Sera turned again, freezing when she came face to face with her sister.
“What’s wrong?” Alex asked. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“You’re not really here.” Sera flicked her in the arm, but the illusion refused to fade.
“Because I’m not an illusion. And let me prove it to you.”
Alex swung a punch at her. Instead of going through her like the fake dragon had, the punch smashed into her stomach. Sera doubled over, pain blazing through her body. It sure felt like a real punch. Alex slammed two fists down on her head. Sera hit the ground, the ache of impact paling in comparison to the agony that erupted inside her skull.
“You’re not real.” Sera spit blood. “Just…an illusion.”
“How wrong you are?” Alex sneered down at her.
The hard toe of her sister’s boot slammed against her head, and Sera blacked out.
* * *
Wake up!
Sera groaned and rolled over. Or tried to, anyway. She couldn’t feel her body.
Where am I? she asked. Her mouth was as dry as sawdust, and her head felt like it had gone through a paper shredder. Some of the feeling to her body was returning—and now that it was, she was really wishing it hadn’t.
You’re mostly unconscious, and the fairies are whittling away at your mind. Your shield is about to crumble. You need to do something. Now!
Sera tried to push off the ground with her hands, but she didn’t yet have the strength for that. Her fingers sank into the sand. She growled in frustration.
You need to fight it, the voice said.
I tried. Alex…she knocked me down.
It wasn’t her. None of this is real.
Then why couldn’t I shatter her like I did Kai? Why couldn’t I make her disappear?
Because she is a part of you. You share a bond. That wasn’t Alex. It was you. You were fighting yourself. That’s why you couldn’t shatter the illusion.
Do the fairies know about me and Alex? About our bond? Sera’s pulse raced, pumping her blood faster. Her wounds throbbed, and her head spun. Does Blackbrooke know?
No, I’m blocking out those parts of your mind. But I won’t be able to block them forever. If your defenses fall…
Death, Sera said, the word hanging heavy in her mind.
Yes.
Alex told me to listen to the voice in my head. I guess she meant you.
A wise one, your sister. Yes, you should listen to me. Always.
But what are you? she asked. Who are you?
I’m your dragon.
My…dragon?
Your dragon side, dear. The part of you that is more than human. More than mage. You’re Dragon Born.
I know that already.
Yes, you know the name, but you don’t know what it means. The Dragon Born weren’t named after the dragons. They are the dragons. Two sides of one coin: dragon and mage. Together, we are strong. Strong enough to beat these Games.
And Alex has a dragon too?
Yes, of course. The voice frowned inside Sera’s head. But she’s rather brutish at times. You need to be careful around her. She’s responsible for a lot of Alex’s reckless behavior. I, on the other hand, am the sensible one. I’m a good influence on you. I don’t play with fire.
She snorted. Really? You’re going to stick to that story? Because I’ve done plenty of reckless things.
Such as?
Jumped into bed with the dragon. The other dragon. Kai.
Yes, well, he’s hot. And has nice dragon-like qualities. With our kind nearly extinct, he’s as close as you’re going to get to a real dragon mate.
Mate?
Don’t give me that deer-in-headlights look, missy. We both know where this is headed. And I applaud your choice.
It sounds like you were the one to choose him, Sera commented.
He does taste like cinnamon-frosted euphoria, her dragon said with a smile. But that’s not the point. We’re the same person, Sera. You can’t go separating out me from you. We both chose him.
Hmm.
We are linked to Alex and her dragon too. Linked by blood and magic. If we develop that bond, our power will grow.
In what way?
I’m not sure. I just know that it will.
This is quite possibly the strangest conversation I’ve ever had. Maybe she was losing her mind. What was left of it, anyway.
You are not losing your mind. But if you don’t get up and fight, you soon will.
Her dragon was right about that. Sera could feel the layers of her shield being flayed off one by one. She had to get up. She had to fight this.
You said we have more magic together?
Yes, by combining our power. By allowing it to blend together, as it was always meant to do.
Ok. Sera pushed against gravity and pain, peeling herself up inch by painful inch. Finally standing again, she stomped her feet against the ground. Let’s do this.
Magic surged through her veins. It poured across her skin, setting it ablaze with pink light. She thrust her hands out, tearing at the fairies’ spell, unraveling the illusions. The dragons overhead exploded, their demise lighting up the sky. The tails of the fireworks dripped down, melting the walls of the meadow. The fairies collapsed like dominoes.
Sera’s magic tore across the pit, cracking against the three mage summoners. They hung in the air for a moment, suspended, then dropped to the ground. Their spells puffed out.
The audience jumped to their feet and roared, but Sera didn’t see them. She saw only Kai. He stood in the doorway of the pit, the biggest grin she’d ever seen on his face. Ignoring the protests from her bruised bones and the pulsing ache in her head, she ran toward his open arms.