Escape From the Dragon Czar: An Aegis of Merlin Story

by James E. Wisher

  Yarik nodded. “I thought you’d like to know.”

  His jaw bunched then he relaxed and offered a grudging, “Thank you. But why tell me?”

  “I admired your sacrifice. Letting yourself get captured so she could escape took great courage. I doubt any of my fellow agents would be willing to make such a sacrifice. It deserved a reward of some sort, even a small one. I’m Yarik. You’re Fedor, yes?”

  “I know what you’re trying, but it won’t do you any good. As soon as I left the Empire the resistance changed all their meeting places and codes. You’ll get nothing of use from me.”

  Yarik shrugged. “I don’t really care about that. What you know or don’t know is for your interrogator to determine. All I wanted to do was get to know you. See what sort of man you were. It seems you’re a good one. Pity. I would have felt better about handing you over if you’d been a villain.”

  * * *

  A hot shower combined with a full stomach and a good night’s sleep could do wonders for a person. Anya snuggled deeper into the soft blankets. How long had it been since she slept in anything this soft? She managed to enjoy the feeling for almost a minute before she remembered Fedor, dead or captured in Calais. Much as she hated to think of him dead, Anya feared it might be the less-cruel option. She knew little about Imperial interrogation techniques, but she doubted they were pleasant.

  Her throat tightened, but she refused to cry. He’d made the sacrifice for her and Anya intended to honor that, by showing these people how strong she was. That’s what Fedor would have wanted.

  Light poked in around the curtains so Anya got up and threw them open. Beyond the window London sprawled as far as she could see. Tiny cars and tinier people rushed here and there. It looked alive. God it was good to see real people, happy, living normal lives, not hunkered down and under siege. Not a darkness-bound collection of undead or a terrified collection of regular folks afraid that a witch might knock on their door and steal their daughters away.

  She jumped when someone knocked. There was a bathrobe hanging on the back of the door. She slipped it on and reached for the knob.

  Carter stood outside. He smiled. “Morning. I trust you slept well, had everything you need, and all.”

  “Yes, thank you. The Shepherd’s Pie was delicious.”

  “Told you. If you’re up to it we’d like to get started with your assessment. Also there’s the matter of the thumb drive password. We’ll be needing it.”

  Now it was her turn to smile. “Perhaps when I’ve finished my assessment.”

  Carter laughed. “I like you, Anya. I think my boss will too. Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll get going.”

  Fifteen minutes later Anya walked into a lab where the woman in red from the night before waited. There were all manner of computers, microscopes, a weird machine with a digital readout and handles, and other items she couldn’t identify from her six-month course in basic chemistry.

  “Anya, this lovely young lady is Kimberly Kant,” Carter said. “She’s our Head of Magical Research. She’ll be running a few tests on you to determine your magical capabilities as well as checking for anomalies in your blood. She’s the best, so rest assured you’re in good hands.”

  Kimberly walked over and waved her hands at Carter. “Shoo. We’ve got a lot to do.”

  “What about breakfast?” Anya asked.

  “The blood tests give better results if your stomach is empty,” Kimberly said.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll get a nice brunch when you’re finished,” Carter said.

  Kimberly pointed at the door and Carter shrugged and made himself scarce. Anya favored the wizard with an anxious look. “So what now?”

  “Have a seat. We’ll start with bloodwork then move on to power level and elemental alignment.” Kimberly fished a small needle out of a holder while Anya took a seat on one of the stools. “Little prick.”

  Anya winced when the needle went in, but it wasn’t terrible. When Kimberly had taken all the blood she wanted a cotton ball was taped to her arm.

  “You’re eighteen right?” Kimberly asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Excellent, we can’t determine your element until you’ve turned eighteen. Don’t ask me why, it’s just the way it’s always been. Step over to the machine and grasp the handles.”

  Anya hopped down, went over, and gripped the smooth, cold handles. Three seconds later the readout said 2500.

  “Splendid,” Kimberly said. “Well above average.”

  “What did the boy wizard get?” Anya asked.

  Kimberly raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised there was any mention of him in the Empire.”

  “There wasn’t. I read an article in a paper while we were making our way across France. They made out that he saved an entire city on his own. It sounded ridiculous to me.”

  “It is ridiculous, it’s also basically true. He did have some help, but Conryu Koda did all the heavy lifting on the mission himself. His power level is over 12,000. No ordinary wizard should compare herself to him. It would be like a torch comparing itself to the sun.”

  Anya didn’t understand much about magic, but if her score was well above average what was 12,000?

  “Okay, let’s check your alignment.” Kimberly brought out a frame holding six gems of different colors from black to white. “It’s simple, just touch each gem in turn. The one corresponding to your aligned element will light up when you touch it.”

  “What was his alignment?” Anya touched the black gem but nothing happened.

  Kimberly sighed. “Conryu is aligned to every element—don’t ask me how that’s even possible—but his strongest element is dark. Please continue.”

  She moved on to fire and struck out again. When she hit the brown gem it lit up like a light bulb.

  “Earth aligned, interesting.” Kimberly made a note on her pad. “Our research indicates that all White Witches are wind or water aligned and incapable of wielding fire and earth at all. This result argues that the process the czar uses to transform someone completely alters their magical flows. It’s quite astonishing. I can’t even begin to imagine how you’d do something like that.”

  “I’m not at all eager to find out.”

  “I expect not.”

  * * *

  The numbers on the elevator climbed steadily as Anya and Carter rose ever higher up the building. Anya’s examination finally ended after two hours of poking and prodding. None of it had been especially painful at least. When Kimberly finally set her free she’d enjoyed a wonderful brunch with Carter.

  After the last of the tea had been drunk he’d announced it was time to meet the boss. He hadn’t been any more forthcoming despite her best attempts at coaxing. Perhaps it was a sort of intimidation. If so they’d have to do better. After everything Anya had been through, a little ignorance wasn’t much of a threat. It was really more of an annoyance than anything.

  “Can’t you give me a hint about this meeting?” she asked.

  Carter adjusted his red-striped tie and pursed his lips. “Sorry. My orders were very precise. The boss likes precision. And surprises. Don’t worry, five more flo—”

  An explosion rattled the elevator and they came to a stop.

  “What was that?” Anya asked, her voice gone shrill with fear.

  “Excellent question.” Carter took out a small cellphone and pressed a button. “Ops, what’s happening?”

  A moment of silence and then, “Please repeat.”

  “What is it?” Anya asked.

  Carter raised a finger to silence her. “Understood. How many? Okay. We’re in the north-side elevator between floors fifteen and sixteen. I’ll see about getting her somewhere safe.”

  He tucked his phone away. “We have a situation. The ministry is under attack.”

  “By what?” How could this be happening? She was supposed to be safe in the Kingdom.

  “Dragon Manes, three of them as a matter of fact.” Carter examined the elevator con
trol panel and tapped the red emergency button. “A gift from the Dragon Czar no doubt. What I can’t figure is how they got them into the city. We have excellent intelligence assets whose only job is to watch out for that kind of thing.”

  His calm was infuriating. “What’s a Dragon Mane?”

  Something buzzed and the door popped partway open. “Imagine if a dragon and a lion had a baby. Scales, fangs, wings, and breathes fire. Very tough. In fact, nearly impossible to kill without magic and only slightly easier with, they’re highly resistant. Give me a hand.”

  He grabbed one side of the door and Anya got the other. They pulled and it slid open. They were three feet above the floor. He slid down then turned to help her. When they were both safely out of the elevator he looked around. Nothing in the red-carpeted hall looked promising.

  Another explosion shook the building. “What now?” Anya wanted to run, but she had no idea where to run to.

  “The safe rooms are all in the lower levels. We’ll have to take the stairs.”

  Distant, muffled explosions sounded as they walked down the carpeted hall. Anya expected the passage to be filled with people running and screaming, but it was almost silent. They took a left and walked on.

  “Where is everyone?” she asked.

  “Emergency protocol is for regular employees to remain in their offices until the suppression teams have dealt with the threat. We don’t need a bunch of people running around getting in the way. Ops says the monsters are on the third, tenth, and twentieth floors. So we only need to get past two of them to reach safety.”

  “Is that all?”

  They reached a door and Carter yanked it open. Inside was a landing with a staircase running up and down. They went down.

  After three flights a crash shook the steps and a loud roar echoed up to them. Anya leaned over the railing. Below them a hideous creature with golden scales and the face of a lion surrounded by a black mane looked up at her.

  It opened its mouth and she leapt out of the way an instant ahead of a searing blast of flame.

  “We need a new plan,” Anya said.

  Carter shouldered the door open and led her into another hallway. This one was lined with glass walls. People huddled under their desks. One woman started to get up when she saw them, but Carter waved her back. If Anya was the monster’s target the last thing they needed was more noncombatants tagging along with them.

  “How smart are these things?” Anya asked as they quick marched through the halls.

  “I’m no expert.” Carter glanced at her. “I work in human resources. My job is to orient new arrivals and make them feel welcome. My magical knowledge is extremely limited.”

  Movement from the right caught her eye. Outside the building one of the monsters was spitting fire at a figure in black robes who countered with a sphere of darkness. They were gone before Anya could learn the outcome of the fight.

  “Who was that?”

  He sighed. “My boss, the Ministry Chief. She’s dark aligned and very strong. If anyone can deal with these invaders it’s her.”

  They resumed their march toward wherever Carter was taking her. “Is she as strong as Conryu?”

  “The boy wizard? No. I don’t actually know her power level, but she’s fought in several wars and acquitted herself well enough to get the highest magical post in the country. Here we are.”

  He opened a door that led to another staircase and they resumed their descent. On the fourth-floor landing the familiar crack of gunfire filled the air followed by a roar and screams of pain. Anya debated looking over the railing again, but decided to skip it.

  Carter was looking from the steps to the next landing to the door to the fourth floor. Finally he flipped open his phone. “Ops, this is Carter. I need an update so I can get our guest to safety.”

  He glanced at her and Anya mouthed, “Put it on speaker.”

  Carter pressed a button and a female voice said, “The chief is engaged in a battle with one of the monsters and our rapid response teams are dealing with the others on the third and tenth floors. I have you on the fourth floor, correct?”

  “That’s correct, Ops. Can you give us a route to the safe rooms?”

  “Negative, the third floor is a no go. You’ll have to weather the storm on the fourth. Don’t worry, we should have things in hand shortly.”

  The line went dead and Anya said, “Do you believe her?”

  “Do we have a choice?” Carter countered.

  * * *

  As hiding places went, an office supply closet left something to be desired. Anya sat on a pile of printer paper across from her guide who had settled in on a broken-down copy machine. Every once in a while a roar or explosion would filter up to them, but otherwise they were in the dark as to how the battle was playing out.

  “I don’t suppose you can tell me the long-term plan for my time in the Kingdom?” Anya asked. She didn’t really care at the moment, but she needed something to take her mind off the madness outside.

  “I believe the plan was to have you attend King’s College of Magic starting in the fall. As a defector you’ll have all the rights of a full citizen. I understand it’s an excellent school.”

  “Is it safe?” She gave their hiding place a meaningful look.

  “You’ll be surrounded by wizards. It’s probably even safer than the ministry.”

  She snorted. “Talk about a low bar. They’re never going to stop coming after me, are they?”

  “The Dragon Empire? At some point it has to reach a point that the hunt becomes too expensive to continue. I assure you the king won’t take this act lightly.”

  Anya knew he was trying to reassure her, but Carter really didn’t understand the Empire. If the czar decided something had to be done, it wouldn’t matter how much it cost or what the consequences were. He’d never stop until she was dead.

  An especially loud crash sounded right outside the closet door. Anya looked at Carter who shrugged. She reached for the handle just as the door was ripped off its hinges.

  The snarling face of a Dragon Mane stared at her from three feet away. An arm dangled from its mouth.

  She scrambled away.

  The monster opened its mouth and flames gathered.

  She was going to die. Incinerated by a creature she’d never heard of miles from anyone she knew. She should have stayed home or with her mother and the vampires.

  The Dragon Mane lurched sideways, twisted, and sent flames roaring down the hall. It charged down after its blast. The last thing she saw was its spiked tail thrashing and crushing the door frame.

  “I’m alive.” She could hardly believe it. Carter had moved to the doorway and peeked out. “What happened?”

  “Kimberly.” He had to shout to be heard over the blasts and roaring. “She’s fighting the Dragon Mane. I suggest we take advantage of her arrival and get out of here.”

  Anya was all in favor of that plan. She joined Carter at the door and risked a look down the hall. The combatants had moved out of sight, but the sounds of their fight still filled the hall. In the opposite direction was a gaping hole in the floor.

  The monster had smashed its way through then tore a section of floor down to make a sort of ramp. Carter took her hand and they slid down together. A quick dash brought them through the rubble and to the stairwell. They ran down to basement level where Carter took her to a room sealed with a heavy steel door.

  He grunted and dragged it open. The inside was like a one-room apartment. He motioned her in then pulled the door shut behind them.

  “Will that door stop one of those monsters?”

  “It will once I activate the security protocols.” He removed an amulet from the front of his shirt and pressed it to the door. A flash of white made her squint then it was gone. “There. All the wards are now active. We’ll be safe here while the Dragon Manes are dealt with.”

  “Safe,” she muttered as she sat on the narrow bed. “I’ve heard that before.”

  * * *r />
  Anya and Carter spent three tense hours in the safe room before the door opened. Standing outside was a woman in a black robe. A wisp of smoke rose from the tips of her tousled red hair and a streak of smeared soot ran down her pale face.

  Carter leapt to his feet. “All secure, boss?”

  She nodded, looking weary beyond words. “We lost forty people, mostly non-combat staff. When I find out who smuggled those Dragon Manes into the Kingdom I’ll string them up by their ears.”

  Bright green eyes focused in on Anya. “I trust no harm came to you? I apologize that our meeting was delayed.”

  Anya waved her off. “I’m not going to complain given the circumstances. I’m sorry about your people.”

  “As am I. Perhaps we should take care of our business now. I’m Jemma St. Simon, head of the Ministry of Magic. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Kazakov.”

  “Anya and thank you for taking me in.”

  Jemma offered a weary smile. “There, now that introductions are out of the way there’s the matter of the password.”

  Anya winced. This probably wasn’t going to go over well, but she had no choice. “About that. After this attack I’m not confident you can protect me. I want to be transferred to the North American Alliance and have Conryu Koda as my bodyguard. The most powerful wizard in the world should be able to keep me safe.”

  Jemma and Carter both stared at her. Well, let them stare. She’d made up her mind. A powerful bodyguard and an ocean between her and the Empire were the only things that would make her feel secure.

  “It’s not that simple,” Jemma said. “We have a mutual aid treaty with them, but I can’t just give an order and have them accept you as a refugee. Not to mention Conryu is a private citizen still attending their academy. I’m not certain what you’re asking is possible.”

  Anya crossed her arms. “I’m sure their wizards are every bit as eager to study me as yours. You want the password, this is the price.

  10

  Epilogue

  Orin Kane settled into his new chair and sighed. It had been a long day of meetings, but things were returning to normal in the Department after the madness of last month. He sighed, eyed the waiting pile of paperwork, and dismissed it. There was nothing that wouldn’t keep until tomorrow. Maybe he’d head home early and surprise Shizuku and Maria.