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One thing at a time.
“Remember, you want to find a compatible mate,” the booming voice said excitedly. “Use the tools we’ve given you to show us who you are. You have an hour’s head start, starting in ten, nine, eight.…”
The women around me shouted with his countdown.
Right, well, this was a new one. But I was here now, and though still confused, the vibe of this event wasn’t remotely frightening. I flexed my back. Maybe not the ideal circumstances, but I did love a good mortal challenge.
“…five…”
I closed my eyes, the bone-chilling boredom of the last hundred years fighting the pure excitement bouncing around me.
“…four…”
The dragon at my back growled, and the cheering from the stands got louder. I trembled with both fear and excitement. With my magic, I was practically invincible; without it, everything would be much more challenging.
“…three…”
I grinned.
Maybe an adventure will fill the gaping hole where your heart used to be.
Really, we’re doing this right now?
We could go back to panicking?
“…two…”
A phantom tingling around my neck reminded me of the Ley Line, which I hadn’t fixed and was no longer reaching out to me. The cosmic balance of magic had probably already replaced my replaceable ass. A nagging sensation pulled at my gut; things weren’t right. The Ley Lines reached out for someone equal to the power of their problem. And before my current magic-less situation, I’d been one of the most powerful mages on the planet.
“…one!” The voice screamed along with the herd of women.
I didn’t budge from my spot, but most women sprinted forward, barreling down the wide dirt path which cut into the blur of eucalyptus trees. A trio slowly walked in their dust.
“I’m just not an athlete and don’t need the strongest dragon,” the one in the middle said. “I’m just fine with being the first onecaught. Not all these dragons need a challenge. The less exercise, the better. I just want to find my perfect lover.”
The other two echoed her statements.
My eyebrows shot to the sky. This was like Tinder but with more movement and less messaging. I squished my excitement. I wasn’t here to participate. In addition, these ladies could talk while I couldn’t…right?
“Squeak,” I said.
Instead of the word squeak an actual mouse sound emitted from my throat.
I let out a frustrated breath. Right, Gray Eyes said ‘it’ needed time to wear off, except time was a luxury I didn’t have. Maybe I could show these dragons what I couldn't say.
I faced the crowd, sticking my hands into the sky and calling power into them. It didn’t come, but maybe they would recognize me if I tried to cast something dramatic. I widened my stance, tracing a large circle with my arms and mouthing powerful words I couldn’t speak. No magic shot between my hands to create a sparkling shield, but I think I still looked like I was holding one. Maybe?
Hands and claws pointed at me and laughed. I closed my eyes, still holding my squat with my arms flailing about. My international sign for ‘powerful enchantress’ made me look like I was trying to take a shit. Why hadn’t I chosen a different spell?
The humor spread like wildfire, and heat flooded my face. The red dragon snorted and flicked his head toward the path.
Right, well, I’d rather go on a weird mating hunt than get laughed at here.
I eyed the main path. If there was a rule saying I had to go that way, I wasn’t aware of it and could deal with the consequences later.
To my right, the peak of a mountain called to me. I pulled the map out of my back pocket, confirming it was the tallestlandmark. If I could get to the top, maybe I could better understand where I was. This location might be suppressing my magic. Anything was possible at this point. The only wrong action I could take was staying still and waiting.
CHAPTER THREE
