Page 63 of A Bolt of Magic

Orion soon reaches them. He goes to Delphine. His dragon crouches down so that they are almost at eye level. Orion touches a hand to his dragon’s forehead. It is clear that they are communicating but without the need for words. Orion nods, putting his forehead to Delphine’s head for a few moments. Then he touches a hand to Raila, who looks agitated. Her great tail flicks from side to side, and big curls of smoke puff from her huge nostrils.

“Maya’s dragon is beside herself,” he says as he takes long strides back toward us. “She says…” He chokes on the words, tears running down his cheeks. “The baby is going to die. My son is dying. If we don’t get him out now, we’ll more than likely lose them both.”

Raila throws up her great head and screeches.

A tear tracks down my cheek, but I wipe it away. I need to be strong.

Thesha comes out of the barn; her skin is pale. “What is going on?” she asks. “Why are they here?” She looks over at the dragons, who are pacing. Raila claws the earth, screeching again.

Damon fills her in. Orion paces; it’s clear that he’s thinking about the next steps to take.

“I could take Delphine to intercept Xander and the healer,” Orion says, desperation etched into every word. “But I don’t know if the old woman would agree to ride a dragon, and Mayaneeds me here. I can’t leave her, but…” He looks over at me, his eyes pleading.

I step forward. “There isn’t time. You know it…they know it.” I point at the dragons. The moment has come to stop asking permission. “I need to help. I have magic, and I can do this. There is no other option at this point. Maya and the baby are running out of time. You heard Raila. It’s me or death at this point. I know which I would pick.”

Thesha immediately shakes her head. “Absolutely not. Can you say with certainty that you can help? That you won’t make it worse?”

Something inside me snaps. I’ve been patient, understanding, accepting of their suspicion, but Maya is dying, and I’m the only one here who might be able to save her.

“Make what worse? There is nothing to make worse at this point. They are dying.”

“You could finish them quicker.”

“Or I could save them. Iwillsave them.” I step closer to Thesha, my voice rising. “I promise to do everything in my power to help them. My magic can be unpredictable, but only in that I can’t always bring my power to the fore. I studied healing magic my entire life. I may not be the most powerful witch ever born, but I know more about healing than anyone else here. Maya and that baby boy are running out of time.” I turn to Orion. “You’re out of options. I am your wife’s best bet for making it. Your son, too,” I tell Orion, feeling the pressure mount.

“Let her help,” Kian pleads. “You will have magic, McColl,” he tells me. “Trust in yourself. Trust me. It’ll work,” he tells Orion.

Tears blur my vision, but I blink them back fiercely. “Thank you for believing in me.”

He gives a sharp nod.

I look each of them in the eye. “I can’t force you to trust me. But I can ask you to take a leap of faith.”

“Yes,” Orion chokes out. “Help them.” He glances at Thesha. “We don’t have another choice at this point.” He looks at me intently. “You haven’t given me any reason to doubt you. I trust you to save them, McColl. Please help them, I beg you…please.”

Maya’s agonized cry pierces the air as I rush inside.

I can only pray that my power will not fail me now that I need it most.

“Wait, witch!” I feel the point of a sword dig into my back. A drop or two of blood trickles down.

I stop, pulling in a breath.

19

McColl

“What are you doing?” Orion yells. “Put the sword away.”

“Thesha, please,” Kyrie says from inside the barn, her voice thick with emotion. “Be reasonable! Listen to McColl. Maya is—” Her voice cracks. “We can’t just stand here and do nothing.”

“I don’t trust you, witch,” Thesha growls, her eyes hard and narrowed.

“You’ve made that clear,” I say. “I—”

“But it looks like I am outnumbered and that we are out of options,” Thesha speaks over me.

Maya’s agonized scream pierces the air again, more desperate than before.

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