Dragon Unleashed

Deep in the darkness, the dragon waits to be unleashed…

The impossible has happened: Tyrus—a true dragon—has been communicating with Astrid.

He’s alive. He’s trapped, and he needs Astrid and Kaden’s help to escape.

Astrid has no clue where to start looking, until she and Kaden are invited as champions to the Guild Games, a prestigious competition between the dragon-kin guilds. And surprise, surprise, this year the Games are taking place in Yellowstone, exactly where Tyrus is being held. Astrid doesn’t believe in coincidences, and this one’s too good to pass up.

Even if they’re walking right into a trap.

Kaden doesn’t trust the Games’ promise of building “unity”, but they’re the perfect ruse to give them time to find Tyrus. And maybe give him time to grow closer to Astrid, the girl who changed his life, the girl he can’t bear to be without, and the girl he’s terrified of losing.

But things take a turn for the dangerous when they discover that Nico is after Tyrus, too, and nothing will get in his way.

Worse, someone is sabotaging the Games, leaving champions invalid and fingers pointed at Astrid and Kaden.
If they don’t stop Nico, find Tyrus, and clear their names, their newest enemy may become the guilds themselves...

Excerpt of Dragon Unleashed

Chapter One—Astrid

I don’t often get moments alone these days.

It’s no one’s fault, I guess. Maybe it’s the nature of life. Or how everything seemed to go crazy after Kaden found me mid-kidnapping and I shifted into a dragon. Or it could have been after the third time Nico tried to kill me. Or was it fourth? I’ve lost count.

I suck in a deep breath of chilly morning air and hunker deeper in the undergrowth. A week ago, the weather took a sharp turn into early winter, and each inhale feels like fire coating my lungs. The burning tingles pleasantly and I close my eyes, reveling in having time to think. Sweet, peaceful time to—

“We’re training, not playing hide and seek so we can lollygag!” Randy bellows.

He crashes through the dense woods somewhere over my left shoulder, then mutters a curse. He’s not close, but with his large frame it’s like hearing an elephant tiptoe over bubble wrap.

“Listen to me,” he grumbles. “Lollygag? Who says that? Astrid? Kaden? I know you can hear me. You really think the Slayers are going to stop attacking you just so you can get a breather?”

The air crackles as a ball of electricity splashes against a tree, making it shudder. “I know where you two are. Come on out.”

Liar.

He continues through the woods. “Stupid kids. Never had this much trouble with Kaden before. He’s gotten lazy. And I didn’t hit her that hard…”

He didn’t. And I’m not hiding. Just…taking a well-deserved break. Ever since Randy helped stop Nico at the Convocation crypt, it feels like all I’ve done is train and prep for my senior year of high school. Both were fun at first. Who wouldn’t want to get stronger? And the end of high school means I can finally focus entirely on Rochester University and the Dracas guild. But both those things have somewhat lost their luster. We haven’t heard anything about Nico or the rest of the Allegiant from the Convocation. The mysterious letters Kaden and I received inviting us to the Guild Games haven’t been followed up on. I haven’t even heard from the true dragon that’d been speaking to me inside my head. Holly hasn’t had another vision about it since, either.

It’s weird, but I’m almost sad about all of that. It’s like everything’s happening out there and I’m stuck here, being berated by my dragon-kin drill sergeant, training for things that may never happen.

I sink farther into the bushes. My skin tingles. Someone’s watching me.

Kaden’s leaning against a tree nearby, using his dark dragon-kin magic to almost entirely obscure himself. He slowly puts a finger to his smirking lips. “If you stay quiet, we can lollygag some more.”

“You can,” I whisper back. “Randy’s relentless to me. I still can barely get a hit on him.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve trained for him longer than you have and I almost never win.” He pauses as a branch snaps somewhere in front of us. There’s the muffled thump of someone tripping and Randy swears. “He’s the best fighter I know, promise,” Kaden says.

And Kaden’s one of the best fighters I know. Even with him still missing the most powerful of his dragon-kin magic, he’s easily taken me down in every one-on-one Randy pits us in. I’m getting better, which means I probably won’t die the next time we face off against the Slayers, but a girl can only take so much embarrassment.

Kaden catches me staring at him and smirks. I quickly look at the ground, sure my cheeks are on fire. I swear he’s only grown more handsome since returning from his little escapade with Zaria and the Rogues. There’s a rugged cockiness to his stance you can only get from doing the sorts of dangerous things he’s done and walking away mostly unscathed every time. The shadows curl around his dirty blond hair that’s half covering sharp cheekbones, sea-green eyes, and a hooked scar around his chin. With how many scraps we’ve survived in the short time we’ve known each other, I’m surprised he doesn’t have more that are visible. He’s totally capable, dangerously hot…

And I totally rejected him.

He took it well, even for clearly wanting more beyond our second kiss. I also meant every word I said to him. I can trust Kaden with many things: most of my secrets, my life, but I haven’t yet grown to trust him with my heart.

I can tell he still wants me. By the way his hands stay clasped in mine a second longer than necessary after he pulls me from the ground during sparring, his lingering touch setting me ablaze. The moments I catch him staring rather than the other way around. He’s being patient. And he’s keeping his word. He’s stuck around, just like he said he would.

I absorb another couple minutes of blessed silence before letting out a sigh. “We should head back.”

Kaden puts his hands behind his head, the picture of ease. “That’s just the guilt talking. Randy’s already going to work our butts off to make up for this. We might as well enjoy it.”

My eternally sore legs protest as I rock from a squat to a crouch. As much as it’d be nice to spend another few hours out here, I can already feel the responsibilities I’ve been avoiding crowding in on me. Prolonging them out here won’t help.

“I’ll tell Randy it was my idea, but that you goaded me into—urk!”

A hand grabs the back of my shirt, twirls me around, and drops me in front of a peeved Randy. This close he’s even more intimidating, built like a bulldog with muscles that strain beneath his biker’s jacket. They strain even more as he relinquishes my collar and crosses his tatted arms.

“I know you’re there, Kaden,” he says to the shadows beside the tree. A moment later Kaden appears, smirking.

“Took you long enough, old man. I was about to take a nap.”

“You wouldn’t have been tired enough since you’ve barely done any work this morning.”

I finish dusting myself off and put my hands on my hips. “Excuse me, we’ve been practicing every morning for weeks.”

“And yet somehow,” Randy says sardonically, “you still can’t entirely control your lightning. And you,”—his finger moves to Kaden—“still can’t shift into your full dragon form. I’m no expert, but a remedy for that sounds like more training.”

Kaden’s smirk has turned to a scowl. “I can shift into it,” he mutters. “It’s just been…tough lately.”

“If by ‘tough’ you mean you can’t, then I agree. You know, a lot in the Convocation think you’re special, but it doesn’t make you all that special if you can’t do the special thing.”

“I told you I can do it,” Kaden snaps. “Just not as easily as Astrid.”

That’s a lie. I’ve gotten much better at shifting into my full dragon form, even though after using it I feel as though I’ve had a ton of bricks dropped on me. But Kaden confided that he hasn’t been able to at all since he lost his dragon-kin powers. The rest of his magic’s slowly returned but not that. Kaden’s afraid it never will.

I roll my shoulder in its socket, making it pop. “Can we have a break for at least one day? There’s only so much training we can do before we break down.”

Randy looks between the two of us. I can tell what he’s thinking; it’s the same look I’ve seen in Kaden’s eyes: whether giving us even a second’s rest means we won’t be prepared for our next run-in with the Slayers.

“Another bout and we’ll call it a morning,” Randy finally says. He brushes aside a sapling and tromps back toward the meadow where my aunt’s cottage is. “And no hiding this time.”

Groaning, I trail after Kaden as both he and Randy cut a wide swath through the undergrowth. The sun’s almost fully risen, burning off the early morning mist rising from the ground like a hot spring.

“You ever find that guy you were looking for?” Randy asks. “Eiffel or Effie…what was his name? The guy who sent you the letter?”

“Eifert,” Kaden says. “And no. No one seems to have a clue.”

In addition to the invitation to the Guild Games, we also received a cryptic note that was only readable if both of us were touching it. Someone named R. Eifert said they’d been watching us and were going to reach out again at the Games.

Something about it seemed off to Kaden (like, maybe, the whole secret note thing) and we’d kept the existence of it mostly to ourselves, but of course I had to ask the walking repository of knowledge that was my best friend Holly to look into it.

Only, she wasn’t able to find anything, either. Zip. Nada. She caught up to me in the guild rotunda a week later, annoyed, with only a small piece of paper with her cramped handwriting on it.

“Nobody with that name exists except in a D&D campaign and a novel from…” She checked her scribbling. “1896. Pretty sure that’s not them unless a vampire wrote to you. And there’s nothing in the Records Room that I could find, though I’ve tried to check…”

At that point, her eyes slid over to the door of the Records Room, where a couple representatives from the Convocation had been shuffling in and out all day.

“Anyway,” Holly grumbled. “Maybe ask the Convocation about them?”

Yeah… Not likely.

I push aside part of a bush as the three of us step out of the woods around back of Aunt Carolyn’s cottage and start around the side to the grassy patch we use for training. The Convocation and I have an…interesting relationship. Even though the Convocation Council sided with Kaden and me when Archie tried to take control of us, I’m not going to ask for more than that. And as for Kaden’s relationship with the Convocation…

I stifle a laugh. Tenuous would be an understatement.

“What’s so funny?” Kaden asks.

“Nothing. Just thinking how I’m finally going to beat you this time.”

“Oh, now you want to train,” Randy says. “Stand across from— Great, what is it now?”

My Aunt Carolyn leans over the side banister of the porch. Her double-braided brown hair, lightly tinged with gray, is thrown over one shoulder, and with the recent cold her oversized sweaters have started bunching around her wrists rather than her elbows. “Enough training for one day, Randy.”

“Is everyone trying to sabotage me?” Randy practically growls. “We’re done when I say—”

“I’ve already made pancakes,” Aunt Carolyn says. “And you’ve woken me up enough early mornings for the week. Come inside.”

I can practically see the scales in Randy’s head weighing the pros and cons of sweet, fluffy pancakes. “Next week we do two double days,” he says to Kaden and me. “I won’t have a Slayer killing either of you because of breakfast.”

“I think we’ll be fine, Randy,” Kaden says, already heading inside. I internally thank Carolyn for the reprieve and follow him. The entire cottage is small, but quaint, with dream catchers ringing the fringe of the living room. Thanks to the early-morning fire in the fireplace, smoke mingles with the scent of one of Carolyn’s many, many tea blends and hangs thickly in the air. She’s standing frighteningly still in the middle of the kitchen and I slow, warily watching her.

Every so often she stands like this, seeing visions of some kind. Auras, she’s called them. As a Merlin and the former oracle host before Holly, she had the ability to see things others couldn’t. Though she lost the oracle, it seems lingering remnants of that ability remain.

“Aunt Carolyn?” I ask.

She jolts to attention. A bit of the glazed look covering her eyes leaves.

“You okay?” I prompt.

“Fine, child. Go get cleaned up. I’ll scoop you some breakfast.” She turns to Kaden and Randy as each of them take a seat on the stools of the kitchen bar. “Will you two be cleaning up here as well?”

“Later,” Randy says.

“But you’ll wash your hands, of course.”

Randy grunts and stands to do just that.

“I’ll clean up when I get back to the guild,” Kaden says.

Randy snorts. “Not much to clean up. You barely did any work this morning.”

“You gonna let that go anytime soon?”

“No.” Randy sits back down and sips from the mug Carolyn’s given him. He grimaces. “Leaf water. I thought you said you’d be buying coffee?”

“A delusion of your imagination,” Aunt Carolyn says. “It’s got turmeric. Drink it, it’s good for joints.”

I leave their heated debate about hot beverages to quickly take a shower and change clothes. It’s only after I leave my room and remember that Kaden’s there that I return and wrap my wet, stringy hair in a towel.

“Dressing up for little ol’ me?” Kaden says when I return to the kitchen. I smack his arm, take the stack of pancakes swimming in syrup Carolyn gives me, and plop down in the seat beside him. He’s already finished his breakfast and is listening to Randy and Carolyn as they go over the latest news from the Convocation Council meeting they both attended. Even though Carolyn’s lost a lot of her magical ability, she can attend as a former oracle host. And Randy is probably the most unorthodox, do-as-he-pleases guy I know (other than Kaden), but the Convocation isn’t stupid enough to ignore any input he’s willing to give.

“…I don’t think they’re even trying to look,” Carolyn says. She stirs her tea and stares into the murky water. “You said you were going to be a temporary trainer until you get…Who was it?”

“We’re fine for now,” Randy says. “No need to involve her yet.”

Carolyn huffs. “That’s fine for you. You seem to enjoy this sort of thing. You’re good at it. And I told them I was only a temporary stand-in to teach Holly but they don’t seem to be in any rush to find someone more capable.”

“Who says they haven’t already found it?”

“You mean they’re pushing her onto me permanently.”

Randy stabs three enormous pieces of pancake and chews thoughtfully before swallowing. “Would that be the worst thing in the world?”

“You know I can’t do it,” Carolyn says sharply. “I’m able to give her guidance for now, but eventually…I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. And lately it seems she’s been fighting me at every turn.”

“Holly?” I ask disbelievingly. That girl avoids conflict like it’s an opposing magnet. In all the years she’s been my best friend we’ve maybe gotten in one major argument, and even then she couldn’t last the entire day before begging that we make up. “I have a hard time believing that.”

“She’s continued to try to get in touch with the oracle after I’ve explicitly told her not to.” Carolyn looks at me disapprovingly. “Though she wasn’t entirely without help…”

I stare down at my pancakes and cover my embarrassment in two quick bites.

“It’s not like her,” Carolyn continues. “The oracle’s doing something to her. I’m not entirely surprised. It’s a powerful being and hasn’t been bonded to her for long. But I do worry…”

“I’ll talk to her when I go into the guild,” I say. “It’s Holly. I’m sure she’s trying to connect with it so she can pepper it with a million questions.”

“She’ll kill herself trying,” Carolyn says, purse-lipped.

I stab at my pancakes while Randy takes his and Kaden’s plates to the sink and runs the water. He pulls on a pair of rubber gloves and starts washing them down. “Either of you thought anymore about those invitations to the Guild Games?”

“I thought you didn’t know anything about it,” Kaden says.

“I don’t. Haven’t been associated with a guild since they’ve had the Games. Doesn’t mean I’m not curious about it. Or who’s running it. A bunch of rival guilds getting together to show off? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. I’m interested.”

“You’re such a pessimist, Randy,” Aunt Carolyn says. “From what I know about the way they used to run it, it’s an amazing opportunity, steeped in tradition. Have you received any more information?”

“No.” I share a look with Kaden.

“We…haven’t even told anyone we got the letters. Terrence recommended we didn’t,” he says.

“Why is that?” Aunt Carolyn says.

“Because they’re two newbies,” Randy says. “One of which is still in high school—”

“For one more year,” I protest.

“—and the other who isn’t officially part of a guild,” Randy says.

“And never finished high school. Don’t forget that.” Kaden grins. “I’m officially joining the guild later this week, so they can whine all they want if I decide to accept the invitation.”

“Oh, they will,” Randy says. “If I’ve learned one thing about Convocation politics it’s that they love to whine.”

Speaking of the guilds, we’d best be getting to them. With one more week before school starts back up, I’ve only got a little more time to catch up with the rest of the Dracas guild before my schedule gets swamped by too much studying, interspersed with the beatdowns Randy calls “training.”

I quickly clean my dish and grab everything I need before Kaden, Randy, and I pile into Kaden’s completely impractical muscle car. My bones shake as he rumbles out of the driveway and drives toward downtown.

“Anyone ever tell you this thing wasn’t built for comfort?” Randy grumbles, scrunched with his knees practically to his chest in the backseat.

“You may have mentioned it once or twice,” Kaden says. “Or every time you get in.”

“Maybe next time the girl who’s a third my size can take the back, lover bo—”

Kaden takes the next turn a little sharper than necessary and there’s a thump as Randy is thrown against the door.

“Sorry,” Kaden says, not sounding the least bit like he means it. He brakes on a street across from the Convocation courthouse. They’ve temporarily put Randy up in a spare safe room here until he can find a more permanent place to stay or moves on. But with how often he’s been working with them, and how close he and Kaden have grown again, I have a suspicion he’s here to stay for some time.

Kaden reaches over and opens the door. “See you tomorrow.”

Randy continues to grumble as he unfolds himself from the backseat and Kaden takes off again.

“You enjoyed that way too much,” I say.

The corner of Kaden’s mouth quirks up. “I have four years of torment to make up to him. I’ve barely started.”

He parks in the student parking lot near the guild and both of us cross the wide green lawn up to the columned front entrance. I make sure none of the other frat houses lining the street have anyone watching too closely, then shift one hand to a claw and press it up against the carved door handle. The door unlocks and we’re soon striding through the guild rotunda.

It's as large as a gym, full of tables, food stalls, and often thick with the smell of magic, hot drinks, and desperation for those unfortunate few who didn’t study for an upcoming test or end-of-summer project. The facades of the four guilds are at each of the cardinal points, stoically facing inward.

“Where is everyone?” Kaden asks as we enter Dracas. Though Dracas has fewer members by far than any of the other guilds, usually Jami, Callie, or Terrence is hanging in the living room or the backyard. Isaac, since he’s not allowed to leave the guilds, is sometimes down here, too, though I’ve seen him even less than normal since our excursion to Mt. Shasta.

“Terrence is probably at rugby practice,” I say. “Or maybe he’s learning more about the Games. Callie said he got an invitation, too.”

Kaden frowns. “I didn’t think each participating guild was allowed that many champions. How many did they send out?”

I shrug. I didn’t follow up on it with Terrence. Since I’m not planning on going, I’m not too worried about it.

Kaden goes to his room to clean up and I take some toiletries I brought from Aunt Carolyn’s to my part-time room upstairs. There’s a letter sitting on my bed, in a waxy envelope with poison-green ink. It’s exactly like the one I’ve received before.

Taking a deep breath, I slice it open with my claw and pull out the paper, expecting to see more instructions on what to do about the Games. Instead, there’s only a blank piece of paper.

“Kaden!”

His pounding footsteps come down the hall and he strides in, quickly filling the small room with his presence. He’s removed his jacket and a tight black shirt hugs his upper body. His eyes narrow on the paper in my hands. “Nothing else?”

I hold it out to him. “Let’s see, huh?”

Kaden brushes against me as we stand side by side and he takes the other edge of the paper in his fingers. The second he does, flowing black lettering starts at the top and works its way down the page.

Miss Michaels and Mr. Sullivan,

I apologize for not being in touch. There has been much to prepare, and much I’d like you to be part of. I also apologize for the anonymity and unusual way of communicating. There are many eyes watching and ears listening. What I’m part of, and what I hope you will both be part of, too, is too big to leave to normal means of talking. First, know that I do not speak alone, but on behalf of Tyrus.”

I let out an involuntary gasp.

“Tyrus…” Kaden tilts the page. “That’s the name of the true dragon who speaks to you, isn’t it?”

“He was speaking to me. He hasn’t said anything since Holly channeled him. Not when I shift to a full dragon, or even when Holly tries to connect with her oracle.”

“And yet they know about him.”

And yet they did. Just who was this person?

You probably have many questions. Some of which I can answer soon. Others, later. I have a representative coming tomorrow night I’d like you to meet at 9pm, at the Alumni Lodge. I hope Tyrus’ faith in me has also granted me your faith. As an extra sign of trust, wear this.

The envelope in my other hand has grown strangely heavy, as though something’s dropped into it. Still keeping one hand on the letter, I check the contents. There’s now a small, golden necklace with a pendant at the end. Engraved on the pendant is a hand with curling waves of magic emanating off it.

My representative will be able to give you more information. I’m afraid I must ask you to keep this between us. There are those, even within the Convocation, I do not want to alert.

Cordially,

R. Eifert

“This is getting weird,” I say.

Kaden drops the letter and pulls out the long chain. It looks like entirely solid, real gold. The pendant at the end twirls as we both examine it in the light.

“We need to meet this representative,” Kaden says.

A small noise escapes my throat. “Are you crazy? This has ‘bad idea’ written all over it. Now that we have more info, we should tell Randy and the rest of Dracas.”

Kaden stares at the twisting pendant, thinking. “Normally I would. But not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to spook whoever this might be. Extreme secrecy isn’t the most unusual thing in the world, especially within the magical community. There are lots of people who’d like to stay out of sight.”

“Yeah, probably bad people.”

“It’s on campus, Astrid.” He smirks. “And we’ll be together.”

“Remember when I went to find Holly in Brindle Hall? That was on campus, too, and Brian still nearly got us.”

“Security has been beefed up since then. And you know there haven’t been any signs of Nico and the Allegiant around here since the museum. I think it’s worth at least hearing what they have to say. They know about Tyrus. Don’t you want to know how?”

Of course I do. It was the ultimate tease for Tyrus to reveal himself and then go radio silent for weeks. He’d seemed distressed the few times he’d spoken to me before that. And now this person is speaking for him. If they have answers…maybe I want to listen.

“What about the Convocation?” I ask. “If this person doesn’t trust it then they might not be on our side.”

Kaden raises an eyebrow. “Do you entirely trust the Convocation?”

“Yes, of course.”

His eyebrow raises higher. “Really? You completely, entirely trust them?”

“Well…no…”

“Thought so. Just think about meeting them. I’m going, and I want you there with me.”

I sigh, knowing what my answer already is. But in the meantime, I’m going to consult who I usually do.

I head down to the rotunda and cross to the Records Room, pausing as I approach. Through the thick wooden door, I can just make out Holly’s annoyed, raised voice. I hurry over and throw the door open.

“—had all of those organized by time period and you—would you stop that?”

Holly jumps back as one of the Convocation representatives bumps against a stack of rusted weaponry piled high on a table. The entire thing comes clattering to the ground, nearly fracturing another pile of well-organized stone tablets. The whole group of people combing through The Mess comes to a halt as Holly stares at the destruction. Her eyes narrow to dangerously un-Holly-like slits behind her owl-like glasses. I swear her choppy, short hair rises like a cat arching its back.

“Oops,” the woman who bumped the weapons says.

“I spent three weeks finding all of those!” Holly says. “And another two nearly cutting off my own fingers and getting tetanus moving them. I’ve told you a million times—”

“And I’ve told you,” the woman interrupts. “There have been not one, but two high-priority magical items found in here within the last six months.”

“That I found,” Holly says.

“And one of which you claim to have lost,” the woman says, sneering.

Holly purses her lips. They must be talking about the half of the crystal map, which I know for a fact Holly keeps stuffed in a sock deep within her dresser at home.

“The other item you took for yourself.” The woman nods to Holly’s neck, where the necklace containing the oracle hangs hidden, physically bonded to her.

“I didn’t take it, the oracle chose me,” Holly says. “But that doesn’t matter. The Convocation left this room alone for years and I’ve been trying to get it organized.”

“Are you the Records Keeper?”

“I’m junior Records Keeper—”

“Are you the Records Keeper?”

“It doesn’t matter what I am,” Holly mumbles. “You can’t suddenly barge in here and start messing with eve—”

“Ma’am, we found something!” a man yells from the back of the room. He’s waving a book with a cracked leather cover.

“Be careful with that!”

 Holly stalks after the woman as all of them crowd around this new discovery, and I follow close behind. The other members of the cleanup squad huddle close, talking excitedly and not letting Holly or me see.

“Definitely pre-Hunt, possibly even before the Great War,” the man says excitedly. He hands it to the woman. “What do you think?”

“Watch your—look what you’re stepping on!” Holly says as the group shuffles across some of the more delicate instruments at their feet. “You nearly—”

One of the more eager searchers clips what may have been some kind of ancient Merlin focusing crystal, breaking off a piece of it.

My ears pop like I’ve suddenly ascended twenty-thousand feet in the air. No one else seems to notice the change but Holly’s hair rises even higher. It takes me a moment to realize that the crystal isn’t releasing its power, it’s her.

“What are you doing?” I hiss. She doesn’t answer and I pull her around to face me. “Holly—"

I reel back. It’s not Holly’s eyes that meet mine but something infinitely older. Something that glows with a vibrant vitality. Something dangerous that feels as though I’ve shrunken to nothing but an insect beneath her gaze.

Then the glow behind her eyes and coating her skin fades and she’s just Holly once again.

“Astrid, what’s wrong?”

I can only blink at the startling change. “Hey!” I bark at the searchers. None of them pay me any attention, still shuffling about and putting the rest of the artifacts in unnecessary danger.

I tighten my focus and, with a little push, send a small wave of static lightning through the air. Their hair stands on end, and I know they feel the sharp buzz across their skin. All of them freeze and look at me.

“Have a little respect,” I say. “She worked hard in here. Don’t screw it up.”

“Are you threatening—” the woman in charge starts.

“Not a threat, a suggestion,” I say. Then I tug on Holly’s arm until we’re in a small alcove where Holly’s started storing a disturbing number of taxidermized animals and small crystal balls. I let go of her arm. “What was that about?”

Holly wrinkles her nose. “I know, right? You see what they’re doing! And Riza and Liza have been helping me. They’ll be so disappointed…”

“Not them. You. You…did something.”

Holly’s nose wrinkles again and I can tell she has no idea what I’m talking about. This must be just like what happened when Tyrus channeled through her. The connection was short-lived, and after he’d spoken, Holly didn’t recall how she’d wound up in my room. Seems the same happened here, but in a much shorter time frame. If the oracle or even Tyrus is starting to use her without her knowing…Well, I don’t like to think about what that means.

“I thought Aunt Carolyn was helping you control the oracle,” I say. “She says you’ve been trying to connect with it before you’re ready.”

Holly crosses her arms. “Are you going to lecture me, too? All Carolyn has me do is sit and meditate and try to do everything except try to use it. Maybe that’s why she had so much trouble, did you ever think of that? She sat around waiting for it to come to her when she should have been trying to reach it.”

“That seems harsh.”

“Come on, Astrid. It’s the same thing you’re doing with your full dragon. You didn’t sit around and wait for it to take over whenever it wanted. You learned to control it.”

“Mostly. But I didn’t take it lightly. I knew how dangerous it was—and is.”

“You think I don’t?”

Normally that question would be a no brainer, but she’s not acting like the rational, timid Holly I know. “Just be careful. I know the Convocation digging around in here isn’t fun and Carolyn’s lessons might be tough, but stick with them.”

Holly sighs. “We both have powers that nobody’s seen in a long time. I just don’t know if anyone else always knows the best way to handle them, that’s all.” She crosses her arms and taps her foot impatiently. “But I’ll keep trying if you do.”

That’s what I like to hear. I still want to ask her questions about the letter, but I’m not so sure doing that here is the best idea. Between the risk of one of the Convocation representatives listening in and triggering Holly’s newfound rage mode whenever someone accidentally tips over a dusty, pickled jar of something, we should leave.

“Come on. I’ll buy you a cinnamon roll at Croissant Moon.”

Her eyes light up. “With double icing?”

I grimace. “You’re the one who’ll live with the diabetes, but sure.”

But no sooner have I thrown open the door than I nearly run into the bulging belly of a man I’ve never seen before. He’s rounded like a bowling ball, gut straining beneath his suit, with flimsy hair slicked atop his head. Ears stick out to either side of his face like satellite dishes. When he sees me his entire expression stretches into a joyous grin and he practically bounces on the balls of his feet.

“And there’s our other champion! Astrid Michaels, you are just the person I’m looking for.”