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Heat rushes past me. The Dragon throws fire at those who approach, his tail wrapping around Aldrin and me, pulling us back, out of the way of the flames.

Jed looks at us in panic.

The Dragon shields us from him, and by the look on Jed’s face, he thinks the Dragon will kill us too.

“Don’t move,” he says, eyes darting between us.

The Dragon roars, the sound reverberating off the cave walls.

A roar from outside answers.

Everyone looks up.

Aldrin and I glance at each other.

“Are those your Kings?” Aldrin whispers.

A voice flits through my head.

“My son is coming for you!”

I look to the Dragon who saved us. He looks exhausted, weary as his head slumps. Aldrin presses his hand on the Dragon, trying to get up and away from him, while Jed and Malika and the rest all start rushing around panicked.

I stare at Aldrin and see a grin split onto his face, while I look at his hands covered in soot.

“Aldrin!” I call just as I look down and notice the smallest fleck of gold on the Dragon’s scales. I wipe my hands over his scales, the soot coming off revealing his scales aren’t black but gold, as gold as Silas, gold of the King.

The frail man who asked about Pluto hisses at us trying to get our attention. The Dragon looks up, growling at him, but he puts up his hands in surrender.

“I mean her no harm crazy one,” he says, and I realize none of them know who he is , no one had recognized the Dragon chained to the wall, much too weak to do anything,

“I help you; can you take me to my brother?” he asks.

I nod but he is already turning back, scales appearing on his face. “Quick come, come, there is a back entrance,” he says, waving us forward. Aldrin gets up, trusting him, what choice did we have but to follow.

In an instant, all hell breaks loose. The entire mountain begins shaking, rocks and dust falling from the roof covering everyone and everything as it shakes violently. Aldrin grabs my arm, and we both make a run for it when the King’s tail wraps around me pulling me back to his side.

“Go Aldrin, run!”

He hesitates when the Dragon throws fire at him, giving him no choice.

The Dragon lifts his head pressing it to my stomach and his eyes look sad.

“You’re King Darshan, my father-in-law, aren’t you?”

He nods his big Dragon head. I look to the exit when I see Jed rushing toward us while the other Dragons start shifting, fighting the Kings that are ripping them out of the cave, and I see Dragus run through the cave entrance, his eyes instantly finding mine. I feel my magic surge as Jed growls, intent on retrieving me.

Cold, smooth metal slips through my fingers—my sword, my magic coming back to life.

Darshan lets me go just as I pivot, my blade slicing across Jed’s chest, forcing him to jump back.

Rage consumes him. His breath sucks in sharply.

My eyes dart to Dragus and Silas as they hear the screech from the Dragon behind me, chains snapping as he rips himself free.

Red-hot heat surges toward me. Scales block it before it reaches me.

King Darshan shields me from the flames, a roar tearing from his throat as he spins, jaws snapping.