Dragon's Gift - The Valkyrie- Complete Series

by Linsey Hall

  “I wasn’t myself.” Rowan shook her head. “But still, the idea of what I could have done… They gave me different powers. I was a puppet.”

  “A puppet no longer. And we’ll get them before they get us,” I said.

  I wanted it for vengeance. For safety.

  Hell, it didn’t matter why I wanted it.

  It had to be done. The Rebel Gods were evil, and we had to stop them.

  And together, we had a chance.

  Master of Magic

  Dragon’s Gift: The Valkyrie Book 5

  1

  As our monster truck raced through the forest, joy surged through me. I stood on the fight platform at the front, clinging to the rail as the truck swerved around giant trees, driven by my sister Ana.

  For the first time in five years, I was fighting monsters with both my sisters.

  I looked over at Rowan, grinning so hard my cheeks hurt.

  After five long years of searching, we’d finally found her. Saved her. Two days ago, I’d yanked her from the grips of the Rebel Gods, and now the three of us were back together. Me, Ana, Rowan.

  A team.

  And right now, our job was to catch the giant cryptid that was haunting this ancient Scottish forest.

  “See anything up ahead?” Ana called from behind the wheel.

  “Just trees!” I shouted. “No Nessie yet.”

  “Are we sure this is Nessie?” Rowan asked. Wind whipped her hair back from her eager face. “The legs—not to mention being on land—seem seriously out of character.”

  I laughed. She was right. Nessie with legs was weird.

  “According to Jude, someone had hit her with an evolution charm. She’d grown legs and charged up here, to the Ancient Forest.”

  I was glad this little side job for the Protectorate had come up. Rowan had been a captive too long, and this gave her a chance to get back into the real world. Doing what we’d always done best—practice our general badassery from our perches on the buggy.

  I patted the bag of potion bombs slung over my shoulder, nodding to the identical one hanging off of Rowan’s back. “These potion bombs should tranq her. Then the Cryptos will take over and get her back to normal.”

  “And stick her back in Loch Ness, I hope,” Rowan said. She’d always loved animals.

  “Yep.” I grinned at her, clinging hard to the rail as Ana swerved the vehicle around a huge tree. “The Protectorate wouldn’t have it any other way. They work for good, Rowan. You’ll like it here.”

  “I trust you, but—”

  A blast of flame exploded from the trees to our left.

  A scream caught in my throat as Ana swerved the buggy away, throwing out her hand and creating a white shield between us and the flame. The brilliant orange fire crashed against it, the heat warming my face.

  As it faded, I caught sight of giant, gleaming green eyes peering out at me from between the charred tree trunks.

  “Nessie shoots fire?” Rowan shouted.

  “Evolution is amazing.” I cackled. “Charge her, Ana!”

  Rowan dug into her potion sack and withdrew a gleaming blue glass ball that Hedy had made for us. It was the size of a softball—fairly large for a potion bomb. “How many do we have to hit her with?”

  “At least eight.”

  Rowan grinned. “All right, then. Twenty bucks I hit her with more!”

  A grin stretched across my face, my heart feeling like it was filling with sparkling light. I was so damned happy to be back with Rowan that I didn’t care if she won.

  Didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try, though.

  “You’re on.” I dug into my sack and withdrew one of the potion bombs.

  The buggy bounced over roots and rocks as Ana careened around a tree and headed for Nessie. The beast roared and took off into the forest.

  “We’re not going to hurt you!” Rowan shouted.

  Nessie’s footsteps pounded harder.

  “She’s a smart one,” I said.

  “There’s nothing for you to eat in this forest,” Rowan shouted. “Wouldn’t you like a nice fish instead of some nasty rabbit or stag?”

  Nessie roared again.

  “Is she disagreeing with you?” I asked.

  “No idea.”

  We reached a clearing, and Ana hit the gas. The buggy jumped forward, eating up the ground.

  “We can’t take her out here!” I shouted. “This clearing is enchanted with magic that prevents transporting!”

  If Nessie went down here, they’d never be able to transport her back to Loch Ness.

  “Got it!” Ana cried, and sped faster after Nessie, getting out of the clearing entirely.

  Soon, I could see Nessie’s massive green tail as she raced through the forest on sturdy legs. The trees towered over her, three times the size of normal oaks. This ancient forest wasn’t far from the Protectorate castle, but this was the first time I’d seen it.

  “I’m going to block her way.” Rowan thrust out her free hand.

  A moment passed. I waited for her magic to fill the air.

  But nothing happened.

  A grimace twisted her face.

  Still nothing.

  “Are you okay?” Worry twisted my insides. During her time with the Rebel Gods, they’d totally screwed with her magic. They’d given her new powers, but what about her old ones?

  A bead of sweat dripped down Rowan’s temple. The buggy lurched over a bump, and she stumbled.

  She gasped. “It’s still not there.”

  “No telekinesis at all?” It was the gift she’d been born with, and she’d been having trouble with it in the two days she’d been free.

  “I’m trying to move the fallen logs, and…nothing.”

  “Do you have your new gifts?” Ana shouted from behind. “The ones from the Rebel Gods?”

  “No.” Her voice cracked. “Those disappeared when their enchantment broke. I thought it would just take a little time for my old magic to come back, but if it’s not appearing right now…when I most need it…”

  “Don’t say it.” I scowled at her.

  “It never will.” She sucked in a ragged breath, then determination set her brow.

  Now that was the Rowan I recognized.

  Nessie had gained some distance. She was really not a fan of being chased.

  “We need to lure her to us!” Rowan turned back to Ana. “Steer us over to that big tree!”

  Ana swerved the buggy toward the large tree with a low-hanging branch. As she neared it, Rowan stashed her potion bomb in her sack, then leapt into the air, grabbed the branch, and scrambled onto it.

  “What the heck?” Ana shouted.

  “I’ll draw it to me! Herd Nessie toward me with the buggy!”

  “That’s dangerous as hell!” Ana shouted. “You could get barbecued!”

  “Compared to the last five years, this is nothing.”

  And she was determined not to fail. I knew Rowan. Losing her magic would tear a hole in her. But she wouldn’t stay down. Nothing could keep her down.

  And as much as Ana was a worrier, that wouldn’t help us get the job done. I loved her for caring, but I wanted to catch Nessie. And I wanted Rowan to be able to prove herself. Not to me. But to herself.

  “I like how you think.” I unfurled my wings and leapt into the air, avoiding branches as I flew above Rowan. “I’ll attack from the sky.”

  Rowan grinned up at me, looking slightly crazy.

  “You’re both nuts!” Ana drove away, looping around to try to corner Nessie.

  The morphed sea creature was off in the distance, crashing through the forest and upsetting the animals. From up here, I could see stags charging away from her, along with a herd of badgers.

  Nessie was definitely upsetting the ecosystem.

  Ana drove the buggy in a large loop, herding Nessie toward us. The monster occasionally turned back to blast fire at Ana, but my sister was too fast. She threw out her protective shield, stopping the flames before they could g
ive her a new, crispier hairdo.

  “She’s nearly here!” I called down to Rowan.

  She dug into her potion sack. I rubbed the smooth glass of the potion bomb with my thumb as I waited. Nessie thundered closer, her green skin looking a bit dry and flaky. She needed to get back into Loch Ness. Whoever had transformed her hadn’t done a great job.

  Leaves fluttered from the trees as Nessie’s footsteps rattled the earth. She was nearly under Rowan when I hurled my first potion bomb. Rowan followed suit, and the blue glass balls exploded against Nessie’s hide.

  Nessie didn’t even pause. She was far too big for that tiny amount of sleeping potion to have an effect.

  I dug into my pouch to withdraw another ball as Nessie raced faster through the forest. Rowan ran after her, jumping from tree limb to tree limb like Tarzan. I flew fast, darting around trees to get the perfect position.

  I threw the next bomb, grinning when it shattered against Nessie’s butt. Rowan’s second bomb hit her on the back, and Nessie stumbled.

  She roared, then turned and blasted fire up at Rowan.

  Fear turned my blood to ice, but Rowan dodged just in time, fast and agile. Her hair smoked a bit, but the dark strands look mostly intact.

  My next bomb exploded against Nessie’s neck, and Rowan managed to hit her on the side. Nessie wobbled as she ran, slowing down.

  “One more!” I shouted, digging into the pouch.

  We hurled our bombs at the same time, hitting Nessie on the back. She crashed to the ground, skidding against the leaves.

  “Woo!” Rowan leapt from the tree limb and loped over to Nessie’s head.

  I flew down to join her and landed lightly on my feet. I was really starting to get the hang of the flying.

  Rowan’s wide gaze followed my wings as I drew them back into my body. “You’ve come a seriously long way.”

  “It’s weird, to be honest.” All my new powers were still settling down inside of me, learning to play nicely as I figured out how to properly use them.

  Rowan knelt by Nessie’s head and petted her cheek. She had a smooth face and tiny fangs. Cute, actually.

  I pressed my fingertip to the comms charm. “Emily? We’ve got Nessie. You can come get her.”

  “Great! Be right there,” said Emily, the transporter mage.

  “They really won’t hurt her?” Rowan asked.

  “Not a chance.” But I could understand how Rowan might have some trust issues. After what she’d been through, it was no surprise. “They’ll transport her back to the loch and transform her.”

  “Good.” Rowan stood, her eyes cast in shadow.

  I reached out and rubbed her shoulder, wishing I could do more for her. Ana pulled the buggy to a stop next to us, her gaze landing on the two of us. A smile stretched across her face, but I could see worry at the edges.

  Rowan’s missing magic was a serious problem. As was the issue of the Rebel Gods. We might have killed one of them, but the other two were still out there.

  Still hunting us.

  An hour later, we arrived back on the main lawn at the Protectorate. Emily had transported Nessie back to her loch, and then returned to bring the buggy and us back to the Protectorate. The midday sun gleamed overhead, making the glass windows in the castle sparkle like diamonds.

  “How’d you feel about your first job?” Emily asked Rowan.

  “Um, good.” Rowan’s face was entirely shuttered. Any openness or happiness she showed us was markedly absent when she was around others.

  Emily smiled and nodded, but she seemed to get it and just waved, then turned and strode toward the castle. The dark-haired transporter mage was very perceptive.

  “I can’t believe we live here now.” Rowan gazed across the lawn.

  In the distance, Caro, Ali, and Haris practiced with weapons on the lawn. The Pugs of Destruction ran in circles around nothing, and the castle rose tall against the sky. All in all, it was an amazing place full of new friends. But to Rowan?

  I wasn’t sure if she could see that yet, or if she was still trapped inside her terrible memories.

  “Do you like it?” Ana asked as she drove us toward the stables where the buggy was stored. “Living here, I mean. It’s been a couple days since you arrived. Any change of heart?”

  “I do like it.” She frowned, and it was obvious that the transition was harder than we thought it would be. “But I should probably start practicing weapons with them.” She pointed to Caro, Ali, and Haris. “Given the state of my magic, I mean.”

  “You’ll get it back.” I squeezed her hand, but worry weighted my heart. I had no idea where her magic had gone, and it seemed she didn’t either.

  “Yeah. I’ll get it back.” Determination shrouded her voice. “We’re going to need it if we want to defeat the Rebel Gods.”

  “How’s your memory doing?” I asked as Ana drove into the stable and parked.

  We all climbed out of the buggy.

  Rowan rubbed her head, frowning. “Still crap. I can feel the knowledge—it’s in there. But accessing it is hard.”

  “The fog on your mind,” Ana said. “Isn’t that what you called it?”

  “Yeah.” She led the way out of the stable toward the castle. “The enchantment was so heavy. But it feels like the memories have been slipping away. And it’s only been two days that I’ve been free.”

  “You had them, and now they’re gone?” Ana asked.

  “Just hard to reach,” she said. “I don’t think they’re gone entirely. It’s like they’re at the tip of my tongue. Or on the edge of my brain.”

  “It’s the perfect protection for the Rebel Gods,” I said. “Some kind of spell that makes you forget whatever you knew about them.”

  “You’re right,” Rowan said. “As soon as I left them, I thought I remembered more. Now, those memories are trapped.”

  Hedy had been unable to help us with a memory recovery charm. Melusine had been a bust, too. So had Aerdeca and Mordaca. We were running out of options.

  “What we need is Arach,” Ana said.

  “But she hasn’t shown herself to us.” The dragon spirit who presided over the castle had been gone for weeks. I’d spent hours in her library, begging her to show up to help us with Rowan’s memory.

  I’d hoped that the mission today would get her feeling more like herself—maybe shake a few memories loose.

  It didn’t seem like it was working.

  As we neared the castle, the sound of rock music filtered down from one of the high towers. Caro was no longer practicing on the lawn, so I had to assume it was coming from her room. She was the resident music expert here.

  Mayhem, my winged friend, flew out through the castle doors, her ghostly form passing right through the wood. As usual, she had a ham gripped in her mouth. She must have finished her race around the yard with the other pugs, and dropped in on the kitchen for a snack. The ham didn’t stop her from giving an excited yip as she circled us in the air.

  Rowan laughed, and my heart lightened.

  We might have the pressure of the Rebel Gods hanging over us, but Rowan was back. She was stressed about her missing magic, but she was also happy. Most of the time, at least.

  I was going to take it. Hold tight to the good stuff.

  Like Cade, whom I hadn’t seen since last night at the Whisky and Warlock.

  I stepped onto the stairs leading to the main doors, and shivered as magic rolled over my skin.

  “Do you feel that?” Rowan asked.

  “Yeah.” I shoved open the heavy door. Magic slammed me in the face, a signature so strong that I gasped. “Arach.”

  “Speak of the devil,” Ana said. “Just who we wanted to talk to.”

  “Arach?” Rowan asked. “You mean the dragon spirit you’re obsessed with?”

  “Exactly.” I hurried into the main hall. “She’s here. I wouldn’t mistake that signature anywhere. Come on.”

  They followed me down the hall toward Arach’s room. Sconces flickered ye
llow light as we passed.

  “What’s made her show up now?” Ana asked from behind.

  “No idea.” I pushed open the door to her room, nearly staggering at the feel of her immense power, and pulled up short when I saw Cade.

  He grinned at me, looking handsome as ever with his dark hair and chiseled features. Richly scented smoke filled the room, twining around him. Next to him, a basin of blood gleamed in the light. Arach stood by the flickering fire, her shimmery white body blending with the smoke. She was in her human form, a lovely woman with a strange face that was almost reptilian. Her long, simple dress glowed like the rest of her, and she looked like she could disappear at any moment.

  I shot Cade a look that very clearly said, “What are you doing here?”

  But it was Arach who answered. “Your friend here seemed very determined to call me to this realm.” Her quiet voice resonated with power, shaking my bones. I’d be afraid if I hadn’t met her before.

  “How did he do that?” She’d come to me in the past when I’d called to her. Why not now? And why to Cade?

  “I was in deep slumber. It takes great magic to wake me.” She looked at Cade, then at the basin of blood. “He managed it.”

  I glanced at him.

  The corner of his mouth quirked up. “It seemed important to you.”

  “No kidding.” I wanted to hug him. Why hadn’t he told me he was doing this? The basin of blood caught my eye, then the thin wound at his wrist.

  Bingo.

  That was why he hadn’t mentioned it. I’d have wanted to take over and donate my blood. No doubt he wouldn’t have liked that.

  Arach drifted toward us, her magic rolling over me in waves. Her keen gaze landed on Rowan. “You’re our newest member, if I’m not mistaken?”

  “Not officially, no,” Rowan said. “I have no magic. Not anymore. So I don’t see how I can join you.”

  Arach’s gaze searched Rowan’s, and she raised a hand, hovering it by Rowan’s shoulder. “May I?”

  Rowan glanced at me, and I nodded. You can trust her.

  Rowan seemed to read my eyes, and she looked back at Arach. “Fine. Not every day I get to meet a dragon.”