The Air Witch's Dragon

by Severine Wolfe

  That brought Lennalth up short, his eyes widened. “Do you...” He stopped, unable to voice the suspicion aloud.

  Ryluth nodded. “None of us had contracted with any magical females since the Twins, and the mercenary females on the Technomage World want that boost.”

  Lennalth nodded blankly. “More than they want their own children.” He then exited Ryluth’s chamber at a near run, to make sure Miene was in her room and that guards were posted to make sure she didn’t leave and that no one entered her chamber.

  Following closely on his friend’s heels, Ryluth walked towards Sofia’s chambers and he frowned in confusion to see her door open. He stepped up to it cautiously calling out to her and there was no answer. He hadn’t placed a guard at her door so that he could come and go without comment by his guards. He could scent her at the doorway, and there was another scent he could not identify, it was familiar to him, and yet, he could not place it. He called down the hallway to the guard while he stepped inside and he could see her clothes from the day folded neatly on a chair next to her wardrobe and he scented her bath, felt the humidity from that chamber, but she was nowhere. He sent an air message to her, sure she’d receive it and answer him, but the message bounced back to him. Cold fear solidified in his stomach and he turned circles in the room, his eyes panicked, looking for her to magically appear before him.

  “SOFIA!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  His roar had brought every Dragon in the area running to him, as it was supposed to.

  “Where is she?!” He yelled, almost out of his mind at his knowledge of her loss. “Where is Sofia?”

  Every Drakkos who crowded into the doorway stared at him and the empty room. Their usually level headed, logical, rational ruler had gone mad with the loss of the female he considered his. The females had followed the other Drakkos to Sofia’s chamber and looked around, aghast that she was missing.

  “Where could she have gone?” Kjersti asked. She had walked into the room and begun looking around, even peering into the wardrobe in the event that Sofia had just wanted to play a joke.

  Ryluth was beyond listening, beyond speech, even. He could not think of anything but the fact that she was gone. Where was she? Who had taken her? Had the Faeries somehow found a way back to Wushin? What interest would they have in Sofia, other than the fact that it was well known on his world that he wanted her for a mate and that she was thinking along the same route?

  Where could she possibly be?

  He didn’t even notice when Lennalth entered the chamber and hustled the females out, and then called a healer in. And with a word, Ryluth was out cold. At least in that nowhere he inhabited, there was no Sofia, no world, no anything.

  *****

  Lennalth exited Sofia’s room, holding Ryluth and was relieved that Groffur had gotten rid of the Drakkos who had gathered. No one needed to see their ruler in this state.

  He carried Ryluth to his chambers, knowing that in this state he could easily revert to his first form so he lay him on the floor, knowing there was enough room that he would most likely not break anything valuable in that eventuality. The only thing he did do was to place a blanket over his human form. Then he stepped outside the door, ready to stand guard on his own for as long as it took.

  He communicated mentally with his guards and the palace was locked down. No one had left the palace since before dinner, so they had to be somewhere inside and Lennalth was determined to find them and his King’s mate.

  He was surprised a little while later when Ryluth’s door opened and Cassie Clancy walked out into the hallway.

  “What happened to him?” She asked quietly as she closed the door.

  “What are you doing here?” Lennalth demanded. “Did you take Sofia?”

  The Demi looked confused, then furious. “Where the hell is Sofia?” Cassie demanded, yelling.

  “She’s disappeared and Ryluth had to be put in stasis as he was going mad from it.”

  “How long ago?” Cassie said, looking down the hallway to the door she knew to be her friend’s chambers.

  “Approximately an hour ago, give or take. Ryluth was in no state to be questioned.” He told her and saw the Demi nod.

  “I will be right back,” she said and disappeared right in front of his eyes. He shook his head and stood guard, mentally taking the reports from his guards as they searched every nook and cranny in the palace. He blocked out Miene’s outraged comments for being under house arrest. Now she spoke to him. It figured.

  *****

  Cassie ported herself home and called out to those she thought could help and waited at the Silethan temple near her brother’s home. She approached the light shining at the altar and knelt down. Closing her eyes, she called out to her goddess and waited patiently.

  She opened her eyes to find herself transported to a room that reminded her very much of a Grecian temple.

  “Your mind is always such a delight, Cassandra,” Siletha chuckled, drawing Cassie’s eye to the beautiful, golden Demoness. Chuckling, Cassie took her own Demoness form, which closely resembled Siletha.

  “What brings you to my temple, Demi mated to a Demon Hunter?” Siletha’s smile was like a benediction to Cassie.

  “I cannot find one of mine,” she explained about Sofia and her trip to the Dragon’s world.

  Siletha listened. “You know she is not one of mine, has never wanted to be, so there is little I can do to assist you in your search for her.”

  Nodding, Cassie chewed on her lip. “Do you speak to their God in the way that you speak to the Elven goddess?”

  Siletha’s head shook on the graceful, elegant stalk that was her neck. “I have never had reason to seek his council.”

  Cassie cursed and stomped her foot at that statement. It was akin to someone stating, ‘well, I never see him at the meetings.’ “I cannot lose Sofia,” she entreated her goddess, who she still did not realize she accepted in a way she had never accepted the god of her own world.

  Siletha had to smile. Cassie was so busy rebuilding a world she thought that she hated that she was no longer given to introspection as she had been when Siletha had been trying to watch over her.

  “I can try to reach out to Threlzin, but he is a very... stubborn... male since the death of his mate.”

  “I go to look for her,” Cassie explained. “Can you reach me on Wushin?”

  Siletha nodded. “I am nearly back to full strength and power since your return. So much beauty, wonder and family have aided me.”

  Cassie smiled.

  “I appreciate this. I know she’s not yours, but she is mine.”

  Siletha bowed her regal head and Cassie found herself back in the temple, with a little more hope than she’d had before.

  *****

  Cassie looked at those who had answered her call, Gareth was there without his mate, meaning that Krys had been unceremoniously dumped on Aliera and Arminius. Her Mate Bax was there with Ava and Lauren and their mates.

  “Sofia has gone missing on Wushin and their king has kind of lost it, so we need to go there and find her.” She looked to Ava and Lauren. “Can you leave your children for some time? I will bring you back when you need it.”

  Both women nodded their heads. “Ayalah has her staff spoiling... I mean, watching the young,” Ava smiled. “Sofia is important to us.”

  Cassie nodded, looking at her husband. “The twins are with Seth and Brigid?” Feeling relieved when he nodded at her, his “scissors” on his back. His blades had once belonged to Gareth, the Demon who was tasked with tracking down Demons and Demis and had given up his swords when Siletha had gifted him with her own blade.

  “I knew that your mates would not let you travel to Wushin unaccompanied, so I am grateful that Merl and Tal came along.” She nodded to the two Demons. Then she frowned. “When I went to Wushin I could not sense Sofia anywhere. Her magical trail ends at her doorway and then nothing... I cannot explain it.” She shook her head then and looked at Gareth.
“Tracker, have you heard of anything like this.”

  Gareth frowned in thought, but then, Cassie thought, it was also his natural facial state. “There is always a trace,” he said. Resting bitch face had nothing on Gareth’s game face.

  “Then you will find it when we get there.” She gripped Bax’s hand. “Alright, folks, let’s get this done.”

  And then they were at Sofia’s doorway with Lennalth frowning at them from down the hall.

  *****

  “You brought Demons here?” He cried out and took a step towards them, then thought of leaving his post. He stopped and looked back at Ryluth’s door, clearly torn.

  “They are all mated,” Cassie said, stepping to him and putting a hand on his arm. “They are all here to help find Sofia. I would think you would be grateful for the assistance. I also have my goddess trying to entreat your Threlzin for assistance.”

  Lennalth stopped the objection about to form on his tongue and just nodded absently. “I am grateful,” he finally said, seeing Baxter Clancy approaching, his hand reaching up for one of his dangerously sharp swords and Lennalth could easily see his head leaving his body for merely refusing to listen to the male’s mate. The male relaxed and nodded to Lennalth. “However, I cannot speak for the others here.”

  “Understood,” Cassie nodded, then looked back and nodded at Gareth who went into his Bloodhound Mode, as he had heard Bax call it. Tal and Merl loomed over their mates, frowning, while the females stepped inside Sofia’s room and began doing whatever they were there for.

  “She has also been working a lot in Ryluth’s office, but she disappeared from her room, not from there,” Lennalth was trying to give them as much information as he could. He had no idea how to look for a human woman who seemingly had disappeared into thin air.

  Bax nodded towards Ryluth’s chamber door. “How long can we expect him to be out?”

  “Until the healer releases him, unless he begins to fight it, then...” he shrugged in a very human gesture. “At that point, it’s anyone’s guess. He was pretty insane when the healer put him out.”

  “Let’s all hope he’s resting comfortably then,” Bax gave him a wry grin and walked back to Sofia’s chamber.

  Lennalth sent up a prayer to Threlzin that they found Sofia before Ryluth woke. The Dragon would burn their world down searching for her.

  *****

  Cassie spoke with the women she’d brought to Wushin, except one. She marched purposefully towards Lennalth with murder in her eye when she heard that Miene was under house arrest at Ryluth’s order.

  “She came here under false pretenses, Lady Cassie,” Lennalth said when she was nearly halfway down the hall. He had no desire to be on the business end of any of her spells.

  “And you know this how?” The Demi demanded.

  “She has told me that she has no intention of mating anyone,” Lennalth told Cassie coldly, hating the memory of that moment more than anything. “Ryluth said she had come under false pretenses and that she was to be placed under house arrest until he could question her and get to the bottom of her reason for being here.”

  “So, you just assume it’s false pretenses?” Cassie glowered, and Lennalth swallowed knowing she was angry.

  “All females brought here had to agree to certain conditions, one of them was being open to taking a mate. She has already said that was never her intention, so what would you call it?” He threw back at the Demi.

  He saw Cassie chewing on her bottom lip, clearly unable to rebut what he’d just said.

  “The females on the Technomage World are aware that none of us have contracted for young since before Ryluth found Sofia and those mercenary bitches want their power boost.”

  Cassie’s eyes reflected the fire of anger within her and Lennalth took a step back, ready to change so he would not be incinerated.

  “Did she send you a message once she was put under house arrest?” He demanded, angry about his unrequited lust for the female and that Cassie dared get angry at the Drakkos for being lied to.

  That caused Cassie to blink, then shake her head.

  “No,” she said quietly, then her face became still. “No, she did not.”

  “And did you not provide them a way to instantaneously call on you for assistance if they needed it?” He asked her even though they had both been there when Cassie had explained it when she had brought them through the portal.

  Cassie nodded, frowning now. “Yes, I did.” Then she stomped her foot and growled a very Demon-like growl. “That bitch!”

  “She is my mate,” Lennalth told her quietly and was surprised to see Cassie give him a pained look.

  “Jesus, Len, I am so sorry,” she began wringing her hands. Then she seemed to come to some sort of decision. “I will leave her here to deal with as you see fit, since it was her agreement with you that she broke. Perhaps you can find out what’s going on, but right now I’m not worried about Miene. I’m worried about Sofia.”

  Lennalth nodded.

  He watched her walk back to Sofia’s room, an angry spring in her step and felt a small amount of relief that Miene would be made to stay here. Why would he feel the mate pull towards her if she was not his?

  *****

  Cassie entered Sofia’s room and sniffed, and grinned. Whatever Sofia’s problem had been, Ryluth appeared to have gotten her past it. She found Gareth in the bathing chamber, huge ass bathing chamber. He looked up when she entered the room.

  “I cannot find recent spoor of her past the door way,” he told her. He stood up and walked out and towards the door. He waved his hand and blue colored footsteps were highlighted on the floor, they approached the door, backed up... then nothing. “She answered the door, she stepped back, stumbled, and then... nothing.” His brow wrinkled. “She just disappeared.”

  “How is that possible?” Cassie asked, clearly skeptical about anyone just disappearing, which, considering her powers, was laughable, but Gareth managed to hold it back.

  Shaking his head, Gareth shrugged. He did not know the Drakkos well enough to know their powers.

  “I do not feel any portal or gate energy anywhere near here. I can’t pick up anything I can follow,” Cassie chewed on her thumbnail. “Could the Drakkos have a world walker?”

  Gareth shook his head again. “Not that anyone knows, and it would be known and he would be in Ryluth’s service if he did exist.”

  “Gimme a sec,” Cassie said, and then disappeared pretty much as Sofia had.

  When she popped back a few minutes later she was flushed and waving her hand, fanning her face.

  “Okay, never pop in on The Aztec unannounced,” she stated. “I did NOT need to see that.”

  Everyone looked at her, with her mate raising one eye brow in interest.

  “Later, babe,” she winked and smiled. “The only other world walker we know knows nothing about this caper, so we’re left back at square one.”

  Everyone nodded and just looked around.

  “The thing is, we don’t know where to start,” Merl said, holding Lauren close as if she, too, would disappear.

  Cassie looked around. “Ava, Lauren, I’m going to take you back home...” She held a hand up when they would have argued with her. “I will come get you the moment we have her back, but you have young to care for.” She looked at her Tracker and nodded. “Gareth, I will need you here and looking like Jared Leto again. The Dragons are still very leery of Demons.”

  She then took her friends and their mates home, and came back quickly.

  “Now we tear this place apart, brick by brick until we find her,” she rubbed her hands together and Bax had to laugh.

  Gareth sent him a questioning look.

  “She’ll do it,” her husband assured him. “To this whole damned world.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cassie picked up Sofia’s hairbrush and pulled a hair out that had a little round... something on the end. She didn’t know the scientific name for it, but she knew that it containe
d Sofia’s DNA. That was all she needed to find her friend. She took the hair and quickly cast and came back with... nothing. She wasn’t anywhere in the castle and in point of fact, nowhere on the entire planet. That set her back on her heels.

  “She’s not here, or anywhere near here,” she whispered, her fingers touching her lips as she contemplated the possibilities.

  “It doesn’t make sense, Cass,” Bax argued. “If they don’t world walk, and neither you nor The Aztec had anything to do with it, how the fuck did she just disappear?”

  “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” Cassie said.

  “You’re quoting Hamlet at a time like this?” Bax cried out.

  Cassie scowled at her husband. Gareth watched the couple as if he were watching TV on Earth again.

  “You’re the damned academic, Bax. We don’t know everything. We don’t even know what we don’t know.” She then turned back to the doorway, looking at Gareth’s lit up Sofia steps, running on a loop and thought.

  “So, whoever took her, disappeared after picking her up,” She stated what they already knew. “I’m not picking up portal energy of any kind, and world walkers leave it. It’s how I was able to follow that idiot Faerie back to Mildread’s court.” She tapped her chin with her forefinger. “So, it’s something that would leave some other type of energy with which I am not familiar.” She tapped her upper lip with the tip of her finger now.

  “What other kind of portal energy could there be, Cassie?” Gareth asked cautiously, not wanting to be on the end of her anger and anxiety, yet all too ready to see Bax roasted.

  “God based power.”

  Both males just stared at her.

  “Cool, we get to go to heaven,” Bax smiled.

  *****

  Ryluth was brought out of sleep, and he awakened in the same state of fear and anxiety as he’d been put under. Cassie shielded them all and waited for the King of the Drakkos to settle down because they needed his help. It was a span of minutes before Ryluth’s eyes cleared and he took his human form again, his face was devastation itself.