With the tiny pop of a cork being pulled from a bottle, Galen shifted back into his original centaur form. His shoes fell away and pants split into tatters. The Wizard pulled off his still-intact tunic, revealing his original sangria-colored jacket beneath. He threw it to one side as he knelt next to me, refusing to take his eyes off the dragon.
“On my back, Dayna!” he said quickly. “It would be healthier to be elsewhere!”
I barely had slung one leg over his flank when I heard the sound I most feared. A snort followed by the accelerating chuff-chuff of an oncoming diesel engine. Archer didn’t back off. Instead, he flung up the hand with the cupped energy and invoked the same protective shield I’d seen the Court Wizard use against Korr of the Seraphine.
Galen’s rear hooves dug into the soft earth as Sirrahon cut loose with his fiery breath. I did my best to hold on with one hand, as I still had a death grip on my gun. We’d only gone a few centaur-lengths when the concussive blast hit us, sending Galen sprawling. I spun off his back and tumbled to the ground. Then I landed on my stomach for good measure and got the wind knocked out of me.
Something sparkled on the ground before me. I groped for it and came up with my transport medallion. The chain had broken in my fall.
I forced myself up on my elbows in time to see Archer standing his ground. He held a wall of blue energy between himself and the dragon, deflecting the worst of the creature’s incendiary breath. The man laughed out loud.
“You think I don’t know all of a dragon’s tricks?” he said, in a mocking tone. “I rode your kind while you were still asleep in your scarlet bed!”
Sirrahon’s eyes flickered hatefully at that. Galen helped get me to my feet. I tossed away the broken chain and stuck the medallion in my pocket. Dropping into my shooter’s stance, I squeezed off three shots at the massive dragon’s eyes. Two whined harmlessly off his neck scales. The last shot hit home. But unlike before, Sirrahon didn’t even seem to notice.
“His eyes are magically shielded,” Galen gasped, as he stood at my side. “The dragon’s learned since our last encounter. And he’s up to something else, too.”
Sirrahon hadn’t let up his fire breathing. Instead, the dragon slowly closed his mouth, channeling the flame into a tighter and tighter cone. The energy of his breath shaded from red into nova-white. The same thing that Korr the phoenix had done when he’d broken Galen’s shield.
“No! Get out of there!” I cried, and I took a step forward. I’d have even gone further without Galen’s firm, restraining hand on my shoulder.
Archer fell to one knee, sweating and straining to keep the shield up. But a tiny glowing crack started right in the center, no bigger than a few inches long. It grew and grew until it reached from top to bottom.
The Dragon Knight’s shield shattered. His hair burst into flame, skin blackened in an instant. Whatever he might have said or screamed was lost as crackling flame turned flesh to ash.
Galen wrapped an arm about me and gasped out a magical phrase. The world disappeared in a shower of white sparks. As if in mercy, the smell of seared flesh and burning hair was wiped away by the cleansing tang of ozone.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Galen and I arrived back in Crossbow Consulting’s conference room in a gasping heap. The centaur let go of me and staggered back a few steps before his equine rear hit the wall with a thump. I sank to my knees, coughing as I exhaled the foul air caught in my lungs. We both looked disheveled and singed around the edges.
“Dayna!” Alanzo cried, as he dashed over.
He knelt and grasped me about the shoulders, his eyes scanning me from head to toe to see where I was hurt. Shaw and Liam followed at his heels, on alert for any threats.
“I’m all right,” I wheezed. “Just inhaled some smoke.”
“Stand back, everyone,” Galen warned, as he turned towards the window and raised his hands. “I must block Sirrahon from transporting himself anywhere near this vicinity.”
“Sirrahon!” Liam exclaimed.
“Mayhap it is time for our ‘grudge match’,” Shaw growled. “‘Tis something I have oft longed for!”
“That wish of yours might come true,” I warned the drake, “and sooner than you think.”
“Lokau pless reki, frahk koma!” Galen recited.
An arc of electric blue emanated from his outstretched palms. The window shook in its frame and a jagged crack wended its way up from one corner, but it held together. The Wizard lowered his hands and leaned against a nearby wall, exhausted.
“It is done,” he said, in a tired voice.
“Are we safe?” I asked. “For the moment, at least?”
“The dragon cannot come within a hundred leagues for the next twelve hours, no matter what form he takes. I have also severed any connection between him and us via the activation of his Wizard’s Mark. I would judge that as safe as my magic can make things,” Galen declared, as he righted himself. “All this spellcraft has depleted my reserves. Perchance might there be any sustenance close at hand? I could use some before I cast again.”
“The closest place is twelve floors down,” I said, thinking of the Vietnamese place with the gut-melting coffee drink. “But I’m not sure–”
I paused as something finally cut through the acrid smoke and grime that fouled my sense of smell. Something fishy, at first. Then the smell of roasted vegetables. The warm smell of baked crust, tomato sauce and melted cheese.
“Alanzo,” I said, as he stood and helped me to my feet, “did you order pizza?”
“He did, and despite my doubts, it’s a most wonderful substance,” Liam confirmed. He indicated a stack of low, rectangular boxes set on the conference room table with a toss of his antlers.
“I got a pie loaded with quartered artichoke hearts for the Protector of the Forest,” Esteban explained, “and two more with sausage and pepperoni. Oh, and I took a chance that Grimshaw here might like anchovies. He seems to think it’s muy chidas.”
Shaw nodded enthusiastically. “‘Tis a marvel that a fish exists solely to put on one’s pizza!”
“Wait a minute,” I said, as Esteban led me over to the table. “It’s what, ten in the morning? Where the heck did you find a pizzeria open at this hour?”
He shrugged. “Welcome to Los Angeles. Andeluvia may be the realm of magic, but this city is the realm of takeout.”
I bowed to the inevitable and took a seat. But it took me a little while to get my appetite up. It was a strange feeling, because my stomach really did want something more besides iced tea to supplement the small pre-dawn breakfast I’d gotten in Andeluvia.
Yet my tummy remained stubbornly kinked in a knot. Even with the events of the last year, seeing death up close still rattled me. Seeing a creature like Sirrahon again rattled me even more.
My brain was still processing Archer’s revelations.
And his death.
“I don’t believe either of us are badly injured,” Galen said, as he half-turned to rummage in his saddlebags again. He came up with a familiar looking glass jar. “I still wish to use our healing salve. It would be best if we had some water and a clean cloth.”
“Coming right up,” Esteban said. He disappeared from the room for a moment, returning with a crisp stack of paper napkins and a couple bottles of water. “Luckily, Crossbow Consulting has a fully-stocked break room.”
The Court Wizard and I took a moment to wipe soot from our faces and the edges of our clothes. My nose, cheeks, and earlobes smarted badly. But any heat damage I’d taken vanished as Galen smoothed the salve across my face. I took the container and did the same for him. The scent of soot and pizza vanished for a bit, to be replaced by the medicinal smell of pepper jelly. When I was done, the Wizard moved over to the table, hooves thudding on the carpeted floor.
“I recall trying this dish before,” Galen mused, as he pulled out a slice of pizza, maneuvered it onto a paper plate, and took a cautious bite. The centaur chewed and nodded his approval. “This is substan
tially better.”
“You only had the pre-frozen, boxed stuff from my freezer,” I reminded him.
I did my best to put the recent past out of mind for a little bit, lifting a slice and managing a few bites. Alanzo brought out a selection of chilled juice, soda, and more bottled water from Crossbow’s office refrigerator. Between the food and drink, Galen and I filled our friends in on our visit to Bitterroot Mountain.
Liam stepped back from where he’d grazed all the artichoke slices off his pie. Then, he began to pace. Maybe my bad habits were starting to rub off on my friends. At least the fayleene stag was both handsome and adorable to watch as he moved back and forth.
“I had thought Sirrahon was bad enough to begin with,” he fumed. “But now…he is part dragon, and part demon? He was responsible in part for my sire’s death. Wyeth’s fall into darkness. All the mayhem of the past year…it all comes back to this one source! Shaw was right all those months ago, when he sensed a hand of darkness moving pieces on a board.”
“‘Ware, friend Protector,” Shaw said grimly. “Now we see why Sirrahon has especial hate for the form of the fayleene. Thy magic couldst be the key to defeating him.”
“We must puzzle out how to use this to our advantage,” Galen agreed. “Removing his demonically amplified magical abilities would be a major help.”
Esteban cleared his throat and spoke in turn. “If I were running this as an investigation, then above all else, I’d have to look closely at changing my tactics.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The main suspect behind everything just got his cover blown. In fact, his concealment’s gone, his subterfuge has been revealed, and his end goal is practically public knowledge now. That means you need to ask yourself one question: What is Sirrahon going to do next?”
Quiet enveloped the room for a moment as Liam halted his pacing and we all stopped to think.
“Sirrahon is no longer a normal dragon, even for one with exceptional intellect,” Galen finally said. “He has become more dependent on magic, even developing his own Wizard’s Mark. After his recent display of his power, he shall be as drained as I, if not more so.”
“So you’re thinking he might go to ground,” Esteban said.
“Not for long, Alanzo,” I said. “Sirrahon’s still in possession of the crystal that the Ultari called the Scarlet Crypt. Nagura told us that any creature inside or nearby would absorb magical energy from it.”
“Fine,” Liam declared. “Let’s assume that Sirrahon is doing just that. Where might we next encounter him? From what we’ve learned, he views the fayleene as his biggest threat. Therefore, he might next attack the Grove of the Willows, where my people live for now.”
“I respectfully disagree,” Galen countered. “Sirrahon feared the prospect of the unicorns coming to our aid the most. That is why he sent Destry out to the Everwinter Glade to murder Master Dekanos. He must be planning to break their power by attacking there.”
Shaw let out a squawk. “If either of you are correct, we have a problem! We must keep our forces together to have any chance in combatting such a menace as thy dragon!”
The drake’s words made me sit up straight.
We must keep our forces together to have any chance…
But that wasn’t the case anymore in Andeluvia, correct? How would the dragon find out?
I let out a gasp as I realized what Sirrahon knew.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Wait a minute,” I said. I blinked as I stood up. “You’re both wrong. I know exactly where Sirrahon’s going to attack. And it’s going to be as soon as he’s regained his magical strength.”
“How could you possibly–” Esteban began, before Shaw nudged him roughly with a paw.
“Galen, I need you to confirm something,” I began. “Archer said that if Sirrahon’s mark had been added to the message we found by the bridge, that meant the dragon was ‘listening’. When would that have started?”
“As soon as you read all four runes,” the Wizard answered. “That is why I took pains to sever any connection between him and us.”
The sinking feeling I’d felt before now redoubled and came roaring back.
“The point is, that he’s been listening to me since yesterday morning,” I said. “He’s heard everything.”
“Not quite everything,” Galen pointed out. “Since the time of our conflict with the Noctua, the Dame’s Tower has been magically shielded from that sort of intrusion. As is the Parliament building and the palace’s throne room. Additionally, the Everwinter Grove is cut off from any magic by the unicorns’ own.”
“That still proves my point,” I said grimly. “Sirrahon could hear what was said in the Great Hall, and that’s where all the meetings of the Royal Court have taken place. And just last morning, Sir Quinton confirmed that Regent Magnus had no choice but to appease each lords’ demands for more knights and cavalry units. The Capitol is badly understrength.”
“You think…”
“Grayson Archer confirmed that I’d crippled Sirrahon’s ability to gain more than a couple of allies,” I insisted. “If I were Sirrahon, I’d gamble that whatever forces Fitzwilliam has left are paper-thin. And since the King just returned, he hasn’t had time to call for any reinforcements. No, if I were Sirrahon, I’d hit Fitzwilliam’s palace. I’d hit it hard, and I’d do it now.”
Another silence hung in the air.
“At least thou hast no longer to wait!” Shaw declared. “We must return to Andeluvia to sound the alarm and the charge into battle!”
“I can’t believe that I’m agreeing with Shaw over this,” Liam said ruefully. “But I don’t want us to be caught on the back hoof either.”
“Very well,” Galen said wearily. “I shall bring what magic I have to bear.”
Esteban stood, a strangely grim but defiant mood on his face.
“Fine. I’m loaded up. When do we leave?”
As one, my three friends looked to me, surprised.
I wasn’t. I’d been mentally preparing for this event for a while now.
“Guys,” I said, looking at Liam, Shaw, and Galen. “Can you wait for me in the outer office?”
Esteban frowned, but he kept quiet until they’d left. The door from the conference room clicked shut as Shaw pulled it closed behind him. Alanzo jutted his chin out and gave me that chill tone that he probably reserved for his homicide suspects.
“What the hell is this, Dayna?” he demanded. “You know I can’t do any more here. Grayson Archer’s dead. Crossbow Consulting’s been gutted. And…dammit, it’s not like I can take Harrison into custody, not if he’s a fire-breathing monster! You’re going to need help on this!”
I could only stare into Esteban’s face. The face I’d caressed in bed, the one I’d held close and kissed so much that I’d gotten beard burn from his stubble. What loomed up in my future made me shiver. And yet, I still couldn’t tell him what I’d heard from Destry. Not directly, anyway.
“Alanzo. I’m going back to Andeluvia…and I’m not sure that I’m coming back this time. I’ve known that…well, that the final confrontation between me and the Creatures of the Dark was coming. It feels like it’s here now.
“My gut tells me that this is going to be settled by magic and magic alone. Your going would only result in your death. And you can do something more here. You can let my family know what happened to me in that world…well, as best you can. That goes for Shelly Richardson’s relatives as well.”
That last sentence was a mistake. Esteban turned an angry shade of red. One that glowed through his copper-colored complexion.
“Shelly’s over in Andeluvia now? And you’re afraid that someone like me won’t make a difference?” Esteban took me by the shoulders. “I love you, Dayna Chrissie. I’ll be damned if I let you out of my sight, and that’s final!”
Somehow, I knew that he would say that. Part of me hated what I had to do next. Esteban was a damned capable man, one who’d fight to the deat
h to protect me. He had as much right to strike back against the being who’d engineered Isabel Vega’s death as I did.
But I couldn’t stand to put any more people I cared about in harm’s way. I held up one hand to clasp his, lovingly. I slid my other hand into my pocket.
“I love you too,” I whispered. “Maybe I’m wrong. It’s just that…I don’t know if you feel about me the same way I feel about you. Do you ever think about…us?”
“All the time, mi ángel, all the time.”
“Do you remember the last time we spent that lazy Saturday morning together? When you’d gotten me that lace negligee to wear for you?”
Esteban looked baffled for a moment, but he didn’t object.
“Yes, the one with the ruffles,” he said, with a quiet laugh. “You practically burned me, you looked so hot.”
“Do you remember what it felt like, lying on the bed in your room after we’d made love? The softness of the sheets, the sunlight coming in through the window?
“Sure I do.”
“Think about it, just for a moment,” I urged, in a lover’s whisper. I rubbed my thumb against the side of his hand. That opened his palm just enough. “Hold that picture in your head.”
“Gladly.” He smiled, closing his eyes for a moment.
Slowly, I took the medallion from my pocket.
I jammed it into Esteban’s palm, squeezing his hand closed over it. He opened his mouth to object as the transport spell picked up on his mental visualization and kicked in.
Alanzo vanished in a shower of white sparks.
For a moment, I simply stood in the conference room, torn over what I’d just done. I’d just sent Esteban back to his house via magic, but I wasn’t congratulating myself over my cleverness. Instead, I felt emptier than ever. Andeluvia’s conflict had pushed some people away from me.
But it had pushed others towards me. I was grateful for that, at least.
Dragon with a Deadly Weapon Page 17
