Old Evil (The Last Dragon Lord Book 2)

by Michael La Ronn

  Another spotlight shone on him. In the distance, another helicopter was flying toward him.

  I don’t recognize this formation. One flies away, and the other pursues?

  He went into defense mode again and fanned out of the middle of the two helicopters, dropping precipitously toward the rooftops.

  If he couldn’t lose them in the skies, he would lose them in the city.

  Quickly, the two helicopters changed course and followed him, one on each side.

  Dark then heard voices again coming from one of the helicopters. “We’re still in pursuit. He’s in the Clamshell District.”

  These pursuers knew their city.

  Dark flew between two narrow skyscrapers. The helicopters hung back and split up, taking different routes.

  When Dark emerged from the narrow buildings, the helicopters weren’t far behind him.

  “Gaaaah!” he roared.

  His wings were weakening. He didn’t know how much longer he could go. But he kept pushing ahead.

  Desperately, he turned around and blew fire, burning the air with a wave of flames. Windows nearby broke under the high heat.

  But the flames didn’t touch the helicopters.

  Dark roared and said “I will have each of your heads, I assure you!”

  But the helicopters continued their slow drone as they followed him.

  And then it occurred to him.

  They weren’t threatening him.

  They weren’t attacking.

  Why?

  He tried to think quickly as he rounded a building and flew over a string of jam-packed traffic.

  Then he understood.

  They were following him.

  He couldn’t go back to Frog’s. That would expose his entire hiding place.

  As his wings ached, he tried to figure out what to do.

  Then he heard an explosion from one of the helicopters.

  A cylinder of fire had erupted from one of them.

  POW!

  He felt an impact on his back and it knocked him out of the sky. He landed on a gravel roof and rolled several times.

  A giant rubber bullet landed next to him.

  He grasped gravel in his claws. He had to get up!

  The landing had taken everything out of him.

  He pulled himself up. His wings seared with pain.

  The helicopters circled.

  “This won’t be the end for me,” he said. He reached deep inside himself, and without warning he sprouted ice from his claws. With a roar, the entire area chilled.

  The wings of one of the helicopters was covered in ice crystals.

  Dark roared again and the crystals shattered, breaking off the blades of the helicopter. He leaped into the air and swiped the helicopter, sending a long scratch down the side, and then he blew fire into the open door, roasting all the men inside. The helicopter seemed to stay suspended in mid-air for a few seconds, and then it plummeted fast, exploding into the side of a building in a brilliant eruption of smoke.

  Dark whipped around mid-air and set his sights on the second helicopter, which had flown outside of Dark’s radius before he launched his attack.

  “Come and meet your death!” he taunted.

  BOOM!

  The helicopter fired another rubber bullet without warning and it struck Dark in the chest, sending him onto the roof again.

  He could hardly breathe.

  How could he let them hit him?

  He choked on his own saliva as he tried to rebound. He had been able to overcome the first hit with pure adrenaline. But now, it was too much!

  Flames leapt into his mouth.

  Magic gathered in his claws.

  Come on, come on, come on. One final shot.…

  The helicopter swirled over him, and the men inside aimed guns at him.

  “Permission to execute,” one said.

  Dark’s eyes widened. He concentrated on increasing the heat of his flames and the intensity of the magic.

  Another voice sounded through the man’s headset. It was familiar.

  It was Lucan.

  “Permission granted. Wipe him the fuck out.”

  They shone the spotlight on Dark’s eyes and nearly blinded him.

  The men yelled something in synchronized fashion as they aimed at Dark.

  Dark fired his breath and let off his magic. The flames didn’t travel far and the magic dissipated before it left his claws.

  His magical cache was gone.

  His advantage was over.

  This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen!

  Dark closed his eye and winced.

  If this was the end, at least it was going to come quickly. He tried to imagine his father and mother, and the joys of his reign...Comfort washed over him and he smiled.

  Then, a croaky roar filled the night.

  “You picked the wrong dragon to pursue, you bastards!” a voice yelled. There was a whacking sound, and then a long, screeching.

  Frog.

  Dark opened his eye. Frog had rammed the helicopter and it was falling through the sky toward the traffic below. It exploded mid-air, sending embers raining down on the highway.

  Frog landed on the roof with a boom. “I was wondering what happened to ya when you didn’t arrive as scheduled.”

  Dark tried to smile but it came off as a grimace. “I thought it was over for me.”

  “Time to go,” Frog said. “Unless you want to handle the second round of pursuers.”

  Frog’s eyes went down to Dark’s leg.

  “This?” Dark asked. “I have no idea what it is.”

  “They’ve been tracking you,” Frog said.

  “Tracking?” Dark asked.

  Did this light somehow betray his location?

  Dark shook with rage. “It all makes sense now,” he said, baring his teeth.

  XXXIX

  Lucan ran as fast he could up a stairwell. Miri and Celesse followed behind him.

  They were inside the Agricultural Exchange Building. They had taken the elevator to the sixty-ninth floor and had to use the stairs for the remaining ten stories to access the roof.

  He had a grimoire ready in his hand.

  He was disturbed. He’d listened as two groups of mercenaries died while in communication. He’d watched the newscasts of the burning highway below.

  This could not have gone any worse than it did. But what other choice did he have?

  The geolocation radar told him that Old Dark was on the roof. Hell, he had taken out both helicopters, but they must have stopped him.

  All he needed now was a finishing blow.

  He burst through the door onto the roof.

  The rain had died down to a drizzle.

  He looked around the roof.

  “Where are you?” he screamed. “It’s fucking over, dragon!”

  Miri and Celesse joined him. A grimoire glowed in Miri’s hand. She was breathing heavily, and Lucan could tell she was nervous.

  Lucan dashed across the gravel roof, and it only took him a few seconds to see it.

  He slid to a stop and cursed.

  Miri and Celesse caught up to him. Celesse gasped, and Miri sighed.

  Lucan let the grimoire in his hand fall, and he cursed.

  At his feet was a giant hunk of flesh and black scales.

  In the center was the geolocation chip, blinking crimson red in the rain-drenched roof.

  “Time for Plan B,” Lucan said.

  Coda

  Lucan strode through the Hall of Governance. He carried a giant binder under his arm, and he whistled.

  He stopped in front of the governor’s secretary. She was in a fur coat, getting ready to leave for the night. She wore heavy makeup. She had been his father’s secretary and a friend of the family. Seeing her was a nostalgic sight.

  When she saw him, she rolled her eyes and cursed.

  “You’re working awfully late, Hilda,” Lucan said.

  “What do you want?”

  Lucan
whistled louder and strode past the desk.

  “Excuse me!” the secretary cried.

  Lucan rapped on the frosted glass to the governor’s office, and then he turned the handle and entered the office, which was dimly lit.

  “Sir, you can’t go in there!” the secretary yelled.

  “Like hell I can.”

  Ennius sat at the desk, reviewing paperwork. He wore crescent-shaped reading glasses and looked at Lucan with the jaded look of a stuffy college professor. “I thought we agreed to leave each other the hell alone,” he said.

  “Yep. Won’t be long.”

  Lucan brushed a stack of papers aside and slammed the binder down. The impact was so loud it startled Ennius.

  Another epic showdown.

  “I wouldn’t do anything until you read this,” Lucan said.

  “Get the hell out of my office.”

  Lucan held his hands up, palm-first. “I’m outta here. But are you sure you don’t want me to stick around for a few minutes?”

  Ennius pounded his fists against the binder. “Get out!”

  Lucan whistled again and smirked.

  How long will it take before he explodes? I think I can get to the car before then.…

  He left the office and winked at the secretary. “You have a good night.”

  The secretary stared at him, stunned.

  When he made it to the elevator, he could still see the office. Ennius was staring at him with an unflinching scowl.

  Lucan began to sing softly as the doors closed.

  “Smile for me, old dragon lord.…”

  The doors shut. As the elevator descended, he pulled out his cell phone and texted Celesse.

  It begins.

  ***

  Ennius ran his hands along the glossy cover of the binder.

  What was so important that his nephew thought he could stroll in here after hours and interrupt him?

  The little shit. Lucan thought himself above rules. He didn’t know how to follow them. He was physically incapable of it.

  Ennius settled in his leather chair and adjusted his glasses.

  “Do you want me to call the police?” his secretary asked.

  “No, Hilda. Go home. Sorry about that.”

  Hilda, who had an air of offense, as if the encounter disturbed her more than it did him, slung her purse over her shoulder and walked out.

  Ennius waited until she was safely in the elevator and the car was traveling downward before he opened the binder.

  The first page caught his eye immediately:

  SENSITIVE INFORMATION REGARDING INCIDENT AT THE ANCESTRAL BOGS

  Written by Miri Charmwell

  Why was Lucan giving him a report by Miri Charmwell? She had just delivered a report earlier in the day.

  Her report was useless.

  He turned the page.

  Photographs fell out.

  Of Old Dark’s tomb.

  Of Old Dark in a cage.

  Then he began to read the report.

  It was different than the earlier report.…

  The truth grew on him slowly, like heartburn.

  The dragon lord, Alsatius Dark II, was never dead. He is alive—quite alive—and he is out for blood.

  Ennius nearly stumbled out of the chair. He walked briskly down the hallway and entered the stairwell. He found himself jogging, then running down the stairs until he reached the lobby.

  He didn’t see Lucan, so he charged through the revolving door and into the rain-kissed streets, where Lucan’s limousine was pulling off.

  “Stop!” he cried. “You get your ass back here!”

  One of the rear windows rolled down and Lucan stuck out a middle finger. His voice trailed away into the night. “You had your chance. This is gonna be fun, Unc.”

  As the car merged into traffic, Ennius didn’t know how to contain his rage. He grunted and balled his fists together.

  Then he ran back into the Hall of Governance.

  “Norwyn!!”

  ***

  Miri got butterflies in her stomach as Lucan rolled up the window of the limousine.

  “Are you sure about this?” she asked.

  Lucan relaxed in his seat and put his arm around Celesse. “Hell if I know. But it’s our only shot.”

  Celesse had lightened up somewhat since the ride to the Hall of Governance. “Whatever happens, it’s going to get interesting from here on out. You sure you can handle it, Miri?”

  Miri didn’t know. They had spent the last hour discussing the plan over and over. She didn’t like it from the beginning, she didn’t like it after Celesse sweet-talked it, and she especially didn’t like it now.

  But she didn’t have much of a choice. “How many times are you going to ask me that expecting a different answer?”

  “Just checking,” Celesse said. “Cold feet or not, there’s no backing out.”

  Miri gazed wistfully out the window as Earl accelerated through traffic. The rain picked up again and pattered on the limo roof. “How many more lives are we going to ruin before this is all over?”

  “God, stop that,” Lucan said. “If we succeed, you ought to be asking how many lives we’re going to save, Miri.” He looked her in the eye. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re on the brink of fucking apocalypse here.”

  Miri sighed and looked out the window again.

  She thought of Laner. Where was he right now? Did he understand? Would he understand?

  She had gotten over asking for forgiveness. First, she broke his heart years ago. Then she broke his career. Even if Dean Rosehill spared him, his name would be tied to all of this.

  And Dean Rosehill. She couldn’t even bring herself to think about his feelings, not after all he’d done for her.

  She felt terrible about it. She was nauseous. Already she’d had to take several pills. She’d made Earl stop so she could buy club soda to settle her stomach. She was in a lightly medicated daze now, and all of her feelings slid off her. She imagined herself as smooth as a polished stone. Nothing could stick to her.

  She thought about Jasmine. The crew. They would all lose their jobs over this.

  All because she wanted to pursue her life’s work.

  Who else would have treated Old Dark like her? Who else would have gleaned the information from him that she did?

  Who else would have cared?

  Who else would have been completely bamboozled by him like she was?

  She was in an exclusive club, that was for sure. But somehow, she felt that it was destiny that she met the old dragon, that she was the only one who could appreciate the magnitude of it.

  That made her sad.

  She told herself to stop thinking about the passion side of things.

  That’s what had gotten her into this.

  She’d familiarized herself with dragon ways again.

  She was prepared to strike back.

  All she needed now was a clear chance.

  She imagined Old Dark’s face. She imagined him laughing at her. And she imagined herself hardening, reaching deep inside herself and pulling out magic that not even she knew she had.

  Next time, she wouldn’t be naïve.

  She wouldn’t let her passions get in the way of the truth.

  She wouldn’t be weak.

  Next time, she would be ready.

  ***

  Dean Rosehill traveled the length of the great hall in the Academy of History and Magical Sciences. He turned himself into a ball of wispy magic, and he moved through the hallway, through the offices, telling all the professors to leave.

  None of the professors needed to be told twice. Within an hour, the entire hall was empty.

  Then he did the same with the cafeteria, the library, and the other buildings on campus.

  He wanted to be alone.

  Since Miri told him the truth about the investigation, he couldn’t believe that he’d allowed an elven woman to fool him so badly.

  He wanted to shed his skin.

&
nbsp; He wanted to rip her in half.

  He wanted to go back in time and revoke the advantages he had bestowed upon her.

  What a chance at a good life he’d given her!

  Such a promising pupil. Perhaps too promising.

  But it didn’t make a difference now.

  In just a matter of hours, the news media would descend upon Magic Hope University, and for the first time in his three-thousand-year-old life, he would have nothing to say.

  As he surged through the hallway back to his office, he couldn’t help but wonder if Miri had been right all along not to align the university with political interests.

  But what else was he to do? Charged with a failing school and a public who increasingly mistrusted the educational system, only he had had the wisdom to make the difficult decisions.

  He materialized into his dragon form as he coiled up in his office.

  He took a nostalgic look around. At the photographs on the walls of him beaming with successful students. At the countless awards that filled an entire wall. He’d won so many awards on Magic Hope University’s behalf that he had to magic the wall so that it could hold all the awards—the wall changed its makeup every fifteen seconds to display all the awards.

  He settled on a photograph of himself and Miri. She was holding a crystal award for Outstanding Research Standards.

  He had helped her win that award. Those were in the days when she listened to him, when she valued his advice.

  With his tail, he swiped the photograph and knocked it to the floor, shattering it.

  He closed his eyes, and all at once he was everywhere in the university—in the halls, in the classrooms, in the cafeteria, between the stacks at the library, in the park with the whispering maples…

  “I can be no more,” he said.

  He released himself from consciousness, and his body, tense and coiled, relaxed, slithering to the floor.

  The entire grounds of Magic Hope University crumbled with him.

  ***

  Laner Tonsenberry ran as fast as he could through the rainy night. It had taken him a long time to make it back to the university, but he wouldn’t stop to rest.