Flight of Dragons

by Elianne Adams, Sadie Haller, Zoe York, Shelley Munro, Zara Keane, LC Alleyne, Skye Jones, Evanne Lorraine, Ann Gimpel

  Lachlan nodded his understanding. Persuasive was an understatement. Pushy, abrasive, and insistent described them far better. “Help me understand. Arawn told me dragons were the first time travelers. If you never left Fire Mountain afore the goddesses’ visit—”

  “Our seers figured it out eons before, in case we needed to leave. We’d just never used the skill.” Kheladin blew out smoke and fire. “There are tunnels, for want of a better word, that circle Earth. Passageways that go both forward and backward in time. They’re not particularly easy to access, but once within them, ye can move through time. In addition to them, dragonkind have our own method of traveling back and forth to Fire Mountain, but it wouldna help us return to Maggie since they’re a direct link betwixt Fire Mountain and many other worlds.”

  Something plucked at the edges of Lachlan’s consciousness. “Hold. Do ye sense aught in here but us?”

  The dragon stiffened. Lachlan felt a shift in the rolling bands of muscle beneath his legs. He joined his magic to the dragon’s and threw his senses wide open. Yes! He hadn’t been mistaken. Alien energy, edged with darkness, lurked behind them. Someone was trying their damnedest to shield it. Lachlan’s stomach tightened.

  Kheladin loosed a string of Gaelic curses. “I doona know how, but someone followed us into the tunnel. They’re keeping their distance, but ’tis only a matter of time afore they make a move.”

  Lachlan gazed about them, taking in their surroundings with a practiced eye. Not a good place to defend themselves. There wasn’t much room for the dragon to maneuver. “What happens to the tunnel if we loose defensive strikes?”

  “I doona know, but we mustna injure it. If we do, I fear we shall render it unusable. We’ll be trapped wherever it leaves us.”

  Lachlan considered that piece of information but not for very long. Much as he wanted to race to Maggie’s side, needed to feel her body pressed against him, and know she was safe in his arms, continuing their present course would be foolhardy. He wound strong magic around his next words to shield them. “It doesna matter where we are. Exit the tunnel. We will stand and fight.”

  The dragon hesitated so long, Lachlan wondered what was wrong. Waiting was excruciating, but he bit back a frantic flow of words.

  “Thank ye for giving me time to think,” Kheladin said at length. “What follows us is closer. I canna abort the spell midstream, but I believe I can return us to the fifteen hundreds with your help.”

  Lachlan groaned inwardly. They’d already lost more time than he was comfortable with. What if Maggie had been captured too? Yet he recognized the dragon’s wisdom. “How can I help?”

  Magic buffeted him from all sides, pressure growing until he was afraid they’d be crushed. He clung to consciousness by digging his hands into Kheladin’s scales. Pain from their sharp edges kept him awake. As his blood mingled with the dragon’s hide, he felt slightly better.

  Aye. He laughed grimly. Never underestimate the power of blood.

  The pearl-toned gray brightened, and Lachlan looked out at the standing stones on the Isle of Skye. Kheladin landed, wheeling on his haunches to face the still-visible swirling vortex of the tunnel. He drew himself tall and trumpeted a ringing challenge.

  Lachlan readied himself to jump down, but the dragon said, “Stay atop me until we see what we face. Doona lower your guard. Something comes.”

  “It must be Rhukon.”

  Fire streamed from Kheladin’s mouth. “My thoughts exactly. Who else would chivy us so? What I wish to know is how he got hold of the magic to enter the tunnel.”

  “I know ye would wish it otherwise,” Lachlan picked his words cautiously in an attempt at diplomacy, “but he is still a dragon.”

  “Barely.” Contempt filled Kheladin’s tone. “I’ve always been sorry I dinna kill that one after he offered me a bond. ’Twould’ve been my right. Had I known any dragon would be stupid enough to link themselves to his perverted energy, I wouldna have hesitated.” The vortex pulsed, turning an angry crimson. “See.” He angled a wingtip. “Even the tunnel knows it hosts unnatural energy.”

  “I’ll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head, youngling.” The black wyvern shot from the tunnel in a halo of sparks. As Lachlan watched, the dragon’s form shimmered into Rhukon. Aha! So he must hold one form or the other. Lachlan was just congratulating himself on an easy victory, when the red wyvern burst from the vortex just before it snapped shut with an earsplitting clang.

  “What have ye done with Maggie?” Lachlan gritted the words out.

  “What makes ye believe we’ve done aught with the lass?” Rhukon simpered. “Not that I wouldna love to sample the goods. Did she tell you I kissed her—?”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Lachlan screeched. “Ye besmirch her name when it passes your lips. She is my wife and mate.”

  Rhukon shrugged. “It willna do you much good if ye canna return to her.”

  Lachlan’s gaze flickered to the red wyvern. Apparently, Connor planned to remain within Preki, his dragon bondmate. Well-versed in warfare, Lachlan understood they were evenly matched that way. Mage and dragon against mage and dragon. Unfortunately, it could mean a lengthy contest—something he could ill afford without knowing for certain if Maggie was safe.

  “How did ye enter the tunnel?” Kheladin’s voice vibrated with barely suppressed fury at what he obviously considered a violation of sacred ground.

  “Sloppy work on your part, youngling.” Connor’s dragon form smirked. “Ye dinna close off your casting soon enough. But even if ye dinna leave the door open for us, all dragons know how to manipulate the time travel portals. ’Tis far less work to locate you, though, when we’re hard on your heels.”

  “Quiet,” Rhukon roared. “We dinna come here to chat.”

  Lachlan recalled that Connor had never been known for his brilliance. Surely there’d be some way to make use of that information. He opted for flattery first.

  “Rhukon.” Lachlan inclined his head from his perch atop Kheladin. “My compliments. Ye were sly. Ye bested us about a hundred years hence.”

  “Aye.” Rhukon’s mouth split in a satisfied grin. “That I did. It willna take much to do so again.”

  Fire roared from Kheladin. Rhukon sidestepped the blast handily. The red wyvern opened its mouth, but Rhukon aimed a dismissive hand gesture his way. “I propose a bargain.”

  “We doona bargain with those like you,” Kheladin snarled.

  “Let’s at least hear what he has in mind,” Lachlan murmured. “It might be…instructive.”

  Rhukon brayed laughter. “Humph. Your lengthy nap seems to have sowed the seeds of wisdom. What I propose is really quite simple. Ye remain here—or any other place in time away from the lass—and I will let ye live.”

  “If I refuse?” Lachlan tried to keep his tone neutral but failed. Danger ran beneath his words, its barbed edges rough against his tongue.

  “We shall engage you in battle here and now—”

  “What are we waiting for?” Kheladin cut in. “I stand more than ready.” He roared a challenge. Fire spewed from his mouth. The metallic stench of magic filled the air. Electricity crackled, and the fine hairs on the back of Lachlan’s neck stood on end. The dragon was probably right. Nothing could be accomplished with talk, yet he would’ve prolonged the conversation to give himself time to craft a strategy.

  Lachlan clamped his jaws together. Time, if there’d ever been any, had just been snatched away.

  Kheladin’s bloodlust trumped everything. It raced through Lachlan like a heady stimulant. He didn’t remember jumping to the ground in front of Rhukon or raising his hands, but power blazed from them. When the first rush of finally trading blows with his archenemy faded, Lachlan wasn’t certain he could best Rhukon, but it didn’t dampen his enthusiasm. He jumped and spun to avoid direct hits. Off to one side, the dragons clashed together in a shower of fire, sparks, and scales, but Lachlan couldn’t divert his attention to see how Kheladin fared.

  Futility crept i
nto the corners of his mind. His shirtsleeve smoldered and caught fire. Mayhap I canna do this… Lachlan sidestepped another blast from Rhukon. In a moment of clarity, he understood the other mage was manipulating him by sending hopelessness mingled with compulsion. He closed his mind to all but Kheladin.

  “’Tis about time,” the dragon cried. “I was about to intervene. Damn it!” Kheladin rose into the sky with a flurry of wings, roaring his displeasure at the red wyvern who’d just scored his flank with magic.

  Lachlan whirled in time to see Connor—in the form of his dragon, Preki—follow Kheladin upward. He was surprised it took the dragons so long to move their battle aloft.

  “Aye, now ’tis just the two of us,” Rhukon growled. “Ye canna kill me.”

  “Nor can ye deal me a mortal blow,” Lachlan countered, dancing back and forth on the balls of his feet.

  “I verra nearly did. Asleep is as good as dead.” A sly expression crossed Rhukon’s features. “I placed you in a time afore ye and Kheladin were bound. That you’re in separate bodies argues against ye being immortal.”

  Lachlan decided to play along. He tried to gin up a sheepish expression. “Guess I canna slide aught past you.”

  Rhukon snorted derisively. “Surprised ye’d even try.”

  An idea hit with such ferocity, Lachlan nearly missed his footing. He didn’t have time to fence with Rhukon for hours, tossing barbs and magic back and forth. Rhukon was devious. There must be a reason he was working hard to keep them occupied. Sending a silent prayer upward, Lachlan pulled magic as fast and hard as he could.

  Rhukon stated the obvious when he said asleep is as good as dead. Lachlan chided himself for not recognizing it before. He couldn’t kill Rhukon, but if he could immobilize him, for even as little as a few minutes, it would give him and Kheladin an opportunity to escape into the time tunnel. Connor was such a craven, he’d never go after them on his own.

  Once Lachlan was certain Maggie was safe, maybe he could get the Celts to imprison Rhukon somewhere he couldn’t escape. Or better yet, break the dragon shifter bond so he wasn’t immortal anymore.

  “Doona forget I’m stronger than you,” Rhukon snarled through gritted teeth.

  “Correction,” Lachlan snarled back. “Ye used to be, afore I joined my life with Maggie.” He pushed every shred of magic he could summon at his adversary. Rhukon swayed on his feet. Lachlan ratcheted up his casting. The other mage blocked him.

  I canna give up. I must make this work.

  Desperation jangled his nerves and soured his stomach. Lachlan dug deep, deeper than he ever had. His body became nothing more than a conduit for magic so strong and so ancient, he’d been afraid to tap into it before. Power rolled through him in violent waves.

  “Ye can stop. He is down.” Kheladin’s voice came as a shock. Lachlan had been so consumed by his spell, he’d lost all sense of anything beyond the magic devouring him. “Send your power skyward,” the dragon instructed. “Now.”

  Legs shaking, breath harsh in his throat, Lachlan merged his power with the dragon’s. Kheladin’s magic felt almost friendly compared with the vein of arcane wizardry he’d stumbled onto. He glanced at Rhukon’s prostrate form and wondered just how much time he’d bought them.

  “Nay!” Kheladin’s outraged cry shook the earth. “Cowardly bastard.” The skies lit with dragon fire.

  Lachlan snapped his gaze upward, scanning through flames. The other dragon was gone. “What?” he blurted, still so weary he couldn’t think. “Where?”

  “Slimy, craven, worthless bastard left. Guess he dinna like the odds.” Kheladin fanned his wings. “To my back. We should leave while we can.”

  Grateful at least one of them was still thinking clearly, Lachlan didn’t wait for a second invitation. Once astride Kheladin, he slumped against his neck.

  “Ye did well,” Kheladin murmured, “but we are far from done.”

  “Och aye, and thank ye for that reminder.” Lachlan laid his palms flat against the dragon’s neck and shamelessly let power flow into him. The pearl-toned time travel tunnel formed. Kheladin moved within its folds and stopped on the far side of the entrance, fanning his wings to hover. Lachlan tried adding magic to the casting to seal the access point. He wasn’t surprised when most of the power he managed to raise already belonged to the dragon.

  Kheladin chortled. “Thank ye for trying. ’Tis the thought I appreciate. There. The gateway is shut. Connor was correct. ’Twas sloppy of me last time, but it never occurred to me they’d be fast on our heels.”

  “Doona apologize. At least that bastard is out of the way for now. Connor isna a threat without Rhukon to back him up.”

  “Do ye have any idea how long Rhukon will sleep?”

  “Nay. Probably only a few hours. Mayhap only a few minutes. I must ask the Celts about the vein of magic I tapped into. ’Tisn’t one I’ve found afore today, and I doona understand how it works.” Lachlan heaved a sigh and laid his head against Kheladin’s neck. “I tell you, it took every scrap of mage strength I had to control it once I found it. Without you, I fear it might’ve swept me away.”

  “To where?”

  “I doona know.”

  The rocking that meant they were underway and moving forward through time began. Lachlan welcomed the power flowing through the tunnel and its kinetic charge. He hoped some of it would sink in and replenish his badly depleted magic. They still had to find Maggie. If Rhukon had caught her in one of his nefarious webs, maybe she’d manage to escape while the dark mage lay unconscious.

  Comforted by the thought, Lachlan did everything he could to prepare himself for whatever they’d have to do to free his love.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” Mary Elma snapped. “Keep quiet and shield yourself. We’ll do the rest. Don’t even think of moving outside this circle.”

  Being ordered about rankled. Maggie swallowed back her instinctive reaction to protest and adopted a defensive posture. She was plenty scared. The coppery taste of it flooded her mouth. Her heart hammered wildly. The air in the room darkened. When she peered through the murk, it was obvious the Celts were just as uncomfortable as the witches. The gods and goddesses bunched in groups of twos and threes, hands raised to rain destruction down on whatever threatened them.

  Maybe it’s Rhukon, and we can at least wipe his sorry ass off the face of the Earth. Andraste said there were ways around immortality.

  Fire erupted out of nowhere. Small flames flickered in a corner of the room, and smoke filled the air. Maggie coughed and instinctively hunkered closer to the floor where the air would be clearer.

  “Enough,” a voice rang out. “Ye’ll suffocate the lot of them, and us, too, if ye burn up all the air feeding your fire.”

  “Lachlan!” Maggie sprang upright and stared through the murky air.

  “It could be a trick,” Mary Elma warned. Sparks flew from her outstretched hands.

  “Aye,” Ceridwen said. “Doona relax your guard.”

  The air was so thick with fire and magic it felt like a live thing. The unmistakable sound of wing beats filled her ears.

  Kheladin. It’s Lachlan and the dragon, but why can’t they get through?

  “Drop the shielding around this room,” Maggie shouted.

  “Now why would we want to do that?” Andraste raised a graceful hand to her mouth and coughed into it.

  “Because I know I’m right. It’s Lachlan. He’s found us. He and Kheladin, but they can’t get in.”

  “Don’t make me laugh, girl.” Andraste smirked. “Ye forget yourself. Ye havena enough magic to keep a toy ship afloat, yet ye’re issuing orders.”

  The fire roared into life. A hole formed around it like a ragged doorway that got bigger and bigger. Maggie broke through the witches’ circle and raced forward. She sent her magic ahead of her. Working blind, she urged it to rip whatever was keeping Lachlan apart from her to shreds. A copper wing punched through, followed by the rest of the dragon with
Lachlan on his back.

  She didn’t understand how she did it, but Maggie launched herself through the air and landed right behind Lachlan. She wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life. Tears streamed down her face. Coughing, choking, crying, she gasped his name over and over again and showered kisses on his neck, his hair, any part she could reach.

  “I know ye’re happy to see him,” Kheladin rumbled. “What about me?”

  “Oh my God, I didn’t mean to leave you out. I love you too. How could I love one and not the other? I’ve thought of you both constantly, ever since I realized Lachlan wasn’t in the dressing room in Fort William.” She unwound a hand from Lachlan and patted Kheladin’s scaled hide.

  “Lass, oh, Maggie. Maggie, my love,” Lachlan twisted, tried to hug her, kiss her, but their position was so awkward, body parts just bumped into one another.

  The smoky air was clearing. Someone must’ve opened windows, or worked magic, or done something. Maggie didn’t care. All she wanted was Lachlan’s arms around her, his body pressed close, his lips on hers. “We have to get down, so I can hold you.”

  “Aye, lass. Hold tight, and I’ll move us.”

  “Before you do that,” she buried her hands in his hair, “I love you. One of the worst parts of thinking I’d never see you again was knowing I’d never told you how much you mean to me.”

  He leaned back against her and turned his head. “I love you, too, lassie. Take a deep breath, and we’ll be on the ground in a trice.”

  Her legs almost wouldn’t hold her upright when her feet met the ground.

  “Focus your magic to steady yourself.” Mary Elma’s voice was stern. She hurried forward and inserted herself between Maggie and Lachlan, just bullied her way right between their bodies. “I’ve wanted to meet you for years,” she exclaimed. “Ever since I saw you connected to my granddaughter in a vision.”

  “Never mind that.” Ceridwen pressed forward. “Did ye at least kill Rhukon afore ye came back here?”