"That's our mark?" Luke turned to me, mouth agape. "You want us to fight that?"
"You were fine before you saw it was ninth-level," I mumbled, gripping him a little tighter.
He gave me a flat look, and I shrank back a bit. "You're saying you still want to fight it?"
"Look." I gestured toward the city, where the dragon rolled through the sky like a ribbon blowing in the wind.
"I just see death."
"No, the streets, the markets, the countryside. There's no black mist anywhere. The dragon absorbed it all."
Luke gasped, the realization dawning. "He's rolled the dice. He doesn't think we can defeat the dragon."
"No, that's not it. I think he just knows we would defeat him and his liches if he didn't do this. Connor must think this is his only shot." I turned to my guard. "Jenna, please use your ability and reach out to the other teams. Tell them to move now."
