Dead alive

Neither Joey nor Cassandra talked much after leaving the corrupted section of the Dragon's Graveyard.

The hallucinations had ended, but that didn't mean they had simply disappeared.

Joey could still remember the feeling of Leviathan's hand around his throat.

He could still see Cassandra's body falling.

And worse, he could still hear Taylor screaming.

Every time he blinked, some part of the nightmare tried to return.

Cassandra wasn't doing much better.

She stayed close to Joey as they followed Behemoth through the graveyard. Her hand occasionally brushed against his, almost as if she needed the physical reassurance that he was actually there.

Joey understood.

He needed it too.

Behemoth continued ahead of them, moving with the confidence of someone who understood the strange terrain.

Joey looked around.

“Are we getting close?”

“Yes.”

“How close?”

Behemoth glanced back.

“Close.”

Joey sighed.

“You really need to work on your answers.”

Cassandra smiled faintly.

“He's not wrong.”

“I know. That's the problem.”

Behemoth pointed toward a narrow passage between two enormous dragon ribs.

“The flower grows somewhere beyond those bones.”

Joey looked at the passage.

“That looks inviting.”

“It isn't.”

“Of course.”

They moved through the gap.

The temperature dropped immediately.

The mist disappeared.

The air became strangely still.

No wind.

No distant sounds.

Nothing.

Joey looked around.

“It's too quiet.”

Cassandra nodded.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Behemoth stopped.

“Wait.”

Joey froze.

“What?”

Behemoth slowly turned his head.

“I hear something.”

A deep scraping sound came from somewhere behind them.

Joey slowly turned.

At first, he saw nothing.

Then something stepped from behind a massive dragon skull.

Bone.

Nothing but bone.

The creature was enormous.

A dragon skeleton stood nearly three times Joey's height at the shoulder. Its massive skull had two rows of jagged teeth, and ancient horns curved backward from its head.

Its rib cage was wide enough to swallow a person whole.

The creature took another step.

Bones cracked against stone.

Joey slowly reached for his machete.

“Please tell me that's not alive.”

Behemoth stared at it.

“It isn't.”

Joey looked at him.

“That's somehow worse.”

The skeleton dragon opened its jaws.

No flame emerged.

Instead, a deep, unnatural roar shook the ground.

Cassandra stepped forward.

“Can it fly?”

“No.”

“Breathe fire?”

“No.”

Joey looked at the dragon.

“So we're good?”

Behemoth's expression remained completely serious.

“No.”

The dragon charged.

“Run!”

They scattered.

The dragon's jaws snapped shut where Joey had been standing.

Joey rolled across the ground and came up on one knee.

“Okay!”

He looked at Behemoth.

“You said it couldn't fly!”

“It can't!”

“It also doesn't need to!”

The skeleton dragon swung its enormous tail.

Cassandra jumped over it, but the force of the attack sent her tumbling across the ground.

“Cassandra!”

She rolled onto her back.

“I'm fine!”

The dragon turned toward her.

Joey ran toward it.

“HEY!”

He slashed his machete across one of its legs.

The cursed blade struck bone.

Nothing happened.

Joey stared.

“Oh, come on.”

The dragon lifted its foot.

Joey looked up.

“Oh, shit.”

He dove sideways.

The enormous foot slammed into the ground.

The impact threw him several feet.

He hit the ground hard.

Cassandra attacked from behind.

She leapt onto the dragon's back and drove her fingers between its ribs.

The bones resisted her strength.

She snarled and pulled.

Nothing.

The dragon twisted violently.

Cassandra was thrown from its back.

She landed hard.

“Cassandra!”

Joey scrambled toward her.

She pushed herself up.

“I'm okay.”

The dragon charged again.

Behemoth stepped into its path.

Golden light erupted from his body, transforming into his cosmic kirin form.

The skeleton dragon slammed into him.

For a moment, the two creatures stood locked together.

Behemoth's hooves dug into the ground.

The dragon pushed.

Behemoth slid backward.

Joey stared.

“He's actually having trouble!”

Cassandra stood.

“Behemoth!”

“I know!”

Behemoth shoved the dragon away.

The creature stumbled backward, then immediately charged again.

Behemoth's horn began glowing.

He struck the dragon in the chest.

The impact shattered several ribs.

Joey smiled.

“Yes!”

Then the broken bones began moving.

They pulled themselves back together.

Joey's smile disappeared.

“No.”

The skeleton dragon reassembled itself.

Behemoth stared at it.

“It is being sustained by external magic.”

Joey ducked beneath a snapping jaw.

“So how do we kill it?”

“We don't.”

Cassandra grabbed Joey and pulled him out of the path of the dragon's tail.

“What?”

Behemoth pointed toward the dragon.

“We destroy whatever is controlling it.”

Joey looked around.

“Where is it?”

“I don't know yet.”

The dragon charged.

“Then we'd better find it!”

Joey ran.

Cassandra followed.

The three of them split apart, forcing the skeleton dragon to divide its attention.

Joey sprinted between massive bones.

The dragon followed.

Its claws tore through the ground behind him.

Joey jumped over a crack and nearly lost his footing.

“Come on!”

The dragon lunged.

Joey threw himself beneath its chest.

The enormous jaws snapped shut above him.

He rolled away.

The dragon turned.

Joey looked at it.

“Okay, big guy.”

He backed away.

“You're terrifying.”

The dragon roared.

“I've noticed.”

It charged.

Joey ran.

Behind the dragon, Cassandra attacked.

She climbed onto its back again, gripping the spine with both hands.

“Behemoth!”

“I need more time!”

“Well, you're running out of it!”

The dragon bucked.

Cassandra held on.

Its bones shifted beneath her.

She punched through the spine.

Nothing.

She pulled her hand back.

“Dammit!”

The dragon twisted its head around.

Its jaws opened.

Cassandra jumped.

The dragon snapped down.

She landed hard and rolled away.

Joey saw an opening.

He charged.

“Cassandra!”

She looked up.

Joey threw himself onto the dragon's front leg.

He drove his machete into the joint.

The blade sank between the bones.

The dragon stumbled.

Cassandra scrambled to her feet.

“Nice!”

Joey grinned.

“I've been practicing!”

The dragon's head swung toward him.

Joey's grin vanished.

“Bad time to celebrate.”

The dragon opened its jaws.

Joey jumped away just as the jaws slammed shut.

Cassandra attacked from the side.

She grabbed one of its horns and pulled with all her strength.

The horn cracked.

The dragon roared.

Behemoth suddenly shouted.

“Stop!”

Everyone froze.

The dragon turned toward Behemoth.

Behemoth stared at its chest.

“I see it.”

Joey ducked behind a bone.

“See what?”

“A magical anchor.”

“Where?”

“Inside the rib cage.”

Joey looked at the enormous dragon.

“Of course it is.”

Cassandra looked toward Behemoth.

“Can you destroy it?”

“Yes.”

“Then do it!”

“I need you to expose it.”

Joey stared.

“That's it?”

“No.”

Behemoth's expression became grim.

“You must keep it occupied.”

Joey looked at Cassandra.

Cassandra looked at Joey.

Neither liked that plan.

Joey sighed.

“Okay.”

Cassandra smiled.

“Together?”

“Together.”

The skeleton dragon charged.

Joey ran directly toward it.

Cassandra attacked from the opposite side.

The dragon swung its head toward Joey.

He ducked.

Cassandra jumped onto its back.

The dragon thrashed.

Joey grabbed one of its legs.

“Now!”

Cassandra pulled with everything she had.

Several ribs cracked apart.

A pulsing blue light appeared deep within the dragon's chest.

Behemoth's eyes widened.

“There!”

The dragon roared.

Joey was thrown backward.

He slammed into a pile of bones.

Cassandra was knocked from the dragon's back.

She hit the ground hard.

The skeleton dragon turned toward Behemoth.

Behemoth raised his horn.

Golden light gathered around it.

The dragon charged.

Behemoth waited.

At the last possible moment, he moved aside.

The dragon's jaws snapped shut.

Behemoth drove his horn directly into the glowing core inside its chest.

The world went silent.

Golden light and blue energy exploded outward.

The skeleton dragon froze.

Every bone in its body began glowing.

Then the magical light disappeared.

The dragon collapsed.

Bone crashed against bone.

The enormous skull struck the ground.

And this time, it didn't move.

Joey remained against the pile of bones.

“Is it dead?”

Behemoth looked at the remains.

“Yes.”

Joey slowly stood.

“Good.”

Cassandra climbed to her feet.

“Are you hurt?”

Joey looked down at himself.

His clothes were torn.

Blood ran from a cut above his eyebrow.

His shoulder hurt.

His ribs felt like someone had kicked him with a horse.

“I'm fine.”

Cassandra looked at him.

“You're bleeding.”

“So are you.”

She looked down.

Blood stained her clothing where the dragon had struck her.

“I'm fine.”

Joey gave her a look.

She smiled.

“Don't start.”

Behemoth walked toward them. Changing back into his humanoid form.

“You are both injured.”

Joey waved him off.

“We've had worse.”

Behemoth's expression hardened.

“You have been walking through an unstable magical region, suffered magical hallucinations, and just fought an animated dragon skeleton.”

Joey paused.

“When you put it that way…”

Cassandra leaned against Joey.

“I believe we're entitled to some healing.”

Behemoth nodded.

“Come here.”

Golden light surrounded his hands.

He placed one hand against Joey's shoulder.

Warmth spread through him.

The pain slowly began disappearing.

The cut above his eyebrow closed.

His breathing became easier.

Joey exhaled.

“That is much better.”

Behemoth moved to Cassandra.

He placed his hand against her shoulder.

Golden light flowed through her.

The cuts on her body slowly closed.

Cassandra closed her eyes.

“Thank you.”

Behemoth nodded.

“You will need your strength.”

Joey looked toward the path ahead.

“The flower?”

Behemoth nodded.

“We are close.”

They continued.

The terrain slowly changed.

The enormous dragon bones became smaller.

The mist returned, but this time it was thin and harmless.

Joey noticed something growing between two ancient vertebrae.

At first, he thought it was another strange piece of vegetation.

Then he saw the glow.

He stopped.

“Behemoth.”

Behemoth turned.

“What is it?”

Joey pointed.

Cassandra stepped beside him.

The three of them stared.

Growing from the remains of an enormous ancient dragon was a single flower.

Its stem was dark and twisted, growing directly through the dragon's ancient bones.

The blossom itself was magnificent.

Its petals shimmered with a faint golden-blue light, as though tiny stars were trapped inside them.

A soft magical glow illuminated the surrounding bones.

Behemoth's expression changed.

“The Dragon's Grave Bloom.”

Joey stared at it.

After everything they had endured to reach it, the flower looked almost impossibly beautiful.

And for the first time since they had entered the graveyard—

Joey felt hope.