by Casey Lane
Anger flares in her eyes. “The servants of Aido-Hwedo. And we are quite sane, I assure you.”
“Hah! You’re about to shoot me up with this shit you think is dragon blood. Tell you what, you take the first hit.”
“I do not deserve that honor. Your mixed heritage is unique, and you can hear the call of the dragon. We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival.” She looks over at the row of human heads. “Over the centuries, these people have answered the call, but did not survive the transition. We preserved their heads to honor their attempt.”
I make another useless effort to slip the stone cuffs. I scrape the skin off my wrists and it hurts like hell. “Ayana, I wasn’t summoned. My boss sent me. This is just a little mix-up. Let me go and we’ll call him. I’m sure he’d be willing to make a generous donation to your group.”
I feel a prick on my arm as she slides the needle in. My voice rises two octaves. “Wait, I have gift cards!”
Ayana pushes the plunger on the syringe, and hot lava enters my veins, burning me from the inside out. There’s no word for this kind of pain. Deafening screams explode from my mouth as the raging dragon blood invades every cell in my body.
Chapter Four
Chronomichani
ALEXANDER ARGYROS
I sit in the officer’s mess, stabbing at my peas without eating them. This isn’t the first time my career has been in jeopardy, but it’s the most serious threat yet. If the Lord Beasley lead doesn’t pan out, my future looks bleak.
I had KoR Intelligence run a check on Beasley. He’s a wealthy member of the British peerage who fell into disgrace for hoarding stolen antiquities. His Highland Beach mansion in Florida has excellent security, so this mission will be far more complicated than the last. I’m not certain my pack of lackwits is up to the task.
Carnahan, a captain, breaks away from the other officers to join me at my lonely table in the corner of the mess. That’s very odd. His group, a pack of insolent youngsters, has mocked my baldness in the past, so I have no wish to share a meal with them.
Carnahan eases down in the chair across from me and furrows his unibrow. “Colonel, I’m sorry to bother you. I’m not supposed to show this to anyone, but I thought you should know.”
“Know what?”
He leans in and lowers his voice. “There’s been a sighting.”
“Of what?”
“You know what.”
Suddenly, the skin beneath my mustache itches. That always happens when I grow excited. I scratch my face and try to keep my voice calm. “A dragon?”
He nods, almost imperceptibly.
I refuse to get my hopes up. “There have been many sightings. None have been confirmed.”
Carnahan nibbles on his thumbnail. “This one is different.”
“Different? How?”
I can barely hear his reply. “There’s a video. I stole a copy. None of us can believe it.”
“Let me see it!”
Carnahan nervously clutches his phone. “You have to promise—”
“Yes, yes. I’ll tell no one. Let me see it!”
Carnahan hesitates. “I should warn you, Colonel. It’s hard to watch. The creature is eating a child. Her head is … inside its mouth.”
I cross myself. “Oh, dear Lord!”
Carnahan reluctantly presses the play button and slides the phone across to me.
I hear a girl screaming.
My bowels clench.
I force myself to look at the screen.
It’s a video of a child’s amusement ride. A little girl screams with glee as she rides in a dragon car, her face framed by the creature’s open mouth.
The whole mess hall bursts out laughing. Some of the miscreants cross themselves and shout, “Oh, dear Lord.”
I leap to my feet, my cheeks hot. “One day, your souls will answer for these shenanigans!”
They laugh even harder.
I storm from the mess hall. As I leave, I hear one gasping lieutenant ask, “How did he ever make colonel?”
This isn’t the first time I’ve been bullied by nonbelievers. It wounds my pride, yes, but beyond that, it fills me with dread. The moment we let our guard down, the moment we think we’re safe, the dragons will return and we’ll all perish. Why am I the only one who can see that?
I march down the hallway, headed for the janitorial console on Level Red. The room there is small, usually empty, and there are no cameras. Perfect for logging into the KoR system with stolen credentials.
The world is closing in around me, so it’s time to use the chronomichani.
Before I get there, Squire Snedeker intercepts me. His monkey face looks nervous.
“Colonel Argyros, can we talk?”
I survey the hallway, wary of pranks. “What do you want?”
“I’m thinking of … changing things up.”
Are the rats abandoning the ship?
“You want a new mentor? Is that it, Snedeker?”
“You’re great and everything, but I heard a rumor they’re closing the department.”
“Snedeker, let me ask you something. Do I seem like the kind of man who would let bureaucracy endanger humanity?”
“No, sir.”
“Are you that kind of man?”
He fidgets. “No, sir. It’s just … I guess I’m not seeing the threat, sir.”
I grab him by the lapel of his cadet’s uniform. “Come with me.”
I drag him into the janitorial room and have him avert his eyes while I log in to the console using the credentials of the janitor, a trusting man who never looks over his shoulder when he logs in. This is a low-level account, mostly used for ordering supplies, so I can’t access classified information. But I can connect with one of my hidden virtual drives on the server and pull up a personal copy of my favorite codex.
“You can look now, Snedeker.”
I open the codex and point to the screen. “What you’re seeing here is the most important book in the world, next to the Bible, of course. In the Middle Ages, an Irish monk, known only as Fintan, uncovered an Arabic translation of a manuscript written in ancient Greek. He translated it into Latin, adding his own notes and observations. It’s called Draco Historia, the history of dragons.”
Snedeker looks properly awed as I scroll through the scanned codex. I stop at a crude illustration of a dragon, done in red and black ink.
“As you can see, young man, dragons are real.”
“Hey, why is Hannibal’s name in here?”
He points to a line that reads: HANNIBAL AD PORTAS.
“That means Hannibal at the gates. It’s a metaphor for things going badly wrong, a way of describing the dragon threat.”
As I continue to scroll through the manuscript, something else catches Snedeker’s eye. He points to a set of runes…
* * *
“What are those, Colonel?”
“Those are Fae runes, found on the wall of a cave by a Roman centurion who discovered a dragon skull there. No one knows what they mean.”
“The Fae, really?”
“Yes. They’ve been in league with the dragons since the beginning. Together, they conspired to wipe out man before we developed iron. They nearly succeeded.”
I scroll to my favorite illustration, a multicolored dragon penned in gold, red, black, and blue. “This is an image of Aido-Hwedo, a rainbow dragon from the dark heart of Africa. The codex tells us to prepare for the rise of a dragon shifter sometime during this century. This is why we must be vigilant.”
Snedeker whistles. “Amazing. You should show this to the team.”
“I’d like to, but I can’t. I’ve reason to believe there’s a mole on the team. You’re the only person I can trust.” Because you’re too stupid to be the mole.
His eyes widen. “A mole? Who is it? Is it Kaplan? I bet it’s Kaplan.”
“Could be. Keep an eye on him, will you? It’s very important.”
Snedeker speaks with renewed enthusiasm. “Yes, sir! You
can count on me.”
I clap him on the shoulder. “Very good, my boy. Now run along, before someone sees you here. We’ll have a mission briefing in the operations center at fourteen hundred hours. Make sure the team is there.”
“I will, sir. Thank you, sir.”
He scurries away and I log off the console. Snedeker will remain at my side, for a little longer, at least. How pathetic am I for being pleased by that?
I rise from the console and step into the janitor’s closet. It’s time to use the chronomichani, the time travel machine that is the secret of my success.
I know the infernal device is running low on blood. The little nips from my finger keep it active, though not fully charged. But there should be enough blood left for two more jumps. After that, it will require a more sizable feeding.
I picture the chronomichani, sitting at home in my hidden safe. In my mind’s eye, I see its gears turning and wheels spinning. It is bound to my soul and understands my wishes, no matter how far away from it I am.
I hold my breath, anticipating the falling sensation. It seems to get worse every time.
My stomach lurches, and the jump is over. My body feels sore as I peek out of the closet door.
Excellent, no one is here. I step out into the room, having just traveled two days into the future.
I sit at the console and log in using the janitor’s credentials. Then I access the base’s general news feed. I’m shocked by what I read.
I died in the upcoming operation! Shot in the back by Lord Beasley. Spero fought heroically to retrieve my body and was promoted.
What nonsense. I would never show my back to an armed Beasley. I must have been shot by someone I trusted, someone on my own team. Could Spero be the mole? No, it has to be Kaplan. Spero is too lovely.
I log out and step into the closet for the jump back to the present. Once again, the chronomichani has saved me. I still remember when Father gave it to me. He was on his deathbed, speaking in a whisper. He warned me of two things. Never use the device to change the outcome of a major world event, and never make physical contact with one of my past or future selves. I was young and, at the time, didn’t see any real use for the device. But it has served me well, despite its limitations.
Forewarned is forearmed. My villainous little mole is in for an unpleasant surprise.
Chapter Five
Temple of Doom
TYLER BUCK
I wake up in my hotel room in the Paradise Lodge. Soft candlelight flickers through the white mosquito gauze hanging over the bed. I’m in my underwear, and I’ve still got my waterproof travel pouch hanging around my neck.
What the hell happened? Did I have a dream within a dream?
Ayana wakes up in the bed next to me, looking sleepy and confused. “Who is Rosemarie?”
“What? Who are you talking about?”
She shakes her head. “I had a dream about someone named Rosemarie. It is fading now.”
“I had a pretty weird dream myself. You tried to turn me into a dragon.”
Ayana sits up in bed, grabs a carafe and a glass from the nightstand, and pours me a glass of tej. I see her breasts move beneath her nightgown. The thin gold chain between her nose and ear glimmers in the candlelight. She looks incredibly beautiful.
If this turns out to be another dream, I’m going to be pissed.
I’m thirsty and I take a big gulp of tej, but it doesn’t taste right, so I put the glass on the nightstand on my side of the bed.
Ayana pouts. “Please drink, Tyler. Sex is more enjoyable with tej.”
Time for more tej! As I reach for the glass, I see scrape marks on my wrists.
It wasn’t a dream! I was pinned down on a table and the stone cuffs scraped my wrists. Then Ayana put a needle into me.
I leap from the bed, become suddenly dizzy, and stumble to the hotel room door. I throw it open. There’s nothing but a stone wall on the other side!
I’m not in the hotel. I’m still in Ayana’s freaky dragon dungeon!
As I turn to confront her, Ayana embraces me. “Do not worry, Tyler. You are safe here. Please, you must drink the tej.”
I push her away. “It tastes funny. What did you put in it?”
“Something to calm you.”
“I don’t want to be calm. I want to be free.”
“You are not our prisoner. However, you must understand, you now carry the dragon blood. For your own safety and the safety of others, there are things you must learn before you leave us.”
I start searching the room for a way out. “Why does this room look like the hotel?”
“This is the transition room. It was designed to be familiar and comforting. Please, drink the tej. You must remain calm.”
Why can’t I find the way out?
“I’ve got some advice for you, Ayana. If you want someone to remain calm, don’t kidnap and torture them.”
“I apologize for your pain, Tyler. It is a small price to pay for the gift you will soon enjoy.”
I shout at her, “Do I look like I’m enjoying myself?”
She winces. “Tyler, if you do not remain calm, you may accidentally shift into a dragon, or worse, travel into another time.”
I laugh angrily. “What have you been smoking?”
“Tyler, please. You must calm yourself.”
I hear desperation in her voice. She’s genuinely scared.
The truth is, I’m furious. And I have every right to be. Still, I don’t like scaring women.
I try to speak in a calmer tone. “If you don’t want me to be angry, you need to let me go. Are you the one in charge here, the high priestess, or whatever?”
“I am the Speaker. And of course, you will be free to go, but please, give me one day to explain the dangers. You’re a good man, Tyler, you would never forgive yourself if you hurt someone.”
She puts her hands over her heart, pressing the thin fabric of her nightgown against her breasts.
She’s trying to manipulate me with flattery and sex. Good call.
“I’ll give you one hour to explain, then I’m outta here.”
She nods, relieved. “Thank you. We must use the stairs under the bed.”
Under the bed! The only place I didn’t look.
After we both get dressed, I slide the bed aside and remove a wooden cover over a narrow set of stairs leading down at a steep angle.
Ayana takes the lead, and we descend into a stone corridor lit by candles. The ventilation isn’t good here, and the air is thick and waxy-smelling.
We pass several of Ayana’s fellow cultists, a mix of male and female Ethiopians of various ages. None of them wear the spooky dragon masks, and they all bow to me like I’m some sort of god. What happens when they find out I’m not?
After traveling through the mazelike corridors, we stop at a small iron door. Ayana unlocks it with a key. Is this a trap? Is she going to try to lock me in there?
I stand in the doorway while Ayana enters the tiny stone room. She uses a candle from the hall to reveal a gold jewelry box resting on a stone ledge.
She opens the box and removes a triangular silver amulet. It’s a dragon head with a green, a blue, and a red gem set in the eyes and mouth.
I assess it with my relic hunter’s eye. If those gems are an emerald, sapphire, and ruby, the piece could have a base value of at least $10K. More if it’s antique. Definitely something Lord Beasley would want.
Ayana shows me the back of the amulet. “This is your training date.”
I see a date engraved on the back: Dec. 1st, 540 CE.
“I don’t get it.”
She hangs the dragon amulet around my neck. “You have three mentors, all of them with the blood of Aido-Hwedo. They await you here in the temple, in the year 540 CE. One will teach you how to be a dragon. One will teach you how to be a fighter. And one will teach you how to be a time traveler. To survive, you must master each of these skills.”
“That was almost fifteen hundred years ago. I
think it’s safe to say I missed my classes.”
Ayana shakes her head. “Your time mentor, Fenfang, travels here each month to look for you. She will take you back.”
“Nice. Can you tell her I need to stop off at around 1200 CE to pick up some milk?”
Ayana looks annoyed. “You mock us.”
“What the hell does time travel have to do with dragons? It sounds like you’re making shit up.”
She blows out the candles in the room. “All will be explained. Come, I have something else to reveal.”
As we leave the room, I tuck the amulet under my shirt. It feels weighty. I’m bumping up my appraisal to $15K.
We travel through another stone corridor, passing a room with a group of people eating a delicious-smelling stew. Until now, I didn’t realize how hungry I was.
Distracted, I lose sight of Ayana for a moment, and have to hurry to catch up. A short time later she enters a small, bare room with a hole in the stone floor.
She points to the hole. “This is the dragon vault.”
“It looks more like a latrine.”
She frowns. “Come look.”
“Why, you gonna push me in?”
She waves impatiently and I approach the hole. It’s about three feet across and eight feet deep, carved smooth from the solid rock.
She lowers a candleholder hanging from a chain and reveals the bottom of the hole. I see an elaborate dragon carving in the stone floor, and the creature has a triangular mouth.
Ayana points at the carving. “Your amulet fits in the mouth of the dragon. It’s the key that unlocks the vault.”
“What’s in there?”
“A gift from Aido-Hwedo. That is all we know.”
“So, how exactly does that work? He flies in like Santa Claus and leaves presents?”
“Aido-Hwedo has been dead for centuries. But his spirit lives on.”
I take a second look at the hole. “I can probably get down there if I hang off the side and drop. Getting back up will be trickier. Got a rope?”