Backyard Dragons by Lee French Page A

jerk.” If she could just do this in her bedroom, things might be easier. Or from the safety of home. Including Justin seemed like a good idea. All three of them would be able to take down Caius in a snap.
    “Relax, Claire.” Rondy had also said this a few times already. “Your nerves will only get in the way of success. Breathe in and out. Focus on steadying yourself.”
    Once more, Claire took a deep breath and let it out slowly through her nose. Enion paused in his pacing and did the same.
    “He will see this as important. Right?”
    “Caius’s primary concern is the well-being of the Knights as a whole.” Rondy smiled down at her. “If you keep thinking about everywhere you’d rather be than facing him, it’s going to take us a very long time to get there. My will is strong, but not strong enough to override your contradictory urges.”
    “Sorry.” Claire pictured the small room she’d used before and forced herself to want to be there.
    Rondy stopped her in front of a small room and squeezed her shoulder. “Excellent. Now you only have to focus yourself on wanting to do the one thing you don’t want to do.” He pushed her through the archway and followed her, offering no avenue of escape. Once inside, he held out his hand and the stone folded in to cover the only exit.
    Pressing down on her shoulder, he urged her to turn and face him. White light flared above his head. He smiled, reminding Claire of her father leaving her at school for the first time.
    “Claire, we’re going to be fine. Believe that and it’ll be true. Remember, this is a place where your mind makes things happen, not your muscles. If you want to succeed, you have to know in your heart that you will.”
    “Right.” Focusing on her mind seemed impossible when her stomach churned. Eating that sandwich had been a bad idea. If she threw up before seeing Caius, would Rondy be able to wash it off with the power of his mind?
    He pulled her down to sit beside him on the floor and draped his arm over her shoulders. “Concentrate on what you want to do. Just like the first time you did this. Breathe and focus.”
    “Sure, it’s that easy,” Claire grumbled.
    “You’ll be fine.” Rondy squeezed her. “I’ll see you on the other side.” He relaxed against the wall and his body went slack.
    “Right, just like that.” Claire snapped her fingers and huffed.
    “Did it before, can do it again!”
    “Yeah.” Claire patted Enion on the head, glad to have him along for this. “Get comfortable. We might be here for a while.”
    The dragon draped himself around her neck, his wings buffeting her as he jostled into place. “Let’s do this.” He sounded so cute and determined.
    Claire took a deep breath, nodded, and closed her eyes. More than anything, she wanted to keep Enion safe. Not having this huge, glaring vulnerability would help. By keeping him safe, she’d also keep Drew safe, and Marie, Missy, and Lisa. No one would get to use Enion. Ever. For anything.
    Leaning against the wall, she pushed aside distracting thoughts about the people in her life and demanded a chance to prove her need to Caius. As before, she suddenly found herself sitting on that precipice with Enion no longer around her neck.
    “It’s a point of weakness, and I don’t see a better way to eliminate that,” Rondy said.
    Caius leaned over Claire and pulled the pendant out of her shirt. “Why not merely destroy the locket? This seems the obvious route.”
    Her heart thumping in panic, Claire grabbed his wrist and raised her dagger. She opened her mouth to protest, but only a tiny squeak came out.
    “That would kill her. You recently deemed her worthy of a Knight’s weapon. It would be a waste. Of all the Knights, you should well know we can’t afford to waste any.”
    Caius tugged on the chain, seeming to weigh the options. “She’s barely able to defend herself.”
    “She’s young. In time, I believe she’ll become one of our most powerful