“But—”
The dragon reared back, wings spread wide. “The boy must be protected until the time comes when all will be revealed. He must gather my brethren five at his side. Then and only then will he be capable of fighting back the darkness.”
“And who is this darkness?” I asked.
The dragon said, “One who is known.”
I sighed. “Specifics?”
The star dragon shrugged. “It’s a prophecy. It’s supposed to be vague.”
I frowned. “I do not like you. I do not like most magical creatures.”
“Trust me. You weren’t my first choice either. There was this nice man in a village to the north, but he accidentally turned himself into a ghoul and now spends his time eating rotting flesh. I could have gone to your daughter, but the magic in your blood skipped a generation. So here I am.”
“I’m your last choice.”
“Precisely.”
“Useless,” I said. “Just like the rest of your kin.”
“Oh, so you’ve met many dragons, have you?”
“I don’t need to have met many to know you’re useless.”
The dragon rolled its eyes. “I’ve done my job. I’m going back into the sky now. Try not to let the world die or anything. Oh, and find Morgan of Shadows. He’ll watch over the boy until the time is right.”
“Morgan of Shadows,” I repeated.
“He’ll know,” the dragon said simply. “He’s expecting this, even if he doesn’t know it yet.” And then with a great flap of its wings, it rose back into the sky. The lightning exploded, and the stars hurtled into the dark until they’d resumed their rightful place.
I took in a great gasping breath and—
I was back in the Dark Woods.
“What the fuck,” I whispered, running my hands up and down myself. I was in my own body again, which was good, because I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life as an elderly gypsy woman. I was in control again. I was—
Everything around me was charred black. The forest. The trees. The ground. Embers floated in front of me, burning orange, bright and hot. Every breath felt like I was choking, a vise grip around my throat. My eyes stung from the smoke and ash. I turned and—
I stood outside the gates of Meridian City.
It was on fire.
All of it. I could hear the screams of the boys and girls who worked the streets as their flesh was seared from their bones. There was a bright flash, and something exploded just inside the walls of the city. A tall guard tower began to lean dangerously until it tipped over, the stones breaking apart as it collapsed. A large plume of smoke erupted into the air and I ran for the gate and it was surrounded by Darks. They chanted words in the ancient tongue, saying fie and clo and wei, and there was fire and ice and wind, and it tore through the gates.
“Stop it!” I shouted at them, and they all turned to me—
I stood outside the City of Lockes.
It’d been leveled.
Only remnants stood, broken and stark against the bloodred sky.
I said, “This isn’t real.”
I said, “This can’t be real.”
I said, “This can’t be real.”