The dinosaur grew from the casing, three-quarters as big as the dragon and utterly lifelike. Its thick hide, a dark green, looked tough and kind of swampy. Its teeth gleamed as it opened its mouth to let out a mighty roar.

The dragon flinched, its focus abruptly shifting, now clearly unsure what the hell was going on. It regrouped quickly and spun, swinging its spiked tail.

I dove out of the way, barely missed, and spilled half of my spells. “Dang it!” I grabbed them in fistfuls and shoved them back in the pouch, pausing only to pinch a Weather Beater and throw it at the crowd.

Lightning rained from the ceiling, followed by churning tornadoes. Gasps and shrieks filled the air. A woman with a fistful of large hoops went flying through the air, the first to be caught by the spell. Her rings separated and arched through the air, a lovely blast of color.

I glanced up as the T-Rex lunged for the dragon. The dragon spun again and smacked the side of the T-Rex with its tail, making the dinosaur flicker. I heard a sound like a bug zapper. The dragon roared and backed up.

I threw another T-Rex out at the crowd, just to mess with everyone, and because they deserved it. Why not? If you didn’t know the rules, you didn’t know when you were breaking them.

A dog in a party hat flew past me. A zebra head attached to a demon’s body flew by in the opposite direction. The dragon swiped again, undaunted by pain. The first T-Rex blinked out.

I heard yelling behind me but didn’t pay any attention. The dragon was advancing.

An explosion rocked the other side of the tent, behind the dragon. Darius. Colorful fire flew into the air, then exploded again. I knew each explosion would spray little magical needles down on the crowd even as the lightning attacked them.

I zipped up my pouch, since Darius would cover for me, grabbed out my sword again, and rushed at the dragon. It lunged down at me, snapping its great, pointy teeth, and I slapped it in the face with my sword. The clang sounded like metal against metal.

I was right—even with my magic, my sword would not pierce that armor.

“This is a terrible thing to ask,” I said in a collection of grunts as I ducked under its leg and rolled. “But do you critters shed and sell your scales? Because I would pay for that armor. I really would. Million-dollar idea. Let’s talk.”

I hopped onto the knee of its back leg, surprised at how slowly it moved. When it shifted, bending back to snap at me, I sheathed my sword and jumped, grabbing the edge of its wing and pulling myself up. The wing flapped, as I’d figured it would, trying to shake me loose. I let go, the timing a little off, and splatted onto its back.

“Now what?” I asked it. It roared and beat its wings before pushing off with its legs.

“No, no, no! That was a rhetorical question. There isn’t enough room for that!”

The sharp edges on the end of the wings fanned the crowd. Gashes opened up on arms, faces, and backs, whatever the wings could reach, before the dragon rose higher into the air.

“I should’ve thought that through.” I grabbed wildly for something to hold on to, but my hands slid against smooth scales. Its neck was too thick for me to wrap my arms around. Its wings beat too frantically for me to grab.

I glanced over its shoulder, seeing Clown Demon looking up at me with a wide smile behind its ice magic shield. It was the only one still watching the show. The rest of the former observers were now running frantically, trying to escape the spells.

For now.

I winked at Clown Demon even as the dragon’s muscles bunched under me. It was about to make a move, and I had a feeling that would lead to me being dumped off its back.

“Darius, if you don’t want me to use my magic, you better get ready to catch me,” I said, hoping that translated into his mind even though we were a good distance apart.

If I got past the dragon, I had a feeling Clown Demon would be up next, so I made fire spring up on the ground around its special box, out of sight of the demon and unnoticed by the pandemonium around it. I immediately felt the ice power creating the wall. Just like the work of all the other powerful demons I’d encountered so far, this concoction was complex, woven together meticulously. Deftly.

The dragon tilted, and I scrabbled for purchase. My fingers caught a lip between the head and neck, but I didn’t have enough time to secure a hold. Instead, I slid off its back, across its wing, against its claw (which hurt something fierce), and off.

Weightless, I windmilled my arms. My fire magic kept working on the ice wall, counteracting Clown Demon’s efforts. He was definitely powerful, but I was a good student. I sped up the effect as I winked an eye open and looked below me.

The ground rushed toward me.

I started an air buffer, quickly running out of time. Arms wrapped around me out of nowhere and scooped me out of the sky.

“Oh thank God, Darius,” I said in a gush. “That would’ve been a rocky landing.”

He threw a spell at Clown Demon as the last of the air wall disintegrated, and it hit the base of the box with a thunk. The demon’s smile wilted and it leaned forward in its box. A vine instantly began to crawl up the box, sprouting fierce thorns.

“How have you done that?” Clown Demon bellowed. “Someone is carrying you! Yes, I can just see it.” Clown Demon gestured. The small hairs stood up on my arms. It was about to hit us with some powerful magic.

“How long does it take that spell to work—” The vine shot up in front of Clown Demon, unfurling like a friend saying hello. The demon’s brow furrowed as lovely red flowers bloomed in front of it. A moment later, they spat out something I couldn’t make out.

The demon flinched and looked at its front, still clearly confused. It wiped its chest. Then swatted it.

Magical acid, I believe, Darius said. It seems to work very well on demons. More so than I was expecting.

“Did Penny do that?” I asked, mystified. That was a league above Callie and Dizzy.

“No.”

He didn’t elaborate as he ran. The thwump of dragon wings beat the air overhead. It wasn’t doing anything more than staying in place at the top of the arena, watching us.

“Think dragons can spit fire?” I asked as we ducked through the flap and into the area where the would-be combatants awaited their turn. All their faces were frozen in shock.

Ordinarily I would say yes, but then why is it here, in a sect that has Incendium magic?

I had no idea.

I vaguely know the direction we’re going. I waited next to a circus member until the last possible second so I could get a read on its previous location. It is a hazy power, at least for me. That was why I wasn’t waiting for you to fall.

“At least you got there before I went splat.”

You wouldn’t have splatted from that height. You would have bounced and severely broken something.

“Right…”

He turned a couple times as color slowly worked into the design of the enormous tent. I could tell when his knowledge ran out because he slowed.

“It’s strange that we haven’t seen anyone,” I whispered as he paused at an intersection in the canvas halls. He was still carrying me, holding me tightly against his chest.

Do you think so? I am under the impression everyone turns up for the main show. And for the record, you made it through both of your time allotments and then some.

He chose the tunnel to the right and picked up speed again. As we moved through the back end of the tent, several living areas were sectioned off, probably for the higher-powered demons that didn’t live in the smaller (now mostly ruined) tents at the front of the big top. A few turns later, which were totally random, regardless of what he said, we burst out through the back flap into blessed darkness.

If only that meant we were free.

Chapter Twenty

Are you tired? Do you need to rest? Darius asked as we ran through the back lot of the circus.

Strange shacks and leaning buildings made of wood or stone suggested the kind of caravans that the circus staffers in the Brink might live and travel in. Few beings wandered around, but those that did were all costumed or disguised as circus animals of some sort.

I felt fatigue pulling at me, but knew I could continue on. I had a feeling that if I ignored the human side totally, I could keep going for much longer. Maybe never stop. Until I (possibly) dropped dead. It would be a one-time shock.