I scrambled upright, hands dug into the snow for purchase. All around me, my friends rose woozily.

I could see again, through my own eyes. It hadn’t been twenty minutes, but maybe the explosion had knocked me out of Cass’s vision.

Horror opened in my chest.

I gasped, searching the sky above. “Cass!”

Had something happened to her?

The dragons’ mountain that we were crouched beneath was belching black smoke. The whole top was blown off. I ignored it as my heart pounded, searching the sky for two sparrows.

“I don’t see them.” Panic thrummed in Del’s voice.

Had they been caught in the explosion? Was that why I was no longer in her sight?

We all searched the sky, our fear palpable on the air. I could almost smell it. I gripped Ares’s hand hard as worry choked me.

Finally, through the dark bellowing smoke, two tiny sparrows hurtled toward us. They slowed their frantic descent at the last minute, tumbling in the snow.

Magic gleamed gold around them as they shifted back to human form.

I lunged for Cass, hugging her. “I thought you were caught in the blast!”

“So did I.” She squeezed me and pulled back, her eyes wide. “Did you see them all?”

“All what?” Ares demanded.

I turned to him. “Demons. He has an army of hundreds.”

“Shit.” Ares dragged a hand over his face.

Roarke’s gaze turned dark. Del squeezed his shoulder.

“My fault,” Roarke gritted.

“You were helping us,” I said. “That kept you out of the Underworld.”

“All the same.” He scowled.

“All the same what?” Del demanded. “You don’t control all the realms and all the portals. It’s impossible. Don’t blame yourself. Just get to helping now.”

He gave her a long look, one of appreciation and respect. They balanced each other well. And Del was right. He was Warden of the Underworld, not a god.

“So there are hundreds of demons and not hundreds of us,” I said. “And I’m not even sure we can raise an army to defeat that many.”

“We’ve got allies,” Del said.

“The Vampire Court and our soldiers will help,” Ares said.

“There’s others, too,” Cass said. “Maybe the shifters and the Order.”

“If they’re willing. Even then, it may not be enough.” I watched the smoke billowing overhead. Drakon was going straight for the dragons. He didn’t have his tools yet—he still needed one of us—but he was preparing. The idea of him harming the dragons while they slept made my stomach turn. “Drakon is ready for us. And he doesn’t even realize that we probably can’t fight his whole army.”

“Only one thing can defeat Drakon,” Ares said.

Understanding dawned on me. Of course. We couldn’t fight the dragons’ battle. Only they could. “We have to wake the dragons.”

“Wake them?” Aerdeca gasped. “Are you serious?”

“How will they know we’re not the enemy?” Mordaca asked.

I shrugged. “Maybe they won’t. But if we can’t fight Drakon and guarantee a win, they need a chance to defend themselves.”

“Or they’ll die in their sleep.” Horror painted Del’s face. Everyone’s, actually.

“We’ll still fight for them,” I said. “But they need a chance to fight for themselves.”

“How do we wake dragons?” Claire asked.

“No idea.” I stared at the mountain, letting the varying magical signatures rush over me. There was Drakon’s, which felt like tar coating my organs, but then there was that wonderful feeling of home that’d I’d felt earlier. “Can anyone else feel the good magic?”

“Good magic?” Connor asked.

“Yeah. Something that feels like home. Not like Drakon’s garbage signature.”

“I can,” Cass said. “Feels like being in my trove.”

“Same,” Del said.

“Only the FireSouls feel it, then,” Ares said.

“I think it’s the dragons.” I nodded, convinced. “Has to be.”

“I think we need to follow it,” Del said. “We need a way to reach them, and we can’t go Drakon’s way.”

“Yeah, I’m not keen on tangling with him right now,” Cass said.

“Or his army,” Connor added.

“I think there’s another way. We just need to follow the magic.” I turned, trying to get a feel for which way it pulled from. “Follow me.”

I led the way, Cass and Del at my side. When I lost the signal, one of them picked it up. Together, we climbed up the steep side of the mountain. Fortunately, the aurora borealis had faded, plunging the night into darkness. I still felt like a sitting duck out here on the slope, but I’d take whatever cover I could get.

“It’s growing stronger,” Cass said.

“Definitely close,” Del added.

The mountain still loomed high overhead. We’d only gone about a third of the way up, but Del was definitely right. The entrance was near.

To the left, a vertical outcropping caught my eye. It was covered in ice. I turned toward it, skidding on the slope. When I stopped in front of it, Ares raised a glowing hand and shed some light on the surface. The ice was at least two inches thick, covering black rock that looked inscribed.

“Can you melt this?” I asked Claire.

Claire stepped forward, fire blazing from her palm. It took only a minute and the ice melted away. We all huddled around the stone, trying to read the strange inscriptions.

I could almost make them out, like it was a language I’d once studied in school but long since forgotten.

But I’d never studied this language. These characters weren’t anything I’d seen before.

“It’s a dead language,” Aerdeca said.

“But I think I recognize it,” Cass said.

I looked at her. “You too?”

“And me,” Del said.

“No coincidence there, then,” Connor said.

We studied the stone. Soon, the letters began to make sense. Sort of.

“I think we have to give it something,” Del said.

As soon as she said it, the words clicked into place. “Our blood. We have to smear some FireSoul blood on it to gain entrance.”

“Easy enough.” Cass pulled one of her trusty daggers from the sheath at her thigh and sliced the fleshy part of her palm. She handed the dagger off to me, then pressed her wound against the stone.

Del and I followed suit. Pain flared as I sliced the wound. As soon as we’d both touched the black stone, magic swirled around us. The stone glowed a pale white, then disappeared.

A long tunnel stretched into darkness.

“Whoa.” Del grinned.

“Yeah.” I turned to my friends. “Straight to dragons.”

Claire edged up beside us. “You guys know how to party.”

“Walking into scary black tunnels in search of dragons?” I asked. “Heck yeah, we do.”

“Let’s get some light.” Claire held out her palms. Glowing balls of fire formed, then floated off into the air, drifting down the tunnel.

I whistled. “Nice.”

“Been practicing.”

I stepped into the tunnel. Magic sparked on the air, that familiar feeling of home. As if the dragons were welcoming us.

“Keep a wary eye out,” Ares said.

“You still can’t feel the magic?” I asked.

“No.”

“If there’s a threat, it’s not coming from the tunnel or the dragons.” I certainly wasn’t relaxed—but this tunnel didn’t frighten me. “This place wants us here. Drakon, on the other hand.…”

Ares grunted, clearly still concerned.

We set off down the passage, which was wide enough to allow us to walk three abreast. Claire’s glowing fire floated along in front of us, illuminating our passage. The walls around us gleamed black and shiny. Obsidian, I realized.

As we walked, the magic grew stronger and the heat higher.

“I sure hope there’s not lava in here,” I muttered. I’d had enough with the vampire trials.

It took us twenty minutes of silent walking to reach the massive cavern within. When the tunnel opened up to the mountain’s core, I hesitated at the tunnel exit, awe filling me.

The space within was massive, a hollowed mountain. A great pit in the middle emitted a glowing white light. It was surrounded by a wide ledge all around.

Three dragons slept on the ledge, each in their own little section, separate from the others. They were massive—one hundred feet long, at least. They slept, curled up like cats, but that was where the resemblance ended.

Even though I was here to save them—and they in turn could save us—they were still really freaking scary. Their scales glinted in the light. One was a gleaming black, one a shining silver, and the last a pearly white. Their heads were enormous, with large fangs protruding from their mouths. Spikes decorated their spines, and their huge wings were folded around their bodies like blankets. Claws as long as a person tipped their front and back feet.

And their magic—that smacked me in the face like a hit of pure power. It was both welcoming and terrifying.

These guys were definitely the source of all magic. I’d known it before—but that had been intellectually. This … This was a knowing deep in my gut.

“Wow.”

I wasn’t sure who said it, probably everyone, actually. Even me. I’d never been so awed in my life.

“They’re real,” Connor murmured.

“Sure are.” I studied the nearest one—the silver. He had flecks of blue on his scales, pale and shiny. His nostrils quivered as he slept.

I inspected the rest of the cavern, searching for threats. Above us, the mountain opened to the sky. Drakon had blown the peak right off, but it was three thousand feet to the top, maybe more. I saw no movement at the top or on the walls.

They hadn’t ventured down yet. Would they ever? Or would they perform their dark magic from the rim?

If I were them, I’d stay the hell away from the dragons.

“I feel no demon magic,” Cass whispered.

“Neither do I,” Del said.

“It’s clear.” Ares looked around. “For now.”

“Then we’d better hurry.” I stepped forward, then turned back to my friends. “We’ll start with Cass, Del, and me trying to wake them. If they’re dangerous, they’re less likely to hurt us. Can the rest of you keep guard?”

There was a chorus of ayes, and I turned, walking toward the pit in the middle. It was at least a hundred yards across, and I wanted to know what the heck was down there. It wasn’t hot enough to be lava, though the steamy light that rose from it was warm.

I edged toward the lip, then peered over. Bright light shined far below, like the core of the earth was made of a shining diamond. I couldn’t see the bottom. Just light.

“Any idea what’s down there?” I asked Del and Cass, who were at my side.

“Not a clue,” Del said.

“Feels like magic,” Cass added. “Not sure what kind.”

I focused on it, trying to get a feel for the signature. It felt vaguely like a breath of fresh, life-giving air. And smelled of green grass. Tasted of a good meal, though I couldn’t for the life of me determine what exactly.

“I think it’s life. Like my magic. Kinda.” I turned toward the nearest dragon. The silver one. The white light from the pit shined up toward the hole at the top of the mountain, but it also drifted toward the dragon, encapsulating him in its glow. “I think the magic is helping the dragons. Keeping them alive or something.”

“I see that,” Cass said. “And feel it.”

I walked toward the silver dragon, going right up to his head. Intense awareness heightened my senses. Up close, I could see movement behind his eyelids, as if he were dreaming. The magic was even stronger near him, and his scales were even more beautiful up close.

“I can hardly breathe, this is so exciting,” Del whispered.

“No kidding.” With my deirfiúr at my side, I reached out and touched the dragon’s neck. His scales were smooth beneath my hand, and a dull noise roared in my head.

A dragon. A real, freaking dragon.

He didn’t shift at my touch, so I stroked him and murmured, “Time to wake up.”

He didn’t move an inch. I glanced at Del and Cass, unsure.

How exactly did one wake a dragon?

“Rise and shine!” Cass said in a cheerful voice.

I almost choked on horrified laughter. But the dragon just snuffled and shifted.

I rubbed him a bit harder, trying to give him a shake. But he was so big he didn’t budge. We each pressed our hands to his side, talking to him. Murmuring gibberish about waking up and saving themselves and the world.

The dragon lay still.

I turned toward Connor, who stood at the tunnel exit with everyone else. “Can I have the rest of that healing potion?”

It’d given me a great burst of energy, so maybe it’d work on the dragon.

Connor nodded and stepped forward, digging into his bag as he approached. He handed me one of the vials, and I uncorked it, then walked around to the dragon’s mouth.

“Ooh, boy. Big teeth.” My gaze riveted to them, unable to look away. I was here to help the dragon—I just hope he realized that when he woke. Because one chomp….

I wedged the vial between the dragon’s lips, then tilted. The liquid poured out, disappearing.

We all waited, breath held. The only sound in the room was the subtle whooshing of air from the dragon’s nostrils.

But the beast didn’t stir.

“Damn.” I frowned.

“We can try noise,” Del said. “I’ll create a sound barrier above. Then we’ll make noise down here.”

“I can make an exploding sound,” Connor said.

I nodded. “Let’s try it.”

Del sucked in a deep breath, and her magic swelled, bringing with it the scent of clean soap and the feel of soft grass beneath my feet. Eventually, she nodded. “We’re good.”

Connor walked away from the dragons, about fifty yards, then pulled a potion bomb from his pack. “Everyone, cover your ears!”

I did as he said. Then he hurled the potion bomb to the ground. It shattered on the stone, and white dust billowed up, followed by a loud boom that shook my bones.

The dragons didn’t stir.

“Shit.”

“We could light a fire under their asses,” Claire said. “Literally.”

“No way,” I said.

“Not enough to burn them! I’d make sure it was far enough away.”

“I know, but I don’t want to start with anything that could be a threat.”

“We can try something,” Aerdeca said.

I gestured toward the sleeping dragon. “Have at it.”

The sisters approached the dragon, awe on their faces. They stopped in front of his head. I joined them. Mordaca reached into a pocket and withdrew a silver knife. She sliced it over her palm. Black blood welled.

Whoa. That was weird.

Aerdeca did the same. Oddly enough, her blood was a pearly white. If it even was blood. And it seemed that their color preference didn’t extend just to their clothes.

The two sisters joined hands, letting their blood mingle, then began to recite an incantation. Their low voices vibrated with power. Wind—coming from nowhere—blew my hair back from my face. My veins began to sparkle with energy. It flowed through me, making me shiver.

Was this what the dragons felt?

I hoped so.

But nothing happened. The dragon continued to slumber.

“We’re going to check out the other one,” Cass murmured.

I nodded absently, watching the dragon as the Blood Sorceresses’ magic flowed through me, stronger and stronger. They were giving it all they had.

Come on, come on….

Finally, Aerdeca and Mordaca stepped back, their gazes disappointed.

“Not going to work,” Aerdeca said.

“That’s never happened before.” Mordaca huffed. “You’ve got some stubborn dragons.”

“They’ve been asleep centuries,” I said. “According to the Valkyrie, they’re low on power. That may be part of it.”

“We can try another dragon,” Ares said.

“It’s our only shot.” I turned to find Cass and Del. They’d said they would try another. I spotted them by the black dragon, about one hundred yards away. Roarke and Aidan were with them. They circled the dragon, no doubt looking for a clue.

Please find one.

A scratching noise from above caught my attention. I looked up, searching the black wall that rose toward the mountain’s top.

They were moving. The rocks weren’t rocks at all.

I pointed. “What the hell is that?”

Everyone’s gazes went toward the shifting black wall. A few rocks tumbled down from the side. Tension tightened my muscles.

“Cass! Del! The wall near you is—”

Demons leapt from the wall above, black as obsidian and camouflaged like the stone. They landed with a thud between Cass and Del, who stood near the dragon’s tail.

“No!” I shrieked, racing for them.

Del drew her sword, but before it was fully out of the ether, one of the stone demons was upon her, wrapping strong arms around her waist. A half second later, she disappeared, transported elsewhere.

Another demon was on Cass a moment later. I was still fifty yards away. She hurled a massive fireball at the demon, which knocked him out. But a millisecond later, a large rock plummeted from above, hitting her on the head.

Time slowed as I ran, watching her get swooped up by a demon and transported away. And Roarke and Aidan were nowhere to be found. Had they already been abducted?

“No!” I sprinted for them, as if I could find them even though they’d disappeared.

A hard arm wrapped around my waist, dragging me to a stop. A second later, the ether sucked me in.

I gasped, stumbling.

My vision cleared, revealing the interior of Potions & Pastilles.

Ares stood next to me.

“What did you do?” I shrieked.

He was gone a moment later. Mordaca appeared then, Aerdeca and Claire with her. I stared, stunned. A second later, Ares appeared with Connor.

“The rest are gone,” he said. “Abducted.”

“I know that!” I shrieked. I sounded crazed to my own ears. “We have to rescue them!”

“We can’t do that while trapped,” Ares said. “They were gone, and more demons were coming.”

“Live to fight another day.” Mordaca gripped my shoulders and shook, her dark eyes intense. Promising. “We’ll get Cass and Del back.”

“And Aidan and Roarke,” Claire added.

“If they’re even still alive!” Fear spiked in my chest, and I began to pace, vibrating with rage and fear. “Drakon has them! Everything we’d tried to avoid is coming true.”

“We grew lazy,” Ares said.

“The dragons made it feel safe,” Claire said. “And we were too distracted by them.”

She was right. That home feeling that the dragons emitted had influenced me too. I’d felt safe there. Protected. Cass and Del too. We’d let our guard down.

I shook my head, tears smarting my eyes. “I’ve never seen demons so well camouflaged.”

“I didn’t even know they existed,” Claire said. “Not truly. Not more than myth.”

Connor sagged into a wooden chair, resting his hands on his head.

Claire leaned over him. “Are you all right?”

“Bit woozy is all.” He smiled weakly at her. “Fine though.”

Now that he said it, I felt it too. In fact, everyone looked like they were swaying on their feet.

“We’re exhausted,” Aerdeca said. “Not beaten in spirit, but we need to rest a short while. Gain our strength. Then we get more allies, and we go for Cass and Del.”

“We can’t wait.” I started to pace again, but my muscles trembled, weak as noodles.

“The dragon’s magic has affected us,” Ares said. “Along with our trek. And Aerdeca is right, we need allies when we go back.”

“We can’t wait!” Panic welled in my chest. I’d lost Del and Cass. They were in Drakon’s hands. I couldn’t leave them there!

“It has to wait.” Ares gripped my arms, his touch grounding. Comforting. “Just a few hours to regain our strength and increase our numbers. And remember—it takes time for Drakon’s spell to work. It took days—probably would have taken weeks—to steal the magic from your town. It’ll take longer to steal the magic from the dragons.”

“Much longer,” Mordaca said. “That’s probably why the army is there. To defend the spell while it works.”

“That means we have time,” Ares said. “We’ll rest a short while, gather allies, and make a plan. It was impossible to wake the dragons, so we’ll have to fight.”

“It’ll be a death sentence,” I said. “You saw the size of that army.”

“Then we just need more fighters. And they need to be stronger.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. He was right. We just had to be smart. Prepared. “All right. We’ll each try to muster troops. Roarke and Aidan made inroads with the Order of the Magica and the Shifter Council. We can use their names when we contact them. Tell them that they’ve been abducted. I’ll see what I can do with the League of FireSouls and my mother’s people. The rest of you…gather who you can. And rest. We’ll leave in ten hours.”