“Yes.” She looked around at the others in their little village exiting their houses. As Eva raced over, a deep rumbling rolled over them. Dread pulsed. “What is that?”

“People are telepathizing reports to me. Other construction sites are collapsing,” Dragos said. He met her gaze. “Are you going to stay here with the baby?”

“What?” Waggling her head, she sassed, “Are you going to stay here with the baby?”

He pointed at her. “I had precedence for asking.”

She knew he did, but she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. She made a face at him and turned to Eva.

Before she could say a word, Eva said, “Of course.”

Eva took Niall from Dragos, who shapeshifted into the dragon. He bent his head so Pia could climb on, and once she was seated securely, he launched into the air.

He quickly climbed to a height that allowed them to see the full extent of the damage. They both fell silent as they took in the scene. All of the other construction sites had collapsed, and deep depressions indicated the presence of several sinkholes.

A dusty brown haze smeared the evening sky, and the largest sinkhole of all gaped at the concert hall site.

A flutter of movement caused Pia to look up.

Barely seen and transparent, dozens upon dozens of radiant creatures like the one she had seen earlier swooped and whirled in the evening sky overhead.

Chapter Eight

“Oh, fuck me,” the dragon muttered irascibly. “If it’s not one damn thing, it’s another.”

He arrowed over to the concert hall construction site. As he landed, Pia jumped to the ground and he shapeshifted. Several workers ran over. One of them was the foreman.

“My lord!” he exclaimed. “We lost two men in the collapse. They fell into the sinkhole. We’re searching for them now.”

Dragos and Pia raced to peer down into the hole. It was even more massive close up, and deeper than Pia expected. The bottom was lost in shadow. A couple workers were climbing carefully down the rubble.

Power coalesced around Dragos. He extended one hand toward the hole, and a ball of light exploded from his fingertips. It fell like a meteor, and for a moment the darkness below was completely illuminated.

Pia glimpsed a segment of a large broken column, lying on its side, along with the base of other columns, and a rubble-strewn floor. “Those are ruins!”

“I see one of the men at the bottom. He’s not moving.” Dragos looked at Pia. “We need to get down there.”

“Ready when you are.” If the man was still alive, she might be able to do something for him.

He scooped her up and the bottom fell out of her stomach as he leaped into the hole. As he landed, he absorbed the shock of impact by bending his legs, then he straightened and set her on her feet.