As Baalgur dropped nearer, he spread his gigantic wings wide to slow his descent. The Marines opened fire, but their bullets seemed to have no effect upon the huge beast, whose descent continued unabated.
Leah and Leesa stared upward, stunned by the sheer size of the monster silhouetted against the gray sky above them. They stood firm, though, trying hard not to show any fear. Leesa’s fingers tightened around Leah’s arm.
The dragon hovered less than a hundred feet above them, his leathery wings beating slowly up and down to keep him in place. His lizard eyes seemed filled with disdain for the puny humans who dared to stand before him. He opened his fearsome jaws, revealing twin rows of scythe-like teeth. A ball of orange fire bubbled up in his throat.
As the dragon fire began to emerge from Baalgur’s mouth, Leah raised her arms and unleashed her Power. Twin streams of flame shot from her palms, joining into one thick stream just a few feet in f
The return journey was blessedly uneventful. The recent explosions of dragon fire from the battle with Baalgur kept the plains around the volcanoes empty of hunters, and the company encountered no scorpions or snakes as they crossed through the deep crevices of what Leesa had come to think of as the “damaged lands.”They didn’t hurry, nor did they dawdle. As always, they remained alert and watchful. Whenever Kai scouted ahead, he gave Ariandre’s horn to Raj so that the object of their quest never left the protection of the main party. When Raj did the scouting, he returned the horn to Kai.In two days, the enchanted forest rose up before them. When they reached the edge of the woods, the thick underbrush bent back for them, opening a passage twice as wide as the ones they had previously traversed. Everyone seemed to gain an extra spring in their step as they entered the forest walking in pairs. They no longer had to worry about any more danger, and most of them knew they were close to
Ariandre waved her hand once more, and the portal vanished. She looked back to Leesa and Rave.“Well, I guess it’s time to see what we can do about you two.”“Do you really think you can send us back?” Leesa asked.“I hope so. I may need a little help, though.” Ariandre motioned with her arm to the mass of faeries behind her. “Gather round, my friends. Surround us, please.”The faeries flitted quickly into a thick circle with Ariandre, Leesa and Rave in the center. Fiona landed on Rave’s shoulder.Ariandre smiled. “Are you thinking of going back with them, Fiona?”Fiona’s glow flashed brighter as she laughed. “If Rave was single, I definitely might. I don’t think I can compete with Leesa, though. She’s much more his size, and her magic is stronger than mine, besides.”“Hey, I understood that,” Leesa said, surprised. &ldquo
The four teenagers had already trekked nearly a mile when they turned off into the trees, following an almost invisible path up a steep hillside. Jeremy led the way, the bright yellow beam of his flashlight illuminating the uneven ground in front of them. Brit walked close beside him, with Lexi and Ryan trailing a short distance behind. Holding hands, they climbed the ridge at a slower pace.Growing up in Connecticut, they had all heard stories about the famous Moodus Noises, but only Jeremy had actually experienced the underground rumblings. He hoped they would get lucky tonight—there was nothing like a little shake, rattle and roll to make a frightened girl seek out a bit of reassuring snuggling. And he was definitely interested in some close cuddling with Brit.“Are we almost there?" Brit asked, trying not to sound like she was complaining as she tucked a few loose strands of her long dark hair behind her ear. She wasn't really feeling tired yet, but she was starting to work up a b
For his part, Jeremy knew he had screwed up. Brit's furrowed brow and closed off body language told him more than any words could say. Hoping he had not irreparably damaged the rest of night, he reached out to touch Brit's shoulder."I'm sorry, okay?" He did not know what else to say. Luckily. he was saved from having to come up with anything else by Ryan and Lexi's arrival. They were a good looking couple. Ryan's dark, athletic look and build contrasted beautifully with Lexi's blond hair and petite frame. The kids at school had even nicknamed them Ken and Barbie."Wow, this is some gorgeous spot," Lexi said, peering out over the edge of the cliff to the river below, which snaked like a dark silver ribbon through the black woods.“It's breathtaking."Seeing that Jeremy had switched off his light, Ryan turned his off as well. A moment later, a band of thick clouds floated in front of the moon, making the night darker and even more ghostly. The wind seemed to
Brit took a deep breath and then hesitantly placed her fingers on the pointer as well. She did not know whether she was imagining it, but the wooden triangle seemed to feel warm under her fingertips. She hoped the damn thing would stay right where it was.Instead, it began to slide slowly across the board a few inches before stopping."I," Lexi said, reading out the letter where the pointer had stopped. The pointer moved again. Lexi continued to call out the letters. "A...M." She hesitated a moment, then read. "I am..."Brit stared hard at the board, wondering what name the guys had planned to spell—and hoping that it WAS the guys who were doing it."I am who?" Ryan asked when the pointer started making slow circles around the board without stopping on any letters.The wind suddenly ceased blowing. Everything had gone deathly still. Only the gurgling stream broke the silence, and even that seemed to have quieted a bit, as if nat
Leesa could not help smiling as she relaxed in her comfortable rope and canvas hammock and watched Rave and Ralin playing around in the backyard. The early June sun felt wonderful on her bare arms and legs, while a floppy-brimmed straw hat shaded her face. A gentle breeze that barely rustled the leaves of the trees kept the air from feeling too hot. Father and son were taking turns cupping their hands under one another's foot and then hurling him as high into the air as they could. Already, Rave had tossed Ralin higher than the tallest tree in the yard, a height of nearly forty feet. Leesa had long ago stopped worrying about how her son might land after being tossed to such a height. For his part, Ralin was determined to throw his father up just as high, but so far his every effort had fallen a few feet short. Ralin was not one to give up easily, though. When he set his mind to something, he could be as determined and stubborn as anyone Leesa had ever met. Rave would say it was a trai
“What is it?” Leesa asked. “What magic do you think I only might be ready for?” Her words came out a bit more sarcastic sounding than she meant them to. Dominic raised his eyebrows. A bemused smile curved his lips. “Feeling a bit full of yourself, are you?” he asked. “Like there’s no magic left that could possibly pose a challenge to such an experienced wizard as yourself?” “I’m sorry,” Leesa replied, meaning it. “I didn’t intend for it to sound like that. I’m actually really excited you have something new and challenging for me. Especially with the blah way I was feeling before.” “I’m glad to hear that, because what I have in mind will definitely be a challenge. I have no doubt it will take some time before you are able to succeed.” Leesa’s curiosity ratcheted up another few notches. Dominic seemed completely certain this new magic would prove difficult for her to master. She wondered again what it could be as she watched him reach one hand behind his back and pull his magic wall
Rave turned and raced off into the trees. After all these years, this was still Leesa’s favorite way to travel by far, the closest she came to feeling like she was flying, even more so than levitating and pulling herself toward some immovable object with her telekinesis. Moving in that manner was much slower—more like floating than flying. And this way she got to snuggle against Rave’s muscular chest, too.In a few places where people might see them, like crossing roads, they walked hand in hand like an ordinary couple, but for the most part they remained in the woods and Rave carried her. Sooner than Leesa would have liked—it always seemed much too brief when Rave carried her—they were speeding up the tall ridge toward their spot above the Moodus River. Despite the steepness of the slope, Rave did not seem to slow his pace at all. When he reached the wide rock outcropping he lowered Leesa gently to her feet near the edge of the ledge.Leesa stared down to where the slow-moving Moodus