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Chapters (46)
  1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  2. PROLOGUE
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. EPILOGUE

Marcus jumped at the man and socked him in the jaw. The man flew back against the cannon and then slid to the ground in a groggy heap. Those standing nearby watched the prince in stupefaction that was starting to harden into anger.

Marcus gasped for breath.

“I have ... to show you something.”

He turned back to the cannons and raised his hands and let the magic that he’d never before been allowed to use—the magic that they had tried so hard to suppress—flow out of his fingers and his arms, flow out of his mouth and his nose, a part of him, as the air he drew into his body.

His magic fell like raindrops on the tendrils of enchantment that wrapped around the cannons and caused the rain-bejeweled tendrils to glitter in the bright noontime sun. Men sprang back, out of the way, blessing themselves, so that eventually the glittering cannons stood isolated, surrounded by a ring of frightened and bewildered men.

Marcus walked over to one of the glittering tendrils and touched it with his hand, and the glittering rain-droplets of magic froze and changed to ice that sparkled briefly in the sun. The tendril, weighed down by the ice, broke and shattered, like ice-rimed tree limbs. The magic fell to the stone flagons and melted away.

“Sire! Look!” Gunderson pointed.

Those who could wrench their gaze from the enchanted cannons looked out over the walls to the hills and fields beyond.

The enemy was gone.

“God has saved us from the demons!” cried a priest, finding this a much easier explanation than what he’d just witnessed. “It is a miracle.”

Men began to cheer. They flung down their weapons and started to dance on the walls, embracing each other, yelling with all their might.

“Where did they go?” Gunderson asked, dazed.

“No miracle, I’m afraid. It was an illusion,” Marcus said. He was just thinking that this was the happy ending, when Draconas burst into his mind.

“Marcus! Where have you been?”

Draconas appeared to him not as the Walker, but in his dragon form, all teeth and eyes and gleaming red scales.

“Draconas!” Marcus was glad to see him and he was even gladder to tell his tale. “The dragon—”

“Never mind!” Draconas snapped. “You think you’ve won this battle, but it’s not over yet. You’ve jumped out of the kettle, only to land smack in the fire. The real dragon army is on its way and so are the dragons.”

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