The Dragonstones Trilogy
Chapter 17

The Shadow Stones are some of the most powerful magical objects in existence. Amethyst said. They were forged in the early days of magic, out of shadows themselves. As the dragon spoke, images popped into Sara’s mind. She saw a group of what looked like magicians all gathered in a circle. They looked to be in a clearing in a forest.

As Amethyst continued her narration, Sara watched as the group chanted, swaying back and forth. In the center of the clearing was a small pile of clear white rocks. One by one, the magicians shot black magic at the stones. The rocks resisted the darkness at first, but finally succumbed to the magic. As the stones got darker, magicians cried out in pain. Others collapsed from the exhaustion of using all of their energy. More and more magicians fell. None of them got up. The memory Sara was watching went blank.

The magicians did not survive the process, but created something so powerful that nothing like it had ever been seen before, much like that cave that you and James are so fond of.

Another memory popped into Sara’s mind. She saw years pass in a single glimpse. It reminded Sara of a different vision she had seen in the cave, about how the cave had gotten its magic. The Shadow Stones remained where they had been placed by the magicians.

We don’t know how Aevill came to replace the Shadow Stones, or who he was before he became Aevill. They had succeeded in magically concealing themselves for centuries, but there is a legend that the Shadow Stones would only show themselves to someone of truly great power.

Either way, once Aevill possessed the Shadow Stones, he was able to wipe out his greatest opposers. He killed off the entire dragon race. Anger laced those last few words, but Sara couldn’t blame her, or any of the other dragons. If someone had killed her species off, Sara would have felt the same way toward Aevill. She was off to a good start considering that he had tried to kill her.

The dragons, along with myself, do not know how the Shadow Stones work. We know they only work in shadow. There are several popular myths, but none that are true.

There is a way for you to replace the Shadow Stones, though. Although the Shadow Stones are good at hiding, now that they are in Aevill’s possession, they will be easier to track. Have James set up a spell to replace large areas of no magic at all. This is most likely where the Shadow Stones will be. It will then be up to you to get the Shadow Stones, and be Aevill’s downfall.

Sara wondered why the dragons couldn’t have just told her this to begin with, but thanked the dragons for the new insights. As she touched a Dragon Stone to leave, she heard Smolder scolding Amethyst. The more you tell her, the closer she is to being killed! Sara guessed that she wasn’t supposed to hear that, but Smolder wasn’t shielding his thoughts. All the other dragons could have heard it as well.

When Sara found herself back in her room, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed James’s number. He didn’t pick up. Sara hung up the phone and got ready for bed. She was brushing her teeth when her feeling of dread kicked in. Sara carefully put the toothbrush down, and crept out of the bathroom.

The feeling grew stronger. She moved silently down the hall and toward the stairs. As she climbed down, a step creaked, and Sara paused, holding her breath. After a moment or two, she continued down. As if someone flipped a switch, all the lights in the house went out.

Sara felt a presence in front of her. Sara shifted into a dragon, and her night vision kicked in immediately. Although everything had a greenish tinge, she could still see Cole standing right in front of her, his shadow flames already in his hand, his eyes black as the night outside.

Sara jumped into the air, but still felt the cold magic lick at her scales. There was not enough room to flap her wings and stay in the air, and Sara had no choice but to fall back to the ground. Sara landed, her claws at the ready, but Cole had disappeared.

All was silent for a moment. Sara slowly made her way down the rest of the stairs. She felt the coldness of the shadow flames before it came in contact with her back. She met the shadow flames head on.

Although the Dragon Stones were invisible when Sara was in her dragon form, they could still help her. As the dragon and dark magic met, there was the blue flash that always appeared when the Dragon Stones helped her.

The shadow flames vanished, giving Sara a chance to lunge at Cole. Cole tried vanishing again, but Sara was in front of him before he had the chance. Without even thinking about it, Sara pinned him to the ground. Every time he tried sending shadow flames her way, the Dragon Stones repelled them.

Sara carefully lifted a claw and scratched along a vein in his arm. The venom that entered his system would knock him out, but not hurt him. At least, she hoped it would not hurt him, but right now, she didn’t have much time to think. The last time she had hesitated with Cole, it had cost her. Her venom worked quickly, and within seconds, Cole was out cold.

Sara shifted back into a human, then stood there, wondering what to do next. She didn’t hear any noise upstairs, which worried her, but she also didn’t want to let Cole out of her sight. She would have to check on her mom later, when she had figured out what to do with Cole. James’s voice popped into her head. Is Drana there? He asked.

No. Sara said, confused. Why?

James didn’t answer. He simply appeared in front of her. The orange light around him light up the house as he entered. He didn’t seem to mind the fact that he had just magically forced his way into Sara’s living room.

Sara jumped back and had her claws ready before she realized it was only James. She changed into a human, then immediately said, “James!” in annoyance.

James didn’t listen to her. He looked around, then noted Cole lying on the floor. The small scratch Sara had inflicted glowed green in the darkness. “When did he attack you?” he asked.

“Just now,” Sara said. “Why?” she asked again.

James stared at Cole. He looked up at her. “He and Drana are working together,” he said. “Drana attacked me around the same time this guy came to your house.”

“Your sister?” Sara asked. She had never liked Drana, but she couldn’t see her being evil enough to attack her own brother.

“Aevill is very powerful,” James said.

On the ground, Cole stirred. James hummed a song, and orange light took on the shape of ropes. As James went from humming to singing, the ropes became stronger. They wrapped around Cole until he could not move at all. James kept humming so the magic would not stop, but did so quietly, as if not wanting to use more magic than was needed.

Cole slowly regained consciousness. When he was fully awake, his eyes widened. They were clear, not black as they had been all those times before. He stared at something behind Sara. “Look out!” he shouted suddenly.

Instinctively, Sara changed into a dragon and turned to see black magic flying toward her and James. She dove to the ground, and could feel the shadows flying over her head. Sara looked around. She couldn’t see James, but knew he was still singing. The orange light coming from behind a couch gave him away.

Sara knew why he was doing it. They needed to keep Cole bound so Drana didn’t have his help. James could do a lot with magic, but he couldn’t sing two songs at once. It was up to Sara to stop Drana, at least for now.

Sara got to her feet. She glanced around the room. Drana was nowhere in sight. Slowly, Sara made her way over to James. She was almost there when she heard James change his song. Sara glanced around the couch, and the orange glow was almost too bright.

James and Drana stood facing each other. Drana shot hoards of black magic while James dodged the magic, and retaliated with attack songs from different colleges. Cole lay forgotten on the floor, the magic ropes slowly dissolving.

Sara walked over to him, ignoring Drana and James, who were both too focused on the other to notice her. Cole was free when she got to him. She lifted a claw to knock him out again, but Cole shook his head. “Don’t. I can help,” he said. His eyes were no longer black, and, for some reason, Sara believed him.

“I’ll distract her. Make sure you get her on the first blow,” he said. As he finished that last sentence, Cole stood. Shadow flames materialized in his hands, and without a word, Cole threw them at Drana.

When the flames hit her, Drana turned and saw Cole standing there. Sara changed into a human and crept away, trying to replace the right place to ambush Drana. James cast a surprised glance at Cole, then started singing his attack songs again, louder this time.

Drana vanished, then reappeared behind James. Before she could do anything else, shadow flames along with James’s orange magic attacked her from all directions. Drana shrieked, and disappeared again. James nodded at Cole, then kept singing.

Sara’s senses picked up breathing behind her, and whirled and lunged before she could think twice. She and Drana both went crashing to the floor. Drana hit the ground first, and Sara stood over her. A cloud of black magic enveloped Sara, blinding her and stinging her scales.

When her vision cleared somewhat, Sara saw shadow flames hit Drana, and James’s orange magic hitting her from behind. James altered his song, and Drana was surrounded by orange magic. The magic formed a bubble, with Drana in the center.

Sara heard James’s voice in her mind. Talk to her. Sara changed back into a human and glanced at Cole. She was the only one that had heard him. She looked over at James and heard his voice again. I need to keep her contained. Tell her to stop struggling. Sara looked over at James, and saw him nod slightly. Sara didn’t know why, but that reassurance was all she needed. She could do this.

“Give up Drana.” her voice sounded shaky, and Sara glanced at James again. He motioned for her to keep going.

“You can’t kill us. Stop letting Aevill control you. James and I have a plan to stop him,” she said. Cole glanced at her after the last sentence, but Sara couldn’t tell what his expression was. She had to stay focused on Drana.

In her bubble, Drana laughed. It was a strange sound, one Sara would have preferred not to hear. It was equal parts creepy and pretty. “You really think that you can stop Aevill?” she asked. She almost sounded amused. “The only way you could ever stop him is through killing him, and you could never do that. You’re too weak.” James’s song faltered, then kept going.

Drana smiled. Like her laugh, it had an eerie, yet beautiful quality. “Aevill looks forward to killing you,” she said. She looked at Sara, then James, then Cole. “All of you,” she said. Without any warning, Drana melted into the shadows.

After she left, Sara and James stood still for a moment. Then both turned to look at Cole. Sara noted that in Cole’s hands were shadow flames. Cole glanced down, and the flames disappeared. He looked at both of them. “I can’t stay in one place too long, or Aevill will replace me,” he said. “Tomorrow meet me at the park and we can talk there.”

“Why not now?” Sara asked. She was tired of being in the dark all the time. When she had first met James, he had told her about magic pretty quickly. That was one thing she liked about James. He didn’t withhold information, at least not usually.

Cole looked at her, then out a nearby window. “Right now darkness has the power. Do you really want it to know what your plan is for defeating Aevill?”

“No,” Sara said slowly, trying to wrap her brain around what he meant.

“Then see you tomorrow.” Without another word, Cole melted into the shadows.

Sara stared in stunned silence after he left. James looked over at her. “Do you think we can trust him?” he asked.

Sara thought for a second, then nodded. “Yeah. I think we can.”

Both were silent until Sara asked, “Shouldn’t you tell your family about Drana? What if she attacked them next?”

“They already know.”

Sara looked at him, startled. “You let them know through one of your songs?”

“Somewhere during the fight.” James glanced behind him out a window, and Sara followed his gaze. There was no moon outside. Everything was shrouded in darkness. Even though she could still see, she realized that she and James were surrounded by shadows. Aevill could be watching their every move, and they wouldn’t even know.

“James, could you turn the lights back on?” Sara asked.

“Sure.” James sang a quick song about sunshine, and what looked like miniature suns appeared in front of each of them.

Sara turned her attention back to James. He had stopped singing, but the orange glow was still there, along with the tiny spheres of light. “Don’t you need to keep singing?” she asked, although the answer was obvious.

“I’m singing in my head. Some spells require me to sing or hum out loud. This one doesn’t.” James said. He must have altered his song a little, because the suns lazily drifted to the top of the room, acting like slightly large, magical light bulbs. With how much light they were giving off, it looked more like noon rather than late at night.

Sara felt eyes on her, and looked out into the darkness. There was no one she could see out there. That wasn’t exactly a comforting thought. Sometimes the worst dangers are ones you don’t know about. She turned back and saw James looking at her. “What?” she asked.

She hadn’t noticed how blue the light made his eyes look. The more she looked, the more magical they seemed, like the light of the Dragon Stones or the inside of the cave. Realizing that she was staring, she quickly looked away.

“Nothing. I was just telling the lights to stay with you for the rest of the night.” Sara looked at him suspiciously, but didn’t argue. Her cell phone rang before she could. She saw that Aspen was calling. “Oh shoot. Aspen! We completely forgot about them!” Sara hastily answered. “Hello?”

“Hey Aspen. Why are you calling? It’s the middle of the night.”

“The plants told me about the fight. Victoria’s headed over, even though I tried to tell her Drana already got away.”

Sara glared accusingly at a vase of flowers on a table. “It wasn’t them,” Aspen said. “It was the evergreens outside that first told me of the noise. The grass didn’t stop complaining until you were done fighting.”

Sara sighed. Plant news traveled quickly. On the other end, Aspen suddenly gasped. “James is there with you?” She said it loud enough that Sara worried that James had heard for a moment.

“Yes.” She said quickly. “Didn’t the plants tell you that before?”

“Plants are picky in what they do and do not share with me. Sometimes they like to give me important information after I need it.”

“Okay. We’re both fine and I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, or what the plants didn’t already tell you,” Sara said, hoping to get off the phone as quickly as possible.

“Really?” Aspen’s tone told her she didn’t believe it.

“Yes. Tell Victoria not to come.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow, or today. It’s so late, I don’t know what day it is.”

Sara laughed at that. “I know how you feel. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye.” Sara hung up. She told James, “The plants told Aspen about the fight.”

“Cool.” He paused as they both heard movement upstairs. Sara shifted into a dragon for what she hoped would be the last time that night, and James hummed his attack song again.

They slowly made their way upstairs to replace Sara’s mom standing with her arms folded. The small suns followed at a distance. James’s presence was the first thing she noticed. “Why’s James here?” she asked.

With only a split second to reply, Sara stuck with the truth. “We were attacked by his sister Drana.” She left Cole out for the moment. Sara saw James’s questioning eyes and avoided them.

As expected, her mom exploded. “What?” she asked loudly, forgetting what time it was.

Sara doubted that her mother would have sat quietly upstairs while she and James had been fighting against dark magicians. Her mom’s reaction was evidence as well. “How much do you remember?” she asked.

“I remember going to bed, then waking up just now with a splitting headache.” James and Sara exchanged a glance.

“She must have knocked you out,” James said, following Sara’s lead and leaving out Cole as well.

“Does your family know about this?” Sara’s mom asked.

“I sent them a message.” James winced.

“What’s wrong?” Sara asked.

“Mom’s been telling me to come home, and she is getting louder and louder.” He winced again, then hummed his usual message song.

“I’d better go,” he said to Sara.

Sara nodded. “Okay.” She looked back up into his eyes, then hastily looked away. James started singing, and disappeared.

Sara looked up to see her mom looking at her. “James is a good boy,” she said. She turned to go back to her room. “I’m going to bed. Goodnight,” she called. After that, she went back into her bedroom. Sara looked at the clock and decided that she should get to sleep too. It would be a busy day in a few hours, and she needed her sleep, especially after what had just happened. Sara stared up at the ceiling and saw the tiny stars floating above her, chasing away all the shadows. Sara took comfort in the fact that James had come up with a way to keep the shadows away from her that night. Within seconds, she was asleep. and within what seemed like minutes, it was time for her to wake up again.

The first thing Sara noticed when she woke up, besides how unpleasant it was to wake up in the morning, was that James’s glowing creations had left. Sara felt a strange feeling of loss.

Ignoring that feeling, Sara got out of bed and ready for the day. Time seemed to speed up until she got to school. Then it slowed down back to its normal pace.

Even with time crawling by at a snail’s pace, Sara was able to make it to lunch break. It turned out that Aspen knew everything that had happened last night, besides the fact that James had been there. She also hadn’t heard about Cole, but James kept quiet, for which Sara was grateful. She didn’t know why she didn’t tell her friends about him, but letting them know didn’t seem like the best choice either. She knew he was on their side, and James did too, hopefully. If he didn’t, he didn’t say anything.

James hummed quietly and the slightest amount of orange surrounded him. She heard his voice in her head. What should we do about Cole? he asked.

Sara thought as loudly as she could, and hoped James would be able to hear her. He’s on our side. He helped us last night when we were fighting Drana. She was pleasantly surprised when the telepathy worked when she was in her human form.

That could have been a trick.

I don’t think it was. Sara looked at the clock on her phone. If they were to meet Cole, they didn’t have much time. She stood up suddenly and said the first thing that came to her mind. “James and I have some studying to do in the library.”

Victoria’s eyes widened as she nodded. “Sure,” she said. She smiled and Aspen giggled. Sara silently cursed herself for using such a bad excuse, but it would get her and James away from them and give them time to talk to Cole. Once they had left Aspen and Victoria, James asked, “Studying in the library?”

Sara smiled, then looked down embarrassed. “Sorry. It was the first thing that came to mind.” James chuckled as they exited the school. They found an empty area, and James sang his traveling song. He had sung two words, and they materialized in the park. Sara immediately felt the cold from being outside.

The park was completely abandoned at this time of day. It was the perfect time to meet Cole. Sara’s eyes scanned the park until she found Cole sitting on a nearby bench. It was bright, and the snow didn’t help.

Sara started forward, but James stopped her. “We both know that this could be a trap. We can still go back,” he said.

Sara looked him in the eyes. “We can trust Cole. But even if it is a trap, you’ll do something, won’t you?”

James didn’t look happy about it, but he nodded. Sara said, “And I can defend myself. Don’t worry James. We’ll be fine.” Sara reached over and touched his arm. She felt a pulse of energy travel through her arm. Shocked, Sara looked down at his arm.

Sara looked back up at James. He had felt it too. Sara could tell from his eyes. James opened his mouth to speak, but another voice spoke before any words came out.

“What are you two doing over here?”

James turned to see Cole standing behind him. Cole glanced from Sara to James. “Never mind. You and I need to talk.”

“Then let’s talk,” James said. His eyes narrowed slightly. He still didn’t trust Cole. Sara rolled her eyes, but quickly stopped because the sun was in just the wrong spot.

“What do you need to say, Cole?” she prompted.

Cole reached into a black backpack and withdrew what looked like a road map. “You are looking for the Shadow Stones, right? Aevill has them. It’s how he got me to attack you guys.” he looked at James. “It’s how he controlled your sister too. The Shadow Stones can control anyone with dark magic.” He pointed to the map.

“I was able to use Aevill’s powers against him about a month ago. I found out where he was hiding. I’m pretty sure that even if he isn’t there, you could figure out a tracking spell, replace Aevill, get the Shadow Stones, and kill Aevill.”

Sara looked down at the map. “Los Angeles. It’s a few blocks away from Dodger Stadium.”

James looked up suddenly. “You’re a Dodgers fan?” he asked Cole.

Cole glared at him. “We don’t have much time. This is just where Aevill was hiding at one time. There’s evil everywhere in the world. It doesn’t really matter what city.”

“What if you’re leading us into a trap?” James asked.

Cole’s eyes darkened, literally. “You will just have to trust me. I need to go. Aevill’s taking control again. Don’t try to contact me, and take my advice, when you go against Aevill, bring an army. You’ll need it.”

Before James could say anything else, which he looked ready to do, Cole melted into the shadows. Sara and James stared at the spot where Cole had disappeared for a second. “I still don’t trust him,” James said at last.

Sara looked up at him, a little annoyed. “Maybe you don’t, but I do. Come on. Let’s get back to school.”

James started to say something, but the look Sara shot him kept him quiet. He sang a couple words, and they were both back at the school. Sara turned to go to her next class. “See you in art.” James didn’t follow.

Sara turned to see James in the same spot she had left him at, his gaze distant. Impatiently, Sara walked back to him. When she got there, James only said, “I can’t shake the feeling that we can’t trust what Cole said.”

On an impulse, Sara took James’s hand. Electricity shot up her arm, but she ignored it. “Going after Aevill has risks,” she said. “We may not be able to trust everything that Cole said, but maybe we can. Either way, if we can stop Aevill with the Shadow Stones, I don’t see why we can’t at least try. You’ve seen what Drusk has done, and he was only a pawn. Aevill’s getting stronger every day, and I for one have to stop him.”

Sara remembered what she had done with the dragons recently, when she had sent memories through thoughts. She needed James to see why Aevill needed to be stopped. He needed to feel what she felt: that Cole could be trusted, and Aevill had to be defeated.

It was then that Sara knew what she had to do. She grabbed James’s arm and dragged him to a nearby empty classroom. “What – ” James started to ask, but Sara shushed him. She went over and locked the door, then shifted into a dragon. That way, sending memories would be easier than if she tried it as a human.

Without giving any warning, Sara focused on all her memories of Aevill, all the pain, death, and suffering he had caused. The room they were in faded into the background, until it disappeared entirely, replaced with her memories of Aevill. She relived it all, but this time, she could hear James’s voice in her head, commenting sometimes, but mostly quiet, taking in the additional information she was providing.

They slowly made their way through all of Sara’s encounters, and even thoughts of Aevill. Sara threw in a few memories of Cole in for good measure, and how she was certain that they could trust him. She finished with the dream she had had of Aevill, through someone else, killing those girls. Sara ended the memory with the girl’s screams in her head, just as she had first dreamed it.

The pictures in her mind went black, and gave way to the present. James found the closest chair and sat down, his eyes wide. He took a few deep breaths to control his breathing. “I had no idea you could do that,” he said, once he had calmed down a bit.

Sara shifted back into a human, replied. “Sorry. I needed you to see it.”

“And I saw it.” James leaned back in his chair. “When should we go?”

“What?”

“There’s no question now on if we’re going after the Shadow Stones or not. Now we just need to know when we’re going.”

“Cole mentioned an army,” Sara said.

“So other people with magic will have to go with us. Aspen?”

Sara felt a strange feeling of jealousy when he first thought of Aspen. She shook it off. She hadn’t been getting much sleep lately. That was what was getting to her. “If she agrees. What about your family?”

“I can ask them. Your mom?”

“I can ask.” Sara stopped talking when someone knocked on the classroom door. That was when both she and James remembered where they were. James looked at her. “You locked it?”

Sara smiled sheepishly. “Oops.”

James smiled, then got up to unlock the door. An angry looking teacher marched in. “What are you two doing here?” she asked.

James saved Sara from answering by humming a few notes under his breath. The teacher’s eyes dilated slightly, and she only nodded. James motioned to Sara. “Come on. We’re late for class.”

They had almost reached the art room when the bell rang. Sara stopped walking. Class couldn’t be over all ready. She looked at a clock above some nearby lockers. They had lost a whole hour when Sara had shared memories with James.

Sara looked over at James, who only shrugged. “Guess we’re skipping art today.” Sara laughed, despite being puzzled over how they had lost an entire hour just from sharing a few memories. They got to their next class, and James held the door open for her. Sara looked up at him. “Thanks,” she said. His blue eyes seemed to darken just a bit.

You can’t protect her.

Startled, Sara looked back. “What?”

James shook his head. “I didn’t say anything.”

Sara walked over to a desk and tried not to shudder. The voice she had heard had sounded so close, like someone was right behind her.

At last school ended and James met Sara at her locker. “Don’t forget to talk to your mom about the Shadow Stones,” he said.

“And you talk to your family,” Sara said. James nodded.

“We’ll meet back here tomorrow at lunch to see how it goes.”

They chatted for a bit, but there was not much to say after that, so Sara flew home, taking a small detour to enjoy the outdoor air, chilly though it was. She got home just in time to talk to her mom.

School had just ended, and already the dishes in the kitchen were arranging themselves, preparing to make dinner. “Mom?” Sara called. She got no answer. A dark feeling pulled at her, urging her to leave the house. Sara tried not to listen to it.

Sara stopped a broom floating past her. “Where’s Mom?” she asked it, feeling ridiculous. She had no idea if household magic gave items a certain awareness, or if it simply made the objects complete chores around the home, but it was worth a shot.

The broom tilted until it pointed in the direction of the stairs. Sara thanked it as she hurried toward them. Sara stopped ignoring the feeling that had built up ever since she entered the house. Dread consumed her, and Sara stopped herself as she almost gave in to pure panic.

Cautiously, Sara made her way to the stairs, then started to climb, pausing every time she heard the slightest noise. Sara reached the top of the stairs, and halted when she heard a sound: breathing. Sara followed the sound until she came to her mom’s room, the door slightly ajar. The breathing was certainly coming from there.

Sara slowly pushed open the door, one hand hovering over the Dragon Stones just in case. The door opened with a soft creak, and Sara shrieked before she clamped a hand over her mouth. Lying on the floor in front of her was her mom.

She was wrapped in what looked like shadows, just as the students at her school had been. They were obviously doing her harm. Her mother lay completely still, except for the slight rise and fall of her chest. She was breathing, but only barely, the breaths shallow and shaky. There was no question in Sara’s mind that Aevill, or at least someone with dark magic, had done this.

“Mom?” Sara couldn’t keep the shock from her voice. Suddenly, something hit her from behind, cold and sharp, and somehow, unclean.

Sara screamed and fell to the ground. She touched a Dragon Stone and shifted into a dragon. After the blue flash, Sara was in the Dragon Cave. Before she was fully aware of what she was doing, Sara hurled a quick memory to one dragon, who could send it to the others. After barely a second, the dragon said, We will lend you strength. Sara didn’t understand how they could do that, being dead, but she didn’t have time to argue. She only touched a Dragon Stone and found herself back in her house.

Sara looked around, but even her good dragon senses couldn’t pick up everything. She found no sign of her attacker. Sara turned, still as a dragon, to see Drana there, her eyes dark and empty. Help! Sara briefly thought to no one in particular before her instincts took over. She lunged at Drana, claws and teeth ready, but Drana disappeared, reappearing behind Sara. She shot dark magic at Sara before she had the chance to turn. Sara’s scales helped protect her from some of it, but Sara could still feel the darkness seeping into her, getting underneath her skin.

Sara stood there, letting the magic crash into her, while she tried to think of a plan. Attacking would do no good, and neither would retreating. Drana would only follow her. She could feel her own reserves of energy fading quickly, but all the dragons in the Dragon Cave were lending her strength, and there were many dragons in that cave.

Sara had just decided to try to attack again when the air next to her shimmered. It took on an orange hue. James appeared next to Sara. He took in the situation in one glance. He couldn’t afford any longer. As if it was the most natural thing to do when facing an enemy, he started singing. Sara guessed that for him, maybe it was.

Drana’s dark eyes widened as she saw pure energy flying toward her. She melted into the shadows, but not before some of James’s magic grazed her arm. After she had vanished, red drops of blood fell to the floor. All was quiet for a minute, then two. Drana wasn’t attacking her, so Sara changed back into a human. She turned to look at James. “Thanks for coming,” she said. “How’d you know about Drana?”

James looked around, most likely looking for any telltale signs that Drana was watching them. He looked at her. “I didn’t,” he said.

“Then why’d you come? I don’t remember telling you anything as a dragon. When I send a thought, I need to think about it reaching that person.”

James glanced down at the floor. “I just had this feeling that you were in trouble.” He looked up at her. Orange energy flickered in his eyes. He was still singing something in his head. “I know it sounds weird.”

Sara shook her head. “Not really. Stranger things have happened.” She studied her surroundings. “Why did Drana leave? Now would have been the perfect time to attack us.”

James nodded in agreement. “Aevill would have wanted her to finish us off, or at least you, not leave after one scratch.” He looked at Sara. “You okay?”

“I'm fine. The dragons protected me from the worst of it.”

The temperature seemed to drop as Sara tried to see why Drana had left so suddenly. Maybe she could spare some time for a visit to the Dragon Cave, but then she would leave James and her mom alone and wouldn’t be able to help them. Her mom!

Sara turned to see how her mom was doing, but an enormous amount of dark magic slammed into her. Sara didn’t even have time to blink. She only fell, barely feeling the impact when she hit ground.

Her vision darkened, until she blacked out. Distantly, as if underwater, she could hear James’s voice talking to her. She took comfort in hearing that voice. He didn’t seem to be talking to her, though, more to himself. Sara knew that was impossible. He would be singing, trying to fight Drana. Sara hoped he succeeded. For some reason, Sara couldn’t bring herself to want to regain consciousness. She wanted to stay in that dark place forever, listening to James’s voice.

Sara! No. There’s nothing I can do right now. I have to stop Drana. Duck! That was close. Shield song. Did Sara move? I can’t protect her. Maybe she’s waking up. Whoa! Sara got a brief glimpse of James narrowly missing a stream of dark magic. He sang another shield song. Orange magic spread out around him, and Sara too she realized, forming orange energy bubbles.

I have to help him. Sara realized. She needed to wake up. When Sara had completed the thought, she started fighting the darkness in any way she could. Imagining fighting side by side with James. Imagining herself waking up and breaking through the wall of blackness.

Though she was asleep, Sara could have sworn she felt James’s eyes on her. She couldn’t wake up. She heard James’s voice clearly now, as if she was speaking to her. Sara. If you can hear me, I need you to wake up.

I can’t! Sara wanted to scream, but she somehow could not replace a way to tell him. It was as if she had forgotten how to send thoughts to another person. She wasn’t in her dragon form. Maybe that had something to do with it.

There was a long pause. Then she heard his voice again. Sara, can you hear me?

Yes! Sara tried to scream, but he didn’t seem to hear her.

There was another break in the one-sided conversation, until she heard his voice in her head one more time. Okay. I’m going to do a wake up spell, and I need you to shift into a dragon when I do. Have your claws ready.

Sara didn’t know what he was doing, but she trusted that it was for a reason. On three. One...two...The three never came. Sara’s vision simply lightened, until her eyes popped open. Following James’s directions, she shifted into a dragon, her claws ready to do damage. Before she was aware of what had happened, something caught on her claws. Sara rolled off of her back and onto her feet. She slammed whatever was stuck in her claws into the ground. Sara looked down, and saw Drana under her claws, not showing any fear.

James rapidly sang something under his breath. Drana glowed orange, until the light slowly faded and she looked like her normal self again. If she tries to hurt either one of us, this spell will stop her. Sara glanced at James. Only she had heard him say that. Sara heard him say something else, too, but it wasn’t as loud or clear. It was more like a whisper, not meant for her to hear. I’m lucky that worked.

Sara wasn’t sure that she had heard right. What? She asked him. She felt a sudden rush of dizziness, and fought the urge to throw up. She evidently had not fully recovered from the dark magic Drana had hit her with.

This spell will stop her if she uses magic. James said.

I didn’t mean that. You said something else.

What? No I didn’t. Sara could tell James honestly didn’t know what she was talking about. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was certain that that other, quieter voice she had heard had not been meant for her. She fought another urge to throw up.

Never mind. She said.

“Are you two just going to stare at each other all day?” Drana’s voice brought Sara back to the present.

Hacking coughs came from behind Sara, but she could not risk turning to see if her mom was all right. Sara didn’t feel too good herself. She still was a little dizzy. Unfortunately there was nothing to be done about it now. Is she okay? She asked James. His face told her all she needed to know. It wasn’t good.

James took a step toward Drana. The orange glow around him never left, but he was able to talk to her. “Did you do this?” he pointed at something, and Sara knew it was her mother. Drana only smiled. It was particularly unnerving with those dark eyes, so dark they were black. Sara felt a chill run down her spine after seeing it.

Sara felt a flood of guilt wash over her as she realized that her mother had been hurt because of her. It may not have been her fault, but Sara still felt responsibility for what had happened.

“Drana did this, not you Sara,” James said. After she looked at him questioningly, he asked, “Didn’t you tell me it was your fault?” When Sara shook her head, which was hard to do as a dragon, James only shrugged and said, “Oh.”

Sara wondered how he was able to hear her thoughts, but had to stop speculating as Drana suddenly started squirming underneath Sara, demanding both her and James’s full attention.

The first thing Sara noticed about Drana that was different was her eyes. They were dark, but no longer black. They were also full of fear, panic even. “Get off of me!” she said to Sara.

“Why?” James asked for her.

Drana continued to struggle, then realized that the effort was useless and gave up. She looked up at the ceiling hopelessly. “He’s going to kill me,” she said.

Who? Aevill? Sara asked, making sure that James could hear the thought too.

Drana only nodded.

“We can help you,” James motioned for Sara to get off of her, and held out a hand to his sister to help her up. Sara complied, then shifted into a human. James knew the best way to reach his sister right now. Drana sat up, tears running freely down her face. “Don’t you see?” she said, looking up at them. “Aevill has the Shadow Stones. He can force me to do whatever he wants, then kill me if I don’t do it right. It’s not just me. Others have to do it too.”

Sara and James exchanged a glance. Cole. Sara heard James’s voice, but she could tell that he hadn’t spoken. Inside, something told her that she had heard one of James’s thoughts. Sara didn’t know how she had come to that conclusion, but would think about it later.

Drana continued to cry for several minutes. Slowly the sobs got softer and softer, until Drana had somewhat regained her composure. Nobody knew what to say for another few minutes, until a certain idea struck Sara. She was pretty sure that the dragons had sent it, maybe they had been listening in, as they could sometimes do. When she asked, though, none of the dragons said a word, and Sara accepted the idea as her own.

“Aevill may have the Shadow Stones,” she said. “But I have the Dragon Stones. When the dragons were alive, they were among Aevill’s greatest enemies. Even though they’re dead now, they were still able to stop Drusk. I haven’t talked to the dragons for a while. Maybe they would like some company.”

Drana looked up at her, a reluctant smile spreading across her face. “You mean it?” she asked.

“I could ask them if you want,” Sara said.

She wasn’t sure what she expected, but she hadn’t been ready for Drana to jump up and hug her. She said “thank you” so many times that Sara wanted to tell her to stop, and James looked ready to burst out laughing. He hadn’t looked like that in a while. Sara was glad the old James was coming back.

Sara found it odd that Drana, who had always made a point of hating her, was being so nice to her right after she had tried to kill her with dark magic. Sara guessed that being controlled by an incredibly powerful dark magician could change just about anyone, in one way or another.

Sara finally managed to get Drana to stop thanking her, and they stood there in silence for a moment. All was quiet. Sara couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Something was missing.

James looked at something behind Sara. His eyes widened. He spoke, but his voice sounded strained. “Um...Sara? You might want to leave.”

“Why?” Sara started turning to see what James was looking at. James sang a couple quick words, and forced Sara to stop moving.

He walked to her, looking a little sick. “You do not want to see what’s behind you. Please trust me.”

“What’s behind me? Why-” Sara froze as she remembered what was behind her. “Mom! Drana did something to her...we need to help her...I completely forgot...again...” Sara stopped talking, fearing the worst. Finally she asked, “What happened?”

“Sara, when I unfreeze you, will you please go downstairs?”

“What happened to my mom?” Sara could feel the panic building up inside of her.

Drana, who had been trying not to look, gave in to temptation and turned to see what James was keeping Sara from seeing. She at once turned back and ran to the bathroom. Sara could hear the sounds of retching.

“James.” Sara looked into those bright blue eyes, not normally full of sadness, sympathy, and horror as they were now.

James sighed, then said, “She’s gone.”

“What?” Sara shook her head. “No. No! She can’t be dead. She can’t!” Without warning, Sara burst into tears. She tried to wipe them away, but in vain. She looked up at James. “Let me see,” she said.

James shook his head. “No. It’s better this way. Once you’ve seen it, you won’t be able to get it out of your head.”

“Let me see her,” Sara said.

“Your mom is dead,” James said. His eyes betrayed how much pain this was causing him as well as her. “What you would see behind you isn’t your mom. It’s...not pretty.”

“Please,” Sara begged.

“No,” James said, unwilling to back down.

The tears came more freely then, and Sara lost track of what happened next. Thinking back on it, she was pretty sure that she cried into James’s shoulder for some time. She could remember James’s soothing voice singing a lullaby, trying in vain to dull her grief and comfort her. She remembered and orange flash, the different faces of James’s family members, and being tucked into a soft bed. Sara was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Sara wasn’t sure how long she slept. When she woke up, Sara studied her surroundings. She was at James’s house, in Drana’s room. Black seemed to be the theme for the room. She was on a black bed, the room was painted black, and the furniture was black, with small amounts of white. Sara tried to remember why she was there, until it came back to her. Her mom was dead.

Sara was glad that she hadn’t gotten out of bed, because she felt dizzy again. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs. James knocked, then entered.

“I talked to my family about going after the Shadow Stones. They’re willing to help, even Drana. They don’t want to waste any time, and they want to go now.”

“Right now?” Sara asked.

“Well, not today, but soon.”

Sara looked down at the blanket she was under. “Doesn’t it seem a bit sudden?” she asked him.

“A little.” James sat down in one of Drana’s chairs and looked at her. “But I’m sure it’s what she would have wanted.” Sara knew who he was referring to, and as she thought about her mom, fresh tears forced themselves out of her eyes. She buried her face in her hands.

“Hey.” James got out of the chair and sat next to her on the bed. As if on an impulse, he wrapped his arms around her. Sara didn’t try to hold back the tears. After a bit, James started singing more calming songs. The orange light shone around both of them.

Sara wasn’t sure how long they sat there, but she felt more than a little sadness when James finished his last song. He looked at her, and Sara told her heart to stop pounding. “Think you’ll be okay?” he asked her.

Sara tried to smile. “Yes. Thank you.” She wasn’t sure what had just happened, but James had given her strength that she had desperately needed. She tried to smile again, and this time she succeeded.

James smiled. “Kay. Get some rest.” He got up and left the room.

Sara did as she was told and fell asleep. Almost as soon, she dreamed. She saw her mother, and Sara could only stare at her. She looked so real. “I don’t have much time, but you need to know that the Shadow Stones are only part of it. There is another stone. It is unnamed, and mostly unknown throughout the centuries, but this stone is able to control light magic. If you get both the Shadow Stones, and this other stone, you will be able to control magic itself. Seek after this, before the Shadow Stones.” She paused, as if hearing something, then said, “I am out of time, but I love you, as do others. Never forget that, and you will do just fine without me.”

Her mother grew fainter and fainter until she was no longer there. Sara wanted to scream at her to stay, to do anything but leave, but she couldn’t replace the words. As the dream ended, Sara woke up.

Sara glanced around Drana’s room, until her eyes rested on a clock. It was the next day, but from what Sara could hear, the others were still asleep.

There was a bag next to the bed she had been sleeping in. Someone had been thoughtful enough to go to her house and retrieve some clean clothes for her. Suddenly feeling unclean, Sara dashed to the nearest bathroom with a shower. She had been to James’s house so often that she knew her way around. Sara took special care to make sure that she was clean, and that she looked nice. James was there, she told herself, as if that was reason enough to care how she looked. Sara didn’t know why she thought that, but she did. After her shower, Sara felt much better, and made her way downstairs, where she heard James and the others talking.

She entered the living room to replace James, Drana, and his parents sitting on the couches. Sara was a bit surprised to see Aspen and Victoria there as well. Sara could feel the concerned looks pointed at her way, but ignored them for now and only focused on James. “Hey,” she said.

James smiled. “Feeling better?”

“Much better.” Sara thought back to her mom, but shoved the grief into the back of her mind. She would deal with that later. Right now, she and the others had to fight Aevill, but not in the way they had thought they would.

Sara sat down next to James on a couch. “We shouldn’t go after the Shadow Stones, though. At least not first.” She told them about her dream, and the other stone they needed to defeat Aevill. She explained that it could control magic.

Victoria looked at her friend sympathetically. “I know you miss your mom,” she said. “But are you sure that this wasn’t just a dream?”

“I’m sure,” Sara said.

James looked at Sara, then at Victoria. “You guys know that Sara has visions. By now she’s learned the difference between what’s a dream and what’s not. If Sara says this was a vision, I believe her.”

Drana spoke up. “As do I.”

Aspen’s eyes widened. “The plants say she had a vision. They saw it,” she said shakily.

Victoria looked at Aspen skeptically. “Plants can read minds?” she asked.

Aspen shrugged. “I didn’t know that they could.”

“So if we’re not going after the Shadow Stones, what’s the plan?” James asked.

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait a little?” Mrs. Robinson asked. “You should at least try to finish school.”

Sara and James both shook their heads. “The more we wait, the stronger Aevill gets,” James said.

Sara asked, “So how should we look for those other stones, and replace a way to get the Shadow Stones?”

“We could split up,” Drana said. “Mom and Dad can be one team. Aspen, me, and Victoria could stay here and let you know what’s going on at home. If Aevill tried to control me with the Shadow Stones, you would be too far away for me to follow you. That leaves Sara and James – ”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Mrs. Robinson said.

“Why?” Victoria asked, jumping up, her long dark hair flying in all directions. “They make a great team, plus, the dragons will be with them.”

The Dragon Stones suddenly glowed blue, and Sara could hear the voices of several dragons trying to speak to her. Sara reached up and touched a Dragon Stone.

There was the blue flash, and then Sara was in the Dragon Cave. Smolder was right there, waiting for her. Bring me across. He told her. I need to speak with them.

Sara wanted to ask why, but Smolder’s look stopped her. He knew what he was doing, and she wouldn’t argue. She touched a Dragon Stone, and whispered, “Bring Smolder across.”

After the familiar blue flash, Sara and this time Smolder as well, were in the living room she had left seconds ago. Smolder stood in front of them, his red scales glittering in the sunlight. He looked at them all before speaking.

Sara and James must go. They will and must be Aevill’s downfall. he said. Inside, Sara was secretly happy that James would go with her. Somehow, it seemed right.

Mrs. Robinson still looked at Smolder, worried. “They’re so young,” she said. “Can’t we wait?”

“Mom, you were the one that wanted to go now,” James pointed out.

“I changed my mind. We should wait,” Mrs. Robinson replied, looking away from him.

It is their quest, and time is of the essence. You must go now, or not at all. Smolder told Sara and James, ignoring Mrs. Robinson.

He continued, There will be a war, even after you replace the other stone. I had not heard about them until now, and it is possible that it has been keeping itself hidden until you two searched for it. On your way, you will need to ask others with magic for help. Try to get them to join your cause, if you can.

“They may not leave this house,” Mrs. Robinson said to the dragon.

Smolder looked at her sadly. Then they are doomed to failure. He told her. Smolder looked at Sara. I’m done. He said.

Sara nodded, then touched a Dragon Stone. Smolder disappeared, and went back to the Dragon Cave in the Land of the Dead.

For the rest of the day, James tried to convince his mom to let him and Sara leave. After each plea, Mrs. Robinson adamantly said the same answer: no.

That night, Sara had trouble getting to sleep, and ended up thinking of her mother. After the dream last night, her death had seemed more final, more real. She wouldn’t sink back into that pit of despair that she had been in so long. She needed to get on with her life. Her mom would have wanted that. Sara thought of her mission to defeat Aevill. If she and James could somehow do it, in a small way, justice would be served.

With that somewhat happy thought, Sara shoved all memories of her mother into a dark corner of her mind once again. She could delve into those memories later, but for now, she would try to move on, and have a chance at being happy. Somehow, she and James would go after Aevill, and at least try to make the world a better place.

Sara thought back to her and James’s visit to the cave. It seemed so long ago now. She hadn’t thought about it in a long time. Sara slowly lost herself in the memory, how the dark magic had hit James. Sara didn’t think about the part where Aevill send his magic after her, only about James.

He would get hurt, she realized. He would appear just in time to stop the magic meant for her and injure and possibly kill himself, protecting her. The cave’s visions were never wrong. Sara had looked into those pools often, especially after the Drusk event. Every time she saw something in those pools, it eventually came to pass in real life.

If James died protecting her, it would be her fault. Her mom had died because she had been close to Sara. Sara could not let that happen again. Sara shook her head at that thought. She could not lose someone else she cared about.

Sara’s eyes widened at that realization. She cared about James. She leaned back in the bed, processing that new information, then trying to deny it. Of course she cared about James. He was one of her best friends. He had first told her about magic, and later showed her the cave. He was kind, friendly, and usually upbeat.

If Sara was truly honest with herself, though. She knew those weren’t the only reasons. She thought about the strange happiness she felt whenever she was around him, how everything always seemed to be all right, as long as he was there. She thought about her friend Victoria, who could see things others couldn’t. She had once told Sara, “You two were made for each other.”

Sara remembered Smolder, when he had been talking about James. He is in your future. Had he meant more than just the immediate future, where she and James teamed up to defeat Aevill, then going their separate ways? Had he meant that James would be with her longer? Sara felt strangely giddy at the thought.

Victoria poked her head in, then saw that Sara was awake, and entered. “James is getting ready to go, but I wanted to talk to you first,” she said.

“How do you know James is leaving? He’s not allowed to leave.”

“Do you really think that would stop him if he was determined? His mom only told him he couldn’t go. She didn’t act on it. There are no new spells around the house or anything. And his bedroom light is on. What else could he be doing up this late? It’s close to midnight.” Sara didn’t recall that much time passing. She must have been thinking longer than she realized.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Sara asked.

Victoria opened her mouth to speak, then paused and looked closely at her. She said, “You look different. What happened?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “You’re thinking about James, aren’t you?”

Sara looked down. “Maybe.”

Victoria smiled. “Good. That’s all I needed to hear.” She turned to go, and paused just outside the room. “By the way, you might want to get ready to go. He’s leaving soon. See ya! Go fight some evil dark magicians!”

As soon as she left, Sara jumped out of bed, and brushed her hair in record time. Other than that, there wasn’t much she needed to do in order to be ready to leave. With James’s knowledge of songs and spells, they wouldn’t need to worry about money, food, clothes, or other basic needs.

Their main problem would be traveling around the globe, in search of the Shadow Stones, and the other stone. Sara wasn’t sure how they would replace the other stone. James could try looking for large areas of non-magic, as the dragons had suggested, but Sara wasn’t sure how well that would work. This stone was mostly unknown, and Sara only knew about it because of a vision. Even the dragons hadn’t known about it.

When Sara deemed herself ready to go, she opened the door to see James there, his hand in knocking position. James recovered first. “Did Victoria tell you that we’re leaving tonight?” he asked her.

Sara nodded. “You ready?”

“Yep. You?”

Sara hesitated, then said, “Yes, but where should we start? That other stone could be anywhere.”

“I thought we should visit the cave. See if it can tell us anything.”

“Great.” Sara meant it. If they didn’t have to search every square inch of the planet, it would be easier. “Can you get us there,” she asked.

“Yes.” James sang a travel song, and their surroundings gradually changed from Drana’s room, to the outside of the cave.

They both stood there for a second, thinking about the last time they had gone inside there. “Hopefully nothing weird will happen this time,” Sara said.

“Yep. You ready?”

After Sara nodded, they both entered the cave. It looked as it normally did, and Sara walked over to the nearest pool. She glanced back at James. His eyes seemed to glow in the blue light. He looked down at the pool Sara was by. “Should I check another one?” he asked.

Sara nodded. “Sure.” As James turned away and walked over to another pool, Sara looked down into hers. Before it could show her anything she didn’t want to see, Sara said to it, “I only need to know where the other stone is, or where I can start looking.”

The pool shimmered reluctantly, as if unwilling to give her any helpful information. Finally, though, an image appeared. It didn’t show much, only a sign. It was enough to go on, though. Sara thanked the pool, then got up and waited for James’s vision to finish.

When his did, he got up and asked her, “What did you see?”

“San Francisco. You?”

“Same. Home of the Giants. The Shadow Stones were in Los Angeles, and this other stone is in San Francisco. Makes me wonder if the Dodgers are evil.”

Sara laughed at the joke, then asked, “Are you ready to go?”

“It’ll take lots of energy, but yeah.”

“Okay. I’m ready.”

“Let’s go,” James said. He started singing, and once again their surroundings changed from the cave, to the Bay Area. The orange glow grew brighter and brighter, but they weren’t going any faster. Just as Sara was wondering how long this would take, they made it. Sara looked around, and saw that they were in front of the Giants’ baseball stadium.

There were people there, but not as many as there would have been, had it been baseball season. Some people looked at James and Sara twice, probably wondering how they had suddenly appeared there, but mostly people ignored them.

Even in the darkness, Sara could see how much the spell had drained him. “I can get us some money if we need it,” he said.

“Okay.” Sara left him there for a minute, and shifted into a dragon. She flew for a few seconds until she was able to locate an inexpensive motel. She then went back down, loaded James onto her back, and flew to the place she had picked.

At the motel, James was able to use a spell to pay for two rooms, but his strength was gone. Sara ignored the odd looks pointed her way as she half dragged, half carried James to his room. She laid him on the bed, then went to her room. She, unlike James, had trouble falling asleep. Tomorrow, their search for the other stone would begin.

Sara thought about what she had realized before her and James’s sudden departure. Yes, she did care about him, and no, not just as a friend. She wanted it to be more. She wasn’t sure if James returned those feelings. Sara jumped from one thought to the next so fast she felt dizzy. She looked at the alarm clock on the table near her bed. It was getting really late, and tomorrow would be a busy day.

She fell asleep with thoughts of James on her mind, but she contented herself with this fact: She may care about James, but she would not let him know, at least not now. Right now, they had only one mission: to fight and defeat Aevill with the other stone.