Page 110 of Dragon’s Rebel

Their attackers were still using their illusion spells, just in a more localized way, making their forces look ten times more numerous than they were.

They were trying to wear down the dragons’ defenses, make them expend their energy fighting ghosts.

But why?

Tempest had told Blaze it had to do with Thorne and Rebel. That meant the two of them were in trouble, and Corwyn wanted to make sure no one came to their rescue.

It also meant they were probably close to finding the Seal.

Corwyn must believe he could get the Seal from Rebel, but what was he planning on doing with it? Destroying it, along with the Dragonfly Seal? Setting Vyrkos free? Or once Corwyn had the Seal, would he call off the attack?

But even if this was just a distraction, it didn’t mean they couldn’t do real damage. The magical integrity of the tomb had started dropping the minute they started attacking.

And there was always the danger to the Keepers. Blaze, and especially Tempest. Because she was the key to the third Seal.

But she was also his mate. No one was going to get to Tempest, not while he still had breath in his body.

They needed to wipe out this threat, and then get to the location Thorne had sent to them and back him and Rebel up until they could get that second Seal back here and into the wall.

The cavern rocked as if an earthquake was going on. Tyr, in the air, wasn’t affected, but Blaze and Zane both stumbled. Zane took a magic missile in the shoulder, knocking him back.

A crack snaked across the surface of the frozen lake of magic.

Tyr was so shocked he barely escaped being hit himself. Real sorcerer, ten o’clock, he said to Zane, tracking the one who’d almost gotten him. Zane sent a missile flying back, but he missed.

Two more cracks showed in Vyrkos’ tomb. The sorcerers had somehow managed to drain a critical amount of power, and the damn Draken Lord was waking up.

Blaze ran to the side wall, where a brass six-pointed star about three feet across was embedded in the stone. It was the focus of the magic that held Vyrkos in the tomb, engraved with symbols and letters in ancient Draken. Three of the points had gold symbols inlaid in them. The top point held the Dragonfly Seal, and the other two held empty rounded depressions, waiting for the other two Seals.

Tyr dodged another spell, then dove and flamed a clump of hellhounds. Fuck. There were more on the other side of the tomb, converging on Zane. And Blaze wasn’t helping anymore.

She had her hand on the Dragonfly Seal, and white light was streaming through her body and out through her outstretched hand. It hit the biggest crack in the tomb, and it slowed down, then stopped.

The light spread to the other cracks, and they, too, slowed.

Hot damn.

One of Zane’s spells hit a real sorcerer, and he went down. Some of the fake sorcerers and hellhounds winked out.

At last they were getting somewhere.

Then there was a crashing boom. The cavern shook again, and more cracks flashed across the surface of the tomb.

Tempest, watching through the viewing monitor in the portal room, saw the cracks race across the surface of the tomb. Blaze was trying to hold them back, but they were too much for her. Zane and Tyr had all they could do to hold their own.

Then, underneath the surface of the tomb, one of the great Draken’s eyes began to open, a spear of red light shining out of it.

Vyrkos was awakening.

Tempest heard a great booming voice in her mind. DRAKEN, HEAR AND OBEY ME! SET ME FREE!

Both Tyr and Zane seized, as if in pain. Vyrkos was trying to take over their minds.

The idol grew hot in her hands. It was connected to Vyrkos—the last piece of his hoard, the one the original tomb builders had used to finish the magic. That’s what made it so powerful.

Tempest grabbed the big brass lever that opened the portal, and pushed it hard. As soon as the portal formed in the wall, she raced through.

It was chaos. Everything was shaking, and she could hardly keep her feet. Blaze was weakening, her knees buckling, and the cracks were getting ahead of her.