss the faint smile. “You are so wise, Sam of Wilds.”
“Now you’re mocking me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“How are we going to get this dragon on our side?” Ryan asked. “Are we just going to walk up to it and say, ‘Hey, dragon. Come be on Team Sam. It’s great.’”
“Yes,” I whispered reverently. “I knew Team Sam would be a thing.”
“We’re going to need to sell it better than that,” Gary said, rolling his eyes. “Give him some incentive.”
“Oh?” Kevin said. “And just what kind of incentive can you give? Is that how it’s going to be? Move on from one dragon to the next? For shame. For shame.”
“Well,” Gary said. “Once you go dragon, all the rest is laggin’.”
“Hey!” Kevin said, sufficiently outraged. “That’s my saying! You can’t weaponize it and use it to stab me in the heart!”
“They’re so in love,” Tiggy said to me. “Tiggy knows.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I told Ryan. “You gotta trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
He frowned. “I trust you, Sam. But you never know what you’re doing.”
Which. Okay. That was pretty much true. I tended to be more of a by-the-seat-of-my-trousers kind of planner. I figured that since I was still alive after all these years, I must be doing something right.
As we approached the dome, I could see it was bigger than I’d thought. There were large square sections cut out of it, openings that looked as if they had once held windows or a covering of some kind. The stone was cracked along the dome, and some pieces had collapsed, but it still stood and looked solid. Or at least I hoped it was, because I had a bad feeling that we were going to be heading inside.
“It was an aviary,” Ruv said, coming to stand next to me as I stopped to look up. I had to blink against the sun shining along the curve of the dome.
“Those would have been some damn big birds,” I said.
“The world is a mysterious place, Sam,” Ruv said. “Before today, you never knew sand mermaids existed
.”
“And I was totally okay with that.”
His grin was rather unsettling. “Just because you ignore it doesn’t mean it will go away.” He continued on toward the dome.
“Fucking gypsies,” I muttered.
As we got closer, the whispering in my head got louder. It wasn’t forming words anymore, only sound, like a low hum. It itched and rankled, but the hook only pulled harder. Ryan walked closely at my side, his hand brushing against mine. It grounded me, kept my head mostly clear.
“They’re getting brighter,” he said as we walked into the shadow of the dome. “Your eyes.”
“It doesn’t feel like I’m seeing anything differently,” I said, though it felt like a lie. “They red?”
“Very.”
“That’s probably not a good sign.”
“Probably.”
The front of the dome had a large archway where I was sure had once been an entrance akin to the Great Doors into the throne room in Castle Lockes. But those doors were long gone, either corroded or destroyed at some point in the past. Now it was just a cavernous opening, and it was eerily reminiscent of the mouths on the sand mermaids, sans teeth. That wasn’t the image I wanted to have while walking into it.
But it wasn’t completely dark inside. In fact, it was rather beautiful, with shafts of sunlight crisscrossing through the openings in the dome, illuminating large swaths of ground. And while it was magnificent, it wasn’t what caught my attention.
No, what caught my attention was the life inside the dome.
For even though it was surrounded by a harsh and unforgiving environment, and even though it should have died a very long time ago, the interior of the dome was teeming with plant life. It was startling, seeing the bursts of colorful flora that bloomed within the dome. There were trees that looked almost as old as anything I’d ever seen in the Dark Woods. There were flowers of orange and violet and blue and ocher, much larger than the blossoms that grew in my mother’s garden. I heard the loud chirp of birds, their calls and songs echoing in the dome.
It was, in a word, extraordinary.
I glanced at Ruv, who looked just as shocked. “I thought you said this used to be an aviary.”
“It was,” Ruv said, taking a stuttering step forward. “It was dead. There was nothing but sand and stone on the inside from what we could see.”