“Not Griffins. A real griffin would be offended by the comparison. They’re what dragons call the soulless ones.”
She swung at the sound of Damien’s voice near her ear. “What did you say they were?”
His eyes were on the sky. “Soulless Ones. Dragons who let themselves be used for evil. Over time it reshapes them into what you see. The leader of the soulless ones hasn’t arrived or they would have already attacked. They’re in battle formation.”
He walked to her and lifted the chain of the amulet from his pocket. “Here. Put this on. It will protect you from dragon fire. I had planned to give it to you two weeks ago, but never got the chance.”
A gift? After all she’d said to him about not being interested? Her hand closed around the charm. There was real magic in it. “Did you make this for me?”
Damien shook his head. “No, the druidic mage who trained me made it for himself. He wore it around me all the time. Though Morgana was the one who sent me, his experiences with dragons had not been very good before he and I met. His life experiences were probably as interesting as yours.”
Jezibaba didn’t answer his taunt, nor did she tell him that she was naturally immune to dragon fire. She had slightly better manners than that… and she was still stunned by the gift.
“Thank you, Professor Smoke. It’s a very thoughtful gift. I appreciate your concern for my well-being.”
He nodded and turned back to look at the sky again. She looked too.
“Are the children alone in the classroom?” he asked.
Jezibaba shook her head. “No, Emeritus is looking after them. He won’t let anything happen. He’ll take them to Morgana’s realm if he has to. I’m hoping it won’t come to that. She would not be pleased to have to make a bunch of ten year olds forget her.”
Damien lifted a hand. “Is this what your warlocks saw coming?”
“Good question… but I don’t know the answer. A seer’s magic isn’t always precise.”
Her gaze went to the center lawn where the warlocks were standing and chanting. They lifted hands in the air and two of the creatures fell from the sky. The fallen lay motionless on the earth. But there were a lot more still circling around.
“The warlocks alone won’t be able to stop them all. If I ward the school grounds against dragons, you and your people won’t be able to shift. If I don’t ward the grounds, the ones in the sky could burn down the entire school before we can stop them.”
Damien nodded. “Ward against the dragons. There is no choice but to protect the school. We can’t put all the children at risk.”
With no time to lose, Jezibaba raised her hands. Her hair lifted as the power she drew in swirled in the air around her. Her voice deepened as she prayed to the Goddess and then made her plea.
“Hear me now, dragons of old,
Wings be gone, fire burn cold,
To deny you flight or make you flee,
As I will, so mote it be.”
The last word was scarcely uttered before people scattered to avoid the mutated dragons falling from the sky. Soon the campus grounds was littered with bodies. Damien jogged to the closest one. He searched, but found no signs of breath or heartbeat.
“These are dead,” he announced.
He looked up from the ground to see Jezibaba also bent over the corpse, investigating too. She ran a hand over the dragon’s chest area and met his gaze.
“Parts are missing. These creatures were dead before I brought them down,” Jezibaba said quietly. “Their animation must have been a temporary spell. Probably means they were meant to be a distraction.”
A throat clearing nearby interrupted their conversation and took their attention to a man standing a few feet from them.
“More like a warning really. Hello, darling. Have you missed me?”
Jezibaba jerked to full height and walked toward a man she detested. “Nigel? How in hell did you escape this time?”
“Oh you know how it is, love. I slept with a fairy, paid a troll to dig me out… the usual. Heard the pack shredded poor Douglas the other night after you took him back. I guess that’s one bloke I won’t have to be paying off anymore. Thanks loads for that, Luv. My illegal gains will go much farther now. Goddess knows, I spent a hefty amount getting all those dead dragons up floating and roaring again. You have no idea how terribly taxing that was.”
Jezibaba walked two steps forward, held her hand in front of his chest, and shouted. “Negatus nomora escapeus!”
Nigel snickered as the power passed through him. “Oh this is so lovely. I didn’t even feel the slightest tickle. Do you like my new trick? I’m not really here. Isn’t that just brill? Wraith travel smarts a little, but it sure does have benefits.”
Jezibaba crossed her arms. “Wraith travel? There really isn’t anything you wouldn’t stoop to doing, is there? What do you want, Nigel?”
“Besides another turn between your lovely long legs, you mean?”
“No.” She slapped her hand backwards against Damien’s chest when she felt him coming up behind her. Her attention never wavered from her tormentor. “Why in Morgana’s name would I want a repeat of a stupid mistake I made over three hundred years ago? You were with three or four forest nymphs last time I caught you. You haven’t missed me any more than I have you.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Luv. You nabbed me right good that night. I never forgot a single moment. The others since have just been for entertainment. I know I don’t have to explain having needs to you.” Nigel grinned and then laughed. “Actually, I heard you’ve been working your way through up and coming warlocks the last few years—pun intended. Figured perhaps that meant I had another shot, provided you didn’t kill me first.”
Jezibaba glared until Nigel’s smile faded. “You always were a smart man, Nigel. There is nothing I would like better than to cause your death.”
“After all our exploits? That hurts my feelings. Or is the problem that you’re shagging dragons now? That rumor certainly hasn’t reached the Council of Witches yet. Otherwise, I’m sure I would have heard. Talk about a slap in the old druidic hoods for those blokes.”
“Get to the point of your costly appearance. I know Wraith travel has a time limitation. I just wish I could hear you screaming when your soul re-enters your body.”
“Wicked you,” Nigel said on a laugh. “Others have told me you like it a little dark these days. We never got past missionary position did we, Luv? I guess three hundred years changes a woman’s tastes a bit.”
“Nigel—stop baiting me about my imaginary sex life. Tell me who in seven hells sent you.” She watched her nemesis laugh at her question.
“I can’t tell you who, but I can tell you a story. You see, everyone knows Morgana’s not going to let anything happen to her precious Jezibaba, but she’s expressly forbidden by the Fates to overly influence the future. That means the destiny of the wee brats is considered fair game to be altered.”
“Is this vendetta on my head? Or is the Council of Witches just a bunch of power mad miscreants who think they can inherit what doesn’t belong to them?”
Nigel shrugged at her angry comments and took his time answering back.
“You’ve got some unhappy witches on the Council these days, Luv. And they’re mighty unhappy with you coming here to personally protect the pint-sized chosen ones. If you just leave the children to face their own destinies, I’m sure nothing bad will happen to you. But if you persist in intervening in this situation, then you might bring an all-out witch war down on your still pretty head before it’s over.”
“Witch War? Over what, Nigel? I keep the balance in this world. If I didn’t, magicals would be hunted and killed. You know what happened at Salem. And Rome… Nigel, you know about the druids who were hunted and killed. Some were your ancestors.”
“Figures you’d give me a history lesson standing in a schoolyard. Hells bells woman, they hired me to threaten you. That should tell you how serious they are about getting you out of the
way. You know some people just can’t accept change. Why can’t you just step away from the little buggers and let life happen to them as it will? That’s all the Council wants from you at this time. You have at least a century of life left, Luv. Don’t you want to live it peacefully?”
“Yes I do, but I will not stand by and let those girls be killed. And you know that as well as anyone.”
Nigel laughed and shook his head. “You’re always so dramatic. I know you don’t like little buggers. You broke your engagement to Ambrose because he wanted to start a family. Why do you care about these two snits, Woman? Eventually your time will run out, then you’ll be dead and back on the wheel of life. The earth will go on spinning without you even knowing what’s happening on it. The Jezibaba shouldn’t involve herself with a couple of brats who probably won’t live to see adulthood anyway.”
“No. I will not step aside. It’s not that I care for them specifically,” Jezibaba declared, wincing internally as Damien flinched beside her. “I care about me. I care about retiring, Nigel. I care about finally getting to live a life without being called upon to catch conniving bastards like you. You know I can’t refuse any genuine request from the Council.”
“Oh Luv… you can’t make people be honorable when they are not. Haven’t you learned that in three hundred years? Since we’re on the sensitive subject, I might as well share some more bad news. The Council of Witches is never letting you go. Just because they get to go home to their cozy beds and their magically enhanced spouses doesn’t mean they’re going to let you get domestic. Did you really think they were going to lift the commitment spell just because you’ve been an obedient witch protectoress all this time?”
Jezibaba drew in a shocked breath. “They are honor bound to obey the rules of the Goddess concerning me. They have to release me when the next in line comes into power. It is Morgana’s law.”
Nigel chuckled. “Morgana is so yesterday. Darling, some of those Council people serve Gods you don’t even know exist, but mostly they serve themselves. Sorry to be the bearer of the truth, but if you keep this up, you’re going to be calling a lot of shit down on your pretty head. Save yourself while you can.”
Jezibaba shook her head. “They’re children, Nigel. They deserve to live just as much as anyone else. I don’t have to like them to want to protect them. I’ve protected plenty of people I’ve hated.”
“I’m telling you there’s no hope for the little buggers. They’re a thorn in the side of those who know the chosen ones can only be killed before they come into their full powers. The next time a dragon horde comes for them, it won’t be the harmless kind you just knocked from the sky. Even the dragons want a power shift. You’re the last Jezibaba. Cauldron prophecy has confirmed it.”
Nigel held out his arms. They were becoming transparent.
“Gotta run, Luv. Think about what I said, will you? We could still have some great fun if you would tweak that high and mighty attitude of yours a wee bit.”
Then Nigel was completely gone and she was left staring at where his Wraith projection had stood. She didn’t turn when Damien stepped closer. She couldn’t afford to wonder what he’d thought of what he’d heard. Like she’d told him earlier, she acted alone because it kept her from getting disappointed when someone she cared about let her down. She cleared her throat and spoke before Damien could form words.
“The ward against the dragons will be gone in an hour. I’m sorry I took your shifting power away. I didn’t know the flying dragons weren’t really alive.”
Damien sighed. “Old boyfriend, I take it?”
“Nigel? No,” Jezibaba said sharply. “He’s an old mistake… one I keep paying for. He was impossible to capture, but he’s a relative of someone on the Council of Witches. I was forbidden to kill him. Getting close enough to nab him cost me my integrity and that was the last time I did anything for the job that made me feel like shit afterward.”
Damien nodded. “I’ve made my share of mistakes. Maybe I’m just lucky none have shown up to torture me.”
Jezibaba stared at the fallen dragons. They were mutants who’d lost their life to a cause that brought them nothing. Her job was tough, but at least she slept with a clear conscience.
“After I finally put Nigel behind bars that first time, I started killing those I couldn’t easily take as prisoners. Not trying to save the world has made my life much easier. I’ve re-captured that sneaky bastard at least once every hundred years because his Council connections keep releasing him. Next time I find Nigel, I will send him back to the Goddess. Morgana The Red can put up with his annoying ass for a while.”
“You know, looking at you, it’s easy to forget how experienced you are,” Damien said.
Jezibaba shook her head as she laughed. “Experienced? That’s just another word for saying I’m a very dangerous bitch when crossed. I’ve lived a life both good and bad. Interesting is the least of what it’s been. If you’re okay dealing with the fall out here, Damien, I need to go check on Emeritus. He may need help turning Hildy’s toads back into children. He’s powerful, but he hates to undo witch magic.”
Damien sighed. “Toads? No, don’t tell me—I don’t think I want to know.”
“You don’t,” Jezibaba agreed, walking away as fast as she could.
***
Damien surveyed the grounds after Jezibaba disappeared back inside the school. When the shifting ward lifted, he and his people could incinerate the bodies of the dead. But who hired that taunting warlock to animate the creatures? First they would have had to kill them, which would not have been easy, then reanimate the corpses with a spell to return enough of their power to facilitate flight.
Jezibaba said parts of the dragon they examined were missing. Some of that could be explained by the initial sacrifices to the dark powers the mutants had chosen to serve, but it didn’t explain everything. Their horde leader wasn’t among the dead as far as he could tell.
If the horde leader of the soulless ones had been part of the plan, why hadn’t he been among those who’d fallen from the sky?
Better yet… why hadn’t the leader tried to stop this atrocity in the first place? Even the lure of dark magic shouldn’t have overridden a dragon’s will to save those who followed his lead.
None of this made any sense, but he would find out which dragons were colluding with the Council of Witches. Goddess help those who were plotting the deaths of innocents, because the Jezibaba was going to kill them once they were identified—unless he incinerated them first.
Seeing his local guards gathering out on the lawn, Damien went to explain why their shifting powers were suddenly missing. It was not going to endear the frustrating Jezibaba to them, but they would just have to deal with her as he was having to do.
No matter how much the bewitching woman pushed him away, he still wanted her. And by the Goddess, he would have her before this was done.
After he’d satisfied his body and his curiosity, she could walk away if she truly didn’t want him. Maybe he’d even let her.
Chapter 9
Jezibaba stared at the protective amulet lying on her bed. She could count on one hand the number of people who had ever tried to protect her. It was a short list—Morgana The Red, Emeritus, her maternal great-grandmother, her father, and the mage, Ambrose, who she’d almost bound herself to.
She had no fingers left except the middle one for Damien Smoke and she was far too old to start counting on her other hand. The dragon was a couple centuries too late in charming and protective. He wasn’t going to like when she returned his thoughtful gift. He was probably going to hate her guts when she demanded that he make another replica of it.
“Guilt—the only emotion overpowering enough to make someone as arrogant as me feel like warmed over werewolf shit.”
She snatched up the dragon fire amulet and stormed out of her room before she spent any more time mooning over it. She rounded on her guards when they started to follow.
“No—I�
��m going to see the headmaster—alone. Nathaniel can watch me remotely. I don’t want an audience for what I have to do.”
The trip from her building to Damien’s was a short walk through connected hallways. It turned out that he had a large suite with a double door entry. Tonight two young men sat in chairs on either side.
So she had her warlocks and Damien had his dragon guards.
What neither of them had at the moment was a life where anything was normal.
“I’m the Jezibaba. I need to see Professor Smoke,” she said flatly, giving no real explanation for her visit.
The young dragons said nothing to her, but one stood and politely opened the door. She nodded her thanks and crossed Damien’s threshold, looking around the space in awe. It was a self-contained unit with its own kitchen and sitting area.
Looking like the man all women fantasized about, her Professor Hottie was standing at his bay window staring out into the star-lit night. Only one thing marred the picture. Jezibaba recognized the frustration on his face because she saw it in the mirror all the time.
“You can’t guard everyone here at the school,” she chastised softly. “Not even if you had two or three dragon armies.”
“You’re right, but it’s not just that. I think I know who’s coming after the children,” Damien said stiffly. “What I don’t know is why. I was hoping to have more information before I talked to you about it.”
“Nathaniel did another scrying. He confirmed what Nigel said and told me other mutant dragons are involved. Are you saying you know the other mutant dragons?”
Damien nodded, not happy to know his own divination had shown him correctly.
“Yes… unfortunately more soulless ones are involved. The leader of that horde is my cousin, Acheron. Another member is my second eldest son, Lionel. He was never happy in life—never happy with me as his parent. The guards outside fear Lionel will seek my death and then go after his brothers and sisters until my horde and house are under his sole control.”
Magic and Mayhem: How To Train A Witch (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Baba Yaga Saga Book 1) Page 7