The Jade Dragon

by Rowena May O'Sullivan

  Both warlocks once again looked to each other. “So you do know something,” Goran spoke first.

  Zelda shrugged. “I know lots of things. I don’t have to tell you everything. The truth will come out and when it does, it won’t be from you, Aden or me.”

  Goran was well and truly convinced Zelda was hiding something. “Does Anton know there’s more to this story you’re not telling?”

  Zelda palmed her skirt and then her fingers drummed on the material, as if she was considering what to say next. Finally, she lifted her head and fixed her gaze on both of them. “He has his secrets. I have mine. Right now, the most important thing is to get that replica dragon into the courtyard as soon as possible.” She looked to Aden. “Are you nearly finished?”

  “All done, save a couple more spells to duplicate the ones surrounding it before Gregori broke free. Rosa is working on those in the Gallery right now.”

  Zelda smiled her satisfaction. “In that case, my work here is done.” She stood, raised both arms and disappeared in a mini whirlwind before they could ask her anything else.

  Goran turned to Aden. “You’re right. She’s sneaky and she’s definitely hiding something.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gregori went home to his secluded villa in Cabasson on the French Riviera. His home had been cared for in his absence by a married couple and their now-grown children who lived in an adjacent villa. They continued to maintain the gardens and home, unconcerned he had not visited for so long. They knew who and what he was, and not once, in all the years they had worked for him, had they ever broken his trust. In exchange, he provided them and their family with a home and income, just as he’d done for their lineage right back for several centuries.

  This particular villa was purchased in what Gregori would term recent times and when he moved here permanently, his caretakers had moved with him.

  His private vineyard nearby was well managed and he had no desire to alert anyone he was back. Not yet. Not until he was sure he would remain. However, perhaps it was time to visit his lawyer to sign a few papers in case his future, as he wanted, didn’t actually happen according to plan. He would do that in the next few days. But today he returned because his soul demanded it. There he would gain respite, avoid the barrage of questions from Alanna’s sisters and work out how he was going to coax the very emotionally fragile Alanna into allowing him into her mind as well as her heart.

  He tested his link with Alanna and was pleased that despite the distance between them, it remained sure and strong.

  It was nearly mid-winter in Cabasson. The moon cast a beam of light across the Mediterranean and spilled in through the windows. Stars twinkled in the inky night sky above. He sighed deeply. Oh, how he’d missed his home.

  Alanna would love it here. There were rooms aplenty with enough space and light for her to sculpt if she wished. He had always intended for this home to be where he would live with his beloved and raise their children. Alanna had the heart of a wanderer. She would be as at ease here as anywhere else in the world.

  He opened the French-doors leading out onto the patio, locked them back and sat on a lounger and held out a hand. A steaming fresh coffee appeared in it. No wine for now. What he was about to do would require his full concentration and Villa Paradis was the perfect place for him to test what was going on in Alanna’s mind, without being discovered or interrupted.

  He called Lyzander, his familiar, even though he only needed to summon him by thought. “Come. I am home.”

  In seconds, his familiar, his constant companion over the centuries, was at his side. It shocked Gregori to see his little friend had aged considerably. Immortal, Gregori might be, but Lyzander was not. Yes, dragons aged more slowly than most, but it was clear his familiar had been pining for him and his health had been affected.

  “My friend,” Gregori said and conjured a sweet treat for Lyzander. “You’re too thin. You need to take better care of yourself.”

  Lyzander’s eyes brightened considerably as he sat on Gregori’s shoulder and skillfully sucked the juice out of the berries and discarded the shriveled skin onto the patio floor. “I have not required food,” Lyzander told him. “I sit in the Belfry and watch the comings and goings while I wait for your return.”

  As he spoke, his leathery skin, which had at first been a dull, lifeless gray, began to take on the color of the deep purple berries on which he’d been snacking. Gregori conjured more fruit for Lyzander, leaned back and drank his coffee while it was hot and he took a few moments to inhale the unforgettable tang of the Mediterranean, only a few minutes’ walk from where he sat. Oh how he’d missed not only his familiar, but also this place. Imagining coming home had helped him retain his sanity.

  “I have a job for you, my friend,” Gregori told Lyzander.

  Lyzander’s skin was growing steadily darker and more youthful with each passing minute. His eyes whirled with interest. “Tell me.”

  “I need you to go invisible and keep watch over Alanna. I am going mindwalking and I would ensure there are no interruptions while I undertake this task.”

  “Invisible I go,” Lyzander nodded and for the first time in years, smoke erupted from his snout. “Protect her I will. I am happy to be working once more. Winking in and winking out.”

  And Lyzander was gone, in a flash of purple light, reminding Gregori just how much he’d missed the presence of his little friend over the past few years.

  Gregori placed his empty cup on the ground next to him, clasped his hands over his midriff, crossed his ankles, rested his head against the back of the lounger, closed his eyes and breathed deeply, quieting his mind, ensuring all thoughts were without bias and contained.

  This was a hunt of an intricate nature. There were no others who could do what he could. Mindwalking was his specialty. It was dangerous to enter another’s mind without changing or affecting the path of that individual. He’d chosen Villa Paradis for that very reason. He knew Lyzander would guard Alanna, but just to be doubly sure there would be no mishap, Gregori placed a circle of protection not only about the villa but also about Alanna’s bedroom on the other side of the world. His magic ensured no one, not even staff, would enter either place. And then he travelled the link all the way back to Raven’s Creek.

  • • •

  She slept peacefully. The spell enchantment ensured it was so. He looked down at her lying curled on one side, with her hands tucked under one cheek, a slight smile on her lips. Whatever she dreamed, it was pleasant enough.

  He sat softly on the bed in his soul form and placed an index finger lightly against her temple. He inspected their link. No change. Good. Soft, gentle, as ethereal as a mist, he allowed his mind to siphon into the link, traveling along it as if he’d done it all his life. It must be their link, he surmised. He’d only ever done this with someone so closely connected to him once before. His father who had taught him this skill. Eventually he reached a juncture where their links merged, and from there he slipped effortlessly into where her memories were located.

  Warlocks’ Oath! Alanna’s memories were barricaded shut. He knew instantly he would not gain access without disturbing her sleep and alerting her of his presence despite his sleep spell. In fact, he was positive he would never gain access, even by force.

  He remained stationary, watching, searching for any weaknesses, anything that might give him something to work with. She was definitely going to grow into a powerful witch. She already was, but even now, with her magic bound, he was awed by her potential. She was his equal in so many ways. But how in the name of Marylebone could he meld with her, when that magic was bound?

  He found nothing except more barriers. The only way he was ever going to discover more was if she willingly opened herself to him or he forced his way in. Something he would never, ever do. He would rather sacrifice his own life than break that law. He’d
seen it happen once by another of his kind who no longer walked the earth. Another great warlock had forcibly mindwalked another less fortunate individual, a thousand years ago. Very quickly, both that individual and the warlock had gone insane. Marylebone had been left with no choice but to care for the mortal, whose mind had been broken, until his death. As for the warlock, he’d gone rogue and Marylebone had been forced to hunt him down and end his life before he hurt anyone else. That warlock had been Gregori’s father. The memory had taught him just how fine the line was between the mindwalker and his subject.

  He retreated, leaving Alanna to sleep and opened his eyes to the night’s sky. Several hours had passed. It was after midnight here. Alanna would awaken soon. He rose from the lounger, walked back into the villa to close the shutters and doors. He stood in darkness, wondering if she would ever get to see his home and a little piece of hope in his heart prevailed. He certainly hoped she would.

  Weary, he translocated to Raven’s Creek and sent Lyzander back to Marylebone.

  Chapter Twenty

  It was strange. Alanna felt Gregori’s presence everywhere. It was as if he had been in her mind the entire time she slept.

  Alanna’s eyes fluttered opened. He’d enchanted her. She lay on her bed imagining turning him into steaming pile of cow dung. How dare he bespell her. She might be rested, her mind clearer, but she was well and truly peeved.

  She headed straight for the bathroom. No doubt he was nearby, almost certainly hovering outside her door waiting for an invitation to come in. Well, he could wait an eternity for all she cared.

  She dug in the cupboard for a bottle of bubble bath Rosa had made for her birthday in July. It was December, and the air was humid once again, but despite this she decided to have a coolish bath, play with the bubbles and work out her best approach with a warlock who could bespell her at any stage of the game.

  It irked her to realize she was going to have to play at being agreeable. She smirked as she removed her clothes and stepped into the water. She had a feeling that being docile would irk him more than her being cantankerous. She giggled and lifted bubbles in her hands, blowing into them, before exfoliating everywhere. Just in case. He was drop-dead sexy, after all.

  • • •

  Gregori strolled beside Aden and Goran along the pathway that ran parallel to the embankment on Raven’s Creek. The air was warm; the sweet scent of blossoms from the trees overhead permeated the air, as ducks and swans waddled about on the grass, paddling in the creek that merged into a river further along the embankment. In the distance, a dog ran back and forth trying to catch a seagull, while children and their families laughed and played together. The normality filled Gregori with such longing. To be one of those families without a care in the world except for their loved ones.

  They paused and Gregori dug in his pockets for the packet of crumbs he’d brought with him and tossed a handful to the birds. There was a mad flurry of wings as they rushed to feed on his offerings. They cawed, fighting for their share, the sound creating a barrier between them and the public.

  “Alanna’s heart and mind have been deeply scarred by the accident. I’ve tried asking her about it, but speaking of it makes her violently ill. I hate to see her in pain.” He tossed more crumbs.

  “Sometimes confronting that pain is the only way forward,” Aden stared out over the water and they knew he spoke of his past. “I hid from such pain for four hundred years. It wasn’t until I was forced to face it that I was able to heal.”

  Gregori hesitated, reluctant to admit he’d mindwalked Alanna, but he knew Marylebone had eyes and ears everywhere. They would find out, so it was best if it came from him first. “I’m doubting I’ll be able to break the fortress she’s constructed around her memories.”

  It wasn’t so much his words, but the tone in his voice that gave him away.

  Goran spun round, his astonishment evident. “You mindwalked her. Without her permission?”

  Gregori shrugged. “I did.”

  Aden blew out a long whistle of air. “Dragons’ Breath. I don’t know if that was brave or just plain foolish.”

  “I know which statement I’d choose,” Goran stated.

  Aden chuckled. “So you found nothing.”

  “I found a fortress of protection. Whatever is on the other side she doesn’t want anyone to see.”

  Aden immediately picked up on Gregori’s major difficulty. “Which means you’ve no way of binding with her unless she lets you in.”

  “You see my problem.”

  Aden grabbed a handful of breadcrumbs and tossed them into the melee of birds. “It’s more than a problem. It’s an enormous obstacle.”

  “You could bind yourself to someone else,” Goran suggested.

  Gregori couldn’t imagine anyone else in his life. “No. I will not bind with anyone but Alanna.”

  He was concerned she would cast him out without giving him a chance to prove he was the right warlock for her. If she refused him, he would be truly lost. Yes, he might have all the worldly possessions a man could have. Yes, he was powerful. Yes, he was ancient in years; make that centuries. And yes, he had worked tirelessly in the past for Marylebone for almost as long, but in truth, he was lonely for a partner to share his life with.

  “So what’s next?”

  Gregori knew his next comment would have Aden and Goran thinking he really had lost the plot. “I’m going to pay the Fates a visit.”

  “Being cast in stone has definitely warped your senses,” Aden protested.

  Goran added his opinion. “Even the Supreme Council gives them a wide berth.”

  “I must cover every avenue. They might have a suggestion in how I can get through to Alanna’s soul. To her heart. Her mind.”

  “It had better be soon.” Aden kicked a pebble and it skittered across the path into the water. “Rosa walks Marylebone’s halls nearly every day now. It’s only a matter of time before she hears something.”

  “I agree.” Gregori stared down at the water, but all he saw was Alanna in his mind’s eye. “Tonight I will tell her.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Gregori located the Fates in the ruins of Ephesus near the Temple of Artemis, or as the Romans called it, The Temple of Diana. It appeared they preferred to remain in the city they once called home. They were even older than him and that was saying something. Perhaps they’d existed since the birth of time itself?

  He was an immortal. Born, not made. Very few came into the world as he had done. He was ancient in years compared to those he had associated with before being cast in jade. Even so, he was but a mere toddler to these three women who played with his life so carelessly.

  As if she wasn’t tall enough, Fate One, a pale woman with long hair and indistinguishable features apart from her long imperious nose looked down at him from her marble pedestal. “All is as it should be.”

  “What kind of inane comment is that?”

  Fate Two joined the fray, also perched upon her own pedestal. “We are never wrong.”

  Fate Three floated down to his level. He felt her aura push against his own and the sudden rush of color in it shocked him to the core. Red. A dull, pulsating red with a hint of black. He tamed his tendrils of anger, soothed it back to a brilliant gold and he was satisfied to see Fate Three raise a hand to shield her eyes from his radiance. He smiled even though he still reeled inwardly from discovering his auric shield was not as strong as he had thought.

  “You are right to shield yourself from my brilliance.” An arrogant comment, but it was true. His aura was the brightest of anyone in Marylebone. He was the strongest, oldest and most powerful. There was no one who could best him.

  “And that,” Fate One told him and he realized all three Fates were in his head at the same time and could hear his thoughts, “is why the Bells were tolled for you. We ha
ve no control over your magic. Only what must be done in order to control you.”

  “Then tell me how I may break down the barriers Alanna has erected around her mind and her heart?”

  There was silence. Fate One turned to Fate Two and Three. He knew they communicated. His patience wore thin. It would be mid-afternoon at least in Raven’s Creek. Surely, Alanna would be awake by now.

  Fate One turned to him. “We can tell you … ”

  Fate Two continued, “ … just as a sculptor chips away at stone, you must chip your way in to her heart. Search carefully. There is a way in.”

  “What way? Where?”

  “That is for you to discover. We will not interfere.”

  “Then why did you toll the Bells of Marylebone so early for me?”

  “You already know the answer. Everything happens for a reason.” All three Fates whispered the words eerily in unison and before he could question them further, they faded away, leaving him standing in the ruins alone.

  His skin crawled as the eerie sounds of unseen ghosts and spirits reached his ears. He felt them swirling about him, poking and prodding, as if testing for weaknesses, for a way out of their realm and into his.

  Even Warlocks were spooked sometimes. He was out of there between one blink of an eye and the next.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Squeaky clean, Alanna ventured out of the bathroom and into her studio, expecting Gregori to be hovering nearby. All she found was an empty room. So much for her making him wait for her!

  She trudged downstairs. Rosa was threading sapphires into a necklace while she waited for customers. Shockingly, a glance at the clock on the wall told Alanna it was just after three in the afternoon. Nearly the entire day had passed.

  “Thanks for helping out.” Alanna couldn’t keep the tone of annoyance out of her voice. “I’ll take over for the last couple of hours. You can head off and do whatever it is you do in the haloed halls of Marylebone.”