Dragon Horn

by J. P. Rice

Alayna patted the dragon at the base of his neck. Pembrooke beat his wings, rising off the ground and jumping back into the battle. I watched as Alayna held on for dear life. The orange dragon used a huge burst of dueling flames to camouflage itself and then strike.

  The dragon emerged from the flames and caught a black dragon by surprise. Pembrooke opened his mouth and a blast erupted with the strength of ten thousand torches. The spewed flames engulfed the black dragon, which beat its wings, desperately trying to put out the fire.

  The evil dragon only fanned the flames and shrieked in horror. The flaming dragon spiraled down toward the ground like a shot down helicopter. The enormous creature crashed into the street about twenty feet away.

  The ground quaked as the stubborn dragon clutched onto life, twitching and still on fire. The dragon fought against the inevitable, hissing wildly and thrashing around until he slumped down and went still. The charred flesh of the dragon attacked my nose with an odor similar to paint thinner.

  Scanning the area, I couldn’t find a sidhe anywhere. The wailing coming from the manhole covers told me that the sewer dragons were being vanquished. I peered back up at the battle in the sky and saw that all the black dragons were retreating.

  The noble dragons circled around above the city they had helped save. Pembrooke and Alayna flew back down to the street, landing smoothly.

  Alayna said, “Not bad, huh?” She blew on her fingernails.

  “Not at all,” I screamed.

  Pembrooke stretched his long neck out, laying his head right in front of me. Alayna climbed down his neck and jumped onto the street.

  With wonder in my eyes, I stared at the mythical creature I’d never expected to glimpse, let alone have within arm’s reach.

  The jewel toned scales rippled in the emerging sunlight, causing a wave to run across the dragon’s body. The wave ran the gamut of every shade of orange, starting with fuzzy peach and ending in an amber marmalade. The mesmerizing flash not only looked amazing, but the scales were thick and could probably withstand bullets.

  Tiny puffs of smoke leaked from Pembrooke’s nose when he exhaled. Ironically, the dragon had icy blue eyes that matched Alayna’s. The wyvern’s bat-like wings were perfect for the Gotham-style city of Pittsburgh. Rows of pointed horns ran along his jawline with several long fangs hanging out of his mouth.

  If he weren’t Alayna’s friend, I’d be running in the other direction.

  My mentor, who I’d nearly forgotten was next to me, said, “You look like you want to touch my friend.”

  “I’m intrigued. That’s for sure.”

  Alayna planted her hand on the small of my back and pushed me toward the dragon. We walked past his face and I felt the heat inside my heart. Some sort of enchanted power was coming from Pembrooke. Alayna pointed to the dragon’s neck, right behind his angular skull.

  I reached in and tapped the mythical creature. Then I laid my hand on the skin. It was soft, hot, slightly leathery and a lot like a lizard’s. I’d expected it to be rough and scaly. The moment was surreal. As if I could feel Pembrooke’s soul.

  I was petting a fucking dragon. As I got more comfortable, Pembrooke moved his head around, seemingly in pleasure, like when I petted my dog behind the ears. Remembering the situation again, I said to Alayna, “We’re probably going to stay down here and help the people.”

  Alayna nodded as she looked me up and down. “I’m going to stay with my old friend for a little while. Are you all right?”

  “No.” I laughed. “But that’s never stopped me before. Other than feeling like a grenade went off inside me, everything else can be taken care of later.”

  “I just wanted to say thank you for saving Pittsburgh,” Gretchen told Alayna.

  My mentor said, “We were glad to help.” She patted the dragon on the back. “Would you like to come over here and touch a dragon?”

  Gretchen blushed and turned away shyly. I’d never seen the woman like that, almost starstruck. “I don’t know if you want me doing that.”

  “Don’t be silly,” said Alayna. “Get over here.”

  Without hesitation, Gretchen took the seven or eight steps and reached out her hand. She smiled as her fingers made contact with the dragon. I smiled. The woman had called me the kooky ghost detective when we’d first met. And now she had her hand on the holy grail of myth and the supernatural.

  Gretchen looked at me with stars in her eyes. “Mike, you can go with her if you want. I’m going to stay down here and help the people who have been trapped in here.”

  I turned to Alayna. “I’m still going to stay down here and help the people too. Make sure nothing else breaks out.”

  Alayna climbed back on Pembrooke and prepared for liftoff. I yelled, “I got that bastard for you, my lady.” Having fulfilled the oath I’d taken, I knelt down and bowed to my mentor. I raised my head as Pembrooke extended his wings.

  A glow of pride washed over Alayna’s face, and she responded, “I know. After all we went through, I couldn’t be prouder, Micheal. You were worthy of the dragons.”

  Holy shit. We’d reclaimed the city. As Alayna took off with Pembrooke, I walked with Gretchen toward the heart of the city. The victory had left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I’d taken back the city with a move I’d learned from someone who was probably dead because of my stupidity.

  This trip had revealed a little about Micheal Anthony Merlino. He wasn’t perfect. He didn’t share a bloodline with Merlin. He was a little broken. He had gotten discouraged. He had faced self-doubt. He’d left behind a comrade.

  He could have given up a thousand times. He could have taken the easy road like Felix.

  He made mistakes along the way, but when it counted, he was worthy of summoning the dragons. He did take back the city of Pittsburgh. And maybe most importantly, he was going to be the best dad for Dante. His life had changed in the blink of an eye and he was going to embrace it.

  Chapter 40

  I slammed the book shut because I couldn’t focus and set it on the coffee table, which was unusual. Normally, the well-written adventures and crazy antics of the wizard in St. Louis had always captivated me. Not today. I picked up the red master lock from the coffee table and started playing with it.

  Most people would be happy. I was officially a millionaire, but I felt like forty dollars and some change. My injuries were healing well but my emotions were still rattled.

  Dante was upstairs playing on the laptop I’d bought for him. He spent more time on that than talking to me. We’d gotten along well so far. I leaned back and thought about the recent events.

  I had donated five hundred thousand to my Cancer Support Group to help members in need. And even though Felix had ditched out on us, I had paid him fifty thousand dollars for his effort. He was a good guy after all, and he had put his life on the line, so it only seemed fair. Luckily, he told me that his injuries were almost healed.

  I still hadn’t figured out who’d broken into my house and stolen a bunch of stuff, but I put some feelers out on that one. Gretchen Meyer was in the process of her insurance claim for her destroyed house. Feeling guilty about involving her in the matter, I planned to cover anything the insurance company wouldn’t, and buy her some nice furnishings.

  Satoku kept calling me, trying to get back together, but I remained resolute. I still had strong feelings for Burn and every day I wrestled over whether she was still alive or not. If she was alive, I’d come to the conclusion that a romantic relationship might not work out, but I was ready to take responsibility and be a father to my child. Plus, I loved Burn as a person. I just wished I had told her that when we were together.

  Restless, I jumped up and paced around the room.

  I’d talked to Jonathan about getting back into Sleepy Willow to rescue her, but after everything that had gone down, he was extremely hesitant. He had agreed to talk to his associates from Sleepy Willow and find out if Burn was still alive. I was still waiting impatiently for that.

  There was
a high-end antique auction in five days and I planned to attend and win something awesome for my vampire friend. He’d helped me out numerous times and it was the least I could do.

  As for Alayna, I’d forgiven her for lying to me about Merlin being my ancestor. I planned to give her shit about it in the future, but the magic was in me. Micheal Anthony Merlino.

  Although this wasn’t a mysterious case that I had to build from scratch, the adventure proved that I didn’t need the Merlin thing to kick ass and take names. The people of Pittsburgh were safe again. Mostly because of me.

  I’d also learned that every demon wasn’t a terrible, evil creature. Considering I’d used a tactic I’d learned from Burn to defeat the Warden of the East, I’d learned that every individual, no matter their social status or stigma, was worthy of great respect. I should have known this from my own upbringing.

  I was still having trouble dealing with Burn’s possible death. The scent of orange and sesame filled my nose. No. It couldn’t be. My nose led me into my kitchen.

  My special candle was burning on the kitchen table. How? Dante didn’t light it. I didn’t light it. A surge of energy ran through me. This had to be a sign. She was alive. Or was this just messing with my fragile mind?

  Some strange gravity pulled me toward the cabinet near my stove. I thought I heard someone at the front door and perked up my ears. Then my neighbor’s door slammed shut so I knew it wasn’t for me.

  I set the red lock on the counter. Opening the cabinet door, I reached in for the Jameson. As soon as my hand hit the bottle, I heard Alayna’s voice from behind.

  “What are we doing here, mister?”

  I slammed the door shut and spun around. “Fuckin’...nothing. What are you doing here? I didn’t even hear you sneak in.”

  “That was the plan. I was worried about your drinking. It isn’t at the level of your father yet, but you need to nip this in the bud.”

  “I think I’ll be all right.”

  “You can’t be doing this if you are going to raise that demon. Come on, you’re coming with me. The Gods want to see you.”

  “Okay. Let me get ready.” I assumed the Gods were going to finally heap some praise on me for flushing out the sidhe and reclaiming Pittsburgh. It was about time.

  I went upstairs and shoved open my door. Dante slammed his laptop closed and pulled my sheet up over his body. I asked, “What’cha doin’ buddy?”

  He yelled, “Nothing. Get out and close the door.”

  I turned around and opened the door. Holding onto the knob, I said, “You need to get ready to go to the Deep Burrow. We’ll talk about all this other stuff later. But we will talk about it.” I thought the kid was around ten.

  AS I SAT IN THE DUG-out cave at the base of the mountain in Clara Spiritus, home of the Celtic Gods, I seethed over Alayna’s chicanery. She had ambushed me with an intervention. Featuring the Celtic Gods. Not exactly the victory parade where I kissed babies and accepted all the awards like I had expected.

  The Dagda, Mabon, Blodeuwedd and Alayna sat with me. Hopefully, the chastising was over.

  The Dagda said, “You have been trusted to protect a city. That is a great responsibility and this drinking is getting in the way. The best way to take care of a problem is to address it immediately. By the way, did you happen to chance upon a harp while you were in the Red Cavern?”

  I nodded. “Yes. A demon got to it right before me, but it was there. At least, I assume that was it.”

  The Dagda’s face turned red. “I’ll get that back before it’s all over.”

  Mabon said, “We’re all here to help you. We want you to succeed. To ensure that, you need to take this little pill here.” The Young Son extended his hand with a small orange pill in his palm.

  Trusting the God, I snatched the pill and bit my tongue softly to release some saliva. I tossed the little pill in my mouth and swallowed. Tasted like an orange. I’d forgotten to ask the obvious question, “What was that?”

  Mabon explained, “That pill will make it so you can’t get drunk anymore.”

  “What? Will I get violently ill if I drink or something?” I wondered aloud.

  The Dagda shook his head. “If you drink any alcohol, you will lose the abilities of your magic.”

  Oh shit. “I’m not sure that was necessary.”

  “It’s done. Whether necessary or not remains to be seen.” The Dagda motioned like he was washing his hands, then held out two open palms.

  If I hadn’t just been reamed out over my drinking, I would have told the Gods about the implant in my leg. But now, I was going to keep my mouth shut about that.

  Mabon said, “We aren’t just going to smack you around verbally. We also want to help you in other ways. Blodeuwedd has been coordinating with all the avian creatures in Pittsburgh. She will provide a resource for intelligence gathered by the blessed winged friends we have in the city and surrounding areas.”

  Blodeuwedd, covered in her pavonine cloak, handed me a little silver whistle. “Just blow into that when you want to talk to me. It might take some time, but I will arrive eventually to help.”

  “Thank you.” That was cool. Sounded like a great tool to have in the belt. The birds saw and heard everything.

  I felt a twinge in my calf where the implant had been placed. Suddenly, I lost control of my body and began punching at the air in front of me. I tried to stop, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. The Gods and Alayna looked at me like I was crazy.

  I finally regained control of my body, but it seemed like my deal with the devil was already coming back to haunt me.

  A big flashing neon sign appeared in my thoughts and wouldn’t go away. A sign of hope. It said, Burn is alive. The sign wouldn’t leave, but the letters began to change. As the words took shape, the message was clear. I needed to save her.

  Thank you for sticking around to the bitter end. There are some deleted scenes from Dragon Horn and a preview of the next book, Blood Goblet after a few quick words.

  Special Thanks: Mom, Nandita Naik, Moonchild Ljilja, Tehrene Hart, Larry Diaz Tushman, Danielle "Dani" Dunivent, Kayla, Marie, Jan Gray, Inger Tucker, Milia Glafira Patzelt, Dawn Chase, Shannon Marocco(Cool jagoff from the Burgh), Rick Lasly(Chewie), Helen, Val Davis

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  DELETED SCENES FROM DRAGON HORN.

  FAIR WARNING: THESE HAVEN’T BEEN EDITED.

  THIS WAS THE SORRY ASS BEGINNING THAT I DITCHED:

  As I walked through my front door, my phone rang in my pocket. It was Gretchen’s special ring tone. A police siren. My dog jumped up on my legs.

  I petted his head with one hand and answered the phone with the other.

  “Merlino here.”

  “Good. Glad you are there. Actually, where are you?”

  “I’m at my house. What’s going on?”

  “You ever heard of
a sewer dragon?”

  “In theory, yes. I’ve never seen one.”

  “The city’s in chaos. Two of these fifteen-foot dragons are running amok through the streets. They are devouring anything in sight. Man, woman or child. Do you think you can do something about it?”

  “I can check it out. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?”

  “I can pick you up. It might be easier with all the chaos going on.”

  “Sounds good. When can you get here?”

  A continuous honking horn signaled to me that my chariot was awaiting. I said goodbye to Colossus and was on my way again. Looking at the empty porch next door, I wished my best friend still lived there. Although Reg’s transition into an immortal vampire was going well, I missed the guy.

  Crossing the street, I waited for a Volkswagon to ride past and jumped into Gretchen’s Jeep.

  “How’s it going boss?”

  “Hey, what do you know. I like the sounds of that. We’ll just jump on 28 and cruise down to the city. If people are leaving, inbound should be wide open.”

  “Has it been reported on the news yet?”

  “The evacuation has been announced. I’m not sure if they’ve given a reason. I don’t think it would be a good idea to send everyone into a panic by telling them what it really is.”

  “I just need to figure out how to defeat thirty combined feet of sewer dragon. This should be fun.” I started to focus. Let my magic rise up from the reservoir, ready for action. Thinking about what forms of magic might be most beneficial, I took a few deep breaths.

  “The reports said the beasts have long claws, sharp fangs and they breathed fire. Not like a flamethrower, but like hairspray and a lighter. They mostly used it to cook the dead before they ate them.” Gretchen was right. There was standstill traffic going the other direction, but we were cruising straight toward the skyscrapers of Pittsburgh.

  “Well thanks for mentioning that. Maybe next time don’t bury the lede until after I commit. You know, as a courtesy.”