Monstrous (42 page)

I glance at Batu—his rocky shimmering scales, the dank breeze of his dragon's breath, his pure hatred of wizards. And his kindness. Batu saved my life; he is my friend. “I don't fear this one. And neither should you. The wizard murdered his whole clan. Every member of his family, his entire race. Barnabas has been chasing him for years. He has just as much stake in this as any of us.”

I swear on the mountains I mean you no harm, King Oliver. Unlike my fiery brethren, I have little desire for wreaking havoc. All I want is to live freely and without fear.

Delia and Greta stiffen, exchanging a stunned look as Batu speaks.

Oliver takes a step toward Batu. He quietly considers the beast on his steps for a few moments.

“I trust you, Kym. That's why I named you Bryre's guardian. If you swear this dragon is here to help, I don't think I have much choice but to believe you. Who can say no to a dragon?” He reaches out to take my hand. “With the wizard bound to arrive at our gates any hour, we are in no
position to turn down assistance, especially from something that has a real chance of defeating the wizard for good.”

“You won't regret it, I promise,” I say, squeezing his hand. Batu inclines his head as if in a bow, and huffs his acknowledgment of the king's approval.

“Be careful. Even with this unexpected help, Barnabas is bound to be angry now, and that makes him more dangerous than ever before,” Oliver says.

“Don't worry, I will never let my guard down again.”

Soon we'll be free from all this madness. With my dragon by my side, no wizard can stop us.

BATU AND I HAVE BEEN GUARDING THE WALL WHERE THE MONSTER BRIAR
burst through since the sun set earlier in the evening. Now it is well past midnight. The wall keeping our enemies out is down in one spot, just wide enough for two men to walk through. The foundation is in more of a shambles than the last time I saw it, and between the rubble and clog of briars, it's now nearly impossible for the repair workers to reach. I suspect Barnabas prepared for that sort of thing. And I'm sure he already has a plan to get around it.

Batu barricades the way into the city proper with his massive body where the briar gives way to the street. The night is bright and clear, and I try to pick out constellations in the stars. It reminds me of another time I gazed up at the night sky, with Ren. It feels like forever ago.

What do you see in the sky, sister?
Batu asks.

“The stars.” I lean against the scales along his tail. “Once a friend told me that when people die, they become stars. My mother and the girls the wizard took are all up there watching over us. I'd like to think the dragons and other creatures he killed are up there too, but I don't know if you have to be human to become a star.” I worry my bottom lip. I don't know if I'm human enough anymore to qualify.

Humans, dragons, hybrids—we are all animals in some form. And we all return to the universe when we pass from this life.
Batu points with his tail to a group of lights in the sky. The outline of a form suddenly comes to mind.

“They do make a dragon!” I say. Tears of relief cloud my eyes and the stars blur together in a sweeping brilliancy. Someday, I can rejoin the family I lost to the wizard, even if it is only to look down upon Bryre from above.

Branches rustle in the dense woods nearby. Up until the small clearing Barnabas created by ungrowing the trees, it's impossible to pass by in silence. I crouch lower in my hiding spot near Batu, concealed by a nasty patch of thorns.

A shadow-cloaked body steps through the gaping hole in the wall, past the boundary that thwarted the wizard's plans for years. The air buzzes with the hum of magic thrumming beneath the surface of his skin, and the briars shrink back to let him pass. My pulse quickens. I despise him. He can't be allowed in any further.

A revolting grin crosses Barnabas's face when he spies Batu.

“Ah, my old friend. I thought I caught your scent in the
woods. This is better than I had hoped.”

I step out into the open where he can't miss me. Barnabas's eyes widen.

“Both of you? Of course, you would have befriended a dragon. Get out while you can, Kymera.” A sly grin creeps over his face. “Or you could join me. You were so helpful before.”

I struggle to maintain my composure, letting the anger boil inside, but keeping it focused on one thing: finding an opening to sideline him for good.

We block his path into the city streets. The briar clogs any other route in. Hidden from view in the streets behind us, ten men with lassos, maces, and crossbows lie in wait. I can smell their fear, but they're not here to kill him; their purpose is to distract and slow him down if he gets past Batu and me.

Barnabas raises an eyebrow.

“We won't let you hurt any more girls,” I say. Batu growls, a sound like rocks grinding together.

He laughs. “I never cared about the girls. They were a means to an end. Oliver must pay for services rendered one way or the other. More importantly, he must pay for taking everything that should have been mine. Aria. You. The magic I could have wielded if I had spilled your blood when you were an infant. He ruined all my plans. He will suffer for it, and he will watch me destroy his entire city.”

“Oliver did nothing wrong.”

“Nothing? He promised me you, did he not?”

I bristle, but try not to let it show. “Only because you
tricked him. We won't let you hurt him. You won't kill anyone ever again.”

“I will kill whoever I please.” He leans in. “You have made it easy for me. Everything I need to take my revenge on Bryre is right here waiting for me. I could not have planned it better myself.”

At the flick of my tail, Batu attacks, leaping past the briar with huge, sharp teeth and talons bared.

Dark light spews from Barnabas's outstretched hands like glowing shadows. The ground and city walls shake when it touches them. Batu shimmers and fades in and out, feinting and ducking at Barnabas.

My dragon is glorious, wings stretched wide to their full span, scales glittering in the half-light, yellow eyes ablaze.

He is also afraid. Though he looks terrifying, the way he carries himself makes me certain of it.

One of the dark coiling lights strikes Batu on his wing, and I can't help but shriek. I clap my hands over my mouth, terror rooting me to the spot. Barnabas is determined to hurt everything I hold dear. Rage comes on like an ocean wave slamming against the rocks. My claws are out, my tail taut, and I burn for his blood.

Our plan is for Batu to fight Barnabas first, with me keeping him trapped between the wall and the briar if he tries to run into the city. I don't know how much longer I can stand back, yet I don't want to get in Batu's way, either.

Batu's left wing smokes where he was hit, and it folds against his side. He cannot maneuver as easily without it. Barnabas hits his paw and side in quick succession with his
magic, but Batu claws Barnabas's arm and knocks his feet out from under him as he flickers out of sight.

Barnabas laughs from where he fell and meets my eyes.

I fly straight for him.

No, Kym!
Batu reappears behind Barnabas, his yellow eyes focused on me. Barnabas mutters something I cannot make out.

Suddenly, my body jerks and I hit the ground, the breath knocked from my lungs. I twist to see a briar vine curling around my leg. Barnabas's evil magic has brought the beastly plant more to life than ever. It grows at an alarming rate, new vines appearing every second, slithering toward us.

I scream and thrash, but the briars pull harder. I slash at the one wrapped around my ankle and the stung plant recoils. I scramble to my feet, but the vines still approach—reaching, prickling, stabbing—and they curl even more tightly around me again.

More shadow ropes approach Batu along with briar, but he does not vanish like he did before.

“Batu, flee! Go!”

I cannot. Something stops me.

“It was foolish to bring the dragon into the open, Kymera. Did you not think I would know all their tricks? I have more than enough tricks of my own.”

“No!” I lunge forward again, but the vines hold me in place. I swing my tail, trying to gain enough momentum to rip free of the hateful plant.

Though I can sense Batu's fear, he does not give up. He leaps into the air, then crashes to the earth, making the
ground tremble and crack. He yanks huge chunks out of the wall with his tail and begins hurling them at Barnabas.

Barnabas rises to his feet, neatly dodging the cracks in the earth, unfazed. As a boulder hurtles toward him, he casts his dark light, and the rock ricochets back to the dragon. It strikes Batu square in the side, but then something odd happens. It doesn't hurt him as I expect—he absorbs it. Wide-eyed, I watch while his curled wing unfurls again, now whole.

The rocks may make my rock dragon stronger, but Barnabas is barely slowed. If anything, he redoubles his efforts. Before Batu can take flight, Barnabas lashes out with a glowing shadow coil, and it wraps around the dragon's neck. One yank, and Batu's giant craggy face is slammed to the ground. More shadow coils and twisting vines snake around his body and legs and wings. He attempts to stand, but the vines pull tighter and tighter and force him back down. Batu struggles to breathe. I clench my fists against my sides and a low keen rises in my throat. The briars that hold me are alive with writhing black shadows and they move as one deadly entity. It burns cold where they touch my skin. I struggle violently, desperate to break free and help Batu.

Barnabas draws closer to the dragon caught in his web. The briar vines speed their growth until they cover Batu entirely. Drops of blue, glittering liquid—dragon's blood—dot the ground. He stops moving.

I am sorry, sister,
he says.

Tears sting paths down my cheeks. “No, no!”

I tried. Sometimes that is all you can do. I shall miss you. Farewell.

“I will miss you, too,” I whisper.

And then he is gone.

Bang!

Brilliant light fills the street. Barnabas stands stock still, arms lifted above his head, welcoming the onslaught. It pours into him until he's lit up like the sun. His body contorts, leaving him crooked and bent, but with a horrid gleam in his eyes.

Beside him, Batu's body crumbles into shimmering dust.

“Good-bye, my dear,” Barnabas says with a tilt of his head. He vanishes into the street.

A howl tears from my chest, mournful and furious. My heart twists with grief. Batu's kind, wise yellow eyes and craggy face. The sun glittering off his granite scales. The way he called me sister.

He was my dragon, my brother. I was so certain Batu could defeat Barnabas. The dragon was right to be so wary for so long.

Batu ventured out into the open for me, for my cause.

I refuse to let his death be in vain.

The shadow ropes have vanished with the wizard. With a burst of renewed strength, I rip my arms from the briars' hold and claw my way free. I collapse for a moment on the pavement, gasping to catch my breath.

Barnabas may be gone, but I know where he is headed.

The palace. For Oliver. For revenge.

At the end of the abandoned, briar-infested alley, I find the ten palace guards trapped by the vines. I cut them free and together we run into the nearest clear street. The briar vines slither slowly after us, like a living creature.

“Go, alert the council,” I tell the guards.

Ren and Greta barrel around the corner, nearly colliding with them.

“Don't go down there! The briar will eat you alive.” I grab Ren's arm and they both stop.

“He's here already? Is that what we heard?” Greta asks, eyes wide. “The ground was shaking horribly!”

“He set the vines on us and got away. He—he killed Batu.” I choke out the words. “He's going to the palace, I'm sure of it.”

“We're coming with you,” Ren says, hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.

“Ren, Greta, you—”

“We know. We're still coming with you.”

The determination on their faces makes it clear I won't be able to get rid of them except by force. I hate the thought of either of them in harm's way, but at the same time I'm relieved not to have to do this alone.

When we reach the gates of the palace, it's clear Barnabas has already been here. The gates are blown off the hinges, pieces scattered in the street. We slink in, keeping to the walls and hiding behind the massive hedge monsters.

Barnabas stands in front of the palace, all his attention on the person before him.

The king is suspended above the marble stairway between the reaching arms of two hedges. A centaur and a mermaid fight over him as the rest of the plants try to tear him in two. They've come alive, spelled by Barnabas's magic. A silent cry rises in the back of my throat.

Barnabas is making good on his threat and giving Oliver the most perfect, painful vantage point to watch his city's destruction.