Sinister Magic: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons Book 1)

by Lindsay Buroker

  Normally, that would have been difficult, since nothing but the lawn and the vacant house stood between me and the street, but I touched my cloaking charm and activated its camouflage. The house didn’t try to keep me from leaving. Maybe it only kidnapped one trespasser a night. Or maybe it had only been irked at Dimitri because he had presumed to touch one of its boxes.

  Even with a few stars visible between clouds, the night was very dark, save for the street lights out front. One shined on Dimitri’s van, my destination.

  Trying not to stir the wet grass much, I skirted the house. I started toward the driveway, but that security car was still there. Why had the patroller lingered so long? I’d thought he’d been scared off.

  The driver side door was open. Maybe he was ordering a pizza.

  But as I drew closer and caught the scent of recently butchered meat, I realized the truth. Blood pooled on the driveway under the open door, and the man was slumped in his seat, hanging over the center console. The dark elves must have killed him—I’d been with Zoltan the whole time, so I doubted he was responsible. Besides, a vampire would simply bite his victim, not cut his throat or whatever had been done to make that mess.

  I didn’t go closer to investigate—with all the trouble I was in, I didn’t need to risk getting my fingerprints all over a crime scene—but I couldn’t help feeling guilty. This guy had only been called in because of me, because I’d been in a hurry and hadn’t been more careful coming up to the house.

  Why the dark elves had bothered him, I didn’t know, but I was starting to hate them for more than poisoning Willard and burning her building. I vowed to find their leader and make him or her pay for all this.

  Angry, I threw open the van door with more force than necessary, and the clunk echoed up and down the street. As the inside light came on, I cursed my carelessness. My cloaking charm couldn’t hide all this.

  Well, maybe it would lure the dark elves back out here. Then I could circle around, get Dimitri, and escape the carriage house without an encounter. Even if I wouldn’t mind sinking my sword into their chests right now, we’d seen five of them initially, and that was more than a sane person would fight, especially when I was stiff and bruised from the tarantula fight.

  I snatched the alien bobblehead doll off Dimitri’s crate, closed the van door, and turned back for the house. A bush in the beauty bark on one side shivered even though there was no breeze. Yes, the dark elves were coming to investigate.

  Careful not to make any more noise, I hurried around the opposite side of the house. With luck, they wouldn’t expect me to go back.

  I made it to the carriage house without encountering any of them and slipped inside. The projection of Dimitri had disappeared. Sindari sat waiting by the door.

  That’s the bribe you’re going to leave? he asked skeptically.

  I’m going to try.

  Does it have any value?

  You’d have to ask Dimitri. I’m not a collector of, uh…

  Useless junk? Sindari suggested.

  Movie paraphernalia.

  Useless junk. He sniffed disdainfully.

  I took the bobblehead to the box-filled shelves and, in case the house was watching in judgment, hugged it and patted its head, as if its loss would grieve me greatly. Then I set it on a dusty box and backed away. If this didn’t work, Sindari and I would have to start tearing up floorboards.

  A moan came from all around us, and a wind came up out of nowhere to batter at the roof. Chains I hadn’t seen rattled in the corners, and the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor of the loft above filtered down.

  This dwelling is melodramatic, Sindari informed me.

  Are there no haunted houses in your realm?

  No.

  A green light started glowing in the center of the carriage house, and I glanced at the boarded-up windows. There were plenty of cracks between them, so if some of the dark elves were still in the back yard, they would see this. The light grew brighter. I was starting to hate this place. If I saw Zoltan again, I’d tell him to be like a normal vampire and get a nice basement apartment in the city.

  The light flared so bright that I had to turn away. A loud thud came from the center of it, and I whirled back, Fezzik at the ready.

  Abruptly, the light vanished, leaving me blinking away spots in my vision. And staring through them to where Dimitri groaned on the floor, grabbing his arm and looking like he’d fallen twenty feet instead of two.

  I jogged forward and knelt beside him as I pointed Fezzik toward the door. “Are you all right?”

  Sindari stood near the exit, gazing out into the yard, his ears twitching and his tail rigid.

  “I think so.” Dimitri winced and grabbed his head. “I’m not sure what happened. I was checking out that toy train, and then it went all dark, and I felt this stabbing pain and this sense of being lifted and… I’m not sure after that. Until I dropped out of, uhm.” He looked up at the ceiling.

  “I’ll explain it later. Or maybe I won’t. It’s time to go. Can you stand up?”

  “I think so.”

  They’re in the yard out there, Sindari told me. All five of them. Looking toward us. Your charm can’t hide anyone else, right? They’ll see Dimitri. I don’t think we’ll be able to get back to the van without a fight.

  Thinking of the dead security guard, I replied, I wouldn’t mind a fight.

  Dark elves are strong and agile. And what about Dimitri? He has no magical weapons with which to defend himself.

  That was the problem. Belatedly, it occurred to me that we should have fought the dark elves and then gotten Dimitri out of the house’s weird alter dimension.

  I almost called 911 to report the dead security guard—that ought to have police milling all over the property, and if the dark elves were as dedicated to not being seen as Willard had said, they would disappear. But I was a wanted woman. Calling the police would get me in more trouble than the dark elves.

  They’re by the playhouse again, Sindari reported. I can hear them talking. They feel the magic of this carriage house, and that’s the only reason they haven’t made their move, but they’re thinking about charging in to look for us.

  I eyed a handful of lawn-maintenance tools inside the door. I doubted a weed whacker and a leaf blower would scare the elves away, but perhaps they could be deterred by another distraction. Or a threat.

  A rusty five-gallon can tucked behind the yard tools caught my eye—was that gasoline for the weed whacker?

  “Dimitri,” I whispered. “Do you have a lighter?”

  “No.”

  “I should have brought Mom.”

  “Hey, I’m useful. I can make things with my hands and imbue them with magic.”

  “Yeah?” I grabbed the canister, opened it, and sniffed, confirming that it was gasoline. Possibly gasoline that had been there for decades—I hadn’t seen a tin like that for ages. “Can you turn this gas can into a Molotov cocktail?”

  I was being sarcastic, but he shrugged and said, “Easy. Are we burning down the carriage house?”

  “No.” I pointed toward the dark elves—I couldn’t see them, but I trusted Sindari’s senses.

  “The main house?” Dimitri threw me a shocked looked. Perhaps for an obvious reason, he hadn’t sounded disagreeable about burning the haunted carriage house, but someone’s estate was another matter.

  “Just the playhouse. We’ll be doing the next owners a favor. You wouldn’t want your kids playing next to this evil carriage house, would you?” I shoved the gas can toward him. “Also, the playhouse is full of dark elves getting ready to storm in and slay us.”

  His grunt didn’t sound that agreeable, but he went hunting for a rag and went to work.

  Something clanked onto the roof. I leaned out the door, ready to shoot if the dark elves were charging us. Something cylindrical—a homemade grenade?—bounced off the roof. Far off. As if it had been launched from a trampoline rather than simply hitting wood boards. Was th
e house defending itself?

  The grenade flew up more than a hundred feet before exploding with a fiery orange boom. If anyone in the neighborhood had been asleep, they were awake now.

  A faint twang reached my ears, and I ducked back inside. A crossbow quarrel slammed into the door where my head had been.

  “I don’t think we have much time,” I muttered.

  “This won’t take long,” Dimitri said.

  What’s behind this property, Sindari? Do you know? On the way to the carriage house, I’d seen the back fence, tall grass beyond it, and houselights in the distance, but they’d been a good hundred yards away. Is there another way to get to the road if we sneak out the back?

  There is an equestrian trail behind this property. It smells strongly of their droppings. I do not know where it goes.

  I’m sure we can loop back through someone’s yard.

  “Ready.” Dimitri hefted the can, his fingers gripping the end of the fuse he’d made.

  He’d done more than that, I realized, now sensing magic emanating from the rag and the can.

  “Can you throw it all the way to the playhouse? And time it so it’ll blow up as it lands? All while not being shot by dark elves with crossbows?”

  “Uh.” He peeked out the doorway. “Maybe.”

  Another faint twang sounded, and I yanked him back inside. A crossbow quarrel quivered from the edge of the door, inches from where the first one had struck.

  Dimitri looked grimly at it. “I’ll find a way. Hang on.” He closed his eyes and ran a hand along the bottom of the rusty can.

  He’s a natural maker, Sindari noted.

  You’ve seen his yard art.

  He appears to have only one-quarter dwarven blood. Whoever his magical ancestor was, he must have been very powerful.

  “I’m ready,” Dimitri said. “I can throw it that far now, but I could use some cover.”

  I pulled out Fezzik. “Are they behind the playhouse or in it, Sindari?”

  Normally, I wouldn’t fire rounds in the middle of a residential neighborhood, but since they’d already thrown an explosive, it hardly seemed to matter. Besides, if someone else called the police, it would probably get rid of the dark elves.

  In it, Sindari said. One is standing on the right side of it and pointing his crossbow in our direction.

  I jogged over to one of the boarded-up windows that faced toward the playhouse. I found a gap large enough for Fezzik’s barrel and fired. As far as my eyes could tell, I was firing at the playhouse and empty air, but a grunt of pain reached my ears, so I’d at least grazed one of them.

  For a few seconds, only I was firing, as the dark elves took cover. Shards of the wood from the playhouse flew all over the patio. Then crossbows fired from inside and behind the structure, quarrels zipping across the yard to thud into the window boards. One skidded through the same gap as I was using, and I jerked back as the fletching grazed my knuckles.

  Were those quarrels poison-tipped? I had to be more careful.

  Dimitri leaned out and grunted as he heaved the gas canister. I resumed firing, not wanting the dark elves to notice him—or it. Sirens wailed as distant police cars sped into the neighborhood.

  Whatever magic Dimitri had applied to the five-gallon can helped it sail farther than anyone should have been able to throw it. Fire danced on the end of the fuse. The can landed with enough velocity to crash through the roof of the playhouse.

  Two seconds after the can disappeared inside the playhouse, it exploded. Flames shot in all directions as the walls of the structure blew outward.

  I sprinted for the carriage house door, pushing Dimitri ahead of me. “Go, go!”

  We rushed out, turning toward the trail Sindari had promised. I fired back over my shoulder in the general direction of the explosion, hoping to get lucky—and hoping I didn’t run out of ammo I might yet need that night.

  Sindari started after us, but he paused, silver head rotating around. Then he raced toward the burning playhouse. He only made it halfway across the yard before springing at something.

  The dark elf that he hit was still invisible to me, but from Sindari’s movements, I could tell he’d slammed into the chest of his target. He bit down with a snarl, shook something in his powerful teeth, then jerked away as something slashed into his side.

  “Does he need our help?” Dimitri stumbled—he was also glancing back.

  “No.” I pushed him through the tall grass, dew dampening our pants as we ran. “He’s buying time for us.”

  I didn’t point out that I would have gone back to help if Dimitri weren’t there. I owed it to him to get him to safety. He’d already gotten in far more trouble than he’d bargained for when he offered me a ride.

  A roar rang out over the sounds of battle and the wailing of the approaching sirens.

  You’re a wonderful companion, Sindari.

  It is good that you recognize this truth as self-evident.

  As we clambered over a wood fence and came out on the promised trail, which turned out to be a well-maintained dirt road, the police pulled into the driveway of the vacant house. Their lights flashed off the walls of the neighboring houses and cars in the streets. Hopefully, all the activity—and light—would make the dark elves flee.

  Dimitri and I ran down the dirt road, passed through a gate, and came to a spot where it crossed a paved street. We turned onto it, and I pulled out my phone for the map. I was fairly certain we’d been on the popular Tolt Pipeline Trail, but the streets back here were a maze.

  “It’s a circuitous route back to your van,” I reported, “but maybe that’s for the best.”

  “So the police and dark elves are gone by the time we get there?”

  “Yes.” I envisioned returning to a tape-covered crime scene and hoped we would be able to slip away.

  The sound of claws on the pavement came from behind, and I turned as Sindari trotted up. He was limping, and when I reached to pet him, my hand came away wet with blood.

  “Poor boy.” Even though he would repair quickly once he returned to his own realm, that didn’t keep him from feeling the pain of injuries while he was here. “Thank you for your help. Go rest now.”

  I will, but I wanted to warn you… They are very fast and very strong, and I think those were lowly minions among their kind. Do your best to avoid them, Val.

  When I thought of Zoltan’s list of requirements and the sample kit in my pocket, I shook my head sadly. I don’t think I can.

  17

  “Tell me again why your apartment has a parking garage and we can’t use it?” Dimitri yawned noisily as he circled the nearby blocks.

  Parking was always tight this close to Old Ballard, with apartment buildings rising up behind the popular restaurants and bars, some of which were still open, even though it was long after midnight. I pointed toward an alley where visitors could usually get a spot.

  “Because Sudo probably has someone watching my apartment, and the main way in is through the parking garage.”

  “Should we avoid it altogether?”

  “Yes, but I have a date with a loofah.”

  He threw me a startled look.

  “Apparently, there’s a dragon aura clinging to me that I need to scrub off. Tarantula blood too. I’m decidedly grimy.”

  “You don’t think it would be better to go to a hotel?”

  “Maybe, but I need some ammo and a change of clothes too.” I poked at the tarantula ichor that had hardened all over my duster and the shirt I’d been wearing for two days. Or was it three now? “And some time on the computer to figure out where I can find an entrance to this secret underground.”

  My jaw cracked under the influence of a giant yawn. I would need to collect a few drops of blood from Colonel Willard, too, but I’d been up for ages, and I was exhausted. Her blood ought to be the easiest to get, even allowing for the guard she’d mentioned outside of her hospital room door, so I could do it last. Finding the dark-elf alchemist would be a challenge,
and I had no idea how to convince a kraken to come to shore so I could get some of its blood. And then there was Zav. How would I convince him to give me a vial from his veins? Was he still in Oregon? The idea of driving all the way back to Bend made me even wearier.

  “Do you have a guest room or do I get to sleep in my van?” Dimitri found a spot in front of a dumpster and parked.

  “I have a guest… couch.”

  “Am I allowed to use it?”

  “After driving me all over the state? Yes. I’ve been told it’s moderately comfortable. Assuming there isn’t a government agent sleeping on it now.” I had numerous deadbolts on my door, but Sudo could have gotten permission to force them open.

  I put on my borrowed jacket and kept the hood up while leading Dimitri in a circuitous route toward my apartment building. The organic grocery store on the first floor was closed up for the night, but the parking garage was open, as always. I walked past it, glancing in, and spotted a black car with government plates parked near the elevator.

  “Yup,” I muttered, continuing on to an alley around the corner. “They’ve got someone here.”

  Dimitri didn’t try to convince me to leave. He kept yawning, too, so maybe he was fantasizing about my couch.

  I used my lock-pick charm on the fire-escape door in the alley, checked inside, and didn’t spot anyone. We headed up to the fourth floor, out into the empty hallway, and I slowed again when we reached the corner. I peeked around, already assuming someone would be there and that I’d have to climb out the window and over to my little balcony. But the hallway was empty. There was something on my door, some kind of electronic device. It had been mounted right above the knob.

  “Hm.” I leaned back around the corner.

  Dimitri arched his eyebrows.

  Whatever that thing was, I had a feeling it would alert someone if it was touched or the door opened.

  “Back door.” I pointed to the window next to the fire-escape stairs.

  “That’s a window.”

  “It leads to the back door.”

  I passed him, used my charm again to unlock it, and looked down before climbing out. The alley was still empty. The brick wall was flat with no ledges, but we were on the top floor, and the gutter along the edge of the roof looked sturdy.