Storm Clouds: Dragon's Fate, Book 3

by Lacy Danes

  He inhaled, and the scent of fresh wet grass lingered. Her smell, and not the same one he captured last night. That bloody scent still lingered where it had no business staying. She would not take him up on his proposal. He knew that. It was truly for the better anyhow.

  He rubbed the large jade ring on his right index finger with his thumb. He would retire after this one hand and damn the entire day. Tomorrow he would not come back to the house until everyone was abed. Ah, better. He would sleep at Samgor’s.

  The last card was played and the points tallied. Celeste had won this hand. Time for his escape. “I—”

  Marcus pushed back his chair and stood. “I need to leave soon, and I wish to test Astrid once before I do.”

  The dandy now interrupted him. Ilmir had had enough.

  “Certainly.” Celeste sat back in her chair, and Jordan pulled her close to him.

  Ilmir stood. “I have an early day, and I shall retire.”

  Astrid turned to him. Her brown-velvet eyes pleaded with him to stay.

  “What?” He grew tired of this. He would make her ask in front of them.

  “Please stay.”

  With every part of him, he wanted to go, but those words stopped him still. He nodded. What was all the fuss about anyhow?

  She was Astrid. The little girl he pulled from behind crates down on Tanners’ Row. Even then she had huge brown eyes and a tangle of brown hair. She had giggled at his pale completion and called him a mouse. The right side of his mouth quirked up. Me? A mouse? How absurd.

  Ilmir stood by the door. Ferrous stood next to him and leaned in. “I am uncertain about Marcus,” he whispered.

  Ilmir stared at his brother. Ferrous was never wrong. “Why?”

  “There was a coolness to him when he first arrived. I have not been able to shake that, though he is pleasant enough.” Ferrous leaned his shoulder against the edge of the fireplace.

  Ilmir recalled his unease when Marcus had touched his shoulder. “Where did he come from?”

  “His name was given to the ladies when Astrid went to Branigan’s to be tested.”

  “Branigan’s is a dress shop. Did they test her for her knowledge of the days’ fashion?” All this annoyance made Ilmir’s head hurt. He rubbed his temples.

  “It is also like Samgor’s, but for the ladies.”

  Ilmir frowned, then scratched his chin. “Why didn’t I know that?”

  “Because you are concerned about yourself, mostly.” Ferrous smiled his easy smile.

  “True.” Still, Ilmir considered himself well versed in the otherworldly side of the city.

  “I thought of putting a protective spell on Astrid, but if Marcus is as powerful as he seems, he would feel the restriction. If he is sincere, this could be capital for her.”

  Ilmir did not want to care about what this entailed. He rubbed his thumb against his jade ring and then tugged down on the edges of his coat. “What is he to test her for?”

  “She has ability with weather.”

  Brilliant. A questionable cold warlock and weather. All he would have to do was disappear into air and they could all play storms together. Ilmir’s body heated, and he gritted his teeth. He wanted to play storms with Astrid, alone, and if she could control the weather, turning into air could be capital fun.

  He wished Hudson had come to town instead of staying on the Isle this time. Hudson had a darkness about him that could sense other black madness.

  Ilmir’s scalp prickled, and he eased the tension in his shoulders by tipping his head to the side. He should be able to do more than stand here and watch. Ferrous could cast a spell to protect Astrid. All Ilmir could do was turn into air, and blow.

  Marcus put the cards back in a stack and walked to the sideboard. He picked up the pitcher of water and three glasses and set them on the table. “This is simple but could prove hard. I simply wish to see where you are and if I can influence your skill.”

  Astrid stood up from the table and moved the chair back. She was not about to be restricted by a chair. She wanted this. She could do whatever he asked if she simply tried hard.

  She glanced back at Ilmir, who stood next to Ferrous. Her name-day wish was to bring the family back together. She closed her eyes. The image of Ilmir glowing as he touched that woman echoed in her mind. He’d offered her a chance to experience what she’d viewed. Ilmir deserved an answer before she failed or succeeded this night. If she failed, she didn’t want to make a decision out of melancholy. “One moment.” She turned around and went back to Ilmir and Ferrous.

  “Is everything well?” Ferrous’s eyebrows rose.

  “Quite so. I just need to speak with Ilmir.”

  Ferrous stepped away to the table, where Marcus waited with his hands behind his back.

  Ilmir leaned against the doorframe. His snow-white hair and beyond-pale skin contrasted against the dark rich eggplant-colored coat. He always wore deep colors that set off his complexion. Striking. “I simply thought you should have an answer before I did this. I have considered your offer, and I don’t know why, but I would like to watch.”

  Ilmir’s pale lips curved up, and his blue eyes flashed with the glow that had lit up the room last night. “Watch? My offer was to show you.”

  “Correct, to show me as you did last night.”

  “And like in the carriage today.”

  The carriage had made her lightheaded and giddy. The path his fingers had blazed on her hand tingled anew. She wet her lips.

  “Astrid,” Marcus called.

  She turned away from Ilmir and walked to the table, focusing on the sensations she’d experienced in the carriage that day. Ferrous stood next to Celeste and Jordan on the other side of the table.

  Marcus dug into the pouch on his hip and pulled out a small bottle. He poured three drops of a brown liquid into a glass and added water from a pitcher on the table. He then pulled out another bottle and trickled two drops of a black liquid into the glass before adding water. The third glass he filled to the rim with water alone.

  “From the gossip, you have an affinity with the weather. What I am going to see is if you can create weather from water and different kinds of oil.”

  “I did not know that was possible.” How would she do that?

  “I won’t help. This you need to figure out on your own.”

  “Marcus, she does not know the language.” Ferrous fetched a book from across the room and returned to the table. “Give her what she needs.” He set a massive book on the table in front of her.

  “All right, you can state the words after me.” Marcus slid the book aside. “Olie til skyer og vand at regne.”

  “What does that mean?” Astrid tilted her head to the side.

  “Oil to clouds and water to rain,” Ferrous stated from the other side of her.

  Astrid concentrated on the tingling sensation she felt while standing on the bluff overlooking the sea. “Olie til skyer og vand at regne.” The energy rushed from her stomach up and out her fingers.

  A sphere of lighting formed between her hands.

  A huge grin burst to her lips. My! She stared at the water glass.

  The water pulled from the glass and wrapped the ball of light she held in her hand.

  “Olie til skyer og vand at regne.” The tingling sensation increased to prickles, but nothing happened.

  She focused on the water and oil between her hands. “Vind, regn, skyer, luft, kommer til mig.”

  The oil rose from the globe and formed dark puffy clouds. They rose to the ceiling. Thunder cracked through the small room and then lightning drew down to the glowing ball in her hands. Rain poured into the glasses set on the table.

  She widened her hands, and the ball of light dropped to the floor, disintegrating into small sparkling embers.

  Her heart raced, and a smile curved her lips.
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br />   She did it. She turned to Marcus. “I did it. I did it.”

  “Capital.” He walked toward her and leaned in. “Vi bliver bundet til han løslader dig,” he whispered in a cool breath against her ear.

  A chill pricked the back of her neck.

  “I will see you at the theater tomorrow.” Marcus turned to Ferrous, Celeste and Jordan. “Good evening.” Astrid watched as he walked out the door of the library. Her brow pulled tight. “Did I do the act wrong?” And where had Ilmir gone?

  “That was good, Astrid. You are quite eager.” Ferrous came around the table and wrapped his arms about her. “What did Marcus say to you when he leaned in?”

  “I don’t know. The words were in the spell language.”

  “Could you repeat?”

  “I think so. Vi bliver bundet til… Pardon. I cannot remember the rest.”

  “Very well.” Ferrous’s shoulders relaxed “That means ‘we are bound till’. Without knowing the rest, it is hard to say. Possibly his way of bringing you into his fold for sætte i lære.” He walked to the table and wrote down what she stated to him. “You do not have to accept his guidance, Astrid. Think all this through.”

  “Thank you, Ferrous. I will.”

  “Do you know the words you spoke to make the clouds appear?”

  “No. They just flowed out.”

  “Vind, regn, skyer, luft, kommer til mig. Wind, rain, clouds, air, occur to me.” He picked up the book he had set on the table. “Read this.”

  Ilmir walked to the parlor and flipped open the inkwell. He dipped his quill and then flicked ink on the parchment before him. He wanted Hudson here and with haste.

  Odd darkness here in London. Need your opinion. Come with urgency.

  Ilmir.

  If Hudson came, all would be well. Ilmir’s chest tightened, and he blew out a hard breath. In past years, Hudson had tried to kill them all. So why the hell did Ilmir feel this way now? The past didn’t matter—she did.

  He walked out of the parlor as Marcus exited the library. Ilmir gritted his teeth and fisted his hands. The damn warlock. His throat tightened, and he cleared the constriction away. He wouldn’t let him have her.

  “She is worth the effort.” Marcus took his coat from the butler. The butler retired back toward the kitchen.

  “Not from you.” Ilmir stood still and watched Marcus. What was he thinking of doing with her? To her? Ilmir’s right cheek twitched. He had seen others who had an affinity with the weather, but there was something about her power that was pure.

  Marcus shrugged into his greatcoat. “Certainly mine.” He buttoned up the front.

  “You are not welcome in my home again.” The words blew with the force of a whip that cracked in the air.

  A red lash rose on Marcus’s left cheek. A burst of laughter tipped his head back. “I am a weather warlock. You are nothing compared to me. I control all you are. Air. In fact, you and your brother Jordan, the water Zir, are puppets to me. Water and air make a storm. Shall you challenge me again, I will have my way with you.”

  Ilmir stared at him. Marcus had spine. “I am immortal and so much more than air. What could you do to me? You are a simple human.” In one powerful punch, Ilmir knocked Marcus in the chin. A loud crunch of bones echoed in the hall. Pain spiked up Ilmir’s wrist and dissipated.

  Marcus slid sideways, smashing against the wall. His hand caught between his body and the molding to the sitting room doorframe. He held up his other hand. “Lyn.” A thin line of blue energy streamed from his outstretched palm.

  Ilmir punched the bolt midstrike. The light cut straight through his hand.

  “Enough!” Jordan rushed down the hall. “What are you doing, Ilmir?”

  “I was simply showing our guest out.” He tucked his hand into the pocket of his coat and cringed. The fabric would be destroyed by his blood.

  Marcus rolled his eyes. “Certainly.” He clutched his broken paw to his stomach. “I will see you tomorrow evening.” He opened the door with his good hand and stepped over the threshold.

  Ilmir slammed the door behind him.

  Chapter Four

  Astrid lingered in the library with Celeste. “It felt strange. Good and strange.” She sat down next to her friend. “Talk. Please.”

  Celeste turned toward her. “You are spectacular. I don’t have power like that. I know how much you love your walks in the rain. I never thought there was a reason beyond…well, you being a bit mad.” She beamed at her. “I simply wish you could find someone to make you happy like Jordan does me. Marcus, maybe?”

  Astrid grasped Celeste’s small hands. “I don’t need anyone, Celeste. I get all I need from this family. Having this fantastic thing happen for me simply makes me feel more a part of the house I grew up in. I am no longer simply a human who lives among the otherworldly.”

  “You have never been that. You are our sister.”

  Astrid leaned in and hugged her. “I should get to bed. I am tired from the day.” And she was. She pushed back her chair and headed up the steps to the attic. She rounded the top of the stairs and walked into the guest room.

  She stared at the door. If she closed it, Ilmir could walk right by without her hearing. Leaving it open seemed the best way for her to talk to him again this night. She slipped off her shoes and sat down in the small chair that sat beside the bed. She flipped open the book Ferrous had given her to read.

  Leaning her head back against the cushion, she stared at the wood beams on the ceiling. She had made it rain from water and oil. She smiled. What would she do next time?

  Ilmir stepped into the third-floor hall. A warm glow came from the guest room’s open door. He stepped into the light and peered into the room.

  Astrid sat in the yellow chair beside the bed with her head tilted back. A gentle snore came from the space.

  His lips curled up. She slept. He turned away and took two steps in the direction of his room. She would be sore in the morning if she slept all night with her head leaning back that way. Not that he should care that she awoke sore, but if he lifted her to the bed, he could feel her body in his arms. After the power he’d just witnessed in her, he needed that. To feel her. To know she was well. Indeed. He would put her to bed.

  He walked into the room and then stood staring down at her as she slept. The book of the magic language lay open on her lap. Based on the family’s expectations of her, he half expected to see the page flip on its own. He chuckled to himself.

  The page slowly flipped.

  He stared at the book. Impossible. She was what they said. Special. Though he always knew that.

  He was the outcast. The killer. “All you do is kill and kill and kill.” Her words still made him frown.

  He clenched his jaw. He would show her how to have pleasure. He was good at that. For now, he would let her sleep in comfort. He lifted the thick book from her lap and placed it on the gold-and-blue carpet that covered the floor by the chair.

  He slipped his arm under her knees and stared at her face. She did not stir from sleep. His heart beat like a drum in his chest. He wanted her to sleep. He needed to be slow, to be gentle. He was good at that too. He slipped his fingers gently behind her neck, then down below her shoulders. He lifted. Firm curves nestled into his arms. For being so small, she was certainly strong…and heavy. Her head leaned against his shoulder. She snorted, then continued to snore.

  His lips curved up, and he held in a chuckle.

  In slow steps, he turned to the bed. Damn. The covers lay neatly folded down. He should have pulled them back before picking her up. Wind might do, but such an effort would surely wake her.

  He walked to the bed and gently placed her head on the pillow and freed his right hand. He then slipped his hand to hold her firm bottom up. Damn, the round swell in his palm was not the distraction he needed at this moment. He concentrated on not s
queezing the flesh he so wanted to taste. The blankets. He pushed down the covers and slowly moved his arm to lay her feet down.

  He blew out a breath.

  “I don’t need a chill.” Her sleepy voice called his attention to her wide-awake face. Damn.

  He pulled the covers up over her. “Pardon. I didn’t want to wake you. “

  Her eyes narrowed on his fingers wrapped about the blanket, and then to the large gash that Marcus’s magic had caused. “What happened to you?” she asked.

  “It is nothing. It will heal by morning time.” He pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket.

  “How?” She shook her head. “Never mind, that was a mad question. You are a Zir.”

  “Zir is not the reason I will heal. I had human blood today.”

  She pushed up onto her elbows and stared at him. The muscle in her cheek twitched.

  “I guess that rendered you speechless.”

  “You killed another woman?”

  “This is what I do. You know this.” He did not need to go over this again. His jaw clenched, and he turned and walked toward the door. Her contempt for his behavior angered him. He was air in the hands of a weather witch. He stopped. When had she developed this ability? How had she become a witch? He should have known…and he did not. He needed to understand. He had thought he knew all about her. He turned back to her. “How did you know you had power?”

  “I did not know.” She pushed up farther, and the covers slid down to her waist. She turned her head toward the window and then back to face him. “I love the weather and to watch the storms out on the sea. They make me feel energized. I did not know I had powers. I found out when I made my name-day wish.”

  “You wished to become a witch?” He walked closer to her.

  “No. I wished to bring you back into the fold of this family.”

  His lips tuned up, and a gruff laugh burst out of his chest. “Now, that is a jest.” Why would anyone wish such a thing? For him?

  “Do you know the vapors you bring to your brothers’ lives?”

  So it was not for him, it was for the Zir. “No more than they bring to mine.” He gritted his teeth.