The Dragonstones Trilogy
Chapter 11

Sara held her breath. She was sick, to be sure, but she wasn’t dying, was she? Why did his statement ring true?

“I did this to you,” Drusk continued. “Certainly you remember what happened back at that cave?”

Sara recalled the cloud of black he had thrust at her. It wasn’t just a cloud of blackness, it was a cloud of disease.

“Ah, you do remember,” Drusk said, not sounding surprised at all. “You will probably last another day or so longer, but you will die, fairly soon.”

Sara didn’t like the thought of dying. She didn’t know why Drusk was here either. Was he here to gloat? What purpose would that serve? He barely knew her. Why would he hate her so much?

“But,” Drusk said, “I can take it away.”

Sara had read her share of books to know what was going to happen next. He wanted something from her. She had to replace out what it was.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“Give me the Dragon Stones, and you live. I will never bother you again.” That sounded straight out of a book she had read. Sara wondered if Drusk liked reading fantasy novels.

“Let me think for a second,” Sara said, too tired to be afraid of Drusk. She still wore the necklace with the Dragon Stones. She didn’t really want to die. Then again, how did she know that she was really dying? Sara realized that, without the power of the Dragons, Drusk could not hurt her. The Dragon Stones would protect her. Sara also realized that Drusk had not known when Sara had gotten the Dragon Stones. That was why he had attacked her using other living things, sometimes people, sometimes spiders. Drusk had been hiding in the background every time Sara was attacked, hoping she would die. He had failed every time.

Sara knew she could not give the necklace to Drusk. She had always known, but had never really thought about it until now. She also somehow knew that she had to get Drusk out of her room, preferably out of the world. He could control the sickness, and he might just kill her when she refused. A plan started forming in Sara’s mind. She would need to act quickly, or it wouldn’t work.

Sara tried to look uncertain. Sara had never been good at acting, she knew, but her life depended on it. Judging from Drusk’s expression, it seemed to work. She slowly worked her fingers over to the necklace as she rambled useless sentences. Sara forgot what she said as soon as she had said it. Drusk listened to her, his eyes narrowing slowly. He wasn’t thinking very quickly. His eyes widened as he finally guessed what Sara had been doing. He lunged at her.

Sara’s fingers brushed a Dragon Stone, shrieked “Help!”and she was gone. She was in the Dragons’ Cave. The same dragons she had met the last time she was there looked at her curiously. Sara panted, out of breath. That had been close, too close.

I need your help. she told them, in her human form. There’s someone with dark magic in my room trying to kill me. She said to them. That sounded crazy, even to her.

The brown dragon didn’t even blink. We’ll help you, he said.

Sara thanked him, then touched a Dragon Stone again. She found herself back in her bed. She wondered how dead dragons were going to help her. She just needed to trust them.

She heard the brown dragon’s voice in her head as she looked around. He is there. I can sense him. Touch a Dragon Stone. Sara obeyed. Blue light filled the room, and several dragons appeared. Sara watched, amazed. She suddenly shook herself. Where was Drusk? She didn’t see him.

The brown dragon was in front of her bed. Aevill, show yourself, he said.

Sara wanted to tell him the name was Drusk, but she also didn’t want to interfere. This dragon seemed like he knew what he was doing. An unearthly growl rumbled from what seemed like the shadows themselves.

Drusk appeared in front of them, but something was different. He seemed. . .darker than before, although it could just have been the light, or lack of it. “You cannot defeat me, dragon,” his voice said. “You have not enough magic.”

Not I alone. The brown dragon turned to look at Sara. You will be our instrument. Touch Aevill’s man and he will leave us forever.

Sara remembered trying to get out of bed earlier. It hadn’t worked out. As if reading her thoughts, the brown dragon said, We will give you strength.

Without stopping to think, Sara sat up. She felt dizzy, but it was tolerable. Sara felt herself changing. Her claws glowed brighter than normal. Her scales seemed incandescent. Drusk looked like he wanted to run, but couldn’t. He struggled against that invisible force.

Sara’s claws, scales, and entire body glowed. No, she shined. Sara reached over to Drusk, who flinched when she touched him. Sara shone even brighter. Drusk, registering what had happened, screamed “No!” He froze suddenly, his face a mask of terror.

Sara touched him again to make sure he was still alive, but found him ice cold. As if her touch was all it took, Drusk’s body turned into black glass, then shattered. A hurricane of darkness came out of the body, and filled the room.

A rumbling voice said something in what Sara assumed was another language. The voice shook her to the core.

The brown dragon said calmly, Aevill, you have lost this battle. We have won. You cannot hurt us, and you cannot hurt her. There was a pause. Sara stopped breathing. The room stopped rumbling. Then, Sara shone brighter and brighter until green light filled the room. She heard a shrieking noise, and the darkness fled. The room kept getting brighter until it seemed to even put the sun to shame. Then, the light left as well, and the room was only as bright as the electric lights on the ceiling.