The Dragonstones Trilogy
Chapter 36

James was on fire. He could feel it pulsing through him, stinging every cell in his body. At first, James thought he hadn’t gone to heaven, but the other place. He couldn’t help thinking, What did I do? What had he done to deserve such a cruel fate?

He heard Sara’s voice exclaim, “He’s alive!”

After those words, James started to doubt whether he was truly dead. He sat up, and looked around. Gathered around him were Sara, Cole, a small red dragon, and dozens of other magicians and creatures that James had never met before. After that action, the fire died down, and James was certain that he was, in fact, alive.

Cole nodded. “Yep. Your girlfriend brought you back to life.”

Next to Sara, James saw her dad, Mr. Day. The ghost looked at James. “Your connection with Sara is gone, isn’t it?” he asked.

James tried to feel or hear something from Sara, but couldn’t. He nodded. Mr. Day said. “I thought as much. Your almost-death was enough to sever the connection. Your magic should go back to normal soon, though all magic will never be the same, now that Sara controls the Lightstone, the Dragon Stones, and the Shadow Stones.” The ghost paused. “I have to leave. I’ve been in the Land of the Living for much longer than I should have been already. Just...take care of my daughter.”

“I will, sir,” James said.

Mr. Day sighed. “I know you will.” After that, he vanished.

James felt eyes on him, and turned to see Sara watching him intently. “So what happened?” he asked.

Sara shuddered, then looked at him. Even though their connection was gone, her eyes were the same bright green color as his were, or had been. James made a mental note to look in a mirror the first chance he got.

“We won,” Sara said. She looked at him, and smiled, even though James could tell she had very recently been crying. “I killed him,” she said.

The Stone flared, and James knew what it was doing, but didn’t fight it. He jumped up, and kissed Sara, not caring that every light magician and creature in the world could see them. All he cared about was Sara.

Behind them, someone cleared his throat. Reluctantly, James pulled away from Sara to see Cole. Cole looked uncomfortable, and James suddenly realized something. He trusted Cole. He didn’t know what had changed his mind about Cole, only that, now that the dream had come to pass, there was no need to worry.

“I just wanted to thank you both for...everything,” Cole said. “If there’s anything you guys ever need, just let me know.”

Sara nodded. “We will, thanks.”

“Great.” Cole turned to go, and James thought he saw a wistful look in the boy’s eye.

Sara reached out and grabbed Cole’s arm. “Wait.” She slipped a bracelet off of her wrist and gave it to Cole. “They prefer someone with their kind of magic anyway.”

Cole looked at her. “Thank you. I will guard the Shadow Stones with my life,” he said. He turned to James. “You have no idea how lucky you are, do you?”

James looked at Sara, then turned back to Cole. “I have a pretty good idea.”

Cole’s voice dropped, so only James could hear him. “Take care of her.” After that remark, Cole disappeared, dissolving into a nearby shadow.

“I will,” James said to the shadow. He turned back to Sara. “You ready to go?”

Sara nodded, and took out the Stone. “Home?” she asked. “This can take us there with only one trip. It’ll save lots of time and energy.”

James nodded. “Let’s go home,” he said.