[Dragon's Gift 01.0 - 05.0] Complete Series

by Linsey Hall

  I nodded at her as we walked past to reach the door, trying to keep my breathing even. Her gaze followed me, burning into my back.

  We passed through the large doors into the main lobby of the museum, which was set up with a temporary stage at the far end and rows of folding chairs in the middle. Subdued flower arrangements had been placed at either end of the stage, giving the whole thing a funeral-like feel.

  Lilies. The worst funeral flower.

  “This is going to be a blast,” I said, then felt like a jerk. The whole point of this was to honor the Nullifier, who’d died to protect us all. I really needed to get my head out of my butt.

  “Agreed,” Del said.

  A crowd milled in the middle of the huge room, far more people than I’d expected. Several hundred, at least. It’d be standing room only.

  A moment later, Aidan appeared in the crowd. His gray gaze landed on me, and a smile stretched across his face.

  I grinned and jerked my chin upward in that lame greeting that frat boys do. It was ridiculous, but then, I was a bit ridiculous when I was around Aidan.

  I’d started off our acquaintance all cool and collected. The collected had gone out the window pretty quickly, and now I was just trying to play it cool.

  I was probably failing.

  Aidan strode toward me, his big form easily cutting a path through the crowd. He was well over six feet and built like a Greek god—I’d gotten a peek last week and confirmed my suspicions that he looked even better out of his shirt—but it was his face that was frankly ludicrous. People shouldn’t be as handsome as he was. It made the rest of us uncomfortable. He looked like some kind of model—the rugged kind, not the pretty kind—and I wanted to point at myself and go “me?” every time he made it clear he liked me.

  “Hey,” he said as he neared.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “Come here.” He put a hand behind my waist and pulled me toward him, then brushed a kiss against my cheek as he murmured in my ear, “Missed you.”

  His rough voice sent a shiver over my skin. “Missed you, too. Did your lead work out?” I asked as Nix and Del joined my side.

  “No. I can’t find transport charms anywhere. I’ve had four people on it for the last week, me included. Every wizard they check is suddenly sold out. And we’ve done everything we can to convince them to sell to us, but it’s not working.”

  So, massive amounts of money, then. Aidan was the Origin, a descendent of the first Shifter, and currently the most powerful one in the world. In addition to being a massive badass of that nature, he was also ridiculously wealthy. Over the last month, he’d thrown a bit of that money around in scenarios like this.

  Scenarios meant to protect me.

  “Something weird is going on,” Nix said. “Transport charms have always been hard to come by, but not impossible.”

  “Maybe I need to start making some,” Del said.

  It was one of her gifts, related to her own ability to transport, but it was difficult to do and sapped her power for a long time, so we normally relied on buying them from wizards.

  “Maybe,” I said.

  “It’s Victor Orriodor, isn’t it?” Nix asked. “He’s responsible for the scarcity of the charms.”

  “That was my thought. He’s got something planned, and if his appearances in your life are any indication, he’s gaining power.”

  I scrubbed a hand over my face, suddenly weary. “I think you’re right. He needs those charms to sic his demons on me. And to capture other FireSouls. I just wish I knew what his endgame was.”

  Aidan reached for my hand and squeezed. “We’ll figure it out.”

  “Yeah.” I lifted my head. “We have to.”

  He nodded approvingly. “Come on. I want to hear what they have to say.”

  “Sure, but let’s stick to the back.” I followed him through the crowd, glancing back over my shoulder to make sure Nix and Del followed. Nix, who was right behind me, put her hands over her chest and made thumping heart motions. Del was making kissy faces behind Nix.

  I hissed at them, then turned back around.

  Aidan led us toward a darkened corner in the back where a massive statue of a female warrior loomed. It was perfect. She’d guard us, figuratively speaking, and I didn’t like the idea of being surrounded by other Magica while my powers were gone.

  I looked toward the crowd, and Dr. Garriso caught my eye. He made his way toward us, looking so much better than he had after I’d saved him from Victor Orriodor’s portal last week. His white hair was neatly combed and his tweed suit freshly pressed. My shoulders loosened a bit. Thank magic he was okay. He was a tough old goat, and I was glad to see him back to his usual spry self.

  But when he approached, the worry in his gaze was stark.

  “Hi, Dr. Garriso. What’s wrong?”

  “We have done an inventory of the museum and found a missing item. A massive dampening charm encased in the Gundestrop cauldron. It’s Celtic, and the artifact itself is ancient, found in a bog in Denmark. It’s quite large and heavily decorated. But the dampening charm that it houses is even more impressive. It’s the strongest of its kind, able to knock out the magical power of dozens of supernaturals at once.”

  My breath whooshed out. When I could breathe again, all I could do was wheeze, “Shit.”

  “And you have no idea what he might do with it?” Aidan asked.

  “No, but I wanted to let you know. However he bypassed the museum’s security, he put a lot of money and power into it.”

  That was no surprise. Victor Orriodor had a lot of both. But we were both seeking dampening charms? Why?

  “Thank you for telling us, Dr. Garriso,” I said. “I’m glad to see you are feeling better.”

  “Because of you, my dear.”

  I gave him a quick hug, and he left to find his seat.

  “Well, that’s a real kick in the pants,” I muttered.

  “No kidding.” Del thumped her head back against the wall.

  The lights flickered, signaling that the ceremony would begin soon.

  “So how’s this going to go?” I asked.

  “It won’t take long,” Aidan said. “Just some speeches, then we’ll meet the Order after. They’ll thank you, and it’ll be over.”

  Okay, that wasn’t so bad. I just had to keep everything under control and act like a normal Magica.

  I almost laughed. I’d never been normal, so this wouldn’t be easy.

  We stood in silence and watched the chairs fill up. The lights dimmed until our corner was cast entirely in shadow and a subtle yellow glow illuminated the stage and the depressing flowers. Freaking lilies. Magic’s Bend might be full of Magica and Shifters, but our memorial practices were as dreary and boring as the humans’.

  The museum looked so different tonight, full of people and not half disappearing from Victor Orriodor’s portal.

  But what was that bastard’s end goal? When he’d created the portal, he’d done it to steal something from this museum. He’d managed to get his hands on the dampening charm, but also the Chalice of Youth, which had been in Dr. Garriso’s office. Only a truly evil person could drink from it, and if they did, they’d become immortal.

  So, definitely not a good thing to leave in the hands of a psychopath. But what he wanted with the dampening charm, I had no idea.

  The lights on the stage glowed bright, catching my attention. A procession of black-clad Magica entered from the right. The power that rolled off them, varying signatures of all varieties, told me that they had to be upper-level members of the Order. They all strode out with slow steps, lending a gravity to their entrance that I was sure they got off on.

  The last man to enter the stage came a few steps behind the rest. He wore an immaculate dark blue suit instead of black like the rest, but it was his face that made my skin turn cold.

  Victor Orriodor.

  He’d controlled his magic signature—the smell of rot and decay, the taste of death, and the feel of bee
stings—so it seemed that the crowd had no idea what was in their midst.

  My hand tightened on Aidan’s as my heart threatened to break my ribs. Why the hell was he here? Was he an Order member?

  I wasn’t about to stick around to find out. Not when I didn’t have my magic to protect me. He was outnumbered against all the Magica in the room, but there was no way I’d hang out and let him see me.

  But the Celtic cauldron. If he had it here, he could dampen everyone’s powers and overtake them.

  I glanced at Del and Nix, whose wide eyes met my own.

  “See if you can find the cauldron with your dragon sense. If it’s in the building, we need to know.”

  They both closed their eyes, though their magic didn’t give off much of a signature. They were both being careful to control it around this many Order members.

  Nix opened her eyes first. “It’s not here.”

  “Seconded,” Del said.

  Without the cauldron, he was definitely outnumbered. Whatever his reason for being here—and it might be because he was an Order member, magic forbid—he was playing the long game.

  We had to get out of here. Nix jerked her head toward a side exit and I nodded, then tugged on Aidan’s hand. His gaze snapped to mine and he nodded.

  Heart racing, I followed Nix and Del, sticking to the shadows and trying not to jostle anyone. Aidan stuck close behind, his steps silent as we snuck out of the museum.

  Near the exit, I caught sight of the familiar red fire alarm. I waved Nix, Del, and Aidan out, then pulled the lever. I hated to interrupt the Nullifier’s memorial, but I wanted to interrupt Victor Orriodor’s plans, whatever they were.

  The siren blared as I ran out the door and met my friends’ startled gazes.

  “Good idea!” Nix said.

  We took off, sprinting across the grass toward the parking lot. I’d snuck out like a coward.

  But what was I going to do? Fight him with my questionable nullifying power? I’d practiced it but didn’t have any kind of reliable skill with it. I’d be putting hundreds of people at risk.

  We’d reached Cecelia and Aidan’s car, which were conveniently parked next to each other, when my phone buzzed. I was so wired that I jumped and nearly screeched before I got it together enough to fumble my phone out of my pocket and look at the screen.

  I read the name aloud. “Aerdeca.”

  “What does she want?” Del asked.

  “Don’t know.” I hadn’t spoken to the Blood Sorceress since last week, during the wayward portal disaster. But she’d been the one to recommend I go see Aethelred about finding a Nullifier to help destroy the portal. She knew I was looking for him now.

  Maybe she’d found him!

  I glanced around. We were hidden by the parked cars, and we had a minute before people arrived. More than likely, they’d stand in the museum’s yard and wait to see if the museum lit up like a bonfire.

  I clicked the answer button. “Hello?”

  “Cass?” Aerdeca’s clear voice filled my ear. “Meet me at the Assassin’s Brew. Darklane. Now.”

  The line clicked.

  I stared down at the phone. “Looks like we’re going to Darklane. I think Aerdeca and Mordaca have something to tell us.”

  “You trust her?”

  I shrugged. “Enough to go. They might have the info we need.”

  3

  Aidan and I followed Del and Nix to Darklane. By the time we pulled into the creepy neighborhood, I was nearly vibrating with nerves, hoping that Aerdeca and Mordaca would tell me where Aethelred had gone.

  Aerdeca and her sister, Mordaca, ran the Apothecary’s Jungle, a shop in Darklane that specialized in Blood Sorcery, Aerdeca and Mordaca’s particular gifts. I’d gone to them for help once, but it’d been pricey. If they had info now, I wondered how much it would cost.

  Dark figures lurked in shadows, watching our car as it drove slowly by. Buildings loomed on either side of the street, cutting out the last of the setting sun. Though they were only three stories high, they always seemed to block out the light. Even at high noon. Their historic fronts were covered with grime, lending the place its name.

  Darklane was where you lived if you worked with magic’s darker side. The kind that harmed as well as helped. But that didn’t necessarily make it bad. It was all up to interpretation.

  Though these supernaturals were occasionally on the wrong side of the law, most weren’t outright lawbreakers. The Magica didn’t tolerate that. Folks in Darklane walked the line with things like blood magic—illegal if done without the consent of the donor, but otherwise acceptable.

  Aidan slowed the car to a crawl, and we rolled by the narrow buildings, looking for the sign for Assassin’s Brew. I’d never been to that bar because I liked to stay out of Darklane. Just because most people here weren’t outright criminals didn’t mean there wasn’t a higher percentage of them. Though it wasn’t the criminals I was worried about. It was the cops. More criminals equaled more cops, and I wasn’t about to hang out in a place where the Order of the Magica was more likely to be looking for wrongdoing.

  My existence as a FireSoul meant that I was pretty much always guilty. No way in hell I was increasing my chances of getting tossed in the Prison for Magical Miscreants.

  “There it is.” I pointed to a building that had once been blue. A sign hung over the door that read Assassin’s Brew. The letter A was formed with two daggers. Clever.

  Aidan found a parking spot along the street, and we climbed out of the car. Ornate, Oliver Twistian street lamps shined yellow light on the grimy sidewalk.

  I dodged a suspicious blue goo that stuck to the ground and met Nix and Del by the door. I couldn’t say my fingers didn’t twitch toward my knives even though I knew Darklane was mostly safe.

  But in the magical world, you couldn’t take mostly to the bank. Without my magic, I felt a bit naked. I reminded myself that I’d spent most of my life relying on my wits and weapons, so I’d be fine now.

  The windows on either side of the door glowed warmly. Inside, people crowded around the bar and hunched over small tables. I pulled open the heavy wooden door and slipped inside, Del, Nix, and Aidan at my back.

  Voices were muted, and the ceiling was low. It was a real old-school pub with lots of wood and only a few taps. There were no blue liqueurs behind the bar, unless you counted the weird potions for sale. But nothing called Wicked or Sexxxy, like you’d find at a city club.

  Aerdeca and Mordaca sat on bar stools near the wall, looking entirely too fabulous to be in a place like this. As usual, Mordaca looked like Elvira, with her plunging, slinky black dress, bouffant black hair, and mask-like eye makeup. Aerdeca was her golden opposite, wearing an elegant white pantsuit that she magically managed to pull off. I was beginning to wonder if that was her uniform in the same way that Elvira-chic was Mordaca’s.

  They both waved at us, an identical flutter of their fingertips. Mordaca’s nails were black points, Aerdeca’s white.

  “Those chicks have their shit together,” Del muttered as she eyed their outfits.

  “Yep.” We were a different breed, that was for sure. But I still liked Mordaca and Aerdeca.

  Yeah, they were a bit scary, but I respected that.

  Aerdeca smiled serenely as we approached. Mordaca’s red lips remained straight and her gaze impassive.

  “Cass. How’re you?” Aerdeca’s gaze was sharp. And curious.

  We hadn’t told anyone what had happened to my magic, but she could probably sense my altered power signature and wondered about it.

  “I’m great. You?”

  “I’m well,” Aerdeca said.

  I met Mordaca’s gaze. “You?”

  “Fabulous.” But Mordaca’s dark gaze was haunted.

  When the portal had frozen the museum, she’d been trapped inside. I got the impression she’d been conscious the whole time. Being trapped like that for days would give anyone nightmares. No wonder they hadn’t been at the memorial, even though the N
ullifier’s sacrifice had saved Mordaca.

  “You’re looking for Aethelred.” Mordaca raised her smoking gray cocktail to her lips and sipped.

  She’d stated the obvious. We’d asked them to keep an eye out for him since they knew him, but Mordaca probably wanted me on edge, explaining myself.

  “Yes. Aerdeca helped us before.”

  Aerdeca sipped her clear martini—straight vodka served in a fancy glass with a couple olives, if I had to guess—and said, “No. I helped us.” She indicated herself and her sister. “You needed Aethelred to find the Nullifier, which in turn saved my sister.”

  When Mordaca had been trapped by the expanding portal, Aerdeca had spat out Aethelred’s location real quick. Now that her sister was no longer in danger, I had a feeling she was about to be a lot more close-lipped.

  “Right,” I said. “Which I did. And because I stopped the portal—and saved Mordaca, don’t forget—I now need Aethelred’s help. He knows things I need to know.”

  “Well, he’s hiding for a reason,” Mordaca said, her raspy voice sounding like she smoked three packs a day. “Otherwise, he’d be back in town. Tuesdays are Black Bingo night, and he hasn’t missed one of those in a decade. So whatever has him staying away is serious.”

  What the hell was Black Bingo? Probably something creepy, considering that this was Darklane. I wouldn’t ask.

  “And you were the last person he saw before he left town last week,” Aerdeca said. “So, perhaps you’re the one he is hiding from.”

  “All we did last week was talk,” I said. “About how to find the Nullifier to stop the portal. He said he’d answer my questions if I stopped the portal. I did that. Now I just want to see him.”

  “Well, I’m not certain that your friend here can pay the right price.” Aerdeca ran her gaze over Aidan. She might look like the nicer one, with her white outfits and sweeter voice, but she was the scarier one in this pair.