Destroyer of Magic (The Dragon's Apprentice)

Destroyer of Magic (The Dragon's Apprentice)

Read the third book in the hilarious series that began with the New York Times bestselling The Dragon's Apprentice! Adventure and laughs continue as Scorch the dragon and his human apprentice Ciara face the wrath of the Emperor, unravel new secrets and save magic itself. Citizens of the Draconic Empire! Thanks to your beloved Emperor, the criminal Ciara of Skael has been dealt with, in spite of summoning world-ending Revenants. He has also taken the dragon Scorch into his care, in order to free Scorch's mind of any remaining Revenant influence. The Empire is safe! Of course, there are still enemies out there. The Emperor's son, Prince Aiden, seems to be acting suspiciously. Could you imagine if the prince was somehow working with Ciara of Skael to find her dragon, and overthrow the Emperor? Thankfully the Emperor would never allow such things to happen. No, instead he will turn his eyes toward an even bigger enemy: the Dragon Mage's opposite, a monster masquerading as a human who could destroy magic once and for all. Will even the Emperor be able to defeat such an enemy? Of course, he's the Emperor ... but we might still hide in our beds until it's over. James Riley is the New York Times bestselling author of the STORY THIEVES, HALF UPON A TIME, ONCE UPON ANOTHER TIME, REVENGE OF MAGIC, and DRAGON’S APPRENTICE series. He’s never apprenticed with a dragon . . . yet . He’s pretty sure there’s still time, though, especially if he could do it as an online video apprenticeship sort of thing. Does that exist? If not, it should: Learn Magic over Zoom (and Try Not to Burn Down Your House)! Chapter One Love is weakness. True strength lies in power. —­Cillian of Braeg No. We’re not doing this. Not Cillian quotes. I refuse. I’ll find someone else, another journal, whatever it takes. NO. —­Ciara of Skael The moment the Emperor’s magic deposited them in his palace, Ciara knew she was in trouble. Okay, yes, she’d known that before. It wasn’t like she could have out-­magicked Aiden, let alone his father. But when the Emperor had cast his spell back in Skael, he’d been riding on Scorch’s back, having used mind control magic on the dragon. But when they arrived, Scorch was gone , sent to some other part of the palace . . . or worse, somewhere else completely. Ciara tightened her grip on Aiden’s hand nervously, just thankful she was still invisible. But she didn’t have the energy to keep the spell going forever, and she could already feel the exhaustion coming on. “Home sweet home,” the Emperor said, glancing around as he flicked a smudge of dirt off his dragon-­inspired armor. “Skael just has a stink to it that stays with you for days, doesn’t it, Aiden?” The prince nodded. “You’re right, Your Majesty. The farms especially had quite an odor.” Ciara’s grip on his hand tightened out of irritation now, though she knew he was just saying what his father wanted to hear. Aiden had almost turned on the Emperor back in Skael, and only stopped when he’d realized Ciara hadn’t actually been burned by dragonfire. “I should clean up, then, if it pleases you . . . Father,” the prince said, pausing before the last word. Ciara realized this was his way of asking to be alone, which she appreciated, since she couldn’t keep up the invisibility spell forever. She squeezed his hand in thanks. “Yes, please do,” the Emperor said, wrinkling his nose with disgust as he turned to look at his son. A chill went down Ciara’s spine as his gaze passed right through her; he didn’t seem to have noticed anything wrong. “But not by magic,” the Emperor continued. “Not anymore.” The prince stiffened. “What do you mean, Your Majesty? I don’t understand.” The Emperor dug the armored tips of his gloves into Aiden’s shoulders, and the prince winced in pain. “The Revenants can be tricky, my son. What if they wormed their way into your mind so deeply that I can’t sense them? For the good of the Empire, I cannot allow you to use any magic whatsoever until such time as I’m satisfied you haven’t been turned against me—­against our people , I meant.” “. . . A wise decision, Father,” Aiden said, nodding respectfully, though now it was his turn to tighten his grip on Ciara’s hand. “I’ll just take a bath, then. It’s been a while, but I’m sure I can get it going. If you’ll excuse me—­” A smile slowly crept across the Emperor’s horrible face. “We aren’t done.” He removed his hands from the prince’s shoulders—­Aiden shuddered in relief—­and quickly drew a Draconic word that Ciara didn’t recognize. A chain with a crystal on it appeared in his previously empty hand, and the Emperor held it out to his son. “Put this on in place of your Seeing Stone. I won’t be able to see through it, but it will alert me if you use any magic, no matter how small. Oh, and it will also warn me if you attempt to remove it or go anywhere other than your quarters here without my approval. If any of those things happen, then I will know the Revenants have you, and