by Rachel Aaron
“He would,” she said, reaching up to rub her forehead with a wince. “Though that does explain why I had Chelsie’s hammer of a knockout spell on me. She never could learn finesse when it came to magic.”
“It was for our protection,” Julius said. “You started freaking out when I mentioned taking you to the mountain.”
Amelia’s face fell. “Did they tell you why?”
He nodded, and she sighed. “I don’t know why I bother,” she grumbled. “I should probably just kill her and take the stupid clan at this point. It’s certainly what she’s always expected of me, but…”
“But you can’t,” Julius finished.
Amelia shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong. Bethesda deserves whatever I can give her, but if I do it, I’d have to be the Heartstriker, and eff that.”
“Why?” Julius asked, genuinely curious.
“Uh, because running a dragon clan is like trying to ride herd on hundreds of fire-breathing, sociopathic cats who all want to murder me?” Amelia said, like this should be the most obvious thing ever. “I’ve told Mother as much a thousand times, but she can’t see past her own paranoia.” She snorted. “Not that I’m any better.”
“What do you mean?” Julius asked.
“I mean that the cynical part of me wants to believe that whole conversation with Mother just now was all for my benefit,” she said, looking him straight in the face. “It’s a good setup. I’d hear you defending me, finally learn to trust, and then bam,” she clapped her hands together, “down comes the hammer.”
“B-but it wasn’t!” Julius stuttered, horrified. “I didn’t! I…”
He faded off, feeling like a fool. He had no idea what he could say that would convince someone who’d been rightfully paranoid her whole life that he was being sincere. But while Julius was thrashing his brain to come up with something that would prove he wasn’t in league with their mother, Amelia just lay back with a smile.
“Like I said, that’s what the cynical part of me thinks, but I’m sick of being cynical. I’m tired of assuming everyone wants to do me in. Basically, I’m tired of acting like Bethesda, so I’m not going to.” She put up her hands. “I quit. You’re not that good a liar, anyway, and Mother didn’t sound like she was faking those death threats.”
“So you believe me?” he asked hopefully.
Amelia shrugged. “That depends. You never did answer me when I asked if you meant what you said about not selling me out?”
Julius nodded, and her face grew grim. “Why?’
“Because selling out one family member to your mother so you can save another is awful!” he cried, exasperated. “Maybe I watched too much human television growing up, but I’ve always assumed that not killing your own family was kind of a given.”
“Depends on who’s doing the giving,” Amelia said with a wry smile. “Okay, okay, easy tiger. I believe you.”
Julius blinked. “Really?”
She nodded. “I guess this means I owe you an apology.”
“No, no, it’s all right,” he said quickly. “Most people don’t believe me the first time.” Katya certainly hadn’t, but Amelia was shaking her head.
“Not about that,” she said. “I’m not sorry I didn’t believe you right off, that’s just common sense. But I am sorry for how I treated you.” She looked away. “I thought you were a fool and a coward. At the party, I was having fun stringing you along because you were a cute kid, but when you went to try and help Katya, I just thought you were stupid. Why would anyone try so hard to save a clan that treated them like dirt? I thought you were too naive for words, and that meant you didn’t deserve nice things, especially not a human mage of Marci’s caliber.” She glanced back at him. “I tried to steal her from you, you know.”
He couldn’t have heard that right. “You did?”
“‘Try’ is the operative word there,” Amelia said, laughing. “I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. You two didn’t have a prayer of defeating Vann Jeger without me, and Marci was smart enough to know it, so I told her I’d save you both if she came to work for me.”
Julius had to fist his hands to keep them from shaking. “And did she agree?”
“No,” Amelia said, almost making him collapse in relief. “Though it wasn’t from lack of trying on my part. I sweetened the deal like you wouldn’t believe, but she still turned me down flat. At first, I thought it was because she was being an idiot, too, falling for a dragon’s charms, but now I get it. Marci isn’t stupid or weak, and neither are you. You’re nice. Actually nice, even when people don’t deserve it, even when you probably shouldn’t be, and I’m just contrary enough to find that inspiring.”
Now Julius knew she was messing with him. “Really?”
Amelia’s look grew grim. “You’re not the only dragon who hates the way things are,” she said. “I don’t regret my years on the planes. I got stronger out there than I ever could have here, but…”
She stopped with a long sigh, running her hands through her bloody hair. “Can you imagine what it’s like to be exiled from your own home? To never be able to even drop by for a visit without being terrified that your mother will make one of the few siblings you actually care about try to kill you? And it’s not like I’m a special case. Every Heartstriker has suffered under Bethesda. But unlike the rest of the clan, who’re willing to put up with anything to keep their seat on the Heartstriker ride to the top, I’m sick of being afraid. I’m done putting up with this, Julius, and from the sound of things just now, so are you. If that doesn’t put us on the same side, I don’t know what does.”
Julius was so shocked by his sister’s words, he didn’t notice she was moving her hand until she’d stuck it right out in front of her, magic sparking from her fingertips. “What’s that?”
Amelia arched an eyebrow. “What does it look like? I’m offering you a life debt.”
“What?” he cried. “Why?”
“Gee, I don’t know,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Maybe because you saved my life? That’s generally how these things work. You could have sold me out to Mother half a dozen times just now, but you didn’t. I’m pretty sure that counts.”
Julius hadn’t thought about it that way, but now that Amelia said it, the thought of her listening while he yelled at their mother made him blush from his chest to his ears. “I’m honored,” he said. “Really, thank you very much, but I can’t accept.”
Amelia looked at him like he was insane. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t like being in debt, and I try not to do things to other people that I don’t enjoy myself.”
That sounded kind of corny even to him, but the Planeswalker just shook her head. “You really are something, aren’t you? I thought Bob was playing a joke on us when he chose you, but now I get it. You’re the anti-dragon.”
Julius winced. “Thank you?”
“It was meant as a compliment,” she assured him, shaking the sparkling magic off her fingers. “But if you won’t accept my debt, I don’t know what to do. It’s not like I can leave this hanging. I might not be a particularly honorable dragon, but I do have some standards.” She frowned, thinking. “Maybe we could enter a pact of service for the next year?”
That sounded even worse than a life debt. “What if we just agreed to be friends?”
From the look on Amelia’s face, you’d have thought he’d suggested they swallow frogs. “Why would we do that?”
“Because friends help each other without obligation,” Julius explained ruefully. “And, all debts aside, I could really use some help right now.”
“You need a lot more than help,” Amelia said with a snort, but her expression was thoughtful. “So even after hearing about the whole planning to kill you and steal your mortal thing, you still want to be my friend?”
This was the first Julius had heard of killing, but he nodded anyway. “I’ve gotten over worse, and Marci’s not my mortal, anyway. Though I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t try that
again.”
“Nah,” Amelia said. “If she wouldn’t dump you for a library, I’ve got nothing. Though, as your friend, I would get to stick around her.” That must have been the deciding factor, because Amelia’s face brightened immediately. “Okay, you’ve got a deal.” She stuck out her hand again, without magic this time. “Let’s be friends.”
“Deal,” Julius said happily, shaking on it. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
“Speak for yourself,” Amelia grumbled. “I just gave up any chance of ever getting your mage. Not that I’m an expert on this stuff, but I’m given to understand that friends don’t steal friends’ girls.”
Something about the way she said that struck Julius as odd, and since they were friends now, he went ahead and asked. “What’s so special about Marci?”
Amelia looked at him in appalled horror, and Julius scrambled to backtrack. “Don’t get me wrong! I think she’s amazing!” Understatement of the year. “But I don’t understand why you’re so determined to have her as your human.”
“What’s to understand?” Amelia said with a shrug. “I like humans. I particularly like the females, and Marci’s pretty freaking cute. She’s also talented, ambitious, smart, has a lead on a Kosmolabe, and she has the guts to turn my own ultimatums around on me. How could I not want her all to myself?”
That wasn’t what Julius had expected her to say, but he couldn’t argue with his sister’s logic. “So what about Ghost? You seemed really excited about him this morning.”
“He’s the icing on the cake,” Amelia said, folding her arms behind her head with an unsettling grin. “Suffice it to say we’re on the cusp of great things. Assuming we don’t all die tonight, your human might just be the world’s first Merlin.”
Julius frowned. “The world’s first what?”
Amelia opened her mouth to explain, but before she could begin, her eyes went wide. A few seconds later, Julius understood why. A wonderful scent was drifting on the air, followed by the even better sound of Marci unlocking the front door. When she came into the room a moment later, she was carrying four of the most delicious smelling bags on the planet and a pair of condensation-soaked plastic milk jugs filled with bright green frozen slush.
“Oh good,” she said, beaming at the two of them. “You’re up.”
Amelia nodded, but her eyes were locked on the milk jugs. “Are those…?”
Marci held them up with a grin. “Margaritas.”
And that was when Julius learned frozen drinks really could raise people from the dead.
Chapter 14
Amelia finished the first jug of margaritas in under a minute, chugging the entire gallon container without even pausing for breath. Marci had the second jug ready by the time she finished, along with a bag of tacos, earning herself a look of pure, unabashed love from the Planeswalker.
“You are the Best. Human. Ever.”
“I try,” Marci said with a smirk, handing a bag to Julius, who also dug in. “But shouldn’t you take it easy? Your stomach might still have extra holes in it.”
“I’ll be fine,” Amelia said, shoving a taco into her mouth and washing it down with another glug of alcoholic frozen slush. “Have you seen a dragon eat?”
“Fair point,” Marci said, walking down the hall to the kitchen to grab a chair. “So what did I miss?”
Julius started to answer, but his sister beat him to it. “Bethesda tried to blackmail Julius into selling me out, so he rage quit the clan.”
Marci ran back into the room. “Really?”
Julius made a face. “It didn’t go quite like—”
“It was awesome,” Amelia interrupted. “He pretty much told her to take her clan and shove it. I’ve never been so proud!” She stuck another taco into her mouth, eating it in one bite. “I tried to give him a life debt for it, but he apparently hates getting the best debt on the planet, so now we’re just BFFFLs.”
“BFFFLs?” Marci repeated, bewildered.
Amelia shrugged. “I don’t know the modern slang, but basically it means I’m joining Team Nice Dragon. Looks like we’ll be working together after all!”
Marci crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought you said you didn’t share?”
“I don’t,” Amelia said, nodding at her brother. “But, apparently, he does. But that’s all water under the bridge now, right?”
Marci looked at Julius, who smiled. “I can only speak for myself, but I bear no grudge against Amelia, and I’m always happy to have a friend.”
“Spoken like a true Julius,” Marci said with a sigh. “Fine, I’m in too, but I still want access to your library and I want you to tell me everything you know about Mortal Spirits.” She smiled sweetly. “No secrets between friends, right?”
Amelia laughed. “Eyes on the prize as always. I knew I liked you.” She emptied the last of the tacos into her mouth and crumpled the bag, tossing it into the trashcan across the room for a perfect three-point-shot before offering her hand to Marci. “You’ve got a deal, but it’ll have to wait. It’s almost noon already, which means we’ve only got seven hours and change before sunset.”
Marci’s expression turned grim as she shook the dragon’s hand. “So what do we do now? We’ve already determined that breaking my curse is impossible, and you’re too injured to fight. What options do we have left?”
“The obvious one,” Julius said solemnly. “We go and face him.”
They both whirled around to stare at him. “But,” Marci said at last. “Isn’t that exactly what you’ve been saying we shouldn’t do?”
“It is,” he said, nodding. “But the situation’s changed. Vann Jeger has another hostage now: Justin.”
Marci’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. “How did that happen?”
Julius looked back down at his food. Marci’s opinion of Justin was bad enough without hearing about how his brother had charged into Reclamation Land rather than let Amelia hog the glory of defeating Vann Jeger. Her question deserved an answer, though, so he stuck to the best possible interpretation of events. “He tried to get the jump on Vann Jeger and got caught.”
“And your family isn’t up in arms to save him?” she asked, confused. “I thought he was a big deal in Heartstriker?”
“No one’s a big enough deal for Bethesda to inconvenience herself,” Amelia said bitterly.
“Mother doesn’t think he’s worth the risk of running an assault on Algonquin,” Julius explained. “She did offer to save him, but only if I told her where Amelia was, which I wasn’t willing to do.”
“Wow,” Marci said. “No wonder you told her to go jump in a lake. Good job, Julius.”
Julius stared at her in wonder. After so many years of being told everything he valued was wrong and weak, it was hard to wrap his head around how much it meant to him that Marci thought he’d made the right decision. He wanted to stop there and just enjoy the feeling, but time was ticking down, so he forced himself to move on.
“Strategically, the rescue angle makes things more complicated,” he said quickly, clearing his throat against the sudden tightness. “Mother said he’s still alive, but I can’t imagine Algonquin will let him stay that way once she realizes Bethesda isn’t going to bargain. If we’re going to have a chance at saving him, it has to be tonight.”
“But how?” Marci asked. “He’s Algonquin’s prisoner, right? It’s not like Vann Jeger’s going to show up to the fight with a captured dragon in tow. How will fighting him change Justin’s situation?”
“Because that’s how we get leverage,” Julius replied. “Algonquin’s only keeping Justin alive to wring concessions out of Bethesda. Concessions we already know she’s not going to give. The second Algonquin realizes this, Justin’s toast, so if we want to keep him alive past that point, we have to figure out a way to give his life value beyond his status as a Heartstriker. The easiest way to do that is to have something to trade for him. Something Algonquin wants more than killing a dragon.”
“And it just so happe
ns that her most prized hunter is headed right for us,” Amelia finished with a bloodthirsty smile. “Not bad, Baby-J. Not bad.”
“Hold up,” Marci said. “Maybe I’m not following, but it sounds an awful lot like your plan is to defeat Vann Jeger and ransom him back to Algonquin in exchange for Justin?”
Julius nodded. “That’s exactly my plan. Vann Jeger’s a spirit, which means he can’t technically be killed, but he can be defeated. It’s like Justin said earlier: Vann Jeger might be strong, but he’s also a long way from home. Whatever he’s using for power here, it’s not his actual domain, which means there has to be a limit. If we can make him use up his local reserve, he’ll have no choice but to flee back to his fjord in Norway.” He glanced at his sister. “How long do you think it would take Vann Jeger to recover if we forced him to retreat?”
“For a spirit his size?” Amelia pursed her lips, doing the math in her head. “Five years, minimum. Realistically, probably more like ten to get back up to full power after a total defeat.”
That was even better than Julius had hoped. “There’s no way Algonquin wants to be without her dragon hunter for ten years,” he said excitedly. “That has to be more valuable than Justin! If we can just find a way of making Vann Jeger use up all his local magic, but stop just short of actually forcing him to retreat, we can barter his continued usefulness in the DFZ for my brother’s life and get the curse off Marci’s neck in the process. It’s a win-win!”
“That’s a pretty big if,” Amelia said. “Not to rain on your parade, but how are you planning on making Vann Jeger fight that hard? You’re not exactly a combat powerhouse, and he’s clearly not lacking for magic here in the city. What are you going to do to him that’ll make him go so ballistic, he’ll have to run home for a refill?”
“I haven’t actually worked that part out yet,” Julius admitted sheepishly. “How were you going to defeat him?”
