Page 33 of Guardian's Dilemma

I created another shield, layering the protections up quickly. I was only just in time. Another two attacks struck and my shield shattered but, this time, the arrows hadn’t got through to burn me.

Glimmer growled, sounding more dragon than ever. “Get out.”

“Come with me.”

I was building another shield but theridirewere much closer by now and I realised that only two had been attacking; the other two had been building up their spells. I braced. This was going to hurt.

With a snarl, Glimmer launched himself at me and I felt his slim arms wind around my waist and my body was knocked to the side. It was disorientating and I stumbled, trying to regain my footing, but Glimmer carried me in one shove out of the middle of the corridor and through the doorway.

We crashed into the wall in a tangle of limbs and the wall practically exploded beside us. Shit, those spells had been strong.

Glimmer leaned half on me and half on the wall, panting. For the first time, I reached out a hand and touched him. It was barely a touch at all, but I stroked the tips of my fingers down his cheek gently. It was one of the few places where there was no blood on his skin.

“You’re coming with me,” I said.

He nodded.

I’d take that.

“We don’t have long. I already set the timer. In case I…”

“Better get moving, then.”

He nodded but then his hand went to his neck and I saw the panic in his eyes. “My necklace.”

“Leave it.”

“I can’t.”

He turned to go back and I grabbed his hand. “Leave it,” I insisted. Seriously? He was going back for a necklace?

Snatching his hand away, he threw himself through the door again and into the sights of theridire. I heard Leonard’s shout, “There!” and then a sizzling sound and a high-pitched whine.

Something in me broke at that sound.

Even though every logical course of action was to get out and leave the dragon, I just couldn’t. I stepped out into the corridor again with a shield spell already wrapped around me and a blast spell in my fist.

As soon as I had a clear line of sight, I threw the blast spell. Not at any of theridire, because I knew as well as they did that their armour would soak that up and they’d be unharmed. No, I threw it at the ceiling above them.

Glimmer had given me that idea.

The ceiling shook and cracked, and I was already heading towards Glimmer as theridirelooked up and worked out what I’d done. Two of them stepped back, towards the vault, and I assume the cave-in missed them. Shame they’d get crushed when Glimmer’s timer reached its limit.

Another one was too slow to move and disappeared under the sudden drop of rocks and timber and plaster.

Leonard moved forward. He always did. His instinct was to attack and that was what made him a great hunter.

He flung a spell at me and I barely managed to dive out of the way. He was angry, his face pulled into a snarl as he paced forward.

Fortunately for me, Leonard was never the most efficient. He always had to have the last word.

“What are you doing, Kingsley?”

“What areyoudoing?”

“Hunting.”

“With dragon’s blood?”

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