Danilo's shields collapsed, along with Femke's. And pretty much everyone on the lawn and the steps. Even I fell to my knees, the wards created by the Enforcers dissipating with a pop so loud my ears ached. The drach overhead roared, the earth under me shaking from the volume and pressure of their power.
All but the slim, red and gold Chinese dragon. She tried to run-it had to be Jiao, my struggling mind understood at last-but there was nowhere for her to go. Max dove from the sky while his fellow drach settled around the palace, a ring of giant dragon shapes surrounding everyone, their power containing us. I added mine to theirs as backup, though they really didn't need me. Femke appeared unwilling to fight them and Danilo was just rising from where he'd fallen on the steps. He appeared shaken but unharmed, his face full of sorrow, faint confusion.