He started to thrash.
And it was easy, wasn’t it? Giving in. Because here, here, here I was a god. I was the most powerful being who ever existed. I had the dragons. I had Myrin the Bright Star, and he had Morgan of Shadows buried within him. But it mattered not. Because it would all be mine.
“You wouldn’t,” he whispered.
I grinned at him. “Oh, Myrin. That’s where you’re wrong. Because I would. And I will.”
Some fleeting part of me knew that what I was doing was wrong. This wasn’t who I was. But it was gone by way of the wind. It didn’t matter who I used to be. The gods had made me this way. They’d wanted someone to pin the fate of the world on, and they’d chosen me. But they’d never expected what I could become. Vadoma hadn’t seen it. David’s Dragon certainly hadn’t seen it. None of them had. They forced me here, filled me with enough magic for a thousand wizards to have, and they expected what. That I would just give it all up? That I would let this all go? That I would stand here with Myrin in my grasp, this man who had taken so much from me, and not make him suffer? That I wouldn’t take everything from him, leaving him nothing but a shell, skin cooling and eyes blank like he’d done to Morgan?
And the people of Verania. They hadn’t trusted me. They hadn’t believed in me. They’d turned their backs on me, telling me I wasn’t good enough, that the color of my skin wasn’t right, that I’d come from the slums and I was worth nothing. And only when they didn’t have any other choice, they begged me to save them.
I would show them. I would show them all. I would consume Myrin’s magic, and then I would return to Verania and show her people exactly what I was capable of.
There would be a new world order.
My world order.
Deep within me, two blue pulses rose, entwined as they spun together. They were trying to defy me and— No, Sam.
Not defy. Save.
We’re trying to save you.
And I—
“Sam?”
I turned my head.
Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart stood in the clearing, just out of arm’s reach. His eyes were wide and fearful as he watched me.
“It’s a trick,” I snapped. “You’re not here. You’re not real.” I turned back to Myrin. “Is this you? Are you doing this? Because if you think that’ll stop me, you’re wrong. I won’t fall for your games, Myrin. Not now. Not again. You won’t stop me this time.”
“Isn’t me,” Myrin wheezed.
I squeezed his neck tighter.
“Sam, please, listen to me!” Ryan shouted as the wind picked up, whipping around Myrin and me. “This isn’t you! This isn’t who you are.”
I laughed. “And what would you know about who I am? I killed people, Ryan. And I enjoyed it. I wanted them gone from this world. I almost took out all the Darks, but I was weak. I see that now. I’m weak no longer. I will finish them after I deal with—”
He shook his head angrily. “You did it to save Verania. You did it for the King. For Justin. Your parents and Gary and Tiggy and Kevin. For me. We’re the reason you’re who you are. Not what you’ve done. Not Myrin. Not your magic. You are Sam. That’s who you are. Not this. Never this. You can’t give in to it. You can’t. I won’t let you. And do you know why?”
And there was something to his words, wasn’t there?
A little spark in all that darkness.
Even as I pulled Myrin closer to me and opened my mouth, thinking those black words I’d seen in the back of his Grimoire, the darkest of all magics, there was a spark, and it sputtered, wanting to burn— Myrin’s mouth dropped open as his eyes rolled back in his head, and I could take it. Right here. Right now. His magic, Morgan’s magic, would be mine, and I could— Ryan slipped, the wind almost too strong for him. He barely held himself upright, his armor reflecting the lightning flashing above.
Myrin’s magic began to leak from him, and I could feel it, that infection spreading down my arms and hands, and I would consume it all— A hand on my shoulder.
A mouth near my ear.
Ryan Foxheart said, “Because it’s always been you, Sam. I promise. I promise. I promise, because when I look upon these stars, there is nothing I wish for more than you.”
The spark burst brightly, and I…
I let it all go.
The dragons roared forward, swirling red and blue and black and white, so much white that I shook with it.
Myrin gasped as he was flung across the clearing, landing on his back with a jarring crash, dirt and grass piling up around him.
The winds died.
You idiot! Kevin snarled from within me. I am going to kick your fucking ass when we get home, and then I’m going to tell Gary. Oh, are you in for a world of hurt when he finds out what you— Please, Leslie sniffed. As if there will be enough for Gary to hurt by the time I’m done with him. And you’re welcome for pulling Ryan here, even though you tried to stop us.
You’re in for it now, Pat said. She is scary when she wants to be.
And I thought I was all dark and emo, Zero said, sounding awed. Sam. Sam! You need to paint your fingernails black and dye your hair black and walk around in the shadows, saying things like no one understands me and I could have totally destroyed the world if I wanted to, but it was lame so I changed my mind because of love. Or whatever. This is so romantic! I mean, this is stupid and I hate it and I wish you’d all leave me alone.
Sam, GW said. It’s time to finish this. You must kill Myrin the Bright Star.
“Oh my gods,” I muttered. “Would you guys shut up? You’re ruining a moment here.”
They weren’t too happy about that if their mutterings meant anything.
Ryan was still clutching at me, his forehead resting against my shoulder, his hair tickling my ear. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on as tightly as I could.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah. You?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Ryan, I….” But my words died in my throat as the forest began to light up around us.
It wasn’t like the dragon lights. It wasn’t like the fairies. The thousands of small glowing orbs that began to rise from the clearing around us didn’t feel like magic. But they weren’t threatening. Instead, they felt… peaceful. Calm and soothing. I didn’t know if this was another trick. The dragons weren’t talking, so I didn’t think we were in any immediate danger.
“You’re not,” a voice said from behind us.
Ryan and I whirled around.
There, at the opposite end of the clearing, was David’s Dragon.
The constellation was as bright as he’d ever been. His enormous wings stretched out wide, stars twinkling at the tips. His head tipped in my direction as he studied me curiously. He had pinned Myrin below him, his claws digging into the ground around the Dark wizard. Myrin looked dazed, eyes reflecting the dragon starlight above him.
“Great,” I muttered. “Exactly who I wanted to see this very second right after I was about to turn evil. Wonderful.”
“Uh,” Ryan said, dumbfounded. “Is that who I think it is?”
“If you’re thinking it’s David’s Dragon, the god who pretty much started this whole mess and is a stupid fuck-face, then yes. It is who you think it is.”
“I’m not a fuck-face,” the Star Dragon said. “You’re a fuck-face.”
Ryan squeaked next to me.
The Star Dragon peered at him. “What was that noise he made?”
I shook my head. “That was his Sam Is Mocking a Higher Being Directly to His Face Again noise.”
“You capitalized that,” Ryan whimpered, eyes bulging as he took in the constellation before us.
“Well yeah. Because it’s true.”
“I assume it happens often, then, if you’ve given it a name?” the Star Dragon asked.
“I tend to be insolent,” I admitted. “It’s something I’m aware of and will strive to be better about in the future.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Go fuck yourself—I mean, oh gee. I can’t wait to prove you wrong.”