Elven Doom (Death Before Dragons Book 4)

by Lindsay Buroker

  Then I hopped through the portal.

  The voyage back was similar, dreams and a fuzzy awareness of stars flitting through my mind, with no ability to control thoughts. Brilliant light once again assaulted my eyes as I came out, sun glinting harshly on ice, and my body winced in confusion. From night to day to night and back to day, all in a couple of hours.

  “Thorvald!” Willard stood a few feet away, a radio to her lips.

  A helicopter rested on a flat patch of ice behind her. That damn crevasse wasn’t far away. The camp had been packed up, but a few soldiers remained, weapons at the ready as they faced the drop-off.

  “It hasn’t erupted?” I looked warily toward Mount Rainier’s summit, the peak still covered in snow and glaciers.

  “Not yet. What happened down there?” Her surprise turned to a scowl. “And why did you go down without us? Did they make you? The sister?”

  I closed my eyes as temptation sashayed into my thoughts. If I blamed Zondia for my disobedience, Willard might never find out. Zav had been to her office and spoken to her before, but what were the odds that he would go in again and that this topic would come up?

  But even if Willard never found out, I would know I’d lied to her, and that would bother me.

  “No,” I said slowly. “They didn’t make me. Zav did point out that you guys might be used against me or him.” Which was laughable since I’d been the one used against him. Almost used against him. My gunshot hadn’t gotten through his defenses. I would feel much worse if I’d succeeded in hurting him, but it bothered me a lot that I’d fired at all. “And you know it’s my fear that people I care about will get killed because of me.”

  “If that had happened, we would have been killed because of the dark elves, not you. We’re not invalids. We could have helped.”

  “By bombing the entrance and helping trap us in there?” I scowled at her, catching surprise on her face again. “Zav told me.”

  “I didn’t want to. The president ordered it.” She flung a hand toward the volcano, a few tendrils of smoke wafting up from vents. “This is all over national news now. Were you causing those earthquakes? Were the dark elves?”

  A news helicopter flew past in the distance.

  “They were, yes.” I didn’t feel deceitful for putting the blame on them. The dragons throwing magic around might not have helped, but the dark elves were ultimately responsible for all this. “Can we get out of here? I’ll debrief you. Their plan was even more chilling than we thought.”

  I fished in my grimy pockets and pulled out the folded pages I’d taken from their binder.

  It only took seconds for grim understanding to blossom on Willard’s face. “Yes. We’ll leave soon, and you’ll give me a thorough oral and written report.”

  She stalked off, barking orders into the radio. Maybe it was a reflection of my mood and nothing more, but I worried she was someone else who would be more distant with me after this. She’d been in charge of the mission—I’d agreed to that back in her office, even volunteering her to lead—and I’d walked off on my own. That wasn’t allowed in the army, and I couldn’t pretend I’d thought it would be allowed for a civilian contractor either.

  I shivered. The sun had come up and the sky had cleared, but it was colder here than on that nice world where Zav had taken me. As the helicopters circled the summit and Willard’s team packed up, I wondered where it had been and if I’d ever get the opportunity to go back there again.

  My phone buzzed. Amber.

  “Hello?” I answered, hoping the reception held. Maybe thanks to the clear weather, or where I was standing on the mountainside, I had a whopping two bars of reception today.

  “Uhm, hi, Val.”

  She was as awkward talking with me as I was with her. I didn’t know whether to be heartened or depressed by our relationship. At least she’d called me. That was something.

  “Hey, Amber. Sorry I didn’t call back yesterday. I was on a mission out in the wilderness—I still am. My reception is horrible.”

  “It’s fine.”

  I waited for her to tell me she’d been assailed by Zondia and how horrible it had been, and I groped for what I would say to comfort her. That I’d received the same treatment the night before? My version had been—I dearly hoped—worse. But I doubted that would make her feel better. I worried she resented me for bringing some of my insanity into her life.

  “What’s up?” I asked after a long silence. “Are you okay? Your dad said someone came by the house and questioned you. It was a dragon, wasn’t it?”

  Another long silence. I checked to see if the call had dropped. No, she was still there.

  “Yeah,” she finally said. “The purple one we saw at Schweitzer. I don’t like her.”

  “I don’t either.” I couldn’t remember if Amber knew she was Zav’s sister. She’d escaped down the mountain by the time we were doing introductions, and I was surprised she’d seen more than the original three dragons that had kidnapped her. Maybe she’d witnessed some of that battle—and the coming of more dragons—from the trees. Or maybe she’d been able to sense some of it.

  “She’s a total bitch,” Amber said.

  “I agree.” I couldn’t bring myself to point out that Zondia was looking out for Zav. That fact wouldn’t let me forgive her for bothering Amber.

  “Worse than the girlfriend.”

  “Do you mean Shauna?” I knew she did, unless Thad had picked up a new one in the last few weeks. I doubted it. He wasn’t the kind of guy to play the field, and even if he had been, his work wouldn’t have given him time for much of that.

  “Yeah. She had a fit because Dad wouldn’t buy her a BMW. Like, what is she smoking? He wouldn’t even buy me the Segway electric skates I asked for, and I’m so much more amazing than she is.”

  “I agree.”

  “Really? You think I should get the skates?”

  “Uh, that’s between you two. I don’t think I can afford anything Segway makes.”

  “I thought assassins made good money.”

  “It all goes to paying informants and buying new gear. Not to mention replacing thirteen-hundred-dollar rental bicycles that get eaten by dragons.”

  Amber snorted—it almost sounded like a laugh. “That happened?”

  “In Harrison. That’s why I was walking on the trail that day.”

  “Huh. Uhm. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

  “Yes?”

  “Dad said I could have a weapon if you teach me how to use it.”

  I rocked back. That was the last thing I’d expected her to say. Thad hated weapons and was horrible with them. In the army, he’d qualified for the M-16, since it was a requirement, but only after a bunch of remedial time at the range. He closed his eyes and jerked the rifle when he shot. That was why I’d been alarmed when his buddy had given him a gun when they’d gone searching for Amber.

  “Thad said you could have a gun? Really?”

  “I think he had a sword in mind. A little one.”

  “Like a fencing foil?” I imagined how underwhelmed Zondia would be if Amber shouted, “En garde, dragon!” and sprang at her.

  “He didn’t say, just that I had to know how to use it well before I could have one.” Her tone turned a little sullen. “And that you had to be the one to teach me, because nobody else would know about the magic stuff.”

  “Ah.” I bit my lip, telling myself I shouldn’t be pleased that Amber would have to spend time with me, or that Thad was apparently trying to arrange that, not when the reason behind this had to be fear. Her meeting with Zondia must have disturbed her enough that she wanted to be able to defend herself. I hated to tell her that there weren’t many swords in the world that would do anything against a dragon.

  Still, it would be fantastic if she could defend herself from humans and most other magical creatures that might come after her. If she was now motivated to do so, I would gladly help her learn. And if, at some point during our lessons, she opened up ab
out the events with Zondia, I would be happy to help with that too, even if all I could do was listen and apologize.

  “I’ll teach you, if you’re truly committed to learning.” I kept the rest of the thoughts to myself. “It’s gotta be like swim team, at least for a while. You have to be dedicated to putting in the time.”

  I thought of my promise to myself to stay away from my family, lest they be hurt or used against me, but if Amber wanted this, I couldn’t say no. Besides, if she learned well and I found a magical weapon for her, she would be able to take care of herself against most foes. I could worry less about her instead of more.

  “I’m in,” she said. “When do we start?”

  A lump of emotion filled my throat—I was actually going to get to spend time with my daughter—and it took me a minute before I could answer. “Next weekend.”

  Assuming the volcano didn’t erupt.

  “I’ll text you a time. And a place,” I added, realizing Shauna wouldn’t be amused if I hung out in Thad’s back yard every weekend, even if I was there for Amber instead of him. Though maybe the BMW request would have Thad contemplating an end to that relationship. I hoped so, for his sake.

  “‘Kay. Bye, Val.”

  “Bye,” I whispered, feeling a little upbeat for the first time since this mission had started.

  Epilogue

  “When was the last time someone operated a business out of this establishment?” Nin stood in the doorway, looking around at the broken bookcases and cracked glass display cases left by the previous tenant of Dimitri’s new shop in Fremont.

  Dust cloaked everything, including my nostrils after I made the mistake of taking three steps in and kicking a drop cloth that had been covering up a bunch of missing floorboards. Rapid-fire sneezes shot from my nostrils, and I imagined how Zav would have reacted if he’d been there, wondering if he needed to apply healing magic to my nasal passages.

  But I hadn’t seen Zav in almost two weeks, since I’d left him on a ledge in another world and hopped through his portal. How had the turning in of the dark-elf criminals gone? What had Zondia said to his mother about me? And about Lirena? She hadn’t contacted me since trying to get me to kill the dragons, and I had no idea if she was still on Earth. Zav had taken that charm, which I hoped had removed her ability to manipulate me from a distance.

  “The owner said it had been a couple of years. Something about a mold issue that had to be fixed, and then a previous tenant who didn’t pay for months and had to be evicted.” Dimitri pushed a bookcase that had fallen over into an upright position. “But she said I can keep all this furniture and use it. It’ll be great once I get it fixed up.”

  “Mold?” My nostrils twitched for more reasons than dust, and a psychosomatic tickle in my lungs made my fingers twitch toward the pocket that held my inhaler.

  I had needed it numerous times in the days after the battle, but my lungs had finally settled down and were less reactive. I couldn’t imagine how bad it would have been if Zav hadn’t done what he could to heal me. Or if Mount Rainier had erupted. There were a few million scientists down there watching it, but the last I’d heard, the quakes had settled down and the threat, at least for now, had dwindled. Nobody had seen any dark elves come out of the collapsed caves, not that they couldn’t escape without people noticing. I couldn’t help but hope none had made it, though I supposed they could have opened portals and were now licking their wounds on other worlds.

  “It was professionally remediated,” Dimitri said. “The owner promised.”

  “That didn’t include floor repair?” Nin pointed at the hole I’d uncovered.

  “That’s not where the mold was. It was in the bathroom.” Dimitri waved toward a short corridor in the back. “The bathroom is in great shape.”

  “That should help you sell yard art and lotions.”

  “There’s a big storage closet and an office back there too. I can do all sorts of things with this space. You two were right to point me toward this location.”

  Nin and I shared long looks, and I was sure we were both thinking the same thing, that we should have come to see the place in person and not judged it by the listing photos. Photos that must have been taken years earlier, before the dust and upturned furniture had arrived.

  I hoped everything worked out with this endeavor. Nin had not only allowed herself to be talked into co-signing on the lease, despite my advice not to, but she had invested in the business in exchange for ten percent equity. Maybe she’d felt better about co-signing, knowing she would have a say in how to make the business successful. She did have a good track record with that.

  “The foot traffic is amazing,” Dimitri continued on, gesticulating animatedly. He was more excited than I’d ever seen him. “We’re close to breweries and restaurants, and there’s the ice cream shop next door. And it’s just a couple of blocks to Gasworks Park.”

  Thankfully kraken-free these days, or so I’d heard. “Don’t forget the psychic next door on the other side. I’m sure people come in droves for tarot-card readings.”

  “It actually might complement my business.” Dimitri found shelves that had fallen to the floor and returned them to the bookcase. “People who believe in tarot-card readings should believe in the supernatural and the need to protect their yards from werewolves, vampires, and dragons.”

  “Dragons?” I asked. “You have devices capable of defending against dragons? And you haven’t given me several for my apartment?”

  “Well, no,” Dimitri said, “but I could put together an alarm system that would let a homeowner know a dragon was on the property.”

  “It’s always nice to have three seconds’ warning before you’re roasted alive,” I murmured.

  “There are not any coffee shops on this street.” Nin picked a route through debris to one side of the room, glancing at the dirty window, the street barely visible through the grime. She spread her arms toward the wall. “If you put in an espresso stand here, you could get more business.”

  Dimitri’s top lip curled. “I wasn’t planning to get a food handler’s permit.”

  “It is not difficult. I can show you what is required.”

  “I don’t know how to make fancy coffee.”

  “You can get a barista. The coffee sales could cover her wages, and in this area, with the right marketing, you could recoup the cost of the espresso equipment within a few months.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Dimitri said.

  “One of my assistants is looking to pick up extra hours in the mornings before my food truck opens.” Nin ignored his protest as she studied the space along the wall, no doubt envisioning where the orders would be taken, where the coffee would be made, and where the munchies and menu would go. She turned toward Dimitri. “When would your coffee, art, and lotion shop open?”

  “It’s just an art and lotion shop,” he said sturdily, not realizing he’d already lost the argument. “It would be weird to sell coffee with that stuff.”

  “Not at all,” Nin said. “It will make you unique. Also, the locals would come every day to buy coffee. While here, they will be inclined to make impulse purchases such as lotions and dragon alarms.”

  Dimitri looked at me, a helpless expression on his face. Or maybe that was a please-help-me expression.

  “You should sell hard cider too,” I told him. “I wouldn’t come for coffee, but I’d sit and have a cider.”

  “I’d need a liquor license to sell alcohol.”

  “It may be worth considering,” Nin said. “Many coffee shops in the area also sell beer. This allows them to attract clientele who do not wish to consume caffeine at night.”

  Dimitri kept shaking his head, but I was confident this place would have an espresso stand, at the least, the next time I came in.

  My phone buzzed. It was Willard, her office number, not her cell.

  She hadn’t called in over a week. After twiddling my thumbs for three days, I’d taken a freelance gig and hunted do
wn a rabid were-hyena killing livestock—and two farmers—near Centralia. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t survive without my government jobs, but I’d been wondering if Willard was holding a grudge and might cut me off.

  “Hey, Willard.” I played it casual.

  “This is the secretary of Colonel Willard’s office. How may I be of service?”

  “Uh.” I recognized that voice. “You called me, Gondo.”

  “Yes, but I still like to be of service. Do you need anything built?”

  “Maybe. Can you make a shiny new espresso machine from old parts?”

  “Val, no!” Dimitri flung up an alarmed hand.

  Nin turned toward me, interest in her eyes. “A refurbished unit would lower our startup costs.”

  “Espresso? I love espresso,” Gondo said. “Are you starting a coffee shop?”

  “Dimitri might be. I don’t think you’ve met him yet. He’s a quarter dwarf and enchants housewares. Do any of your people need housewares?” I nodded to Dimitri, thinking he might thank me for putting the word out about his business.

  He slumped against the bookcase, his head clunking a shelf. For some reason, the image of a defeated boxer dangling from the ropes came to mind.

  “My people? My people can make their own enchanted housewares. We do, however, require espresso. This is not something that exists on our world, and we do not have expertise in locating your coffee beans and turning them into an acceptable beverage.”

  “Yeah? Well, tell your friends. When Dimitri’s shop opens, it’ll be a safe establishment for goblins. Goblins with money who can keep from making off with his tools.”

  Dimitri closed his eyes. Maybe I should stop helping him.

  “I will tell them,” Gondo said. “Also, let me investigate the possibility of acquiring a broken espresso machine and repairing it. Freysha can help. She is very good at repairing things—for an elf.”

  “She’s still there, huh?” I felt a little guilty that I’d suspected her of plotting against us. But just because Lirena had been the troublemaker on our mission didn’t mean Freysha was innocent. It was still possible that someone from Willard’s office had warned the dark elves we were coming.