The Dragonstones Trilogy
Chapter 33

Just because they could see the tree, didn’t mean it was close, as Sara soon discovered. As she and James flew toward the tree, Sara realized just how far away it really was. She flew for hours, and even with James’s new way to use his magic they reached the tree barely before midnight.

Sara and James were both too exhausted to stay awake much longer than they had to . They set up the tents in what looked like a safe thicket of trees, not very far from the tree. When the tents were fully there, neither of them spoke. They both simply dragged themselves to their own tents, then fell asleep without a second thought. If they had not been so tired, they would have felt the eyes watching them.

When Sara woke up the following morning, the first thing she noticed was the unusual scent in the air, smelling like a mix of lizard and dragon. Sara looked around, but failed to find the source of the odor. Eventually, she gave up and assumed that her enhanced dragon senses were picking up a nearby reptile. But I’ve only smelled dragon in one place. Sara couldn’t help thinking.

Sara sat up, and quickly got dressed. Sara exited the tent, and jumped. Standing in front of her, almost as if they had been waiting for her, was a lizard, and what looked like a crocodile. The lizard was about as large as a young dragon, and even though its scales were dull and not near as brilliant as any dragon’s were, Sara could not fail to see the resemblance. She sucked in a breath. Standing in front of her was a komodo dragon.

Hello Sara. The giant lizard said. His voice did not sound unlike Flame’s.

You can talk to me? Sara asked, taken aback.

A raspy woman’s voice entered her mind. Of course we can. As the closest relatives to the dragons, we have come to welcome you and lead you to the Lightstone. The crocodile looked around. Where is Jag? She asked the lizard.

As if on cue, James came running out of his tent, his eyes wild. “There’s a dinosaur in my tent!” he said breathlessly to Sara. He didn’t notice the two reptiles in front of Sara until the crocodile made a hissing noise. Sara looked down to see that the crocodile was laughing.

James looked surprised when he finally saw Sara’s two visitors, but didn’t seem frightened. He waved to them. Hi.

“How do you know they can hear you?” Sara asked.

James glanced back at his tent. “I could hear their voices in my head, but they were talking to you. The dinosaur also tried to talk to me.”

“Tried?”

“He kept switching languages. He went from English, to Chinese, to some language I’ve never heard before.”

Jag hasn’t been around humans long. He still struggles with their languages. The crocodile apologized.

Shall we get going then? We don’t have much time. The lizard said.

Of course. Sara replied.

The lizard’s eyes went distant for a moment, and a dinosaur, not much smaller than Sara, came running out of the tent. It had black scales and blue eyes, the same color James’s had been before they changed. Small arms made its large head look even bigger. The dinosaur, Jag, looked like a miniature T-Rex.

Sara looked at James. “He scared you when these two-” she gestured at the lizard and crocodile. “didn’t?”

“It can change its size,” James said defensively. “He filled up the whole tent when I first saw him.”

The crocodile turned to leave. We should go. The Lightstone is eager to see you.

Jag growled happily, and started to grow. At first, it was barely noticeable, until Jag towered over most of the trees in the area. He looked down at them, then started forward, toward the tree. The others followed.

In daylight, the tree looked even more impressive. In their vision, Sara and James had been able to get the general idea, but being there, in front of the tree, they could feel its power. Everything seemed to be drawn to the tree. The wind blew toward it, ruffling its fur, and shaking its leaves. The sun shone down on it, giving it an otherworldly glow.

Even the animals were drawn to it. Birds overhead flew toward it, crying their unique calls while doing so. Elephants, deer, lions, and animals that were not supposed to be there approached the tree. A herd of Pegasuses flew by, followed by a lone phoenix. On the ground, were more magical creatures than Sara could count. All of them were headed for the tree.

“Wow,” James said.

Sara nodded in agreement.

James lowered his voice. “So who are they?” He pointed to the komodo dragon and crocodile.

“They didn’t tell me,” Sara said.

The closer they got to it, the more the tree blocked out the sun. Sara forgot to breathe just by looking at it. By doing so, she heard a deep whoosh, like an intake of breath. Sara looked closer at the tree, and saw that it was moving. The tree was literally breathing, through how Sara had no idea.

The crocodile and crocodile walked on until they had reached the roots of the tree. In front of them, there was no bark or fur, and even the animals that were by the tree had left that spot alone. Instead, there was a door, just the right size for Sara and James to go through side by side.

The crocodile spoke. We must leave you here. The rest of the path to the Lightstone is unknown, even to us. The Lightstone wanted it to be this way.

Sara and James nodded in understanding.

She continued, Sara, remember that whatever happens is for the best. The lizard looked at James with sympathy. Good luck. Was all she said to him.

Thanks. James replied as he opened the door in the tree. He followed Sara in, then shut the door behind him, leaving them in utter darkness.

Normally, Sara would have feared the dark, the unknown, but this place felt safe. Here, there was no darkness, only the absence of light. Sara reached up and touched the Dragon Stones, instantly filling the inside with turquoise blue light. The darkness gave way willingly, almost happily.

They walked on, twisting and turning with the tunnel they were in. Sara looked around as she walked. The walls were shiny, as if they had been polished, but still looked like wood. There were no spiders, mold, or anything that Sara had long before associated with tunnels.

Suddenly, the tunnel ended, giving way to a wall of clear, bright white light. Sara didn’t feel uneasy looking at it. She knew that they were meant to be here, and that nothing in the tree meant them harm. Through the connection, Sara could tell James felt the same way. Sara and James looked at each other, then as one quickly walked through the light. Nothing happened.

Sara looked around, and could sense James doing the same. They were in a small room, much like the tunnel they had just gone through. The walls of the room appeared to be of polished wood, and there were no spiders anywhere in sight.

Unlike the tunnel, though, this room held the Lightstone, as so many others called it. In the middle of the room, was a small pedestal, also made of polished wood. On the pedestal was a dome of the same white light that the wall guarding the room had been made of.

“It’s in there,” James said. “I can sense it.”

Sara didn’t question how. She knew he wouldn’t be able to explain it any better than she could have. Instead, she asked, “Who should take it?”

James didn’t hesitate. “You.”

“Why me?” Sara gestured to the Dragon Stones. “I already have these. You should take it.”

The dome of white light flared, and James shook his head. “No. The Stone wants you to take and wield it.”

“How do you know?” Sara asked.

James shrugged. “I can understand what it’s saying.”

A sudden, irrational fear of the Stone in front of her assaulted Sara. “And what if you were to take it?”

James’s expression went blank for a second, and the dome of light dimmed. “It wouldn’t work for me,” he said simply.

Sara looked at the dome of light, and the fear of it once again attacked her. “I can’t,” she said, turning away.

“Sara.” James gently grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. He looked at her, and Sara looked into his eyes, glowing slightly. Sara’s attention was divided between his words and his eyes as he spoke. “The Stone chose you for a reason, not me, not anyone else. It chose you. You can do this, if for no other reason than I believe that you can. No, I know you can.”

The dam broke, and the tears came out of Sara’s eyes. “I can’t face Aevill. I can’t use that Stone. I can’t kill him!” She buried her face in her hands.

James waited until she had mostly cried herself out. “Maybe you won’t have to,” he said. “If there’s anything I know about you, it’s that you’ll do the right thing, no matter what.”

The Stone flared, and James suddenly moved forward. Sara was almost expecting the kiss. When it came, it was just as good as the first. Sara felt herself relax, all the doubts and fears flee away just through that one kiss. She was more than a little disappointed when he pulled away.

“Feel better?” James asked, slightly out of breath.

Sara nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”

James smiled. “My pleasure.”

Sara smiled, and turned back to the Stone. She took a deep breath, and asked the Stone, “What do I do?” Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

It was James who answered. “Just reach in, and grab the Stone.” The Stone glowed, and he said, “Wait, that was you?”

“What?” Sara asked.

James shook his head. “Never mind. Just get the Stone.” It could have been her imagination, but Sara thought that James looked at the dome of light with more appreciation than he had before.

Sara closed her eyes, and stuck out her hand. She didn’t feel her hand passing through the light, only the Stone. As she grabbed it, the Stone glowed, lighting up the entire room, and almost blinding Sara.

Weird images flooded Sara’s mind. She saw hundreds of faces, all of which she had never seen before. She saw Aubrynn, herself, James and his family, and countless others. Sara saw magical creatures, and even the florauna. More and more faces flooded her mind. More than a little scared, Sara asked, “What’s it doing?”

She closed her eyes as more faces entered her mind. James’s voice was filled with awe as he spoke. “It’s calling the Light Magicians.”

“Why?” All the people and creatures in her mind was starting to hurt, and Sara closed her eyes tighter, trying to block out the pain.

James’s voice darkened. “There’s a war coming. Now that you’ve found the Stone, Aevill knows where you are.”

Suddenly, the onslaught of faces stopped. Sara opened her eyes tentatively, and asked James, “Did you see that?”

James shook his head. “No, but I could feel it brushing against my mind, and yours.” He looked at her, his eyes filled with concern. “You okay? I could tell it hurt.”

“Not a lot. I can deal with it,” Sara said.

“Good.” Even as James said that, Sara could feel it, something in the air. Sara knew what James was talking about now. She could sense the war coming. “We should probably get out there,” Sara said.

James nodded. “Yep. Let’s go.”

As one, they left with the Stone. As they walked back through the tunnel, Sara asked, “How will I know what to do with this?” She held up the Stone, feeling uncomfortable with an object of such power in her hands.

“The Stone knows what you’ll want to do,” James said. “Just think about what you want done, and it’ll happen, as long as it helps others and not just yourself. Think good versus evil. The Stone will only do good.”

They reached the end of the tunnel faster than Sara would have believed. She was about to exit when James stopped her. “Sara, out there it’s going to be dangerous, so I need you to promise me something.”

“Sure, what?” Sara asked.

“Be careful.” James looked into her eyes. Sara couldn’t help but see the fear there, fear for her life.

“I will,” she said, still transfixed by his brilliant eyes, the same as hers now.

James seemed reluctant to let her go, but eventually, he did. “Okay. We’d better get out there,” he moved for the door.

As he opened it, Sara spoke. “You be careful too.”

James looked back, then nodded. He exited the tree, and held the door open for her. Outside, there were many more people and creatures than before. Sara looked around, and saw all the faces she had seen through the Stone. She recognized Aubrynn, Alva, and even Mr. Thompson, carrying what looked like a rake. Farther away, Sara saw a sapling grow into a tree in a matter of seconds. She saw a head of blonde hair and knew Aspen was there, along with everyone else. The Stone had called, and they had come.

Surprisingly, even Cole was there. When he saw Sara and James leave the tree, he disappeared into a nearby shadow, and reappeared in front of them. “You get it?” he asked Sara. She could feel distrust toward Cole from James. When she looked at him, Sara could almost see it coming off in waves.

Sara nodded, and couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “Yeah. We got it.” She opened her fist, and showed Cole the Stone. It was a diamond, but on the inside, was a pure white light. It shined brighter when Sara showed it to Cole.

“It likes you?” James said in disbelief.

Cole smiled. “Maybe I’m not as evil as you think I am.” His face turned serious. “I came to warn you. Aevill’s coming. He has the Shadow Stones, and is controlling every dark magician on the planet, along with all the dark creatures.” Cole looked around at all the magicians and creatures there. “Right now, I’d say the odds are about even, except you have the Dragon Stones. Use them.” He turned to go, but stopped. He turned back to Sara. “Kill me,” he said.

“What? No!” Sara objected.

“If you don’t, it’ll come back to haunt you. James knows this.” Cole and James exchanged a look.

“How?” Sara asked.

“I will be forced to fight you. James simply put that together in a dream.”

“Were you the one that sent me those dreams? I thought Aevill did,” James said.

Cole shook his head. “I didn’t send you those dreams, but I can sense when dark magic is being used.” He looked at James now. “Kill me,” he pleaded to James. “I don’t want to fight you.” He looked right at Sara as he said it.

James looked uncertain. Sara quickly said, “James, don’t! You can’t!”

James hesitated, took one look at Sara, then swiftly delivered one blow to Cole’s head. Cole collapsed in a heap onto the ground. “He’s not going to stay unconscious for long. I suggest we get out of here before he comes around,” James said.

Sara smiled with relief. “Thanks,” she said.

She couldn’t say any more because of the general unease among the light creatures and magicians there. She looked up, over the trees and at the horizon. She felt cold fear slice through her as a black cloud overtook it, crushing trees and hiding the sun.

Sara started breathing faster and faster, until she was on the verge of panic. James, seeing this, acted quickly. “Sara, look at me.” Sara felt herself calm immediately when she looked into those bright green eyes.

“We have to do this. You ready?”

With a calm she didn’t feel until she looked at him again, Sara said, “Yes, I am.”

“Then let’s get ready to meet them.” James motioned to the magicians gathered by the tree, who seemed just as uneasy as Sara was. “Can I borrow the Stone?” he asked.

“Of course.” Sara handed him the Stone without a second thought.

The Stone in his hand, James leaned down and whispered something. Sara was unable to make out what it was. The Stone blazed, and Sara could feel a calm feeling settle over everyone there. She watched as, one by one the creatures and magicians turned calmly and confidently to face the approaching enemy.

Sara looked at James. “Did you do that?” she asked.

James nodded. “The Stone wanted me to do it.” He turned back to face the approaching cloud of dark magic.

On the ground, Cole stirred, but neither Sara nor James noticed. They were all too busy focusing on the enemy in front of them that they failed to remember the enemy among them.

In the middle of the oncoming cloud, Sara could make out a figure. Pure evil emanated from it, and Sara knew exactly who, or what it was. James must have known too. As one, they both muttered the same word. “Aevill.”

The cloud got closer and closer, until Sara was able to make out different shapes and sizes of the different creatures. The cloud was almost on them, and Sara jumped. The cloud wasn’t a cloud at all, but a vast hoard of different shadow creatures. Sara could feel the fear the light creatures felt, but they held their ground, and for that Sara was eternally grateful.

The cloud reached them, and there was no one moment when the battle began. When two enemies confronted each other, they fought, until the battle was raging full force. Everywhere, light fought dark. Fairies battled ghouls. From high in the treetops, nymphs dropped acorns the size of baseballs onto unsuspecting zombies. In some places, the roles seemed reversed. When unicorns the color of newly fallen snow trampled a group of cyclops, Sara almost cheered, until the horses allowed dark magicians to climb up on their backs, carrying them toward another group of light creatures. As far as Sara could tell, Alva still seemed to be fighting for the light magicians.

In the middle of the chaos, Sara could see Aevill killing at least five at a time. There was no questioning which side he was on. On his wrist, there seemed to be an object, made from the darkest shadows. Sara knew the Shadow Stones when she saw them, and that was it.

Behind her, a magician attacked her, and Sara shifted into a dragon. She lost track of James, and was soon fully involved in the fight. She clawed down one dark magician after another. As she fought, Sara felt a strange tugging sensation, not unlike the pull she had felt from the tree.

Sara followed the pull, knocking down one creature after another. She could sense the fighting all around her, but she felt strangely numb, as if she didn’t know people were dying. The creatures and magicians parted suddenly, giving her a clear path to Aevill. He was at the other end of the path, watching her, studying her. Sara felt her entire focus drawn to Aevill. She had the Stone. Now was her chance to defeat Aevill once and for all. Sara took a step toward him.

Suddenly, Cole jumped in front of her, his eyes completely black, though his expression was pained. Sara thought she heard him whisper, “I’m sorry,” before he threw his shadow flames at her.

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