Because Elias got to his knees. He lifted his bound hands. His fingers wove in the air.

  Empress Emmeline gaped. Then she laughed as the sparks danced. “Are you really going to try your little sparkles again, Elias? And you call me pathetic.” Her bubbly laughter rang out in the night air.

  Then lightning burst forth from Elias’s fingers. It struck the empress directly in the chest. Her laughter morphed into a strangled scream. Her head flung back. The dagger dropped from her hand.

  But already soldiers and sorcerers turned towards Elias. He cut off his attack on the empress and wove his fingers once more.

  The soldiers guarding Gerard dashed forward towards Elias. But Gerard jumped to his feet. He kicked one of them in the back. The man yelled as he stumbled. Gerard kicked him again. The man fell onto his face. Gerard came up and lifted his foot. He stomped on the man’s neck. It crunched.

  He turned and knocked another soldier, slamming into him with his full body weight. The man stumbled and turned on Gerard with his spear. The man thrust the spear at Gerard. But Gerard dodged the point.

  He lifted his foot, kicking the man’s gut. The man fell to the ground. Gerard kicked the man over and over until he lay motionless on the ground.

  Gerard really wished he had use of his hands.

  He turned to Elias. The lightning zapped in the air around him. He flung it at soldiers and sorcerers. As it hit, their bodies went rigid. Cries and screams tore from throats. Weapons dropped. People fell, still twitching, to the ground.

  However, others remained standing. A group of wind sorcerers flung their fingers at Elias. Elias flew through the air with a shout. He landed with a thud against the stone. He skidded. Even before he’d gotten to his feet, Elias’s fingers wove.

  But the wind sorcerers had also begun to weave their magic again, preparing a second attack. With a loud yell, Gerard ran at them, trying to get their attention away from Elias. It seemed to work, as several turned towards him instead.

  And that gave Elias the time to cast again. He propelled his hands forward. Lightning exploded and crackled as it hit the wind sorcerers. Lightning zapped between them, tearing through their bodies in flashes. The scent of burned hair and skin wafted in the air as they fell.

  But the lightning sorcerers were already casting. Jagged lightning flashed towards Elias.

  However, Elias didn’t even look towards them. He just reached out a hand, as if he could sense the lightning. Then, with a wave, the lightning changed trajectories, looping around him.

  He flung it straight at the sorcerers who’d cast it. The lightning exploded as it hit them. They screamed and shook and fell.

  Breathing heavily, Elias stood in the middle of the tower, bloodied, hair tangled, clothes askew, and his hands still bound. His features set in grim determination. Gerard had never seen the composed and immaculate man so dishevelled.

  Magnificent. He’s magnificent.

  All Gerard could do was watch and see the power and beauty and chaos of Elias in all his wonderous glory.

  The lightning answered Elias’s every command. Enemy and foe ran towards him, whilst others fled down the tower steps in terror. Those who remained Elias felled with a flick of his wrist and a twitch of his fingers.

  And maybe Elias had lied. Maybe he’d betrayed Gerard. But in that moment, all Gerard could do was be awed by the lightning prince in his true ferocious brilliance.

  This is who he is. This is the real lightning prince. The real Elias.

  Then Empress Emmeline, who’d been lying motionless near the edge of the tower, pushed herself to her feet. She breathed heavily, gaze flicking around.

  He saw the word no appear on her lips. On trembling legs she rose. She reached for the daggers attached to her belt. She pulled one out in her clawed fingers.

  She stood directly behind Elias, out of his line of sight.

  Her left fingers began to weave. The dagger and her clawed fingers glowed.

  Gerard had no idea what she was doing. But he knew it wasn’t good. He didn’t give himself time to think. He just ran at full speed towards Empress Emmeline.

  Chapter

  Sixty-One

  With his hands still shackled behind him, Gerard sprinted.

  The empress turned away from Elias and towards Gerard. With a cry, she flung her left fingers towards him. The glowing dagger shot straight at him. He sidestepped, trying to dodge. But he wasn’t quick enough. With a whoosh of wind, the dagger sliced his arm.

  He grunted. But Gerard didn’t stop; he just kept running.

  Already, she reached for another dagger, the final dagger at her waist. Her other fingers wove.

  But it was too late. Gerard leaned forward, lowering his shoulder, driving it into her gut.

  She cried out as his shoulder smashed into her. The dagger dropped from her fingers. She fell back onto the stone with a yell.

  “No!” she screamed. She looked at Elias, then at all the corpses scattered around. None of the others remained alive. “No!”

  Elias stalked up beside Gerard. “You’ve lost,” Elias said, face blank.

  She scrambled to her feet and reached for the dagger she’d dropped.

  But Elias was quicker. His fingers wove. They flicked. Lightning struck her. Screaming, she jerked back, the dagger falling from her hand. She hit the tower wall.

  For a second, body jolting, she clutched at the stone. Then the wall crumbled behind her. Stone toppled off the edge of the tower. And so did she.

  Her cries echoed as she fell. Then all of a sudden … silence.

  With steady, calm steps, Elias walked towards the tower’s edge. Gerard followed. Empress Emmeline lay motionless on the ground. Dead. Elias gave a single nod of his head.

  Below, several soldiers and sorcerers fled. Then Adelina ran out, away from the tower and towards the forest.

  Gerard exhaled. His stepmother hadn’t even shifted to try to get away. It was hard to believe that Adelina was actually a very powerful dragon. But she’d never been able to keep calm under pressure. She always panicked. As a result, she had never even seen a proper battlefield.

  Elias’s fingers moved. A flash of lightning struck Adelina. She fell.

  “She knows where your father will be attacked.” Then Elias dashed towards the tower door, leaving Gerard to run after him.

  Gerard cursed. He’d been so caught up in the battle that he’d momentarily forgotten about the planned attack on his father.

  Thank the dragon gods Elias has kept his wits.

  Adelina had just gotten to her feet as they sprinted out from the tower. She tried to run away. But Elias zapped her, bringing her down once again.

  Elias and Gerard stood over her. She looked up at them, eyes wild. Tears streamed down her cheek.

  “Where is the attack happening?” Gerard demanded.

  She shook her head. “I can’t tell you! I have to do this for my children!”

  They were running out of time! His father could already be under attack. He could already be dead! “Where?” Gerard shouted.

  She flinched. Then she just shook her head.

  They didn’t have time for this! They had to find out where to go to save his father!

  Elias knelt in the grass beside her, face blank. When he spoke, his voice came out surprisingly calm. “Your plan has failed, Queen Consort Adelina. There is no chance for your children to rise.”

  Her lip trembled. “But if I⁠—”

  Elias shook his head. “No. The plan has failed. Empress Emmeline is dead. Everyone will know what occurred today. If the king dies, you and your children will be branded as traitors, and you will all be held responsible for the king’s death. Your children will be executed for treason and will be burned with dragonfire.”

  “No!” Her eyes widened. “They didn’t know!” She gripped Elias’s arms. They didn’t know! I acted alone!” She looked to Gerard, eyes beseeching. “Gerard, you will say that you knew they weren’t a part of this. You’ll tell everyone they knew nothing! That they are not traitors.”

  “Why would he help you?” Elias asked. “You planned to kill him and his closest family members. He and I will both swear that they knew everything. We will swear that they are traitors and plotted to kill their father, the king.”

  “No!” She sobbed.

  Still, Elias kept speaking in his cold, level voice. “All your children will die. You will be killed last. You will watch them be executed one by one, knowing they suffer and perish because of your actions. You will hear their screams. They will cry out for you, their mother, to save them. And you will be unable to do a thing as they are reduced to ash.”

  Gerard had to suppress a shiver. He did not know if he should be impressed or horrified by Elias.

  Adelina wailed.

  “But that does not have to occur,” Elias said, voice softer now. “Tell us where the attack is taking place. Then we will tell everyone that your children had nothing to do with all this. They will not be branded traitors. Nothing bad will happen to them if you tell us what we want to know.”

  After that, the queen consort spilled everything. And she revealed where the key to Gerard’s shackles were. Thankfully they were on Empress Emmeline.

  They removed the shackles from around Gerard’s wrists. Then Gerard untied the rope binding Elias. They used the shackles on Adelina, locking her to a post outside the tower. Elias was all smiles and gentle, comforting words for Adelina now that she’d told them everything.

  They took a few moments to tend to any wounds that needed it. Within minutes, Gerard had shifted and they’d put a harness on him, which had been by the front entrance.

  With a shaky breath, Elias climbed on his back. “Now. Let’s go save your father!”

  Gerard stretched his wings. He flapped, and they rose into the air. Gerard just hoped they were not too late.

  And as they approached the location where the attack was meant to occur, they saw a large green dragon, his father, flying from the direction of the White Monastery.

  Gerard’s muscles unclenched.

  “We’re in time!” Elias cried out, patting Gerard.

  Lightning flashed from the forest below, striking the king. King Alaric bellowed as the lightning raced across his scales. He spiralled through the sky, flapping his wings wildly before finally seeming to right himself.

  But a second later, an orange dragon burst from the trees below, flying straight at the dragon king.

  Albert! That fucking traitor.

  Gerard roared, beating his wings as fast as he could.

  Albert and the king clutched and tumbled through the air, claws cutting at one another. But the lightning strike had clearly injured his father, and he took more damage than he gave. Albert’s teeth sank into King Alaric’s shoulder. Blood spurted. The king cried out.

  “You need to get them apart!” Elias screamed. “I can’t target Albert when they are locked together. I’d end up shocking them both.”

  Gerard flapped, drawing nearer and nearer. He stretched his claws as he approached. He raked them up Albert’s back before snapping them shut around the edge of one of his wings. His claws tore the membrane.

  Albert cried out. Gerard flew upwards, tugging at Albert, trying to pull him away from the king. Albert released his hold on King Alaric, and Gerard released his grip.

  Albert spiralled mid-air, turning to face Gerard and Elias. His eyes gleamed. He opened his jaw wide. Fire sparked in the back of his throat.

  Elias’s weight shifted in the harness. The air crackled. Elias shot lightning, and it struck Albert’s face.

  Albert’s neck and head snapped back. His body convulsed. His mouth opened, but no sound emerged.

  And for a split second, Gerard remembered what it felt like to be struck by lightning. He remembered the searing pain. He remembered the loss of control and sight. He remembered the certainty that he would die.

  But this time, the lightning archmage was not his enemy. This time Elias rode on Gerard’s back, protecting Gerard instead of trying to kill him. Now they fought as one. The lightning prince and the dragon warrior, soaring through the air, fighting their enemy together.

  The lightning stopped flashing along Albert’s body. He twisted and turned, trying to right himself and regain control.

  Gerard flew towards Albert, opening his jaw wide. Dragonfire boiled in his belly, ready to spew forth and consume.

  Then suddenly lightning darted towards Gerard, and Elias from below in the trees. Gerard swerved, trying to dodge the attack. But he knew it was too late. Gerard tensed, anticipating the agony.

  But at the last second, the lightning veered off violently and flew up into the sky. Then it circled and came back down, towards them. Once again, Gerard tensed, preparing for the hit.

  However, the lightning came straight towards Elias, who with a flick of his brilliant fingers, directed the lightning straight at Albert.

  It hit Albert in the back. His wings went rigid. He bellowed and crashed into the trees below.

  Gerard turned towards his father, who spewed dragonfire on the lightning sorcerers who’d attacked Elias and Gerard.

  He is all right. My father is fine.

  But then a weird pale light beamed up from the earth, hitting his father. His whole body slackened. The dragon king fell like a stone from the sky.

  Chapter

  Sixty-Two

  Elias gripped the pommel as Gerard descended, flying to where King Alaric had fallen. Branches and leaves blurred past. Gerard landed.

  The king lay on his side, greenery crushed beneath his large body. Thankfully, King Alaric’s eyes remained open. His jaw gaped, teeth showing. He wheezed.

  Gerard stepped close and lowered his head, nudging his father’s scaly throat.

  Elias unstrapped himself and sprang from the harness. “Stay as a dragon,” Elias yelled to Gerard. “I don’t know what that magic was, but if we can get him to shift, we can fly him to the monastery and get him to the healer doves.”

  Whilst many doubted the warrior monks’ ability to fight, no one doubted the healer monks’ capabilities. Gerard butted his father’s chest with his head. He growled low in his throat.

  “Your Majesty.” Elias hesitated and then pressed a hand to the green scales. The king’s eye fixed on Elias.

  “You need to shift,” Elias said, slow and loud. “Then we can fly you back to the White Monastery where you can be treated.”

  The king stared at Elias for several moments. Then his eyes closed. He shuddered. The air thickened and rippled, and the scent of smoke grew thick. Elias took a step back as the king shifted into his human form.

  Elias tugged off his own dirtied and bloodied coat and draped it over the king’s shoulders. It was far too small. But he managed to do up a single button at the man’s throat. The tall man trembled.

  Elias wrapped an arm around the king. He helped him to his feet, leading him towards Gerard.

  The trees whooshed. The air swirled. Elias cried out as a powerful blast of wind streamed past him, causing him and the king to fall to the ground.

  But the wind smashed straight into Gerard, who was clearly the main target of the attack. Gerard stretched his wings, flapping against the blast. He took a step. Suddenly he was catapulted up, into the trees and above. He roared as he spun away.

  Elias stared after him. Then he clutched at his throat. He opened his mouth wide, trying to get a proper lungful of air. But he couldn’t. He choked.

  Over twenty wind sorcerers, including Anais and Beau, emerged from amongst the trees. Half of them had their gazes fixed on Elias, their fingers dancing and flowing in unity.

  They’d cut off his air.

  Above he saw Gerard turn and attempt to fly back towards them. But the other half of the sorcerers had their attention fixed on the dragon. They flung their hands forward, blowing Gerard further up into the sky.

  He can’t get close enough. They will keep blowing him away.

  “I don’t know how you survived,” Beau snarled. He and Anais stood at the front of the group, uninvolved with the casting. “But it ends for you now. You die here!”

  “And you better not have harmed Mother!” Anais yelled.

  Elias’s vision spotted as his lungs begged for air. He doubled over. With trembling hands, he signed. He blinked rapidly as the world blurred and grew fainter. Sparks danced on his fingers.

  Beau and Anais laughed.

  “Really, Elias?” Anais shook her head.

  So they still didn’t know what he could do. They hadn’t seen him fighting in the air.

  Anais laughed. “You’re really going to try that shitty little⁠—”

  Elias jabbed his fingers forward. Lightning struck her.

  She screamed. Her whole body turned rigid as the lightning zapped along her skin. Then it jumped to Beau. Then to the next sorcerer. Then the next. And the next and the next and the next, until all of them spasmed and gasped as the lightning coursed through their bodies.

  Elias sucked air into his lungs. He stood. “I guess my sparkles aren’t quite as shitty and pathetic as you thought!” he yelled. He glanced between Anais and Beau. “After all, they killed your mother.”

  He let all his power flow from him into them, burning them up. His legs shook as his magic flowed, until he was sure they were dead. Then he stopped. He dropped his hands. His half-siblings and the other sorcerers collapsed on the ground as the lightning exited their bodies.

  Elias swallowed. He took deep, gasping breaths. He swayed and closed his eyes. He’d used so much energy tonight. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep fighting.

  The wind stirred around him. His eyes snapped open as he lifted his hands, ready to fight again. But it was Gerard landing beside him. He looked over Elias.

  “I’m fine.” Elias was wounded, sore, and exhausted beyond belief. But he was fine. He placed a hand on Gerard’s body.

  Gerard turned to his father. The king hunched, naked on the ground. Elias staggered over to him.