Old Wicked (The Last Dragon Lord Book 3)

by Michael La Ronn

  A crowd of people ran frantically toward Alvia. She grabbed Pepper and braced herself as people ran screaming.

  Tony grabbed her hand and led her across the street. Fighting a stream of people, they broke free into an alley.

  They leaned against the wall, panting.

  “So all of that stuff they taught you in training was about Old Dark?” Tony asked, incredulous.

  “Who else would it be about?” Alvia asked.

  “I don’t know. I thought maybe it was monsters or something.”

  “Leader spoke of the Great Darkness descending upon the world. And when it did, if we didn’t succeed in eliminating it, the world would end.”

  “You believe it?” Tony asked.

  “I don’t know what to believe,” Alvia said. “Until recently, I did. Until I learned that I had a life here, in this world before I ended up in the compound.”

  “So,” Tony asked, “are you with them or against them?”

  Alvia shook her head. “I just want all of this to be over.”

  ***

  When they emerged from the alley, a desperate roar stopped them.

  A Crafter dragon was lying in the street, pinned down by magic that surrounded it in large, pink glowing ropes. Several elves surrounded it, yelling.

  “Where’s Old Dark?” one of the elves asked. “Tell us!”

  “Why should I know?” the dragon asked.

  “You’re not in Abstraction,” the mob said. “You’re a suspect!”

  The dragon roared again.

  “Let’s go,” Tony said, pulling Alvia gently by the arm.

  “Tell us where the damned dragon is!” the mob cried again. The magical ropes around the dragon tightened and it screamed in agony.

  “I told you...I don’t know.”

  The mob cried angrily.

  “I am a citizen of this city just like you,” the dragon said. “I supported Lucan Grimoire. He was a friend—”

  The elves rained fire spells on the dragon and it roared in pain.

  Alvia reached into her pocket and fingered a grimoire. She didn’t think such savagery was possible.

  “Leave them alone,” Tony said. “It’s not worth it—”

  But Alvia threw the grimoire into the air. It flashed, and a wave of wind blew all the elves away from the dragon.

  Alvia braced herself. A gust of wind knocked her back, but she flipped into the air just before it hit her and she pushed herself off a brick wall, landing almost where she was before.

  The other elves groaned as the wind cleared.

  Alvia ran to the dragon and held out her hands. The magical rope disappeared.

  The dragon lumbered up. “Thank you—” Then he saw Alvia. The dragon’s eyes widened and then he seized her with his claws. “You!”

  “I just saved your life!” Alvia said.

  “You’re part of the army!”

  Her robes.

  The dragon must have seen her robes and jumped to conclusions.

  “Listen, I’m not—”

  The dragon brought her close to his eye. “You’re the cause of our problems.”

  She knew immediately that she shouldn’t have saved the dragon. Now it was going to kill her.

  “Let me go and I’ll leave you alone,” Alvia said. “Otherwise I will have no choice but to kill you.”

  The dragon laughed. “You tell your leader that we dragons will find Old Dark just fine. Or perhaps not. I think I’ll get rid of you now.”

  Pepper rushed to the dragon’s feet and barked. The dragon looked down and laughed. “You brought a little pup to protect you? Isn’t that heroic? How about we let it watch you die, girl?”

  The dragon squeezed Alvia, and she tried to wiggle out. Its grip was too tight.

  Pepper growled and barked again.

  The dragon swiped its long serpentine tail at the dog, but Pepper leaped out of the way. Sensing an opportunity, she jumped and landed on the dragon’s tail, running up its back.

  The dragon twisted upon itself and aimed its teeth for Pepper.

  “Time to die, doggy!”

  With a great chomp, the dragon swallowed Pepper.

  “No!” Alvia screamed.

  The dragon gulped. “I didn’t even need to chew. Your little fire pup is a delicacy best eaten whole.”

  He lifted Alvia toward his mouth. “And you, girl, are next.”

  “You dragons have no honor,” Alvia said. “I could’ve let you die.”

  “I may not have honor, filthy vermin, but I suppose it’s good that you do. It’ll make you taste better.”

  The dragon opened its mouth to bite her but its jaws blew apart. A wave of fire erupted from the dragon’s torso, cutting its body in half. A brown ball flew out of its mouth like a comet, leaving a trail of fire behind it.

  It was Pepper.

  But she was different. Her entire body was aflame. Her eyes glowed like sparkling coals, and her body raged in a wave of fire, brilliant unlike anything Alvia had ever seen before.

  The transformation. The day Alvia had been waiting for. Pepper was now a true fire dog.

  The dead dragon let Alvia go, and she started to fall. She reached her arms out, trying to grab something, anything.

  Something caught her.

  It was Tony.

  “Gotcha,” he said.

  They watched as the dead dragon fell to the ground, both halves of it curling upon hitting the asphalt.

  “Thanks,” Alvia said.

  Pepper landed next to her and she knelt, wanting to pet her.

  But the dog was hot to the touch.

  “You saved me,” she said.

  Tony stared at the dog in wonder. “Is she...uh, ever going to change back?”

  Alvia shook her head. “The transformation is complete. She’s moved into the next chapter of her life.”

  “Yikes.…”

  Alvia looked at the dead dragon and shook her head.

  “We need to get you a change of clothes,” Tony said.

  “My clothes don’t matter. Everyone is looking for someone to blame. If not me, then someone else.”

  “Then what do we do?” Tony asked.

  Alvia took in the huge city before her. This was going to be a hard, difficult journey, and this was just the beginning.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she said.

  XXXVIII

  From a window overlooking the Governance chamber, Ennius watched nervously as the chamber filled with Governance members. They sat in the egg-shaped, terraced room, chattering and looking around for the governor.

  He put his hands behind his back and went over his speech.

  He couldn’t get it right. He grunted, threw his notes in the trash and decided to speak extemporaneously. That would build better rapport. After all, who read a speech from paper during one of the greatest elven crises of the time?

  No, he would speak off the cuff.

  He paced around the small space, where the sound and light panels blinked red and green. The room was cramped and hot, but he didn’t want to get ambushed in his office, or worse, in one of the hallways.

  More and more senators were entering, and room was growing louder with talk. It was harder for Ennius to concentrate. The mens’ and womens’ faces were worried, and there was a feeling of anger and fury in the air.

  The podium reserved for the governor was empty. The purple flag of Magic Hope City hung on the wall behind, a golden dragon with an elf and a human standing underneath it.

  The only good thing about this meeting was that there would be no press.

  He made sure of that.

  What would he tell the senators? That the city was in mortal danger—they already knew that.

  They would question him.

  Not just about the danger that lie ahead—the many, many lives that might soon be lost—but about a single life.

  The life of his nephew, Lucan.

  The election was tomorrow. Some of the senators had endorsed him.
/>   That damned silver dragon had picked the wrong time to show up!

  He had wondered if the specter of Lucan’s ghost might haunt him, as he often saw in movies.

  It did not. He’d slept the same as he’d always had, which is to say not much at all—he’d closed his eyes with the safety of the city in mind, the safety of his family, the safety of his power.

  Nothing would take that away from him now.

  He was sorry to see his nephew go, but he couldn’t imagine the city in Lucan’s hands right now. He would have done something brash. He would have made a mistake. Magic Hope City couldn’t afford that now.

  His legacy couldn’t afford that now.

  All he had to do was give a good speech and win the Governance over, and there might be hope for the city yet. He wished he didn’t have to worry about Old Dark.…

  Someone knocked on the door and entered. It was his clerk.

  “Sir, it’s time.”

  Ennius stared out the window again. His reflection mixed in with the view of the Governance Chamber. He stared for a while. Then he clasped his hands behind his back and went out to greet the Governance.

  ***

  “My fellow Governance members,” Ennius said, “You’re probably wondering why I waited so long to call you here.”

  The Governance, which was quiet, began to whisper. Ennius waited for a moment before continuing.

  “We have been through what historians will surely call the most trying time in the history of our city. We have been plagued with scandal, violence, and the revival of history’s most dangerous dragon lord. I don’t need to tell you what the history books say. But as if that were not enough, we sustained a severe blow to our electoral system with the death of my beloved nephew. And now we are under siege.”

  Whispers surged through the room, and he paused, looking out at the crowd confidently. “But I know that we will rise to meet this challenge, just as our ancestors always have. This will not defeat us. This will make us a better civilization.”

  He paused.

  “But this challenge will not be without sacrifice. I have received two intelligence briefings about our enemies. Fenroot has nearly ten thousand warriors in his army.”

  He held up a hand to calm down the crowd. “My team and I have developed a strategy. It involves a mix of offense and defense. We will fortify the city while launching an attack on the army to show them that we are serious about protecting ourselves.”

  Some senators applauded. Others booed.

  “But we will not succeed without sticking together. I need for everyone to support the plan that I have laid out.” He held up a single piece of paper. “The instructions on the sheet will tell you everything you need to know. It has talking points as well. I expect all of you to support this initiative. The life of our constituents depends on it. I’ll take your questions now.”

  A senator in the front row stood and raised her hand.

  “Mrs. Oceanfield,” Ennius said.

  “How can we trust that this is not the end?” she asked. “What is next?”

  “I don’t know, but we must focus on the current circumstances. Next question.”

  Oceanfield raised her hand again.

  “Yes, Mrs. Oceanfield?”

  “What if we don’t support your plan, Mr. Governor?”

  Ennius frowned. “Let me go back on what I said. I’m not asking you all to support me. I’m telling you to.”

  A dragon’s voice came out of nowhere. “But Governor, it’s a very valid question.”

  The lights went out. Then they flickered back on.

  Dark was perched on the hearing bench. He grinned like a gargoyle.

  “Good evening, my friends.”

  XXXIX

  Dark jumped off the hearing bench and landed hard on the floor.

  “Thank you, Governor,” Dark said.

  Ennius had a look of confusion and anger on his face.

  “You probably didn’t expect to see me tonight,” Dark said, pacing. He breathed smoke as he walked, making several senators in the front row cough. “Yet here I am. It is a magical, glorious miracle that I stand in front of you today, and I have the governor to thank for it.”

  Gasps spread through the crowd and Dark grinned again.

  “You see, I am the one who killed Lucan Grimoire.”

  Several pink flashes sprung up from deep in the chamber, but Dark held up a claw and dissolved several bursts of magic before they hit him.

  “That is not necessary,” he said. “I understand your anger and frustration. I am angry and frustrated myself, friends. You cannot imagine the torment I’ve been through. If you would do me the honor of humoring me for a moment, I want you to envision your loved ones—no, envision for me all you’ve ever loved.”

  He blew a thin ring of smoke from his mouth. Then he coated it with fire. The ring dissipated quickly.

  “In an instant, everything you know is now gone!” Dark cried. “And imagine waking up, only to find out that you are villanized in the history books, that the people hate you…Oh, such a terrible, terrible daydream for you all! This has been my unfortunate reality, senators. My time for revenge is now.”

  He pointed to Ennius. “Your governor has shown me immense hospitality these last few days. That’s right—I have been here, among you, in the Hall of Governance.” His eyes wandered up to the stained-glass window in the ceiling. “What a marvelous piece of architecture! You are to be commended for your sensibilities in this regard. Indeed!”

  He paced around more. “Are you shocked by the revelation? Perhaps I would be too if I were living in a city full of magical excess. Oh, dear me—please disregard my opinion, poor friends! I am just a fallen dragon lord. But your interests are now my interests. We have a common enemy in Fenroot. Your governor has a good plan. Do you accept it?”

  Oceanfield raised her hand.

  Dark brought his face close to hers and growled. “It was a rhetorical question.”

  Oceanfield’s voice quavered as she spoke. “We’ll never support a murderer. Or a dragon lord.”

  Dark tilted his head at her, then he laughed in her face. “I am indeed guilty of both of your charges!”

  He swept a gaze across the chamber. “Who else agrees with this woman? Go on, I won’t be upset.”

  All across the chamber, hands went up defiantly.

  “No, no, this won’t do.”

  Ennius whispered. “You’re making a mess. Shut up and let me contain this.”

  Dark ignored him. “Is there no one in this chamber who would, dare I say, put their historical differences aside and work with a decrepit old dragon lord like me?”

  No hands went up.

  “I told you, shut up!” Ennius said.

  “That is a pity,” Dark said. “I had hoped that after a thousand years of civilization that you elves had progressed mentally. I was wrong.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Ennius asked angrily. He held up his hands. “Please disregard this dragon. Please refer to the plan I told you about—”

  “No, rip it up,” Dark said. “You have a bigger problem at the moment.”

  Suddenly, the air grew hazy.

  The senators looked around and coughed.

  “Don’t be alarmed, my children,” Dark said. “It is just aquifer gas being streamed into the chamber by my loyal dragons. It is an ancient spell we dragons used to guard our aquifer points.” He spread his wings and flapped into the air. “It was designed to choke to death elves who tried to steal our magic.”

  Fear and clamor broke through the chamber. The choking senators rushed for the doors, but they were locked from the outside. Many fell onto the floor, grabbing their throats.

  “How dare you try to run?” Dark asked. “I feared you would do that. No, no, my friends. My dragons are blocking the doors. There’s no point trying to push against a three-ton obstacle.”

  Below him, Ennius had fallen to the ground. He choked loudly. In a wheezing voice,
he said, “We had a deal…”

  “Your constant bickering with Norwyn displeased me,” Dark said. “In this trying time, I need one-hundred percent loyalty. Besides, why should I support a man who kills his own blood? Even I have morals, Governor. Good riddance.”

  Ennius tried to pull himself up, but Dark slapped him with his tail. The old man crashed against the back wall, knocking the Magic Hope City flag down. The purple flag fell on him, entangling him in fabric. Ennius resisted, pushing and pulling at the fabric, but he couldn’t escape. Soon, he stopped moving.

  Dark looked around at the rest of the chamber. The smoke was thicker now, and he could hardly see.

  “Now, now, my children,” he said, “this will be easier if you but close your eyes…”

  XL

  Amal and Demetrius got caught in a traffic jam on their way out of town.

  They had each packed a single overnight bag with as much as they could carry. In the chaos they’d barely had time to react, let alone fight crowds to their apartment, pack their bags, and figure out where they were going to go.

  Soon, Fenroot would be attacking.

  Apparently thousands of other people had the good idea to flee town before that happened.

  Amal edged her red convertible into the fast lane of traffic in hopes that it would move faster. But the lane seemed to slow as soon as she entered it.

  “It’s just an illusion,” Demetrius said. He rested his head on the back of his seat and wiped a bead of sweat of from brow with the brim of his hat. “The lane you’re in is always the slowest. God, the city’s broken into all kinds of hell.”

  Amal craned her head around the steering wheel, trying to see how far ahead the jam extended. “We’re going to be moving slow for a few miles.”

  “Yeah.”

  Demetrius put his hand on her lap. “Well, baby, for what it’s worth, when the craziness starts, I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to be with but you.”

  Amal smirked. “I’m the only one you got.”

  “Hey, that doesn’t change a thing…”

  Demetrius looked in the sideview mirror. In the far distance, two dragons attacked each other mid-air. “Damn. This thing has even got dragons attacking each other. Who knew?”