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Back Copper Chain Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Feeling resistance, Kyphos glanced at Zara. She had stopped in her tracks, and was looking out at the towering waves. Her face was completely white. ‘We’re too late,’ she said. ‘Someone is breaking the spell.’

49

49

Chloe and Dion were hiding in a broken structure, a bath house, with rows of sunken pits and the occasional mosaic still visible in patches on the grimy tiled walls.

Chloe glanced at Dion, now in his normal form. He looked awful. His eyes were bleary and red, and an ugly blue bruise circled his neck. It seemed impossible that moments ago he’d been a towering giant.

She peered through a crack in the wall and saw a dragon craning its neck to peer into the window of a house across the road. The spear-carrying warrior on its back scanned in all directions. A shriek sounded somewhere above, sending a chill running down Chloe’s spine.

The dragons were searching the area. It wouldn’t be long before she and Dion were found.

‘If you have any ideas, now’s the time,’ Dion said.

‘I can tear the spell apart. Break it completely.’ Chloe cast Dion a frightened look. ‘But we’re in the direct path—’

‘Palemon is still in the city,’ he interrupted. ‘Do it.’

‘But . . .’ She trailed off.

He came to stand beside her. He took her hands, his piercing, soft-brown eyes full of intelligence and compassion. ‘Trust me. I’ll protect you.’

Taking strength from him, she nodded.

Staff in hand, she headed to the half-collapsed doorway, poking her head out to scan the immediate area. For the moment, the dragons’ attention was elsewhere.

Chloe rushed out of the bath house, and now she was exposed. She sprinted to the center of the wide avenue made of stone, surrounded by ancient buildings of Aleuthea. Lifting her staff, she drew in a deep breath.

Even louder than the fierce wind, she heard piercing animal cries of triumph as her enemies spotted her. A moment later a sinuous shape of charcoal gray plummeted down from the sky, gold-flecked eyes glaring with malice. The soldier on the creature’s back hefted his spear, leveling the sharp point at her.

She forced herself to ignore them as she raised her staff, closed her eyes, and cleared her thoughts of everything except the feel of the wind. She sensed the fire at the bottom of the well surge up, and she fed it still more, seizing as much power as she could and then sparking the flame again.

The snap of fluttering wings was suddenly broken by a thunderous bellow and then a thud followed by a crack. It was a struggle for her to keep her eyes closed. She stood in the middle of chaos, the raging wind trying to push her body in all directions. She ignored the grunts of a giant and the shrieks of the dragons he was fighting. A great shattering crash of stone sounded nearby, but she remained steadfast.