Fated Magic (The Fated Saga Book 2)

by Sariah Skye

  Feezel turned to glare at him, hands on hips. She waggled a finger at him warningly. “I know you big scary dragon, but we harmless brownies. We just want to help.”

  Maxxus stifled a laugh, holding up his palms in a sign of truce. “I understand. Sorry for the confusion. There's some bad things going on; can't be too careful.”

  “Agree with scary green guy,” Gleep said with a nod.

  I snorted. “That's Maxxus. He's my...umm...he's my friend.”

  Feezel looked him up and down approvingly. “Pink dragon keep good friends.”

  I grinned over the brownies’ heads at Maxxus who bit his lip to hide his smile. “Well, thank you.”

  “Feezel speak truth.” She turned to me and became serious. “Silver dragon was here. He knew you were coming. Said something about a... phone call?” She looked bewildered and threw up her small hands in exasperation.

  I gasped. “Is he okay?”

  “Not sure.” Gleep spoke up this time. “Scary mean thing take him away somewhere.”

  I felt a choking breath catch in my throat. “Oh no...”

  “Was it the portal guard here? Baron Nicodemus?” Maxxus inquired sternly, trying not to sound so threatening.

  “Is he black scary thing?” Feezel asked, and we both nodded.

  “We think he's possessed by a sort of...Shadow thing,” I explained.

  Feezel nodded. “Yeah. Sound right. Silver dragon asked we watch out for you. We been here three day wait. What took you so long?”

  “Oh, I was just learning how to fight with my magic so I could get him,” I said simply.

  This was a good enough explanation for her. “Good. You fight him. Kick his stupid butt. He mean to brownies.”

  “What did he do, Feezel?” Maxxus inquired gruffly.

  Gleep took a couple steps back and tried not to cower slightly. “He try using his magic on us. Good thing we fast. We freeze time and get away.”

  “Freeze time? Is that what you're doing now?” he asked, looking around us.

  Gleep nodded. “We take turns because it's tiring.”

  “Well, thank you everyone,” I said appreciatively. “That was a big help.”

  “Yeah. We knock out portal guard here too. He's in shack over there,” Feezel said, pointing to the humble building. “He not wake up for awhile. We keep him out.”

  Maxxus smirked. “I have no doubt in that.”

  “How did you do that?” I dared to ask, not really sure if I wanted to know.

  Feezel smiled widely. “Enough brownies throwing things at one time—lucky shot in head.”

  “Too bad he still live,” Gleep added, sounding verbally disappointed.

  I stifled a laugh at their antics. Very helpful antics. “Thanks, guys. I trust that my grandfather has been treating you well since I've been gone?” I asked them, shifting my feet slightly to avoid stepping inadvertently on one of them.

  “Oh yes. He bring us lots of things every week. We like him much. That's why we help. Go get big mean dragon,” Gleep said, fist pumping in the air. I struggled not to laugh at him.

  “And kick him in private spot for us. He really mean. Step on Hobie. Tore Hobie's shirt. Real mean.” Feezel narrowed her eyes and stomped an angry foot.

  “Is Hobie okay?”

  “I fine. Just mad.” A small voice from my feet answered. I looked down at a very young appearing brownie, wearing all black and looking fairly kempt for a brownie—except for his long, torn shirt that trailed behind him on the ground.

  “That's no good. I'm gonna set you down, okay?” I said to the two in my hands.

  “It's okay. Jump. It fun.” Gleep let out a peal of laughter and deftly jumped out of my hand.

  Feezel grinned playfully. Instead of jumping down, she leapt deftly and landed on Maxxus' chest, grabbing the seam of his robes. Maxxus let out a surprised noise, but helped her climb up to rest on his shoulder. “You smell good. Like...earth. And...candy bread.” She must have meant cinnamon, I assumed.

  Maxxus smiled appreciatively. “Thank you.”

  I didn't want to offend them by laughing but I had to giggle. The female brownie was snuggling up on his neck, patting his hair. “Careful, Feezel. That one's mine. You're just borrowing him.”

  “I know.” She was nonplussed and continued to nuzzle Maxxus' neck as he raised his brow at me expectantly.

  I just shrugged. I took my pack off my shoulder and unzipped it. I reached in the bottom for anything interesting they might like.

  “Well, let's see...I have some candy wrappers,” I tossed them on the ground and several of the brownies gleefully jumped up and down as they floated, “some...string...” I tossed that down too. “Oh, and an empty pop can. How'd that get in there?”

  “I have?” Hobie questioned hopefully.

  “You all share, got it?” I said to him sternly. I set that down gently, not wanting to hurt them. Gleep immediately climbed all over it.

  Crestfallen only slightly, he nodded.

  “I have something better for you.” I carried three pairs of socks inside, one pair was a little ratty and I hoped I wouldn't need it, but I owed them for helping us get over safely, and telling us about my grandfather. And knocking the other portal guard unconscious. I leaned over and handed him both socks. Hobie's face lit up as if I'd just given him a million dollars. “Once I can, I will try to get you all some fabric and paints or something so you can get some new clothes. Deal?”

  “Deal!” Gleep clapped his hands happily, trying to pull at Hobie's new gift.

  “One more thing...” I rummaged for the pouch containing all the potions and vials and what not and pulled out the two sour tasting ones that would help disguise us, in case my magic failed. I handed one to Maxxus and instructed him to drink. He gave the empty vial and lid to Feezel who was elated at the gift. I set mine down and a couple more brownies took it and darted off into the woods.

  “Is there anyone else out there nearby?” I asked them.

  Gleep shook his head. “No, pink dragon. But silver dragon say castle guarded lots.”

  I exchanged a look with Maxxus and sighed. “I figured. You can let time go back to normal. Thank you for everything.”

  “Thank you for things!” Feezel squealed gleefully and allowed Maxxus to gently set her on the ground.

  “Be careful now!” I waved at them as they darted with their new 'treasures' off to the woods. We remained until they disappeared into the trees.

  That's when Maxxus burst out in raucous laughter. “I've seen it all, now!”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “What? One makes odd friends when she has none, you know. Besides, I could never repay them for all the shit they put my family through,” I said mischievously.

  Maxxus snorted. “I don't doubt that.” He motioned through the clearing. “Shall we?”

  I frowned, but reluctantly agreed. “Yeah...should we check the shack and see who it is?”

  Maxxus shook his head. “Nah. If they say he's out, he's out. No reason to push our luck.”

  “Agreed.” I looked overhead and noticed that the sparse, light clouds that hung in the sky were now moving lazily across the moon. “I wonder how much time has gone by at home—err—in Minnesota?” I wondered aloud.

  “Who could know?” We walked softly through the rough grass and leaf litter until we reached the treeline. I sighed before stepping in.

  “Too bad we can't fly,” I said regrettably.

  He patted my shoulder comfortingly. “Soon. Soon you'll be able to fly and swoop around here like no one's business. I promise. Or else I'll eat someone.” He offered me a wink.

  “Get in line,” I said, and we disappeared into the trees. “Guess this is going to take a bit longer than we thought?”

  Maxxus grunted. “Guess so. Actually, we really could fly—at least I could. That would knock some time off our journey.”

  “Any idea where we're going? Somewhere isn't very descriptive,” I said.

  Maxxus stood and thoug
ht for a moment, scratching his chin pensively. “Well, I know he lives alone. He doesn't live in the palace, but in the barracks with a lot of the other single males in the Guard. There is a training room in the commons, and a block of prison cells underneath. It's usually used for those that get caught fighting, or burning down another's house, but that's few and far between. Well, getting caught at least. But it looks pretty dungeon-like.”

  “But would he be that stupid to risk being seen, with an Elder as a prisoner?” I asked uncertainly.

  Maxxus chuckled dryly. “Maybe. He is a cocky sonofabitch—I wouldn't put it past him. Probably thinks he's untouchable.”

  “Ugh. Lily-livered lint-licker,” I mumbled angrily under my breath.

  Maxxus stopped in his tracks and I turned to look at him. He appeared to be in some sort of revelation. “Let's get out of here. That's exactly where we're going to go, and we're going to fly there.”

  “Huh?” was all I said, dumbfounded. “Are you losing your shit, there?”

  “We won't go to him...we'll make him come to us.”

  I let out a sharp laugh, promptly covering my mouth with my hands. “Are you out of your ever-loving dragon mind?”

  “Nope. We'll go back to the barracks, wait and I'll conveniently make myself seen. Or, you'll make people think they see me. They won't really be sure, but they won't risk not telling him. He'll come looking for us and that's when we'll get him,” Maxxus explained, as if it was the best idea in all the realms.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and glowered. “And risk being seen by everyone else who might be there, and captured. Hello—one million gold pieces,” I said, pointing at myself.

  “Oh, you'll hide yourself. And me...Change my appearance, but leave me green. Someone will notice that my room that was empty for weeks now is suddenly occupied. Dragons will talk. He'll find out. And we won't have to waste time out there—” he gestured into the dark, spooky woods.

  I shivered, looking deep inside at the gnarled branches and menacing shapes the moonlight cast in the shadows of the trees and bushes. “Point taken. Besides...I'm getting hungry.”

  He chuckled. “I figured as much.” Maxxus pulled off his robes and handed them to me, and began pulling off his shirt.

  “Wait!” I said, covering my eyes with my palms.

  Maxxus chuckled wryly. He reached over and pried my hands off my eyes. “Leo, you've seen all this before.”

  I grinned, stupidly, remembering that time in the woods, years ago now. His broad shoulders and sculpted chest, and—

  He snapped his fingers in my face, the other hand thrusting his shirt at me. I grabbed it, and put it up to my face to hide my mouth. I bit my lip so hard I nearly drew blood at the sight of him. Seriously, get a grip, Leo. He's just a dragon in human form...just going to shift. No big deal.

  “Oh god,” I said under my breath, strangled as I heard the telltale sound of a zipper unzipping. I had to swivel around then. I dared to look over my shoulder briefly, and his back was towards me as he began to lower his pants. I nearly yelped, seeing the top of his dragon's mark low on his back, nearly on his glute. His ass, Leo. His damn fine ass—you remember.

  Goddammit—this nasty dragon inside me needed to shut up. Or get some. It'd been a really long time, for Pete's sake...

  “Come on, Leo,” he scolded. I spun back around quickly before his pants fell to the ground.

  “No! No, I can't. It's just—” I cut myself off, not wanting to divulge what I was really going to say.

  Why am I not looking? I asked myself. No, really...why? Surely it wouldn't hurt to—

  “No!” I interrupted my own thoughts with a convincing protest.

  “No what? If you refuse to look, fine.” The unmistakable sound of clothing slapping on the ground was followed moments later by an involuntary growl as he shifted into his dragon. “You'll have to carry this stuff.”

  I sighed, picking up his pack and clothing. I opened the pack and shoved all I could inside, but it looked like his boots were too big to fit. I tied the laces together and looped them through the straps so they'd hang down when I slung the second bag over my shoulder.

  “What's the matter?” he asked in his deep dragon's voice, his blue eyes questioning. He could probably sense the heat radiating off my body, though the air was turning frosty. I hadn't realized it was so obvious until I saw a plume of smoke come out of his nose, as he sniffed the air around me. He swallowed and stifled a growl. Pheromones. I was giving some off, even in human form.

  Calm down, Leo. Now is not the time. Or place. You need to be calm. I closed my eyes briefly and waved my hands over my face and front, as if trying to shove away the wanton vibes I wasn't trying to give off—but obviously was. My mind kept rewinding to that time...that time. I inhaled deeply and opened my eyes, feeling a sense of zen wash over me. Spirit magic was good, sometimes.

  Maxxus appeared to relax. He stretched out a wing and lowered himself to the ground. I stepped up on one of his crooked legs and clutched the wing. It took several tries, but with some assistance, I scrambled up and onto his back. It was considerably more difficult than trying to ride my brother, as Maxxus was larger. “This would be a lot easier if I could at least pull out my wings.”

  “Can't take that risk someone would see,” Maxxus replied. “Even with your magic, it would appear very strange if a dragon in human form was suddenly floating, wouldn't it?”

  I grumbled in defeat. “Yeah...”

  “You secure?” He adjusted his wings and stretched out his neck. I had to lean over and wrap my entire body around his thick neck; my arms didn't even reach fully. I was thankful he had no spikes right about then—at least not on his neck. A couple on his head, but that was normal for most males.

  “As good as it is going to get.”

  “Okay.” Maxxus kicked off slowly and, catching the wind gracefully is his massive wingspan we rose slowly into the air.

  “How far is it from here?” I asked, having to raise my voice slightly to be heard over the shear. The higher we got, the stronger and noisier it became, and I had to bury my face nearly all the way into his neck as we flew.

  “Not far. Fifteen miles or so. Won't take long at all.” I realized when I dared to peek—it didn't seem so bad in dragon form. But as a human, heights still terrified me. The shrunken trees underneath, the closer proximity of the moon and stars—it was a little disconcerting. I tried to make conversation with him as we flew.

  I realized then we were going to his home; I hadn't realized that he bunked in the guard barracks. I assumed he still lived in his family home, but I knew that his relationship with them was strangled. I smiled to myself thinking how salty they'd feel now if they knew he had probably one most powerful, sought after magic skills in the kingdom. Maybe even the realm.

  “So how long have you lived there? I guess I sort of never thought you wouldn't live at home, though I don't know why I should think that,” I asked him.

  “It never came up, and I never offered. I've lived there for years, really. After school was over, I moved in there right away. I haven't even spoken to my family in... I can’t remember how long,” he said, his tone obviously dismayed.

  “I'm sorry,” I said, honestly. I truly was; I could relate to having a very dysfunctional family. It was no picnic. More like a nosedive into a slimy cesspool of muck.

  His shoulders shrugged slightly and I felt a sense of quick panic as my position on his back shifted. I swallowed nervously. “Oops, I'm sorry. I'm not used to being ridden.” A snort escaped him then as he quipped, “At least, not like that.”

  I pretended to gasp with offense. I smacked his dragon neck lightly—he probably wouldn't even feel it. “Hey now!”

  He chuckled.

  We rode in silence for the next couple of minutes, and I clamped my eyes shut to avoid looking down. After a time he asked me, “You have the glamour on us right? I'm going to land just outside the treeline. There's a small clearing just barely big enough
for me; it will give me a chance to shift back. But I'll duck out briefly. Keep my color, just change my appearance slightly.”

  “Got it.” I closed my eyes and pictured Maxxus' form, slightly smaller, a slightly more jade color instead of the bright, emerald green he normally was, with hazel brown eyes. I touched my palms against the sides of his neck and felt a slight warming as the spirit magic took effect. I opened my eyes after a moment. I couldn’t be sure if it worked, since I was the one casting the magic. “Feel any different?”

  Maxxus grunted. “A bit smaller.”

  “Ha. I think it worked.”

  “I bet you'll make yourself six feet tall, huh?” Maxxus kidded, as he began his descent into the clearing he mentioned in the woods. Off to the north a slight distance away. I could see a long string of simple buildings, stone with a black roof and a square window every few feet, one after another. There were five buildings, connected by simple hallways to a larger, circular building in the center. That must be the commons he mentioned.

  “Maybe at least 5'5, okay?” I was jarred mildly as he landed, but overall it was a graceful landing. He bowed slightly and allowed me to slide off, less than gracefully. He had to hold me up with his nose as I tumbled down.

  “Wish I could have flown,” I muttered to myself.

  He chuckled slightly. “Okay. I'm going to walk around outside for a minute and make a bit of noise. That should draw someone's attention. I'll be back momentarily.” It was a tight squeeze, and he was slapped a bunch of times by all the low hanging branches and bushes, but he made his way out of the trees without making too much of a ruckus.

  I closed my eyes and pictured myself—yes, a more average 5'5—olive skin, brown eyes and a couple years older with fuller lips and long dark brown wavy hair and a thinner build. I felt my core warm slightly as the magic activated, but other than that I felt no different. We'd know for sure if it worked quickly if we were recognized.

  I paced, waiting expectantly for Maxxus. I heard some cursing and a few snapping twigs.