Magic Lost: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Novel (Touched By Magic: Dragon Book 3)

by Ashley Meira

  The dragonling mewled once more and bumped my fingers, nuzzling into them to get back some of the attention I’d taken away. I expected to be chomped in half right there, but the mother dragon simply stared at me like before, giving me another languid blink before stepping back and taking a seat in the water.

  My neck strained at the angle, but I managed to keep my eyes trained on the dragon. Moving didn’t feel like the smart choice, so I stayed there in my half-sitting, half-laying down position in the shallow waters.

  The peace lasted all of three seconds, when I felt Adam’s magic flare the way it did whenever he shifted. His tousled brown hair appeared through the trees a moment later, but the shadows allowed him to blend in with the tree trunks on this side as easily as the dragoness had blended into the foliage on the other. But he couldn’t hide his scent, and the dragon rose to her feet with a huff, electricity sparking from her nostrils.

  “Stay down!” I said. “Just play dead or something. They’re not going to hurt me.”

  Or so I hoped. They didn’t appear to mean any harm. Was it because I was female, or because I couldn’t turn into a giant, magical predator? The thought occurred that they were saving me to eat later, but even with all I’d stuffed down my throat today, I was still leaner than Adam.

  “Hey!” a feminine voice called a few paces north from where he was hiding.

  The dragoness spat a ball of lighting at her, singeing the ground I could see. What I couldn’t see was the woman who’d called out. My blood ran cold at the thought of the dragoness killing her, but a soft groan soothed my worries.

  “Are you okay?” I cast a glance at the dragoness, but she didn’t even look at me.

  “Yeah,” the girl groaned. She sounded young, but not particularly hurt. Her distance didn’t appear to make the dragoness any happier, but she remained seated by her children.

  “That’s the dragon’s nesting area,” she continued. “You need to come over here. I don’t know why you’re okay now, but she sounded really mad earlier. You don’t want her to change her mind again.”

  I wanted to tell the stranger she hadn’t changed her mind at all, but for all I knew, this could have been another part of being Fireborn. We were supposedly descended from dragons, after all. I didn’t want to give anyone more ammunition toward me than I had to.

  As if reading my thoughts, the rest of the dragonlings swarmed me once more, their tiny mouths tugging at my hair and nipping at my fingers. They began wrestling each other over who got to be pet next, forming a battle royale by my knees.

  “Adam,” I called. “Go to the voice. I’ll try to get free.”

  I caught sight of his displeased frown before he vanished into the trees. If I had any illusions that the dragoness didn’t know their locations, they were quickly dashed as I noticed her golden orbs following the movements Adam would have taken to reach our supposed savior.

  “Bane!” the girl called. “Thank goodness you’re here—”

  Could the girl be Charlotte? I supposed it should have been obvious, but considering the circumstances, I was entitled to be a bit off my game. I couldn’t hear Bane’s reply, but his voice was deep and displeased.

  He stepped out a moment later, his long red hair and robes a stark contrast to the deep greens and vibrant blues of the forest. He was thin enough that his robes hung slightly, making it hard to distinguish the patterns weaved along the cloth in gold thread. His long nose and full lips gave him a distinctly regal look, and the sharpness of his emerald green eyes made me shrink back. Despite his youthful appearance — he appeared twenty-six, tops — I got the feeling he was very old.

  My Fire stirred, but I didn’t sense any magic from him. Edward hadn’t mentioned whether or not he was a mage. Why why would anyone choose to live here without magic, though? Something gnawed at me as he glided closer. His movements were like an ocean wave, elegant yet powerful.

  He stopped a few feet from the dragoness and tilted his long neck to regard her, causing his red ponytail to flow behind him like a stream of lava. The dragon huffed and bent down until they were at eye level. His long fingers traced over her forehead down to her muzzle before he whispered a few words. The dragoness huffed once more and turned toward me.

  Panic welled up inside me before simmering down as she began nudging her children back toward where they’d come. Considering that was the path we’d taken to get here, I really hoped Bane knew another way to exit the sanctuary.

  “Well?” Bane arched a pointed eyebrow in my direction, his eyes drifting down my drenched form as I brushed my hair from my face. Had it held a more flamboyant lilt, I’d have confused his deep, aristocratic voice with Symeon’s. Of course, Symeon didn’t have an English accent. “Are you going to lie there all day?”

  Yelling interrupted my reply, and we both hurried to the source. Unlike me, Bane had no problem maintaining his sophisticated gait while his robes were wet. Then again, I was soaked from head to toe, and the water had barely reached his knees.

  “What the hell were you thinking?!” Adam yelled at the cowering girl in front of us. Though I could only see their profiles, I recognized Charlotte instantly. She looked exactly like she did in her pictures, save for the bloody knee and singed arm. “You could have gotten yourself killed going up to that dragon! And what the hell are you doing here? Why haven’t you called my— your—” Adam cut off with a growl. “Our father?”

  Charlotte turned toward us when we arrived, though Adam was too busy scolding her to pay any attention. Facing us made the scar he’d left her all those years ago visible, and I had to bite back a gasp. Most of her photos were from the waist up, so I’d only seen the scar on her neck leading up to her chin. But now, in her low-ride cargo shorts and tank top, I realized the damage was much worse than that. A deep, jagged line peeked out from the bottom of her shorts, trailing up her thigh, across the right side of her torso, and all the way up to her chin. There were smaller scars stretching out from the main one like cracks in the earth, and I knew Adam had struck her with a bolt of lighting.

  Of course, Charlotte had had this scar for almost five years, so it wasn’t a concern for her. What did seem to be bothering her was the giant guy yelling at her for trying to help. Her wide brown eyes were watery, and I swore I saw her lower lip quivering. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the ground, tensing further with every word he said.

  “Adam,” I said in a calm but firm voice. “It’s okay. She’s safe. Everybody is safe. Let’s just take a breath.”

  He glowered at me, but his expression softened when he realized what was happening. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m good.” I grinned, wiggling my fingers at him. “I still have all my extremities, and we found Charlotte. You are Charlotte, right? And you’re okay?”

  The girl nodded, a small smile brightening up her tanned complexion. “I’m okay. I get hit by lots of magic on the job.”

  Adam’s brows shot up. “What?”

  “Magical traps and stuff,” she stuttered, stepping away from him. “From temples and—”

  “Yes, yes,” Bane said, his features twisted up in impatience. “She’s clumsy, and you’re overprotective. We get it. Who are you, and why are you trespassing?”

  “Do you have a permit to live here?” Adam said with a frown. His magic was sizzling around him, and I was worried he’d set a nearby bush on fire. “Otherwise, you’re trespassing, too.”

  “I’m Sophia,” I said before things could get out of hand. “This is Adam. Charlotte’s father hired us to find her.”

  Charlotte’s formed a small ‘o’ shape. “Us?”

  “Well, me, but Adam decided to tag along.”

  Adam gave me a flat look, clearly unimpressed with my storytelling skills.

  “And why are you here?” Bane asked dryly. “How did you know where to find her?”

  “Edward Volkias,” Adam said. “He told us she visited them and they sent her to you.”

  “Of course,”
Bane muttered bitterly. “That man needs to learn restraint. I live here for a reason, and it’s certainly not because I enjoy company.”

  “Why do you live here?” Adam asked.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  Our questions came out at the same time, though mine was directed toward Charlotte. Bane answered them both.

  “My reasons are my own,” he told Adam with a sneer. “And you can learn all you want about Charlotte while you’re returning her to her father.”

  “Hey!” Charlotte huffed. “I am not property.”

  “No, but you are lost, and they are here to return you.” Bane sighed at the girl’s petulant look. “I doubt your father would send people who are incapable of protecting you. They’re sure to be fine bodyguards, so you don’t need to hide out here anymore.”

  “I didn’t come here to hide,” she whined. “I came to ask about the wreath!”

  “And once you had your answers and went to leave, you ran back here with trouble on your tail, asking for protection.” He waved at us dismissively, casting me a quick, appraising look. “Now, you have it. Go with them, and let me continue my retirement in peace.”

  “You gave me nothing helpful and ushered me out,” Charlotte called after him. “Getting attacked wasn’t my fault!”

  Bane ignored her and continued down the path. I should have let him go. After all, I had who I came for, and he clearly wanted to be left alone. But my Fire stirred in his magic-less presence, and I couldn’t help feeling there was more to this mysterious hermit that met the eye.

  “Wait,” I called. Even if I came back later, it’d take me hours, if not days to find him again. The dragons might not attack me, but he had no magic for me to track, and this place was huge. “I—”

  White flashes interrupted me. Magic. I didn’t move. I was too caught off-guard and not worried enough about the impact. Turns out, I should have been worried, because the shards of ice cut into my skin like those dragonling’s teeth had.

  “What are you doing?” Charlotte demanded. Despite her outrage, she eyed me warily and stepped closer to Bane. I didn’t blame her for the suspicion — she knew him better. She gave Adam a sad look before asking Bane, “Do you think they’re with that guy?”

  “No,” he said with an elegant shrug. “I saw her ring and wanted to test a theory.”

  Instinctively, I reached for the ruby ring on my left thumb. For someone with incoming money trouble — depending on how this job went — it was a pretty expensive item to have. I’d discovered it in a drawer with my name on it while I was escaping from Nicholas’ castle. The ruby was the size of my thumb and rested on a platinum band inscribed with ancient writing. Its design matched closely to the Gem of Anathasia, a teleportation gem that had belonged to one of the first Fireborn. Before learning about the Gem from Damien, I had no idea my ring was related to Fireborns at all. Either way, it was the only connection I had to my past.

  And Bane knew what it was.

  “Really?” I growled, staring at the bleeding cuts on my arms. The ability to hide his magic, the way Charlotte’s had cut off, his knowledge of my ring, even that thing with the dragon…. There was only one conclusion. “You could have taken me aside and asked — or noticed that you can’t track my magic.”

  He arched a brow. “Who says I can’t trace your magic?”

  “I do.” The words left my lips before I could think on them, but I figured it was better than gaping at him wordlessly.

  Adam placed an arm around my shoulder and pulled me back before telling Charlotte, “Let’s go.”

  “I don’t get it,” Charlotte’s brow furrowed as she looked between us. “What’s going on?”

  Bane held my incensed gaze. “She’s Fireborn.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Charlotte blinked, her doe-y eyes shifting between us. A tense silence seeped into the area. Magic permeated the air, but I couldn’t tell if it was mine or Adam’s. Hopefully mine, because at least my magic could hurt him.

  If he truly was Fireborn. Despite my claims, I had no idea if my theory was correct. But if it was, then only another Fireborn’s magic could hurt him. We couldn’t absorb each other’s magic — I’d learned that a few weeks ago when Diana hit me with a spell that had me seeing stars. It was an interesting revelation, though nowhere near as huge as learning that she was my twin.

  “Oh,” Charlotte finally said before taking a deep breath. “Then heal her, you jerk! You don’t just randomly attack people like that. And she’s right: you could have just asked.”

  “Yes,” Bane said dryly, an arched brow his only reaction. “Because Fireborn readily admit their heritage these days. We haven’t walked with our faces in the sun for centuries, and I don’t foresee that changing any time soon.”

  She planted her hands on her hips in a pose so like Fiona’s I had to double-check her hair hadn’t turned red. “How would you like it if I attacked you to see if you were Fireborn?”

  “You’d miss.”

  Charlotte let out a growl of frustration and jabbed a finger at me. “Heal her!”

  “What the hell is going on?” Adam mused in my ear, his face adorably perplexed. I’d never seen him so confused, and I took a moment to enjoy how cute he looked. “Is he Fireborn? His magic is insanely well hidden.”

  “Yeah, until he attacked me,” I muttered. “And yes, I’m pretty sure he’s Fireborn — among other things.”

  Bane cleared his throat, and I looked up to see him standing beside me. “Your arms.”

  “I can heal her,” Adam said, pulling me back.

  “No, you can’t,” Charlotte interrupted. “Bane’s the one who hurt her, so he’s the one who has to heal her. He has to take responsibility for his actions.”

  Adam’s grip on me tightened as she repeated his father’s words. He pursed his lips but nodded, his eyes never leaving Bane.

  “Very well,” Bane muttered with a roll of his eyes.

  “I’m sure you must have a lot of questions,” Charlotte said kindly as Bane healed my cuts. His attack wasn’t meant to impair, so the scratches healed easily. “Why don’t we discuss this over a cup of tea?”

  “You mean my tea?” Bane said, annoyance marring his flawless porcelain face. “In my house?”

  Charlotte looked at him like he was asking her what color the sky was. “Yeah.”

  With that, she turned on her heel and walked farther into the jungle, leaving us to follow. Bane did so after letting out a disgruntled sigh, and Adam followed soon after. I lingered for a moment, staring at Bane’s ruby red mane with sympathy. Apparently, it wasn’t limited to the men — all Pierces did whatever they wanted.

  For a hermit in the forest, Bane had a pretty nice home. It was more of a mansion really, nestled within one of the lower mountains and made entirely of the reddened stone that seeped into the rock around here.

  While the outside was almost unassuming, with a garden innocuous enough to be confused for a wild gathering of flora, the inside radiated overwhelming opulence. The stone walls were barely visible underneath all the antiques hanging on them. The furniture looked equally old, the dark wood polished to a fine sheen. Ornate Persian rugs covered the stone floors and elaborate chandeliers cast a soft light on us from above. How had he managed to get all of this in here?

  We were in the sitting room, sipping our tea from expensive-looking china as Charlotte told her story. I wanted to ask for coffee instead since we’d need our energy. The drive to Goliki had taken an hour, and getting Charlotte back home would take even longer. But based on how long she’d been here, I didn’t think she planned on leaving any time soon.

  Which meant I should probably be listening to what she was saying. I’d tuned out when she’d started explaining how she discovered the wreath in the first place and hadn’t found the interest to tune back in.

  Maybe it was a mercenary thing — most of us did jobs back-to-back throughout the day, trying to scrounge up as much cash as we could to tide
us over during leaner times. Volume was key when you weren’t getting paid a higher salary like the Guild’s top-tier mages. “Do the job and get paid” was our unofficial motto. In this case, the job was to find Charlotte. And since the getting paid part was all I had left, I found her story more boring than perhaps I should have.

  Especially considering this unforeseen turn of events. No offense to Charlotte, but she wasn’t interesting compared to meeting another Fireborn, one who apparently knew about my ring — and possibly plenty more. The way he spoke certainly made me think that, and there was no way he was as young as he looked. Bane was an enormous mystery I couldn’t even begin to figure out, and at the moment, I didn’t care about anything else.

  “Ow!” I glared at Adam. The jerk had pinched me, and if it hadn’t been for the confused set of brown eyes sitting across from us, I’d have set his hair on fire. “You were almost bald.”

  “Huh?” Charlotte asked.

  “Nothing.” I turned my attention back to her as best I could, which was probably what Adam wanted in the first place. “Please, continue.”

  “Well, I finally tracked the wreath down to Ikaria, Greece. It took an extra month of excavating, but I finally recovered it. The wreath was hidden deep underground, almost out of reach thanks to the heat. It was located underneath one of the islands famed thermal pools.”

  Adam’s brow furrowed. “Underneath a thermal pool?”

  “Very underneath,” I said.

  I’d had to search around somewhere like that once for Symeon. Deep underground was putting it lightly. It took me five weeks to find what I was looking for, and by then, the tunnels I’d created were so far beneath the earth that I wouldn’t have been surprised to find China if I dug a few more feet. And the heat had been excruciating. By human standards, at least. I had begun to feel the familiar comfort of a very hot bath that usually only happened when I touched lava. I was surprised she’d gotten to the wreath at all, let alone survived.