Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

The light from the butterflies becomes overwhelming, and I have to close my eyes to keep from being blinded by their magic. Relief fills me to know that the trials are over. I've passed. The hard part is over.

There is a tiny fear that Costin following me into the labyrinth will come with a cost. However, I've done what has been asked of me. I survived what everyone said was impossible.

A strange mix of exhaustion and adrenaline makes me almost giddy. I want to scream my victory. I feel the butterflies' magic heating my skin. I try to peek, but it hurts when I open my eyes. I feel hands grabbing mine as if my brother and Costin are both trying to keep me nearby.

Everything tingles. Pure energy flows through my veins. I feel like I could turn my entire body into a fireball and hurl it into the nearest obstacle. I feel like I could take on the world. Or, at the very least, a dragon.

The heady sensation doesn't last long, and the magical fire around me begins to die. When I slowly open my eyes, I see we are all three back in the subway station. Cool air hits my face as a breeze comes from the tunnel over the platform. The spiral entrance that had been on the wall is gone, replaced by chipped tile and the clinging residual of a long torn poster.

I'm happy to be out of the labyrinth, but the gravity of the experience still lingers. I've admitted the truth to myself—finally let Paul go—but that doesn't erase the ache in my heart. There is no hiding the truth or taking the words back. Costin knows about Paul.

The vampire's eyes avoid meeting mine as he gazes into the distance from the platform. Until recently, I believed I couldn't inflict harm upon him because vampires were incapable of experiencing hurt. Now, I realize I was mistaken.

Anthony is quiet beside me, his expression torn as he processes everything he's learned about Conrad. I don't know what to say to him to make things better. I wish he never had to learn the truth. I wish he could just mourn the brother we lost and move on. I don't know what to say to him. I can't make any of that better.

I go to stand beside Costin. His presence grounds me in a way I can't explain. He looks as beat up as I feel.

"I can't believe…" Anthony starts, his voice trailing off as he glances at me, his eyes full of questions he already has the answers to. Whatever he is going to say dies in his throat.

"I'm sorry." I don't know who I'm apologizing to. So much has been said already.

For the time being, I'm content to stand and say nothing. The labyrinth is over. It has left me emotionally and physically drained. I take a deep breath and then another. I try to force the tension out of my body. It won't leave me.

Something heavy, almost suffocating, presses down on my senses. The air feels wrong. Suddenly, the subway platform vibrates beneath our feet. It is just a slight tremor at first, and I look at the tracks, expecting another ghost train.

"Did you feel that?" Anthony asks, his voice barely a whisper. He comes to stand beside us.

The ground trembles once more, this time with greater intensity. A loud, ominous crack reverberates from deep within the subway tunnel. It's the sound of stone being torn apart by an invisible force.

My body tenses, my heart rate spiking as I steal a glance at Costin and Anthony. They are frozen in place, their attention sharpened by the unexpected disturbance. Anthony acts like he's about to jump down into the tunnel to check it out. Costin places an arm in front of him to stop him. The vampire holds tense, as if he's waiting for something.

An oppressive heat replaces the cool breeze.

"Do you feel that?" I ask almost needlessly, my voice barely a whisper.

The tremors intensify before either of them can respond. The ground bucks under our feet, throwing me off balance. I stumble forward, almost tumbling face-first onto the tracks below. Costin is instantly under me, catching me against his chest. Anthony jumps down to join us. We stand between the tracks, staring into the darkness as the sounds get louder.

I crouch, touching the vibrating concrete. It's slick with condensation and pulses with a slow, terrible rhythm—like a heartbeat that is far too large to belong to anything remotely human.

I feel a sense of urgency as I utter, "I think we need to get to the amulet."

I make a conscious effort to move deliberately, not wanting to attract the attention of anything lurking in the darkness. The pulsing of the heartbeat grows stronger, reverberating up my legs with an increasingly intense rhythm."

"Yeah, we should—" Anthony starts to agree .

Crack!

A fissure violently rips open the ground before us, the deafening sound echoing through the air like the thunderous blast from a cannon. I spin around, my heart racing, as another powerful tremor shakes the ground behind us, causing the tunnel walls to tremble. The lights on the platform flicker and fade. Dust and tiles fall from the ceiling, swirling in the thin remaining beams of light.

A rush of heat, intense and suffocating, seeps up from the cracks in the earth. The air thickens with the scent of sulfur and smoke, causing a sharp sting in my lungs with every breath.

Costin's eyes lock onto mine, and there's an edge of something I haven't seen in him before. Fear.

"What the hell is happening?" Anthony shouts.

"Run," the vampire commands.

"I thought the trials were over." I barely croak the words out. The heat is making it hard to draw breath.

"Run now." Costin's voice barely pierces through the deafening cracks.

Costin grabs my arm and pulls me behind him.

As we sprint forward, a new crevice fragments the ground a couple of feet ahead of us, causing the platform to split open. It's even wider than the last. Intense heat radiates from within, so scorching hot I feel it singing the edges of my clothes. I reel back, my chest tightening, my feet immobilized with fright.

A low, guttural rumble emanates from deep within the earth. The rumbling grows steadily louder, and the vibrations stronger.

It's like the ground beneath us is alive, awakening from a slumber that has lasted eons. I glance toward the entrance of the labyrinth, but there's nothing there. No sign of what's causing this, no visible threat. But I know. I feel it in my bones, in the marrow of my very being. Something ancient is coming.

Draakmar.

The name flickers in my mind, unbidden, ancient and powerful. The name of something born long before time itself. And now it's awake.

"Draakmar is awake," I tell them, jumping over a smaller crack to the other side.

"Take her and go," Anthony yells.

Costin tries to grab me, but I shake him off.

"We're not leaving him," I tell Costin before turning to my brother. "Anthony, I'm not leaving you!"

"Get her out of here," Anthony insists.

"It's too dangerous to transport—" Costin tries to answer as a chunk of concrete crashes down from the ceiling, barely missing him.

"Costin!" My voice is thin, strangled .

His grip tightens on my arm as he pulls me with him. "Move!"

The air itself seems to pulse, trembling with each heartbeat. The deep, thrumming growl becomes louder. It's low and drawn-out, almost like a breath that's been held for centuries. It rattles my teeth.

We run into the darkness, driven by terror. Anthony blasts magic into the tunnel, lighting the way. We don't make it far before the ground beneath us explodes. I feel my body tossed into the air. My limbs flail, and I scream.

Costin catches me against his chest. My stomach lurches as he speeds me into the darkness. I want to protest but no words come out. He sets me down.

"Keep running," he orders.

I see the outline of his form heading back for Anthony. Suddenly, a geyser of molten fire shoots up from the platform, and for a moment, all I can see is blinding, searing light erasing the image of the men. Heat slams into me like a physical force, knocking me back, and I slide across the hard ground. The breath knocked from my lungs. My ears ring.

The ground shakes violently now, cracks splintering across the stone floor like a web. The temperature becomes unbearable, as if the very core of the earth has been ripped open. Lava oozes toward me like a river, glowing with the promise of orange death. I fight to get to my feet, stumbling backward as I search for Costin and my brother. Stones shatter as the lava continues to push forth. And, beneath it all, the same low growl.

"Costin! Anthony!" I scream, unable to see them. "Where are you?"

They can't be dead. Not now. Not after everything.

And then I see it. A looming shadow within the flames, massive and shifting, undulating as it glides with a slow, deliberate grace. My stomach drops, and terror claws its way up my spine, coiling tight around my throat.

Draakmar. The ancient dragon of fire.

At first, it's just a silhouette—a hulking shape wreathed in flames. Then the fire recedes, pulled inward, drawn into the massive, black-scaled body that emerges from the molten depths. Lava peeks out from behind its scales as it moves, while huge, leathery wings unfold amongst the crackle of flames, sending sparks flying through the air. I watch in horrified awe as it ascends higher and higher, almost scraping the ceiling of the tunnels with its head.

"Anthony! Costin!" I yell, not knowing what to do. I have to find them.

Draakmar's eyes open at the sound—two smoldering, molten embers that lock onto me. It's like staring into the heart of a volcano, into something that doesn't just breathe fire, but is fire. Every instinct in me screams to run. But I can't move. I can't breathe. I can only watch as the dragon's lips curl back, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, each one glowing white hot. A thick, heavy smoke rolls from its nostrils. The ground beneath the dragon glows, molten lava spreading in rivers from his claws, burning everything in its path.

I can't see Anthony or Costin.

I shake my head, not wanting to believe they're gone.

"Tamara!" Costin grabs hold of me from behind. I scream in fright, startled by his sudden appearance. Blood stains his face and hands.

Before I can ask, Draakmar roars. The sound so deafening, so powerful, it's like the very air is being ripped apart. The force of it slams into me, sending me staggering against Costin. I hear a pop and then nothing but the white noise of my ears buzzing. Dazed, I taste the blood flowing from my nose into my mouth. My head spins.

"Costin," I say his name, but I can't hear my voice. The heat of the fire follows us, licking at my back, searing the ends of my hair.

The vampire pushes himself up from the ground and takes hold of me. I feel myself tugged into action before he pulls me away from the dragon, breaking the spell that's held me paralyzed.

Costin's grip is ironclad, dragging me through the tunnels. The walls blur as we transport forward in small bursts. Each time we slow, I find my legs stumbling over the shaking ground as the dragon roars.

As we put distance between us and the dragon, I try to make him stop. I'm dizzy and nauseous. I try to say, "Anthony," but I don't know if my voice is working past the buzzing.

Costin pulls me again and I finally see my brother up ahead, running as fast as he can. Anthony's arm is bloody, but he's alive. My feet slip on the uneven ground as we slow.

"I got her!" Costin's voice is distant and muffled as if I'm underwater.

We come to an opening in the wall where light shines into the tunnel. The sounds of the city come through from the other side.

Behind us, Draakmar moves slowly, like he's testing the weight of his massive body after eternities of stillness. Falling debris in the tunnel slows our progress. The sound of crumbling stone fills the air, and the entire place trembles as if it's going to collapse in on itself.

Anthony shoots magical fireballs at the creature. The defense only seems to anger the beast. Draakmar beats his wings as he surges forward.

"We can't fight it," Anthony shouts. My hearing is returning.

Heart pounding, I turn to Costin. "What do we do?"

"We get you to the troll," Costin growls, lifting me off the ground and pushing me into the city. "Now."

I peer down at them, refusing to leave them behind.

"Go!" Anthony waves his arm for Costin to go with me. "I'll try to keep him back."

Draakmar barrels forward, his massive tail slamming into the stone walls, sending chunks of rock crashing down.

"Cave in the tunnel," Costin says. "That should slow him down."

Before I can protest the plan, Costin is crawling out of the tunnel. Anthony throws magic at the ceiling, violently swinging his arms as he causes it to collapse into a pile of rubble, just as Draakmar unleashes another torrent of flames.

Screams come from part of the city. I hear structures crumbling from the quaking earth. I reach into the tunnel for my brother. Costin helps me pull him out of the hole.

Anthony clutches his stomach. He looks drained and battle worn. He leans against a wall, wheezing. "Get to the troll and kick this monster's ass!"

Anthony gives me a lopsided grin and winks .

"Get home and get everyone to safety," I order him. "If I fail?—"

A deafening roar from the dragon comes from deep within the tunnel, shaking the city's very foundation. A frenzied rush of supernatural beings flee in a state of panic, desperately seeking refuge from the chaos.

"This way, Tamara," Costin says.

"Go." Anthony pushes away from the wall and disappears running in the opposite direction.

Costin places a hand on the small of my back to get me to run into the crowd as we navigate our way toward the troll's cave, and our only hope is to stop this madness.