Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(52)

Cass hurled fireballs while Aidan fought from the sky, shooting toward the Yetis with his massive claws outstretched. Roarke dive-bombed from the air as well, landing massive blows with his fists. Connor and Claire hurled potion bombs while Del threw her icicles.

Badasses. Every one of them.

I turned back to the door and pushed it open, slipping inside the darkened tower. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. The tower was empty and dark, the ceiling soaring high above. It was so hot in here compared to the cold Siberian night that I had to throw off my jacket. The sight of my Basement Cat T-shirt underneath gave me a little boost of confidence.

And I was going to need it, because the magic was darkest here, and strongest. And my dragon sense was going wild. It pulled toward the floor, as if Drakon were down there.

I scanned the room for a door and found a dark spot on the ground across the tower. A stairway?

I hurried over, keeping my footsteps as quiet as possible. It was a door, built right into the ground. I pulled open the hatch and found a set of stone stairs that went straight into hell.





Chapter Fourteen





My heart lodged in my throat as I crept down the stairs. The dark magic gagged me as I descended, making my eyes water and the inside of my mouth feel greasy from trying to breathe through my mouth instead of my nose.

Though it was dark down here, an orange glow from the bottom of the stairs lit my way. At the base, I peered into the main room and gasped.

It was as big as the tower above, but that’s where the similarities ended. In the middle, a pool of an oily black substance sat stagnant and threatening. All around the edges, terrifying black vines covered the ground, growing out of the pool.

I’d never met a plant I didn’t like, but there was a first time for everything.

Overhead, a massive black chandelier was filled with dark candles that glowed with orange light. I squinted, trying to figure out where Drakon was hiding.

It wasn’t until the dark oil rippled slightly that I realized he was in the black pond. That’s where the black magic was coming from, so that’s where he was. It was hard to see him because he was fully coated in the black muck and floating quietly, but he was definitely there.

Taking some kind of evil, super villain bath.

It should have made him less intimidating, but it did the opposite. Anyone who could stay submerged in that muck—who enjoyed it—was too evil for my taste.

I conjured a bow and arrow, trying my damnedest to keep my magical signature on low so he couldn’t sense me. The bow and arrow appeared in my hands. I drew a silent, steady breath and raised the bow, then nocked the arrow.

I sighted the floating body, which was definitely alive or my dragon sense wouldn’t have gotten so excited, and aimed the arrow. As I released the string, I prayed to fate.

The arrow sailed straight and true toward Drakon’s chest. Right before it plunged inside, he burst from the oil in a splash of black fluid and knocked the arrow aside.

Shit.

“How dare you?” His roar was an unholy sound. Not even human.

Icy shivers raced across my skin.

He floated in midair, his form dripping the oily muck back into the pond. How the hell was he floating?

I could barely make out his features through the oil, but slowly it slid off his face to reveal the man I’d seen at the compound in Oregon.

I conjured another arrow, suddenly realizing how ill equipped I was for this. Didn’t matter, though. No way I was running back up those stairs.

So I fired, aiming straight for his heart. Again, he batted the arrow away. I drew again. Before I could fire, he surged toward me, throwing a sonic boom that blasted me off my feet.

I slammed back against the stairs, pain singing through my back. Everything hurt as I dragged myself to my feet and conjured a shield. It would be wholly insufficient, but it was all I had.

As he raised his hand to throw another blast, I looked frantically around the room, trying to find anything I could use to my advantage.

The only thing I could think of was tossing a stick of dynamite into the oil and hoping it was as flammable as it looked. That’d blow me up too, but since I would probably die here anyway, I was willing to do it. I didn’t know if my friends were in the tower above, though. Or if the blast would take out the whole castle. I couldn’t risk them as well.

The debate took me too long. Draken hurled another sonic boom at me. I blocked it with my shield, but crashed back into the wall all the same pain enveloping me as my insides felt like they liquified. My vision blurred as I gasped for air.

“You thought to disturb me?” Drakon roared. “To destroy me?”

“The second one.” The words hurt just coming out.

Drakon threw another blast at me, this one stronger than all the rest. Since I hadn’t managed to remove myself from the wall that I’d been flattened against, it hit me dead on, all the force going straight into my middle.

I coughed, tasting blood.

Internal damage.

He was stronger than he’d been back at the compound in Oregon, or he’d have used this against me. No doubt it was from the dark evil here—he really was absorbing it for his own.

And I was here to fight him with just a shield and my bow. My clever tricks wouldn’t work when my friends were at risk. When in doubt, blow it up did not apply in this circumstance. I had plant magic, but didn’t know how to use it. Not that these dark plants could help me.