The Dragonstones Trilogy

You can’t protect her. James woke up to see Sara staring at him. Her bright green eyes glowed in the darkness. “What?” he asked her, forgetting to sing a song and send the words to her telepathically.

Sara looked away quickly. James could have imagined it, but she looked taken aback, even as a dragon. Nothing. She told him. James wasn’t sure if he believed her. James saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see what it was, then had to bite back a yell.

“How long have you been here?” he whispered to Mr. Day, who seemed to be sitting next to him, although James wasn’t sure if ghosts could sit. James glanced down at Sara, who didn’t seem to have heard.

“Not very long, although I thought it would be hard to fall asleep while riding a dragon,” Mr. Day said, not bothering to be quiet. James glanced down at Sara again. She stared straight ahead, and James hoped that she couldn’t hear them talking. Their connection seemed to have gone quiet lately, and James heard fewer of her thoughts, but when it did work, it was stronger than ever. He wasn’t sure what Sara had heard, or seen. James hoped that the connection between them wouldn’t show her that there was the ghost of her father right behind her.

“The link between you two will grow stronger very soon. My daughter has already been able to see through your eyes,” Mr. Day said.

“What?” James burst out, hoping Sara didn’t hear him. He seemed to be in luck.

“When those dark magicians attacked you, you didn’t use your magic. And yet my daughter somehow knew exactly what you were doing. She was watching you through your eyes. You might be able to do that with her soon. I suspect that soon, you will feel what she is feeling as well.”

“Does being a ghost give you all this information?” James asked, feeling a little uncomfortable that Mr. Day knew so much.

“It certainly helps.” Mr. Day went quiet, and seemed content just to study James for a moment. “Interesting,” he said. “It already has grown stronger.”

“What? The bond?” Mr. Day nodded.

James glanced down at Sara, then said to Mr. Day as quietly as he could, “In the hotel, I tried to use magic, but it didn’t work. The magic wasn’t there.”

For the first time since James had known him, Mr. Day looked surprised. “It didn't?” he asked.

James shrugged. “I don’t know what happened, but I tried using magic when I jumped out a window. I barely was able to control any. I’m just glad that Sara was able to catch me in time.”

Mr. Day looked down, then said, “Why would your magic fail you? Are you sure you sang the right song?”

“It wasn’t the song, it was the magic I feel whenever I’m around any kind of music, the energy. It wasn’t there.”

Mr. Day sighed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again. I’ll try to find out what I can, but let’s get to why I’m here. You’re close to a magician who can help you. You’ve met before.”

There were few magicians that James had met. His family was back in Mageton, along with Aspen, a plant magician. He was traveling with Sara, so that left...

“Cole,” he said. The word reminded him of the dream he had every night, and why the owner of the name could not be trusted.

Mr. Day nodded. “I know you don’t like him, but try to be civil. He can help you.”

“I’ll try,” James said, not sure how true the statement was.

Mr. Day said, “I knew you would. Goodbye.” He started to disappear when James realized something. “Wait!” he called before he knew what he was doing.

The ghost stopped fading. “Yes?”

James quickly said the words and hoped the ghost wouldn’t be offended. “Have you always had a greenish glow? I mean, your glow has been white until now, right? Not green?” Mr. Day smiled, and James wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean.

He began to feel uneasy when Mr. Day said, “I’ve never had a green glow, and I do not have one now.” Without another word, the ghost faded, until he was no longer there.

“What? What do you mean?” James asked, hoping the ghost could hear him and answer his questions. Instead, James felt a wave of confusion wash over him. He wasn’t sure where that came from until Sara asked, James, who are you talking to?

No one. James lied, trying to ignore the guilt of lying to her.

This time James felt embarrassment, though he knew the emotion was not his own. Oh. Sara said. I just thought I heard you talking...never mind.

Mr. Day was right, James thought to himself. The connection was getting stronger, just as he had said it was.

In an effort to not feel Sara’s embarrassment and his guilt, James sang and sent his thoughts to Sara, We should land here. A magician’s nearby that can help us. James wasn’t sure why he didn’t say Cole’s name.

So your spell found someone? Sara asked.

Something like that. The guilt came back after that statement.

They were able to find a motel to spend the night in, though when they needed to pay for the rooms, James couldn’t find the magic again. He tried, but it wasn’t there. James took a few deep breaths, and tried not to panic.

Sara looked at him, concerned. “James, are you okay?” she asked.

James tried to smile. “Fine,” he said with more confidence than he felt. He turned his attention back to his problem. He had always had his magic. If he lost it somehow, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Finally, after the fourth try, James was able to feel something, a small flicker where all of his magic used to reside.

The magic was enough for him to conjure up some money, but only that. James barely had enough energy left to follow Sara to where the rooms were. James entered the room Sara didn’t take, and didn’t bother to get under the covers when he saw the bed. He simply collapsed onto it, and hoped that tomorrow, he would have his magic back.

He didn’t. James tried using magic the first thing he did the next day. He jumped out of bed, and tried doing the first thing he could think of: a traveling song, a spell he'd used since elementary school. The orange light appeared, causing him to glow. It was dimmer though, not as it usually was. James could feel the energy leaving him, energy that should be accompanying the use of magic, but nothing happened. James was in the same spot he had started in.

He heard a knock on his door. Knowing it was Sara, he pasted a fake smile on his face and hoped it looked genuine. James walked over to the door. Walking felt completely different now that he knew he no longer had the option of using magic.

“Hey,” he said when he saw Sara. That was enough to make his smile real. He looked into her green eyes, then took an unconscious step back. Her eyes were a bright neon green, no longer the color of her forest green scales. They were so light they seemed to glow, just as they did at night.

After James got over his initial shock, he was able to see the same expression on Sara’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Sara didn’t tear her eyes from his. “You might want to look in a mirror,” she said, sounding shaken.

“Okay.” James walked over to the closest mirror, and immediately saw what Sara was talking about. His eyes that had once been blue were now bright green, the same shade as Sara’s. James could feel Sara come up behind him. She looked in the mirror, and her bright green eyes widened. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“Our eyes match,” James said, trying to add humor to the situation. It helped a little.

Sara looked at him. “You’re the magic expert,” she said. “Will this go away?”

James hated to let her down, but this was magic he had never seen before. He shrugged. “I don’t know. It could have something to do with the cave, but that was months ago.”

Sara nodded absently. “Maybe it’s the connection, doing something to our eyes. I could ask the dragons about it,” she said. She looked up at him, as if remembering he was there. “Should we eat, then look for this magician you were talking about last night?”

“Yeah. I’ll meet you there,” James said. After Sara left, James reached into his pocket, and pulled out the spare wad of cash he kept for emergencies. He knew it wouldn’t help them for long, but since his magic wasn’t working, he would need to make do.

Down in the lobby, James ignored the questioning look from Sara when he exited the elevator. He faked another smile and asked, “Ready to go?”

“Of course.”

“Race you outside.”

Sara was closer to the door, so James had to follow her out. They rounded a corner, and Sara stopped, shifting into a dragon. James caught up to her, then bent over, panting. It had been a while since he had actually run in a race. Sara looked over at him. “No magic?” she asked.

For a second, James thought she knew. “Just felt like running,” he said, hoping she didn’t see through the lie.

She didn’t. Sara only said, “Okay. Should we eat before we go? You can use your magic, and we'll be gone in ten minutes.”

James almost wanted to tell her the truth about his magic, but he didn't. “It’s your birthday in a couple days, isn’t it?” he asked.

Sara nodded. “Yes, why?” she asked. Luck was on his side. James only hoped it would stay there.

“I was thinking we could go somewhere to eat. A restaurant, I mean.” James inwardly kicked himself for sounding so lame.

Sara raised her eyebrows. “A restaurant, like a date?” Was it his imagination that she sounded hopeful?

James inwardly kicked himself again. That was why he had avoided restaurants as much as possible. Their focus needed to be on finding the Stone, not on each other. If James fell in love with Sara, it would only hurt more when she died. “No! Not a date!” he said a little too quickly. “Just an early birthday breakfast.”

Sara didn’t seem to fully believe him, but she went along with it. “Okay. Where?” she asked.

James hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Wherever you want. It’s your birthday,” he said.

Sara chose a restaurant James had never heard of before, but they were able to locate one that was not too far away from them.

They entered the building. It was darker on the inside, and James’s eyes took some time adjusting. Even then, everything he saw had a greenish tinge. James remembered that his eye color had changed that morning, or last night. He didn’t know exactly when. He looked at Sara. “Have my eyes changed back?”he asked her.

Sara shook her head. “Still green. And mine?”

They were the same green as before. “No,” he said.

As they waited to be seated, James asked, “So why did you choose this place?”

Sara’s gaze grew distant. “I used to go to a place like this with my parents when I was younger. Mom stopped going when Dad died. I didn’t even know I remembered it until I saw it today. And now that both Mom and Dad are gone. . .I don’t know. I just felt like I needed a reminder.” James felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if it were his parents that had died, and he was the one remembering. James looked at Sara. She looked ready to cry.

On an impulse, James grabbed her hand, and squeezed it. “I know how you feel,” he said. Sara looked at him, surprised. “Your parents are closer than you might think,” James said, thinking about Mr. Day’s visits.

A tired looking waitress walked over to them before Sara could reply. They were seated, and Sara stood up. “I need to brush my hair,” she said. “I didn’t get around to it this morning.”

James didn’t know how that was possible. Her hair looked fine, but he knew that if he told Sara that, she wouldn’t be convinced. James watched her go in the direction of the restrooms, and noticed that her hair was getting long. The time spent looking for the Stone had kept Sara's mind on other things than trimming her hair, and the new style looked good.

James looked down at his menu, but couldn’t focus. He had mixed feelings about his new eye color. It looked fine on Sara, she could make anything work, but for him it was a little disturbing.

He also needed to tell her about his magic. It was going, fast, and he had no idea how to stop it. Even as he sat there, James could feel the magic leaving him. Trying to prove himself wrong, James focused on a chair not far from him. He sang a song quietly under his breath. The orange light glowed around him, but no one seemed to notice. James sat there, staring at the chair until it moved about an inch, scraping the hard floor as it went.

James stopped singing, and leaned back in his chair, satisfied that he could at least do something with magic. James wondered how long even that magic would last. If his magic went away completely, he would be no help to Sara.

“Your magic won’t go away, not completely.”

James yelped and turned to see Mr. Day sitting next to him. He looked outside. The sun was already up. “Shouldn’t you be in the ghost world or something?” he asked Mr. Day.

“I can come out during the day.” The ghost didn’t glow as he usually did, but he still looked slightly greenish. Maybe it was James’s new eyes that was causing him to see everything in green.

“It is,” Mr. Day said.

“What?”

“It’s because of your eyes. That’s why everything you see looks green to some degree.”

“Did I ask that?” James could have sworn that he had only thought the question, not said it out loud.

Mr. Day watched James with amusement. “I can hear your thoughts,” he said.

James scooted away a little. He didn’t want anyone, much less a ghost, to be able to read his thoughts. James’s face heated up as he recalled the many times he had thought of Sara while in the ghost’s company.

James shoved all thoughts of Sara away for now. He didn’t know if the ghost was listening to his thoughts or not. “Why are you here?” he asked Mr. Day, a touch of annoyance in his voice.

“I think I might have a solution for your magic problem.

“So you know how to get my magic back?” James couldn’t help the eagerness in his voice.

“I didn’t say that, but it’s possible.” Mr. Day picked up a fork and studied it intently. James wondered why he was doing that. Maybe as a ghost he couldn’t eat food and missed it. Mr. Day glanced at James before continuing. “When you need it, your magic will come to you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” James asked.

Mr. Day didn’t answer, and at that moment, Sara sat back down at the table. “Hey,” she said. “Sorry I was gone so long. I had to talk to the dragons. They don’t know what happened with our eyes, but they’re guessing the same thing we are. They think it’s because of the connection.” she asked.

James glanced over at where Mr. Day had been. The ghost was not there. “Maybe. I can’t think of anything else that could have caused it,” he said.

Sara and James had just gotten their food and started eating when a sharp pain stabbed him in the back. James looked behind him, but there was no one. He looked at Sara. Shadows attacked her from all angles. James knew dark magic, and this was it.

The shadows grew darker, and Sara screamed. She fell onto the floor, unconscious. More than a few concerned people looked up from their breakfast. “Is she all right?” someone asked.

James didn’t answer. The pain was getting to him, too. “It’s because of the connection, isn’t it?” he asked before he realized that Mr. Day had left.

James looked past Sara to the source of the shadows. He had dark hair and eyes, but was far enough away, that James couldn’t tell who the magician was. There was something about him, though, something that reminded James of fights from the past.

“Cole?” James asked.

The magician flicked his wrist, and more shadows appeared, flying straight at James. He dove under a table just in time to avoid the magic. The shadows quickly turned in midair, and went after James.

James stood up, and ran like he never had before. He had no magic to help him, as he always had before. Behind him, James could feel the shadows speeding up, getting closer to him. James dropped to the ground and dove under another table, dodging kicking legs and screaming people. He didn’t know what the normal humans were seeing right now, but he had never cared less.

James stood up again, and tried to run. Someone grabbed him from behind. “Kid, what are you doing?” James didn’t have time to be annoyed that someone had called him a kid. He spun around to see a man with dark hair and eyes, like the magician who was trying to kill James.

James looked past the man to see shadows flying toward them. “Get down!” he screamed. He crashed into the man and sent them both tumbling to the ground. The shadows flew over them.

James heard a moan behind him. He looked over at Sara. She was stirring, and already shifting into a dragon. James smiled. Now he just needed to keep the shadows away from her, and she could finish off the magician.

The shadows apparently heard her too. They changed their course and sped toward Sara, now fully in her dragon form. “Sara!” James yelled. Her eyes opened, and took in the situation in a glance. As the shadows flew into her, she held up her claws. They sliced through the shadows, and the dark magic fell to the ground, suddenly lifeless. The dark magician took one look at Sara, then decided to charge James instead.

He was so close, James didn’t have time to think. James did what he had done so many times before. He sang a protection song, and the magician ran into a glowing orange wall. James could barely contain his excitement. His magic was back! He wouldn’t have to tell Sara about it after all. James altered his song a little bit. He sent orange magic into the dark magician, knocking him out.

Sara shifted back into a human, and walked over to James. He stopped singing, and immediately felt exhausted. His magic wasn’t all the way back, apparently. James noticed that Sara was shaking. “You okay?” he asked.

Sara nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine,” she said. James wasn’t convinced, but let it go for now. He glanced around. People were standing around, giving him and Sara nervous glances.

“We should probably get out of here,” Sara said, coming to the same conclusion that James did.

“Probably,” James agreed.

The man who had grabbed James earlier approached them. “Do you two need to be somewhere?” he asked them.

James and Sara exchanged a glance. “Yeah,” James said.

“You sure? If you need a place to stay, you can come to my house,” the man said.

There was something that James didn’t trust about this guy, though he couldn’t figure out what it was. “We’re good, thanks,” James said, speaking for both of them.

After he said that, a shadow near the man seemed to grow, both longer and darker. The shadow thickened until it took on the shape of a human. The shadow, dissolved back into what it was before, and left Cole standing where a moment before he hadn’t been.

“Dad. Did you hear-” Cole stopped talking when he saw James and Sara.

“Hello,” Cole said quietly. His eyes lingered on Sara for just a little too long.

James stared at the man who had approached them. So that was why James hadn’t trusted him. Cole looked almost exactly like his father, with dark, almost black eyes and black hair, and James was naturally apprehensive about people who had tried to kill Sara, and him. James didn’t try to hide his distrust when he asked Cole, “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be hiding from Aevill?”

“That’s what I’m doing.” Cole glared at James. “I live here,” he said.

“You’ve met?” Cole’s dad asked.

James nodded. “You tried to kill us,” he told Cole.

“You know I had no choice.”

“I’m not sure that you did.”

Black flames sprang to life in Cole’s hand. “You want me to attack you on purpose?”

James wasn’t sure if his magic would help him, but he would gladly fight Cole. Before he could reply, though, Sara in her dragon form jumped in between them. Stop it! She yelled at them. Both James and Cole cringed.

Sara shifted back into a human. “Shouldn’t we go somewhere else before you two start killing each other?” she asked. She seemed unusually angry at the thought of James and Cole fighting each other. Maybe she wants him to win. James thought darkly.

“Sure. We can go to my house,” Cole said.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” James said.

Cole glared at him. “If I wanted to hurt either of you, I would have done it by now.” James wasn’t sure of that, but he said nothing for the moment. Sara still seemed pretty mad.

“We’ll travel by shadow to my house,” Cole said. He pointed to Sara. “You and I will go together, through one shadow, and-” he pointed to James. “You and my dad will go through another.”

Cole pointed to a shadow of a nearby table, overturned in the fight. James grudgingly admitted that Cole knew what he was doing as the shadow grew and expanded, large enough for a person to jump through. Cole looked at Sara. “You ready?” he asked.

Sara nodded, and shifted into a dragon. As a dragon, she was protected from some dark magic. James hoped it would be enough for this. Yes. James heard her tell Cole. “Okay. Just jump in.” To demonstrate, Cole jumped into the portal, disappearing completely. Sara looked at the shadow, hesitated for a moment, then followed Cole and jumped into the shadow.

“We’re doing the same thing,” James heard Cole’s dad say. He turned around, and saw that their portal was ready.

James didn’t like it, but he took a step toward the shadow. Somewhere, he heard howling winds. That was not exactly comforting. “Go ahead,” Cole’s dad said.

James stared at the shadow, then took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, and jumped into the shadow.