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“Oh no.” I couldn’t help but get close enough to peer over the edge. No sign of Oriz. The shaft went down too far to see.
Daksh put an arm around me. “It’s over, Asharee. Whoever that was, he’s dead. No way he survived that fall.”
I wanted to believe him, and yet I couldn’t help but wonder. Especially since the voice in my head went silent.
Worrying about it had to wait, as more dragons arrived, cawing in anger as they saw the dead bodies strewn around the fountain, courtesy of my friends, all accounted for but two.
Where were Palla and Yaanik?
Qynn was there and flung powders at the dragon menacing Kya with flames. The powders turned the fire to sparkly dust. I lunged to go help.
When the beast would have tried to bite my mentor in two, I stretched my hands in the direction of the particles and prayed as hard as I could.Goddess if you’re listening, I need some help bringing this dragon down to size.
The sparkles took on a greenish-blue hue before adhering to the dragon, who suddenly whinnied in rage as it shook its head. Before my eyes, it became smaller and smaller. I don’t know who was more surprised by that. It lost interest in us. With a squeak from its fist-sized body, it flew off.
It apparently spooked the rest, who followed their diminutive friend.
Before I could sigh in relief, Daksh swept me into his arms, hugging me tightly and twirling us around and around until I got dizzy and gasped, “Enough.”
“I was so worried,” he murmured.
“You’re alive.” I brushed his cheek and smiled.
“It was close,” he admitted. “Waking up in sticky web is not the greatest fun.”
“But you got loose and came after me.”
“As if I’d leave you to face danger alone.”
“Isn’t this touching.” I could hear the sneer in the voice. A familiar one. Recently dead.
We whirled to see Oriz floating up and out of the well. No, not Oriz. Zuun, his eyes swirling pits of orange. His hair crackled as if on fire. The wound he’d sustained in his chest was gone, along with all his clothes. I had to wonder if he’d always had a serpent between the legs. When it winked, my gaze rocketed to his shoulders.
“Quickly, tell me what’s happening,” Daksh demanded, setting me aside to draw his weapon.
“Human possessed by an ifrit.”
“How do we kill it?”
“You can’t,” Zuun himself boomed. “I am all powerful.”
I might have coughed. “Yet got caught in a well.”
The fiery orbs fixated on me. “I was tricked.”
“By humans. I heard. Apparently, we outsmarted you.”
“They got lucky,” he growled.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky too.” Daksh drew attention away from me.
“Unlikely. I am invincible when the fires are burning.” Zuun flexed an arm, and flames ignited on his bicep. Kind of a neat trick.
Daksh didn’t let it daunt him. He went for Zuun, sword raised in attack. The ifrit didn’t draw a weapon but conjured one of pure flame. It parried all of the King’s blows easily. Worse, we had no help, for a ring of fire erupted around the perimeter of the fountain, trapping our friends away from us.
I had to do something to help.
As Daksh danced with Zuun around the hole, I angled to position myself behind. Not sure what I would do other than put my hands on the ifrit and then see what happened.
