It was still raining, still windy, but the worst of it was away over the jungle, beating on her forest and battering Mal.
Bastian went to the edge of the deck; the railing was drunken on the cracked concrete.
Saina staggered to him against the wind. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to go fight with him,” Bastian said matter-of-factly. “He isn’t going to save the world alone.”
Saina gave a low keen of misery and dragged his face down to hers for a long kiss. Then she released him. “I will sing for you,” she said. “As long as I have voice.”
Then Bastian was rising on his green wings into the buffeting wind.
“I wish there was something we could do,” Jenny said, shifting from otter to woman at Scarlet’s side.
“He could have used more of our magic,” Travis said, soaking wet at her side.
“He didn’t want to drain you too far,” Scarlet said miserably.
Mal and Bastian looked like tiny songbirds trying to harass a great roc. A great, angry, confident roc.
Saina was singing what little power she had left into her mate with a hoarse voice against the grasping wind.
Scarlet cringed. Even that was her fault. If Saina had not exhausted herself saving the dryad... If she had not been a dryad, Mal would have been able to evacuate everyone and fight the battle where he could beat it.
Scarlet thought bitterly. It’s all my fault!
Gizelle, crouching behind a table near Conall, looked up at her abruptly, as if she’d heard Scarlet’s thought. Her white-streaked hair was dripping wet and tangled, and Scarlet wondered how many ways she had failed the young woman. She should have persuaded Conall to take her off the island earlier. She should have taken the threat that slept—didn’t sleep—below them more seriously.
Scarlet dragged her eyes up to the storm.
Mal and Bastian gamely fought, but no one on the ground had any illusions that they had a chance against the beast.
Jenny couldn’t watch after only a few moments, turning to bury her face in Travis’ chest.
“It’s just toying with them,” Travis said quietly.
Jenny looked up. “If it really wanted to hurt Mal, why hasn’t it gone for Scarlet’s tree?” she asked quietly.
“It doesn’t think I’m important anymore,” Scarlet guessed, remembering the wyrm’s confusion over the bond that Gizelle and Conall shared. “It doesn’t understand love, or loyalty. Because I have no power, it thinks Mal doesn’t care for me any further.”
She knew love. And loyalty... she only had to think about the staff of Shifting Sands and everything they’d done for her. They’d offered up their own shifter energy. They’d even pooled their resources to buy her the island.
Scarlet froze.
Mal! she cried, knowing the risk of distracting him. Mal, you have to sell me the island!
The wyrm twisted beneath him, the razor edges of his feathers slicing up into Mal’s claws. Mal roared in pain, but pressed his assault, futilely trying to drive the wyrm back down with Bastian’s help. I’m a little busy for a real estate transaction, he pointed out. His voice was not defeated, though he must surely recognize his inevitable loss of this game.
There was no time to explain. Trust me, Scarlet begged. Shift and accept my offer for the island so I can help you. Aloud, with witnesses. There can be no doubts.
She could feel his hesitation as he considered. The storm was rising to an impossible tenor, the wyrm was driving him back up into the clouds. He’d be more vulnerable yet in his human form.
But he trusted her.
The jaws of one of the heads snapped in air as Mal unexpectedly streaked away from the battle, retreating to the battered resort.
Bastian swooped down at the creature’s tail, sending a blast of flame over the wyrm that simply rolled off its shimmering feathers. But the attack made the wyrm hesitate, and that was enough time for Mal to streak over the jungle, drop from the sky and shift to human long enough to shout over the wind, “I accept your offer for the island before these witnesses with no exceptions or refusals!”
He gave Scarlet a piercing look. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he told her, then he was launching into the violent air again just as the wyrm got its teeth around one of Bastian’s rear legs mid-air and Saina screamed helplessly.