Chapter Eleven

This was the worst of their meetings so far. Every time they found a dragon, they made it a point to meet, and until now, it had been decently good.

This meeting was different. Bennett felt awful, even though he had no memories of Sol. One of them was in mortal danger, and that was enough for him and the other dragons to be on edge.

Bennett looked around the dining room. They always met here because there were so many of them, but there was one painfully empty spot at the table. Pippa was on one side of the empty chair, while Dallin was on the other, looking lost.

Bennett swallowed and took Penley's hand under the table. He and Penley were lucky. They'd found each other, and things had been fairly easy between them. They were together, and their bond was complete. Hopefully, that would give them an edge they hadn't had when Carlyle had attacked the first time, but would it be enough?

Dallin sniffed, then squared his shoulders and looked around the table. "I'm sure we can defeat Carlyle even without Sol. I can cast protective spells around myself when we attack him and stay on the edge of the fight. We just have to come up with a plan."

"We're not giving up trying to find him," Winter argued.

"Besides, we don't know how to find either of them," Samuel interjected. "We can't find Sol, but we also can't find Carlyle, which means we can't attack him."

"We won't stop trying to find Sol," Jarvis said, gazing at Dallin. "We might be strong enough to defeat Carlyle without him, but I don't want to risk it, and even more, I won't sacrifice him. We already lost too much, and so did he."

"Finding Sol means we'll find Carlyle," Samuel pointed out. "It makes sense that Carlyle would want to keep him close, right?"

"It does. Carlyle took him for a reason. We might not know that reason, but he has him, and he's going to try to use him."

"Like he used me," Emory declared.

Everyone looked at him. Bennett knew that Penley hadn't talked to him yet, so Emory didn't know that Penley was trying to find a way to give him his dragon back. Maybe telling him would give him hope, but Bennett would leave that in Penley's hands.

"You think he'll take Sol's magic?" Jarvis asked.

"I don't know, but why else would he have taken him? Sol has magic, and Carlyle wants that. You said that after Carlyle spent so much time in the gemstone, it'll take him a while to return to his old self. Maybe he believes having a dragon's magic will make it easier and faster."

"How can he do that?" Pippa asked.

"He took my magic and cut me off from my dragon," Emory responded. "It's not as much magic as a mage has, but it can still help him. If this is what he's planning, he won't kill Sol. Sol can live without being able to shift, but I don't know if Carlyle will let him go once he has what he wants."

"He let you go."

"But I was his shield. Sol isn't, and Carlyle knows that taking one of the dragons will hurt us."

"We know that's a possibility, but I feel it would be better not to focus on that too much." Jarvis glanced around the room. "We won't be able to find Carlyle through magic. We already tried, and he's shielding himself and Sol. Where does that leave us? How do we find him?"

"I have a few ideas," Emory said. "Even though it's been a long time, I know people and places where Carlyle might be hiding. He has no idea what happened to me. He probably thinks I died. I thought I would after he took my magic. I survived, and I'll do everything in my power to shut him down and make sure he can't hurt anyone ever again."

That sounded like Emory wanted to be involved, but how? He couldn't shift, and that put him in danger.

"I'm ready to leave the castle," Emory continued. "I'll visit the places where he might have gone. I'll talk to the people who might know where he is. Give me enough time, and I'll find him."

"You can't go out there alone," Bennett argued. "If Carlyle finds out what you're doing, he's going to hurt you."

Emory snorted. "Nothing he can do to me will be worse than what he's already done."

"He could kill you."

"And I'm fine with that. If he tries to kill me, I'll make sure to take him with me. I know you're worried about me, but you have to give me this. I've been thinking about this moment for decades. He took my dragon from me, and I'll take everything from him."

Bennett didn't like it, but he didn't feel they had a choice, and he was pretty sure Jarvis felt the same.

Jarvis looked grim, but he nodded. "I could portal you to wherever you need to go," he offered.

Emory shook his head. "Most of the people I want to talk to wouldn't say a word to me if you're there. Besides, many of the places I want to visit are known only to me and him, so it would be complicated for you to portal me back and forth, not to mention that if Carlyle's tracking you and your magic, he'll realize something's up. I'm the one who knows him best, even though he was your apprentice. Let me take care of this, Jarvis. I can do it."

"I don't doubt you can, but you shouldn't have to."

"None of us should have to deal with this, but because of Carlyle, we have to. You guys need to focus on what you'll do once we find him. There's nothing I can do about that without my dragon, but I can find out where he is. You stay here and plan."

No matter how many times Ansley cast the spell, he'd been unable to get through, which meant no seeking spell could be used to locate Sol and Carlyle. That didn't leave them any other option than going with what Emory was saying.

Hopefully, that meant he'd be able to find him. Bennett thought someone should go with Emory and that Emory should accept Jarvis's offer to open portals for him, but maybe he was right. He'd been Carlyle's shield. He did know him better than anyone else.

"Take a few days to get everything together," Jarvis ordered. "You have to be careful and plan every move you make. I want you to call me every time you move so I know where you are at any moment."

"I have no problem with that," Emory said.

He'd be going alone, but he'd have the support of the mages and the dragons. They'd be with him in moments if he needed them.

Hopefully, he'd find Sol and Carlyle. Bennett wasn't sure what they'd do if he couldn't.

* * * *

Penley couldn't let Emory leave without talking to him. Emory was putting himself in danger to win their fight against Carlyle, and Penley felt the need to do something for him. He didn't know if he'd be able to, but he wanted to at least try. He felt panicky at the thought of allowing Emory to go out there without being able to shift into his dragon and protect himself.

As soon as Jarvis declared the meeting over, Emory rushed to the door. Penley jumped up from his chair, ignoring everyone around him, and went after him. Bennett didn't try to stop him, but he probably knew what Penley was about to do.

He was the only one Penley had talked to about his idea of giving Emory enough magic to be able to shift again. He couldn't help Penley find a solution or a way to make it happen, but he'd supported Penley through all of it. He'd listened to him rant about people not taking enough notes when they experimented with magic and about books that didn't have enough details for him to use.

Penley knew what he had to do. He had to find magic and give it to Emory. The problem was that he didn't know where to find it.

He could give Emory some of his, but considering the fight against Carlyle, he wasn't sure that would be the best idea. He also doubted Emory would accept it, so that option was out. Penley wasn't going to ask any of the other mages to sacrifice some of their magic to help Emory. Even if they said yes, it wouldn't be fair, and once again, Emory would no doubt say no.

That meant taking magic from something rather than someone. There was magic all around them, so it was theoretically possible. Penley had been thinking about asking the earth, but that was a dangerous thing to do. If the earth reacted badly, Penley could create trouble for more than just himself. The earth could start earthquakes or make it known it was displeased, which wasn't something Penley wanted to deal with or be responsible for.

"Emory!" Penley called out as soon as he was in the hallway.

Emory wasn't running, but almost. He was already in the entrance, headed for the stairs. For a moment, Penley didn't think Emory would wait for him, but the dragon stopped and turned.

"How can I help you?" Emory asked stiffly.

They weren't friends, but they were friendly, and this didn't sound like him. He was already focused on what would be waiting for him when he found Carlyle. Penley wouldn't put it past Emory to attack Carlyle on his own. It would be a disaster, but he wasn't sure Emory was thinking about it rationally right now. His mind was on revenge, and while it was understandable, it was also dangerous.

"I think I can help you," Penley said, unsure how to start the conversation.

Emory frowned. "Is this about my trip to find Carlyle? Because I was clear that I don't need anyone to come with me and that it might be counterproductive."

"Honestly, I wouldn't go with you even if you asked me," Penley said. "I don't want to deal with Carlyle until I absolutely have to, and traveling far from the castle is my idea of hell."

It was good to see a smile on Emory's lips, even though it was a tiny one. Penley smiled back, took a deep breath, and went straight to the point.

"I've been thinking about what happened to you ever since you moved in with us, and I can't help but feel guilty. I already know what you're going to say, so you don't have to explain that it wasn't my fault. You might be right, but it doesn't change how I feel, and I've been working on helping you."

Emory frowned. "Helping me with what? Finding Carlyle?"

"No. Helping you to get enough magic back to be able to shift again."

Emory was silent.

Penley could hear the others still talking in the dining room and, in Keylon and Samuel's case, probably bickering. They would have to learn to live with each other if they wanted to keep Winter in their lives, which Penley was sure they did.

"What are you talking about?" Emory asked. He sounded cautious, and Penley didn't blame him.

"I've been thinking about how Carlyle stopped you from shifting. He took the magic that made it possible, which means that technically, he didn't take your dragon away, just the ability for you to let it out."

Emory nodded curtly. "That's right. I can still feel my dragon. I just don't have any access to him."

"That's what I thought, so I've been looking for spells I could use to give you magic. I'd have to find something or someone willing to sacrifice some of theirs, which is where I'm having trouble, but I think I can make it work."

"You're saying you can give me back the ability to shift?"

"Yes. I'm just not entirely sure how. I didn't want you to leave without knowing this. If you give me a few days, I can do it before you go. It would be so much easier if you could shift and fly wherever you're going, and if you find Carlyle and his minions, you would at least have a way to protect yourself."

Emory snorted. "And Carlyle could take that magic away from me, too. I'm not sure this is a good idea."

Penley blinked. He hadn't expected Emory to throw him a party, but he'd expected a bit more enthusiasm. "You don't want me to do it?"

Emory rubbed his face. He looked tired, but then, they all did. Even though they were safe in the castle, knowing that Carlyle was out there and that he had Sol meant that no one was sleeping well.

"I do want you to do it if you can," Emory said. "Of course I do. You'd give me something I never thought I could have back, and it's hard to believe it's possible. That's why I'm trying not to let myself hope. What happens if you can't do it?"

"I can't promise it'll work, but I think it will."

Emory stared at Penley.

Penley wished he could be a hundred percent sure of this, but he'd given Emory everything he had. Emory needed to take the next step.

"I have to leave soon," Emory warned. "No later than the day after tomorrow. Do you think you can work with that?"

It was more than Penley had expected, so he quickly nodded. Emory still looked skeptical, but he'd given Penley a chance, which was all Penley needed.

"I'll do it in the morning before you leave. That'll give me enough time to gather my notes." And to find something or someone willing to sacrifice some of their magic for Emory. In a perfect world, Carlyle would, but he was the person who'd stolen Emory's magic to begin with. Penley was sure he could find something, though.

He wouldn't have it any other way.