SAMMY START SLOWING down beneath me, following the other dragons as they made their descent. I held Lucian's chest as tightly as I could with my good arm, and buried my face between his shoulder blades. I'd kept my eyes shut, trying to soothe my rolling stomach.
We landed with a hard thud, although I knew Sammy did try to make her landing as graceful as possible. She transformed back into a human after we'd slid off her left wing and were back on solid ground.
The dragons dressed quickly while the rest of us spent time discussing a plan of action. This mission was getting more dangerous by the minute, but the thought of returning home with the sword somehow made everything seem worth it. Blake and the others joined in the discussion once they had all dressed.
"Elena, what side is he coming from and when?" Blake started asking important questions.
I looked around and compared our surroundings with those I had seen in the Sacred Cavern. "It showed nightfall, we're in the exact right spot."
"Are you sure?" Arianna asked. She had that set to her jaw that told me she didn't trust me one bit.
"Yeah, positive. If I'm not mistaken, the volcano is just ahead about two miles." I pointed into the direction, and Brian sprinted down the path. He was the only dragon able to get close to a volcano.
"Okay, we have to corner the Dragonian here. We can't let him get past the PONR," Blake said.
"What is PONR?" I whispered to Lucian.
"Point of no return."
"Where's the sword, Elena?" Blake asked quickly.
"He was carrying it close to him. It was covered with some sort of fabric bound with string."
Pondering this information, Blake gave us our first goal. "So we have to find a way to snatch it from him. I doubt that he'll be compelled—"
"You're wrong," I interrupted, and Blake's expression changed from being sure about his plan to a huge frown.
He gazed at the ground for a minute. "Are you sure?" His voice broke, and he cleared his throat with a cough.
"Walking to the volcano, melting away to accomplish the task. I would say he's compelled."
Melting away? Becky mouthed, and I nodded. She shivered.
"What is it, Blake?" Lucian asked.
"It's not good." He started to pace around, clutching his hair. "If Goran controls him, he'll see everything, including us." There was a sense of alarm in his tone. A frown creased his forehead, and I could tell Blake was thinking really hard to come up with plan B.
"Is that bad?" I asked.
"It's very bad, you crazy lunatic," Tabitha yelled. "You've led us to our deaths."
"Tabitha, back off!" Becky jumped in, and Sammy uttered something that sounded like a swearword.
I didn't like Tabitha's tone one bit, but had to admit, she was really brave for sticking with us this long. Usually Snow dragons disappeared at any sign of danger.
"Tabitha's got a point, but we've made a choice," Blake said. "We can't transform, Lucian. We have to fight in our human form. Elena, to get back to your question, yes, the mission just turned into something suicidal. If Goran does compel the Dragonian, we are going to fight him indirectly. None of us are ready or trained for that."
We all fell silent. Fighting Goran wasn't on the agenda and running seemed like the only option.
"Blake, I will change!" Sammy sounded terrified.
"Sammy, if Goran controls the Dragonian, he'll see through his eyes. If he knows that we're dragons, he'll use magic. We will all die. We have to stay hidden, let him think that we're humans."
"I can't control it yet!" she shouted frantically.
"You can't change, Samantha!"
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I really suck in Transformation class. I always turn when it gets too scary."
"Try," he pleaded with his sister.
She nodded, and Becky's arm curled around her shoulder.
"I can't fight Goran, Blake." Arianna had tears in her eyes too.
He walked over to Arianna and cupped her face in his hands. For a second I thought he was going to kiss her. "Don't think of it like that. You're the best with chants and spells. We need you, Arianna." Blake's tone was soft and sweet. He'd taken charge of this whole mission, and the worst part was that Lucian let him.
Lucian finally opened his mouth. "He's right, Arianna. Don't do anything stupid. If Goran knows that you can do counter and reversal spells already, he'll take you out first."
Arianna started to panic.
"You have to stay calm," Blake ordered her with her face still cupped in his hands.
Does he have the ability to compel someone?
"We'll have to hide, wait for him until he's surrounded. We can trap him, and if we need to fight, so be it," Blake said.
"Blake, who will get the sword?" George asked.
"Elena has already proven herself ready for something like this. Lucian said that you have crazy reflexes?"
I just looked at him with huge, unblinking eyes.
"Urgh! For crying out loud, what is it?" he asked.
"I can't do this, Blake," I said through gritted teeth.
"Elena? You're the only one that knows where the sword—"
"It's not that! My arm is killing me. I won't succeed with only one arm."
He looked at me with a glare, turned sideways, and cussed softly.
Why does he hate me so much?
"Fine!" He leaped toward me with huge steps. I retreated a bit, scared that he was going to cup my face too.
"Just relax!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. He was inches away from me. I could feel heat radiating off his body.
He uncovered my shoulder and unbuckled the belt strap that had started to cut into my neck.
What is he doing?
"Don't look at me," he grunted.
I looked at Lucian, who was now glaring at Blake. My heart bounced as Blake touched my shoulder. I tried not to make a sound, but it was painful as a warm heat burned my skin.
What the hell? I wanted to see. As I analyzed the burning sensation, it reminded me of the time Constance healed my elbows after Art of War, but it was nowhere near this excruciating pain.
"I said don't look!" he yelled again.
My head snapped back to Lucian again and the warmth grew hotter. I bit hard on my lower lip as images of a burned patch on my shoulder popped inside my head.
A tear rolled down my cheek. Lucian dabbed it away with his thumb, and mouthed, It's okay.
It felt as if my shoulder was on fire, and I screamed out of pain as the heat reached a boiling point.
"Blake, that's enough!" Lucian yelled, and pushed him away from me. I looked at Blake, who knelt on the ground.
"What the hell did you just do?" I shouted.
"I'm sorry. I'm still learning how to control it," he said with a sting in his tone.
"How do you feel?" Lucian asked.
"I'm fine," I said.
"Do you think you'll be able to get the sword now?" Blake asked again.
I rolled my shoulder around. The pain was gone. I nodded and took a deep breath. It shouldn't be that difficult. Then why does it feel as if I am going to fail miserably?
"Why didn't you heal her arm earlier?" Lucian lashed out.
Blake turned around with his index finger inches from Lucian's face. "Don't start with me."
George and Brian stepped in between them and spoke softly to Lucian and Blake.
"Lucian, just drop it," Arianna said. "Her arm is healed. So please, can we just get back to the mission? I really want to go home, and we need a solid plan."
Lucian's jaw was set; he was angry and just glared at Blake. "You stay away from me," he said to Blake, who laughed.
"Blake?" Arianna said, and gestured for him to carry on.
"Fine, once Elena gets the sword, Sammy, you morph and get Elena the hell away from here. The rest of us will take care of the Dragonian."
"Okay," Sammy said in a faint whisper.
"Please, just try not to blow your cover," Blake begged his sister.
"I said I will try."
"It might work," Lucian said after a long silence.
"Of course it will," Blake said. The conversation changed over to who would be teaming up with whom after Sammy and I had fled with the sword.
"What if his Sun-Blast comes after us, Blake?" I asked.
He kept quiet.
"Don't worry about that, Elena." Brian winked at me. "Brian's got it covered."
"Brian, he might be fully grown," Blake said.
"Brian doesn't care. He's going to struggle to get past Brian."
Blake started to chuckle and the two high-fived each other.
"Idiot," Becky said in a singsong tone and rolled her eyes.
"That's good, Elena," Lucian whispered.
"What?"
"You're starting to think like a Dragonian in battle." He smiled reassuringly.
The corners of my smile pulled a little upward, but I still felt unsure about me being the one who got the sword.
"Don't worry, Elena, I'm really fast. I'll get us to safety, even if it's the last thing I do." Sammy misunderstood my unsure expression.
"I know." I decided to try to hide my fear. They were just as scared as I was. I would give anything for one of the council members or even Master Longwei to find us right about now. Becky said that Fin-Tail dragons were champions against all evil, and Master Longwei would fight with us. This really wasn't a task for teenage wannabe Dragonians.
We waited patiently for the Dragonian and his dragon to land, as Blake guarded the entrance.
I stared at him the entire time, thinking that he didn't seem to be scared of anything.
He was brave. I was glad Lucian had told him about the mission. I did feel safer with all of them here. What would I have done if it was only me?
"You know that he can see just as far in his human form," Lucian spoke into my ear. "His night vision is crazy good. When we were children, we used to play hide and seek at night. It was his favorite game, and he loved it when he was it. It didn't take him too long to spot us in our hiding places." Lucian's grin was satisfied as he told me memories of their friendship. He really missed the way it used to be between them.
I looked back at where Blake stood as he watched and waited for the Dragonian.
I noticed him sprinting down the path. That was the sign, and he dove for his hiding place behind a bush. There was no turning back now.
Becky was with Sammy trying to keep her calm, and I prayed she would stay strong. I couldn't bear to think about what would happen if she transformed.
I put my hand in front of my mouth, trying to silence my breath, as the Dragonian and his dragon landed.
The Dragonian I saw in the millpond jumped off his Sun-Blast and landed perfectly in a crouched position. When he stood straight, I could see that he was still in a trance. Goran was his puppet master and he led the Dragonian straight to the volcano.
He waved in an unnatural position over his shoulder for his dragon to leave. I could hear how its wings flapped hard as it disappeared into the distance. That was what I was afraid of.
Sammy moved, and it sounded so loud in the cool silence. It made him stop and look around.
He started to run fast as he made his way closer to the volcano. When he was right in the middle of the trap, we acted, confidently jumping out of our hiding places. His back was to me as he looked at the others who were distracting him from the front. I didn't waste any time and went for the sword. I saw how I was going to push away his jacket with my one hand and grab the sword with my other, before I rolled into Sammy's path, who would be waiting for me. I reached out my arm, and the strangest thing happened.
He turned around a second too soon, saw me, and I froze.