“No kidding. I hadn’t noticed.”
“I must remove it to heal you.”
I wanted to push him away and say something flippant about how nobody had asked him to heal me, but a wave of hope washed through me at the notion of having the pain taken away now, instead of hours later in the hospital, after a surgery that I would have to pay for, since my self-employed freelancer insurance was lousy. But was it worth it to owe him another favor?
While I was waffling with indecision, he pushed my duster open and rested his hand on my hip, right on the hole in my tank top—and my flesh. I expected the touch to bring another blast of pain, but some cool magic flowed from his palm, curling gently into my wound and numbing the hot snarl of agony. It was like one of those cough-drop commercials promising soothing relief, and I could almost hear the angelic choir in the background.
A quick burst of heat punctured the relief, and I bit my tongue to keep from gasping in pain. I wasn’t gasping in front of some dragon, damn it. “What was that?”
“I withdrew the projectile.” He held up the flat bloody bullet, then flicked it onto the ground. It burst into flame and disappeared. Incinerated. “Now I will heal the wound.”
“Is it hard to heal humans when you’re used to dragons? I imagine we’re rather anatomically different.” I glanced at his face, meeting his eyes briefly, then looked over his shoulder. Looking him in the eye from this close seemed too intimate.
Besides, I needed to pay attention. We were standing in a public alley. Those orcs might wander down it at any moment. Though that was unlikely. They would sense the aura of a dragon from even farther away than I had. But the police could show up. We weren’t that far from the wreck.
Oddly, nobody entered the alley. Nobody even walked past. Was he oozing some magic to deter people?
“You are half-elf. I have spent time with elves.”
“They’re not as loathsome to you as humans?”
“They are among the most powerful of the lesser magical beings.”
Lesser. I snorted. “So you rank people and decide who’s worth spending time with by their power.”
“By their power, by what they do with their power, and by how obnoxious they are to be around.”
I could feel his gaze upon me and knew exactly what he was implying. As if he wasn’t more obnoxious than I was. In his arrogance, he didn’t even see it.
Warmth replaced the cool, and my flesh tingled with intensity. I sensed the muscles knitting together, the chipped bone being regenerated, and the skin regrowing over the wound. Even though the power came from him, my legs grew weak, as if some of it was also drawn from my own body. When he removed his hand and stepped back, I slumped against the wall. I wanted to slump all the way to the ground, but my pride—and the old pieces of gum stuck to the cement at my feet—kept me upright.
“Thanks.” For someone who hated being beholden to others, I was thanking him a lot. I didn’t like that. “Maybe next time, I’ll greet you with some ass-kissing.”
His eyebrows flew up, and he took another step back. “I do not wish to be intimate with you.”
“That’s not what I meant, but thanks for clearing that up. When you talk about kissing someone’s ass, it’s an expression. It means you’re sucking up, currying favor.” There we go. The way to define an idiom is by using a bunch more idioms, right? “I just meant that maybe I’ll call you Lord Zavryd the next time you plop down in front of me.”
I rubbed my face, more embarrassed than I should have been at explaining that I wasn’t interested in his ass. Why couldn’t I keep my sarcastic tongue clamped down?
And why did it bother me that horror had flashed in his eyes when he’d made his announcement? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been perfectly clear that he thought humans were vermin. And it wasn’t as if I wanted to sleep with him. My mind hurt at even imagining how that would go. It was more the implied insult, that humans—that I wasn’t good enough for someone as lofty as a dragon.
“That would be a wise policy to adopt. Not all dragons are as lenient as I am.” He’d recovered from his surprise and reaffixed the haughty expression. “Tell me what information you have learned about the location of Dobsaurin.”
“It’s only been three hours.”
He gazed at me expectantly.
“Look, I have some ideas based on where he’s been seen flying and where people have disappeared, but I’m going to need more time.”
Zav clasped his hands behind his back. “I should have gone to see the lava golem. But Dobsaurin is in this territory, not her territory. I thought you might be a more logical researcher.”
“Sorry to disappoint. If you give me more than three hours, I can dig more up. I didn’t know I was on such a tyrannical deadline.”
He looked thoughtfully at the sky. “We will go to see her.”
“Greemaw?” The only lava golem I’d met had been on the trip to Oregon to see my mother. “And what do you mean we?”
“Greemaw. Yes. You will come with me to speak with her and give her the information you have gathered. Together, you may more effectively pinpoint Dobsaurin’s location.” He squinted at me. “Assuming you have gathered information. Have you?”
I glared at him. “I told you I had. I’ve got the points on a map where three joggers were kidnapped, and I have some ideas about where his lair might be.” Granted, it was all supposition. I didn’t even know for sure that Dobsaurin had been the one to kidnap the joggers.
His face smoothed. “Yes. Yes, I remember. You do not lie. Good.”
Not strictly true, but I knew what he was talking about. The conversation I’d had with Greemaw while he’d been hiding behind a wall and listening in like some police interrogator.
“How about you fly down there and ask her about it yourself? That’s a long drive for a human. No wings.” I was pleasantly surprised when my hip didn’t hurt when I stepped away from the wall to make flapping motions with my arms.
“Your ground conveyances are slow.”
“Sorry, I haven’t renewed my pilot’s license in a long time. Mostly because I can’t afford a plane.”
“You will fly with me. Come.”
“Uh.” I raised a finger to protest—was he saying what I thought he was saying?—but he’d already leaped up to the rooftop of the building, as if he were some comic-book superhero.
I sensed the ripple of power as he shifted into his dragon form.
Come, he spoke into my mind.
I looked up at the three-story building and rolled my eyes. “Sure, I’ll be right up.”
Even though I had reservations, I found a drainpipe I could climb and shimmied up it like a burglar. My hip didn’t hurt at all. Man, I wished I could bottle his power and keep a stash in my kit for emergencies. Dragon essence: pour directly on injury for instant healing.
Maybe that was what the dragon blood did in alchemical potions. If so, no wonder Zoltan had been so delighted to get some.
Zav waited on the roof, his great black body taking up the entire top of the building. Scales gleamed in the sun, as sleek as fur over the powerful muscles of his legs and arms. He hadn’t spread his leathery black wings yet—if he did, they would stretch out over the street and the alley.
“How is it that people aren’t noticing you left and right?” I glanced toward an apartment building across the street, one that rose six stories and had rows of windows overlooking us.
Only those with magical blood can see a dragon, unless he wishes to be seen.
“You think so? I’ve seen video footage of you on the internet.” I walked to his side, wondering how I was supposed to get on, and if that was truly what he wanted. Maybe he intended to hold me in his talons and fly hundreds of miles with me dangling helplessly.
Video footage taken by people with magical blood.
“I think anyone can see you once they’re uploaded.”
His big reptilian head canted like a dog listening to a strange sound. He didn’t have ears, not that I cou
ld see from down below, but I assumed he could hear. It is possible the technology thwarts the natural magical camouflage. I have spent little time in this world, and I am uncertain how such things work.
Which was likely the reason he’d asked me to do his research. It was better to have use, I supposed, than be useless, though if I was of no value to him, maybe he would leave me alone.
But who would have healed my wound then?
Get on my back.
Before I could ask if I was supposed to climb, my feet grew light and I dangled in the air. Levitation. I’d never seen a magical being capable of doing that, but my mother said the legends about elves proclaimed that some of them could.
My skin started tingling again as I came closer, settling onto his back. His power was even more noticeable now. When he was in human form, it was electrical against my skin, raising gooseflesh and even feeling appealing. Like I had the urge to step closer and bask in it. In his dragon form, it was too much. It made my head ache. Hopefully, he would fly quickly.
“No saddle?” I’d envisioned this being like riding bareback on a horse, but his back was too broad for that. If I had a picnic blanket, I could have laid out a basket, champagne glasses, and a charcuterie tray.
A what? his voice thundered in my head.
Such indignation meant he knew the word… He just didn’t find the word appropriate.
“Is it less offensive if we call it a harness?”
The next sound echoing in my mind was either a grunt of disgust or a dragon hawking a loogie.
“A seatbelt? Except that there’s not exactly a seat.” I patted the smooth scales, positive I would pitch off as soon as he jumped into the air. Why had I agreed to this?
Why did I suggest this? he asked.
“I have no idea. Sindari has never offered to let me ride him.”
The Del’noth tigers are not unwise.
“I’ll let him know you praised him so profusely.”
My magic will keep you in place.
“What if you’re distracted?” I envisioned the silver dragon zipping out of the mountains and attacking us.
A second before I could change my mind, slide off his back, and tell him to visit Greemaw on his own, Zav sprang into the air. I flattened myself against him, arms spread wide, positive I’d made a huge mistake.
But as he flapped his large powerful wings, quickly gaining altitude, the air barely stirred around me. Right away, he took off to the south, flying over the buildings of Capitol Hill. I expected the breeze to tug at my hair and clothing, but it either streamed past, his head blocking it, or some bubble of power kept it from disturbing me. He did seem to radiate even more power as he flew, its presence surrounding me and filling my senses. I felt overwhelmed, like the time I’d gone to a laser music show as a teen, colored lights flashing all over the domed ceiling while Dark Side of the Moon boomed from the speakers and the floor vibrated underneath me.
I closed my eyes. This was going to be a long flight.
14
It wasn’t as long a trip as I’d expected. After an hour, we soared over Bend and toward the forest near Paulina Lake that held Greemaw’s hidden valley sanctuary.
I’d taken a few peeks down as we flew southward following the mountains, but Zav’s wings blocked the view, and I hadn’t felt adventurous enough to crawl up to his long sinewy neck for a better look. Heights didn’t usually bother me, but the lack of a seatbelt kept me from risking rocking the dragon boat. Also, I’d been busy watching the sky behind us, worried about what would happen if the other dragon showed up and we had to fight.
A part of me had been tempted to summon Sindari, if only so he could see the world from up here, but I’d envisioned my leather thong of charms somehow slipping off my head if I fiddled with them, and I hadn’t dared. I’d flown countless hours in numerous models of planes and helicopters when I’d been undergoing my army training, and somehow, this was nothing like any of it. Maybe because I had no control and didn’t trust the being who did.
“Do you really fly three hundred miles an hour?” I asked, guessing the distance from Seattle to Bend in my head. Admittedly, if he’d taken me as the crow flies—as the dragon flies—it would have been shorter.
I am not familiar with your units of measure, Zav responded telepathically as he pulled his wings in, his head dipping toward the ponderosa pine forest below.
I could see the lake over his head and did my best to grip his scales, but it wasn’t as if there were gaps between them. They were smooth and tight, leaving nothing to hold.
For my sanity, I closed my eyes as he arrowed down, only spreading his wings at the point where collision seemed a certainty. We slowed until he landed in an easy crouch. Not outside of Greemaw’s valley, as I’d imagined, but right in it, on the main road that wound through what seemed as much refugee camp as village. There were permanent structures, yes, but most of the people—everyone from orcs to kobolds to dwarves and goblins to shifters in wolf form—seemed temporary. Transient.
The orcs eyed me hostilely, several resting their hands on the hilts of bladed weapons or maces. Could they have already heard about the orc I’d killed in Seattle? Or had word of the Northern Pride’s bounty made its way down here? If so, I would have to watch my back even more than usual. I refused to hide behind Zav’s robe.
Before I could slide off his back—a dwarf with a rifle changed his grip on the weapon, making me pause—Zav shifted into his human form. I let out a startled squawk as I dropped more than a dozen feet and landed, my hands now gripping his shoulders.
“A warning would have been nice,” I grumbled, letting go and backing up.
“It is a great honor for a lesser being to fly with a dragon. It is typical for them to be grateful and effusive afterward.”
I caught myself before I could make another comment about ass-kissing—he would probably think I was obsessed with his butt—and limited myself to saying, “I’m atypical.”
“Yes.”
Grumbling further, I straightened my duster, checked to make sure Fezzik was still secured in my thigh holster, and touched Chopper’s hilt to reassure myself of the weapon’s presence on my back. The orcs were trading whispers. So were the dwarves. A dragon had landed in their midst, and everyone was glaring at me. How was this fair?
Zav strode off without acknowledging anybody, heading toward the alcove at the back of the valley where I’d spoken to Greemaw before. Not trusting a dragon’s presence to keep me safe, I gripped the cat figurine and summoned Sindari.
Only after he materialized did I walk in the direction Zav had gone, my hand resting on Fezzik’s grip. I didn’t want to pick a fight here, but I would defend myself.
We’ve returned to the sanctuary valley, Sindari observed, striding at my side. To do battle?
I hope not. I replied silently since there were so many ears and eyes pointed this way.
Lord Zavryd is here.
Yeah, we came together. We made a deal this morning. I’m helping him with his problem, and afterward, he’s agreed to help me with mine.
Sindari gazed up at me with his green eyes, as if he wasn’t quite sure I was his regular handler. Maybe he thought a lookalike had replaced me. How long has it been since you last summoned me?
We fought the panther shifters and visited Zoltan yesterday. It seemed like it had been much longer ago than that. This weekend had been eventful. If I’d had the opportunity, I would have summoned you to help me with some angry orcs a couple of hours ago, but there wasn’t time.
How long does it take you to touch my charm and call my name?
More time than I had. Keep an eye on those orcs, will you? And everyone with a weapon who’s glaring at me.
So everyone except for those three small children over there. Sindari’s gaze shifted toward a trio of green-skinned goblins with white hair.
One of them has a slingshot.
Ah, yes. So only the toddlers fighting over that orange foam tube are safe.
/> It’s a pool noodle, and yes. The last time I’d been here, I’d seen a few pool toys and an inner tube in a pond in the tunnel leading in. They weren’t the only things here that looked to have been salvaged after floating away from their owners on the Deschutes River.
Imagine my embarrassment at not knowing the correct terminology.
Do tigers actually get embarrassed?
I do if I fail to perform adequately or fall and don’t land on my feet.
We followed a bend in the only real road through the valley, leaving the last of the dwellings and market stalls lining it, and Greemaw’s alcove came into view. The moss-haired, gray-skinned lava golem sat on her conference-table-sized bench and towered over Zav, who stood in front of her, already speaking. He seemed almost puny next to her mass, but I sensed their auras, the potential for power that each carried, and it was easy to tell that Zav was far stronger than anyone here.
That was why these detours were worth it; he could probably walk into the Pardus brothers’ house, tell them to knock it off, and they would. Whereas I’d have trouble achieving that without starting a war. That made me bitter, but if Zav was willing to help, I would bury my resentment. Whatever it took to keep Nin safe was what I would do.
An elf approaches, Sindari informed me.
I turned, hand tightening on Fezzik’s grip as I followed his gaze. Sindari’s tone hadn’t warned me if he was only making an observation or if the elf represented trouble.
The tall, lean, and powerful elf glided across the packed earth toward me, a bow and quiver on his back and a short sword belted at his waist. If he were human, he would have been roughly forty, but purebred elves reputedly lived centuries, so maybe he’d been alive during the Crusades. A torc of gilded woven twigs wreathed his neck and emanated power, but the rest of his brown and beige clothing was ripped and stained, as if he’d been on the road for a long time. I remembered seeing an elf when I’d been here with my mother weeks earlier, but I hadn’t gotten a good look at his face and wasn’t sure if this was the same person.
He lifted a hand to stop me.
Battle Bond: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons Book 2) Page 12