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Standing, I brushed off my pants and nodded. “Yes.”
“Round two, fight!” Jolie called.
Rhys, Deryn, and Fox ran forward again, their attacks synchronized this time.
Smiling, I squatted down, waited until they were close, then leapt up and over the tops of their heads, landing behind them. Clapping my hands together, I formed a two-foot-thick dirt dome around them.
“Whoa,” Jolie whispered.
Rhys burst out of the dome through the top in his warrior form.
I let the dome collapse as I ran forward and started attacking Rhys. When the others came behind me, I crossed the fingers on my left hand and put it behind my back. Deryn and Fox ran right into my shield, bouncing off of it with a grunt.
“What was that?” Nico and Caleb asked simultaneously.
With no time to answer, I spun around to take advantage of Deryn and Fox on their backs. I wrapped both in a bunch of vines and dragged them down into the grass, semi-burying them.
Rhys darted around my shield and swiped claws at me; they cut into my arm, making me yowl like a cheetah.
Caleb growled. “Dad!”
“Stay!” I ordered him, seeing him start to approach.
Fox used his powers to dig him and Deryn back out so they could rejoin the fight.
Taking a deep breath, I changed my throat, and exhaled a huge breath of fire. Deryn and Fox leapt out of the way and the fire continued towards Nico and Caleb.
Nico created a shield, eyes focused on me.
Rhys took advantage of my distraction, leapt forward, and wrapped an arm around my throat, claws at my jugular. “You lose.”
“Dammit,” I groaned, pouted, and reverted back to human form.
Jolie clapped. “That was really impressive, Ember. You’ve clearly been training in secret. Sneaky girl.”
I nodded. “I wanted to be sure that I was ready should any new enemies show up.”
“Well, it definitely shows,” Rhys said.
That was high praise from the commonly quiet dragon prince.
“I’m impressed by how quickly you utilized their powers,” Jolie commented. “I wasn’t able to learn them in combination for a while.”
“I think it has to do with her being a hybrid herself,” Nico said. “They’re connected in a different way from the way we’re connected to our clans.”
“Does that mean hybrids are inherently stronger than purebloods?” Deryn asked.
“I think so,” Nico whispered.
Jolie scowled. “Well, that’s not something we want to be made public.”
“Why not?” Triston asked.
“Because then more people would view you as a threat,” Rhys answered.
Chapter
Fourteen
