Page 103 of This Shattered Star

And then he turned to face the dragon head-on.

Its attention was now fixed wholly on his every movement. It twisted away from the watchtower, head low to the ground as it made its way towards Kodhan instead, sizing him up like a cat would a mouse.

I had to help him. I couldn’t let him use himself asbait—

“Eloise.” Theia’s voice cut through my panic from above, firm and unwavering. She looked down at me from several rungs above. “Do not let his actions be in vain. We must hurry.”

I spared one final glance towards Kodhan, whose hands were ablaze once more. She was right. Every second we spent atop the watchtower was one he spent risking his life.

Tiny, needle-like bits of wood stuck out from almost all of the rungs, piercing my fingers, but still, I climbed.Go,my body screamed.Faster.

Lachlan and Elias could’ve burnt us on sight, could’ve stopped us from climbing with wind. It would’ve been the quicker, easier way to get rid of us. But they simply watched us haul ourselves over the final rung, onto the flat wooden plank surrounded by ramshackle railings.

Spears of fire whizzed past the lookout, aiming for the dragon. Peering over the railing, as far as I dared, I studied its scales for telltale signs of burns. But where flame should have seared welts across its body, it bounced clean off the surface instead.

Brannon noticed my dismay and analyzed the scene, tensing. “Something isn’t right.”

Theia appeared at my side in an instant, trusting the railing far more than I did. She leaned her entire upper body over it, straining to get a better look.

“Can’t you do anything?” I pleaded.

“I can’t.” Her face went a ghastly shade of white. “Its walls are too solid.” Wood groaned. She ignored it. “I can’t even feel a presence on the other side. It feels like a locked door to an abandoned room.”

“Enough games. I’m tired of waiting,” Elias said from behind us.

It happened too quickly.

The speed of which magic struck never ceased to amaze me. But now, as fire coated every inch of me from the neck below, Itook it all back. I wished I’d spent less time admiring it and more time figuring out if there was a way to slow it down.

“You thought we would forget about your little stunt?” Elias spat. “The fire’s not hot now, but move so much as an inch, use so much as a kernel of magic, and she’s dead. I’ll flay the bitch alive, and make you watch.” A tendril of fire crept up my neck, stopping just shy of my lips. Waiting to ravage my insides.

It was foolish of me to think Kodhan was the only fire-wielder with that particular talent. But where his magic caressed and tingled, Elias’ felt like rough sandpaper scraping furiously back and forth across my skin.

“Same goes for you, too.” He flicked a lazy hand at Brannon, whose lip peeled back in a snarl that rivaled the dragon’s. “Lachlan already has control over the air in my lungs. He’ll feel any of your attempts to steal it.”

“Let her go.” Theia squared her shoulders. “It is me you have a problem with. Not her.”

“You’re wrong.” Elias unsheathed a dagger from his thigh. He tested its weight, flipping the garnet-encrusted hilt in his hand. He’d made use of his time outside the tower, too, if he had weapons. “You’re not the one that plunged one of these into Darion’s heart during Courage.” He pointed the dagger at Brannon. “Andyou’renot the one who sliced Stellan’s neck open like a pig for slaughter during Strength.” The dagger swung in my direction. “She is.”

He slowly crept towards me, boots thumping on the wood planks like a clock ticking down my final moments. “Only a mutt like you would resort to such low blows. Not even giving them the dignified deaths they deserved. You butchered them likeanimals.So why would I give you the satisfaction of dying at the hands of magic? Why wouldn’t I give you the same death you gave my friends?” He laughed, the crazed tint reminding me of Darion. “But you would like that, wouldn’t you, mutt? To diefrom magic.” He tsked. “I bet you would beg to get a taste of what it feels like to wield. Even if it killed you.”

“They deserved all of it. I’d do it again if I could,” I seethed, hoping to rile him up further.Angry magic is sloppy magic.He only smiled.

“Stop.” A slight waver plagued Theia’s voice. “Right now, or I’ll turn your mind to mulch where you stand.”

“Would you risk it?” Elias tutted. “Would you gamble on how fast my fire can melt her veins, boil her blood?” He halted inches away, bringing the tip of the blade to the side of my neck. He sliced in a straight line, leaving searing pain in its wake. It wasn’t deep, but sticky warmth quickly pooled around my collar. “I can feel the gods watching as we speak. They beg me to put down the mistake they allowed to roam the kingdom for far too long. Avenge the worthy people she’s taken from us.”

“Do it,” I told Theia, unable to make out her expression in my periphery. If I turned just an inch, the dagger would press deeper into my skin.

Superficial burns, I could heal from. As for my insides…

I’d never been much of a gambler. But Kodhan was still down there, facing that dragon. I had no choice but to lay all my cards out on the table. Trust that Theia’s magic could grab onto Elias’ mind fast enough for my injuries to be minimal.

But before any of us could act, the planks slanted sideways beneath our feet.

The watchtower shifted as something crashed into its side. Wood snapped below us.

It didn’t matter what caused the collision. All that mattered was the slight stumble it forced upon Elias while he momentarily lost his balance, and the glance he spared downwards to ensure the planks wouldn’t cave in.