Thomas moved to the corner of the bar, pulled out a high-backed stool, and sat down with his back to the wall. More than one woman gave him an appraising look as he passed, but when one approached, he shook his head, flashed her his ring, and she left.
I’d often wondered what it would be like to have a partner to share my life with, but the lifespan of a human is too short, and the idea of falling in love with someone only to see them grow old and die, well... somethings are too much to bear. I felt like I’d been shot through the chest with every friend that came and went. Loss put my soul through the ringer far more times than I cared to mention. Although I understood the need to work with humans, I’d found it necessary to keep an emotional distance. With Summer and Thomas, maintaining that distance proved hard. They were the first friends I’d made in a long time. Ones that had made me question my lonely existence.
I scanned the pub. The pleasant atmosphere had people relaxing, spread out around the tables and bar. Their voices buzzed through my skin. I counted the time between one heart beat and the next, alert to change.
This had to work. Summer seemed pretty confident the owner of the hair would react to the pain. She’d left it up to Thomas and me to spot them. The clientele featured a few blond men and quite a few blonde women. It could be any of them. I moved my gaze from face to face, trying to look for any clue in their bearing that suggested the clandestine nature of a thief, but these things are impossible to detect by sight. It would make the police’s job a hell of a lot easier if that weren’t the case.
I glanced at Thomas, who gave me a nod. As soon as I turned my eyes away, they fell on a young man of around twenty sitting on one sofa with a group of girls. The smile fell from his face and he lurched forward, clasping his stomach.
One of the girls put her hand on his back obviously concerned.
He pushed her away with a look of anger on his face and rose to his feet. I turned to look at Thomas. He was already on the move. The guy stumbled towards me and the toilets. Thomas joined him.
“You alright, mate?” he asked, matching him stride for stride. “You don’t look too good.”
The guy pushed him off before doubling over again.
“No, seriously, you don’t seem very well. I think you’d better let me help you. What’s your name?”
He gave Thomas an appraising look for a second, obviously not comfortable with his presence, but after a moment, Thomas’ friendly demeanour won through.
“Marc,” he muttered before Thomas lifted the man and helped him stand. I moved forward and took his other side.
“Maybe you should get some air,” I suggested.
We steered him outside, brushing aside the offer of the doormen to help.
“He’ll be fine,” I said. “Too much to drink, maybe.”
As if on cue, Marc bent over and retched. I hoped Summer had significantly magnified the pain she sent along the connection, as the way he’d keeled over you’d think he was dying.
We sat Marc on the curb and Thomas knelt in front of him. “It’s good to meet you, Marc. I’m Thomas. I really think you should get some help,” he said.
“You do not look good at all,” I added. “You still got your appendix? My mate came over all funny like you and turns out he had appendicitis.”
“I should call an ambulance.” Thomas pulled his phone from his pocket. “Although, you can never be certain how long they’ll take. My car’s parked across the street, it’s no bother if you want me to drive you to A&E.”
Marc rested his head in his hands. “Yeah,” he said after a moment. “That might be an idea. Thanks, mate.”
“No problem. You think you can walk?” Thomas pulled him to his feet and put his hand on his back for support. “Come on, let’s get that stomach seen to.”
Marc nodded, and together with Thomas, I led him across the street to the carpark.
The second we appeared on the third floor near Summer, Marc stood upright.
“You know what,” he said. “This is kind of embarrassing, but I feel fine now. Honest, it must have been gas or something.”
One glance at Summer confirmed that she’d released the spell on both her and Marc, and that she was once again operating at full capacity.
“That’s great news,” Thomas said. “But while you’re here, we’d like to have a little chat?”
Summer stepped forwards. “What do you know about a break in five days ago? A mansion in Caerwent.” Summer came across a bit blunt and direct. A woman after my own heart.
Marc’s eyes widened and he tried to take a step backwards, but Thomas and I blocked his path. He looked at us before his gaze went back to Summer.
“What’s it to you, bitch?”
“Oy, watch your manners.” Thomas clenched his fists.
Marc grinned as though listening to some private joke, lifted his hands, and ignited them with a blaze of energy.
Summer smiled. “Oh, thank goodness,” she said, sighing loudly. “It’s so much easier to deal with people when you don’t have to hide who you are.”
I felt the power flooding Summer’s presence as sure as I felt the wind on my face, and from the look on Marc’s face, so did he. An indigo light bathed our skin as Summer ignited the power in the twenty runic tattoos that circled her arms.
She reached out to Marc with her magic, enveloped his hands and suppressed his power.
Marc’s grin vanished, replaced with a look of confusion. He raised his hands to his face and tried over and over to call his magic.
“Yeah, that’s not going to work,” Summer said. “You’ve been cut off.”
He looked from her to his hands dumbfounded. “How?”
“A little magic of my own. Now, about that robbery?”
“I don’t know anything, I swear.”
“You must know something. You were there.” Summer stated it as fact rather than a question.
I gave Marc a little pat on the head. “Think harder, I’m sure you’ll remember.”
“It was just a job,” he said, his voice trembled. “Hit the dragons, grab a few items.”
I froze. Hit the dragons. As far as I knew, our existence remained a secret. More had changed in the last few years than I’d realised.
I stared at Marc in a surly fashion and bristled at the thought of him knowingly targeting dragons. Dragon pride surged through my veins and I thrust my chest out as though faced with a personal challenge.
“What do you know about dragons?” I asked.
Marc wavered under the gaze.
“N... nothing, man. I didn’t even know they existed until we were hired to hit their place.”
I turned my back on him and walked towards the car, rubbing my aching head. It took an unknown number of seconds for me to compose myself. Something bigger than I’d been led to believe was at foot here. Marc had magic. I had no doubt in my mind that he would have used it to aid in the robbery. To shut off the security cameras, open the doors. Any dragon worth their weight would have sensed the residual power in the mansion, but Megan had said nothing relating to supernatural involvement. Damn it! I had half a mind to drop the case and metaphorically slam the door in her face for good.
“Now, we’re getting somewhere.” Summer glanced at me. I nodded, confirming she should take the lead again. “Who hired you?” she asked.
Marc sneered. “Like there’s any chance I’m gonna tell you. You have any idea what will happen to me when they find out.”
“You say that like there’s a chance we’re letting you go.” A low growl built in my chest.
Marc turned to me. I smiled sweetly to set him off balance.
“Who hired you?” Summer asked again.
A grumble escaped Marc’s lips and he shook his head. Sweat beaded his brow as he warred within himself. In the end, his current danger won through over any possible repercussions.
“I don’t know, but my boss... my boss can tell you.”
“And your boss, does he have magic, too?”
Summer asked.
“He’s a goblin, so, yeah.”
Thomas shuddered. “I hate goblins,” he said, and I wondered what dealings he’d had with them in the past.
After a few more questions, where we established Marc’s boss was a low-life who ran a group of thieves for both big and small jobs, Marc provided details of how and where to find his boss, as well as details on the location of the jewels. With Marc’s focus on the jewels, I chose not to press the issue of the stolen stone. As a lackey, I doubted he possessed any knowledge of the relic.
“That’s it,” Marc said. “That’s everything I know. Are you going to let me go?”
Summer glanced at Thomas and nodded her head. After which, Thomas rendered Marc unconscious by squeezing pressure points in his neck, then lifted him and placed him in the car.
I raised an eyebrow. “What are we going to do with him?” I asked. We couldn’t let him go for fear he’d run to his boss.
“We’ll hand him over to the Supernatural Council,” Summer said. “For his protection, as much as his crimes. Odds are the goblin would rip his head off as soon as look at him.”
“Good idea. You do that and I’ll go pay his boss a visit.”
“Alone?” Thomas asked.
“Yeah. You’ve done more than enough, and I may have to report to the dragons.”
Besides. there was something else going on. Megan hadn’t given me the whole picture and I needed to keep Thomas and Summer off her radar.
Thomas stared at me for a moment. “If you need help, give us a call,” he said.
“Will do.”
Summer took a deep breath and bit the bottom of her lip. A familiar gesture that betrayed her desire to argue. Neither of them liked backing down, but they had no more say in my actions than I did in theirs.
“Just be careful,” Summer said before pulling me in for a goodbye hug.
She pulled away and her expression grew serious. “We’ve had more than one run in with a goblin and take personal pleasure in kicking their malevolent butts. Call and we’ll be there.”
Five
Having retrieved my pack from the car and left Summer and Thomas to deal with Marc, I climbed the stairs to the carpark roof and shifted into my dragon form.
Clouds gathered in the pitch-black sky, blanketing the moon. It must have been nearing two when I reached Draethen and sighted the home of the goblin. Nestled in a secluded valley on a woodland estate, the house ensured the privacy of its occupants. No prying eyes would see the comings and goings of the people inside at odd hours of the day, or wonder at the possibility of a stolen van stashed in the driveway. The place was large, bigger than expected; easily a five-bedroom house with more than one en-suite. Lights flickered inside, and, despite the late hour, the faint voices of men jeering reached my sensitive ears. A few barns surrounded the main house. If Marc proved correct, the jewels were secured inside the nearest to the house. I doubted the stone sat amongst them. Three cars with black-tinted windows were parked in the drive. A picket fence framed the ample garden. As I flew above the hills, I prodded my brain and tried to figure out my next move.
An all-out attack might work best.
I swooped low on the outskirts of the farmhouse, exhilarated by the rush of wind in my face and the thought of the confrontation to come. I loved the idea of the hunt, tracking down bad guys, and righting wrongs. It had made me an effective tribal guardian and soldier. Now, it made me an effective vigilante.
Much like Summer, I found it easier to deal with people when I didn’t have to hide my true nature. The goblin and his men would soon learn never to steal from dragons. I released my glamour, swept my wings into a dive, and roared in defiance.
Wakey, wakey. You’ve got a visitor!
Dragon fire sprung from my mouth and engulfed the cars in the drive. They burned ferociously. I lined up another shot and blasted them again. An explosion rocked the night. Lights ignited throughout the house. Men shouted, and I took comfort in the fact that none sounded young. Marc had confirmed that no woman or children lived in the house, otherwise, I would never have dared to be so bold.
Battle heat surged through my veins as smoke billowed in a haze before my eyes, matching the heat that leapt from the car and blasted me like the fires of hell. With my scaly hide, I remained impervious to the damage they could cause.
I roared again, an echo of the roar of the fire, and hovered over the burning wreckage. Five large men ran from the building, guns in hand. Their bullets pelted me before ricocheting back at the men, who dived for cover. I flapped my winds in great gusting arcs. The men howled as smoke buffeted their eyes, and small pieces of dirt and rock pelted their bodies.
A sixth man ran from the house. Even before he began barking orders at the men, I sensed the power of his glamour. The human appearance of a rugged muscle man disguised the goblin beneath.
Finally!
I turned my attention to the newcomer and charged with claws open wide. He attempted to run back inside the house, but his legs were no match for the speed of my wings. I scooped him up and flew away from the house and into the mountains. It would take an age for his men to rally, or try to form any kind of rescue.
He hammered his fists against my claws and even tried blasting himself out of my grip with his magic, but the blows were no more than a minor irritation. Finally, satisfied we’d travelled far enough from his home, I flung him against a tree with enough force to knock the wind from him, and then landed, shifting form in an instant. In one swift movement, I flipped the goblin onto the ground and jammed my knee into his back.
We’d landed far from any houses or roads. The night sky prospered, undisturbed by artificial lighting. With the faint creak of the tree’s branches, and the scurrying of insects and mice through the grass, I almost imagined myself in another world, another time. Despite the goblin struggling beneath me, the peace sent a radiating warmth through my chest. With our night vision, the goblin and I had no problem focusing on the world around us.
“Terry Jones, I presume. I believe you have something I want.”
I pressed my knee deeper into Jones’ wiry back. He jerked and tried to buck my weight, so I clipped him over the head and twisted his arm.
“You robbed a house in Caerwent. Five, six days ago. Took some things. I want them back.”
Jones spat out a few choice words. I twisted his arm further.
“Aaahhh!” he screamed when his elbow made a strange grinding noise.
“You want to play games?” I asked, keeping my voice cold and steady. “Or do you want to answer my questions?”
“What the hell?”
“Let’s start with who hired you.”
Jones grumbled for a few seconds. “You’re gonna pay for this,” he said at last.
“Maybe, but you still haven’t answered my question.” I increased the pressure on his spine. “Who hired you?”
“I don’t know! Damn it! Leave off, I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“It was all arranged through email. I collected my payment from under a bench in the park. I met no one.”
I heard the truth in his words and growled in frustration.
“You still have the stone?” I asked after a moment.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s back at the farmhouse.”
I released the pressure from his back and lifted him to his feet. His eyes wandered up and down my naked form before he gulped and looked me square in the eye.
“When are you due to make the drop-off?”
“Hell, I don’t know. I was told to keep it until further notice. Look, you can have it. I’ll give it to you.”
I mulled over his words. I didn’t like this at all. Something about this whole case bugged me. If only I could figure out exactly what.
“I want the email,” I said.
He rattled off an address. I went to walk away and leave him on the hill — as a goblin, I had no doubt in his ability to make his own way ho
me, even if it would take half a day — but before I left, a thought struck my mind.
“How did you know the house belonged to dragons?” I turned back to him and asked.
“We were warned in the email.”
“Had you known of them before?”
“Hell, no. But I can tell you one thing.”
“What?”
He sneered and spat on the floor. “You ask me, it was an inside job. One of them dragons ordered the raid themselves.” His spine straightened as his normal bluster returned.
I glared at him until he continued.
“We were told to hit the place a few months back. Told the house would be empty on the night of the full moon. It was empty every full moon. Stands to reason, whoever knew that, knew the workings of the house.”
I’d surmised as much when Megan first told me about the timing of the robbery, but hadn’t taken it a step further and looked at the possibility of an inside job.
“Why’d you wait?” I asked out of curiosity.
“I’m not stupid. Wanted to make sure it was empty myself. Could have been a setup.”
I turned and morphed, giving Jones one last steely glance before launching in the air. He gulped and shrank against the tree, dwarfed by my dragon form.
It seemed like a setup all right. More and more, I felt like I was the chump heading for a fall, and there was no doubt in my mind, Megan was at the root of another betrayal.
Six
I circled over Jones’ farmhouse with my glamour in place. A cold edge tinged the air, and the promise of an autumn storm followed. Jones’ men dealt with the last embers of their burning vehicles and milled about in the courtyard, unsure how to proceed.
I debated swooping in and grabbing the serpent’s egg and jewels, but the feeling of being setup plagued my mind — What the hell was Megan playing at? Instead, I landed a comfortable distance from the house, shifted form, and retrieved my phone from my pack. With the distance I’d travelled, Jones wouldn’t make it back until midday. That gave me a little time to play with. I called Thomas. Straight after, I called Megan and arranged to meet her at seven. That gave me three hours to get things straight.
Exile Page 3