The army stopped in the middle of the hallway, looking around. Silence fell upon the room.
Dark pushed off the wall, and his other dragons did the same.
He grinned as he speared several elves with his claws.
***
Miri huddled against the wall in the darkness. She felt Alvia next to her, her breath heavy in the shadows.
All around them, bodies were flying.
They had followed the army into a corridor when the lights went out and growling descended from the ceiling.
Someone lit a fire spell, but the only thing Miri could see were green dragon eyes glinting in the darkness, and a familiar, toothy smile.
“It’s him,” Miri mouthed.
An elven warrior crashed into the wall next to her and slid down, dead before he hit the ground.
A tail lashed in the darkness and Miri ducked as it left a crater in the wall.
Then, something crashed through a giant door and Old Dark was gone.
The army followed, chanting.
Miri took Alvia’s hand and they followed.
***
“Now, Norwyn, now!” Dark screamed as he passed a white orb.
The orb beeped and as the army approached, it dropped to the ground and exploded.
Another orb dropped from the ceiling and sent shrapnel flying.
Smoke filled the room. In the confusion, Dark entered a secret hole in the wall and slid a giant bookcase closed behind him.
***
“Baby, can you see me?” Demetrius asked.
Amal reached into the darkness. They had been crawling through a cramped hallway for an hour. She didn’t know if it was the right way, or if they’d ever find their way out of this place.
She grabbed something. It was Demetrius’s coat.
“I’ve got your coat. I can’t see you, though.”
“I think we’re almost through it,” Demetrius said. “This is one hell of a maze down here. They really wanted to make sure we didn’t get out.”
“Any idea what we’re going to find when we get out of here?” Amal asked.
“No idea.” Demetrius looked back at her, the whites of his eyes illuminated in the dark. “But then again, did we have any idea what we were going to do yesterday morning when we woke up and this place had gone to Hell?”
Amal grabbed him and brought his lips to hers. They kissed for a few moments. Then he took her hand and they reached the end of the hallway.
“I think this is a door,” Demetrius said. “Do you hear something?”
Machinery. Lots of it.
Together they pushed against the wall and it gave.
They fell into a cold room.
There were several stained-glass windows. And pipes everywhere. They lined the floors, ran up the walls, criss-crossed the ceiling.
And the deafening sound of motors.
Amal had never seen this room before, but she recognized the windows—the classical arching, the stained-glass images that were critically acclaimed.
“We’re in the pumphouse,” she said. “You were right. This is the Hall of Governance.”
“I’ll be damned,” Demetrius said. He put his hands on his hips and looked around. “Those sons of bitches locked us in the basement.”
Amal took a few steps forward, studying the room. On the wall, powerful motors pumped water through the massive pipes. Though she couldn’t see water, she heard it rushing inside the metal.
Through a small window, she saw the green grounds of the Hall gardens, and the distant lake behind the Hall where the pumps where pulling water from.
All over the grounds, she saw dead elven soldiers. The war scene told her that they couldn’t go out.
“Baby, check this out,” Demetrius said.
Amal followed him through another door. A long, spiral staircase led down into darkness.
“We just came from the basement,” Amal said. “Why would we go back down?”
Demetrius pointed to a small glimmer at the foot of the darkness.
It was pink.
Amal and Demetrius ran down the spiral stairs as fast as they could.
***
Dark flew low across the roof of the Hall of Governance, flanked by Sage, Brownigan and Lister as a section of the Hall crumbled behind them.
“The blast worked,” Dark said.
“That probably took out a few hundred,” Sage said. “We’re doing well, my lord.”
They landed on a slanted roof and entered a dark, dragon-sized opening. They ran through a tunnel and emerged in the Abstraction Chamber.
Norwyn was engaged in multi-consciousness. He looked disturbed by something.
“What is it?” Dark asked.
“Fenroot is on the premises,” Norwyn said. He disconnected from the Abstraction Machine.
“The northern tower has fallen,” Dark said. “It was quite the spectacle!”
“The real battle begins now,” Norwyn said, spreading his wings.
“We are as ready as we will ever be,” Dark said, training his eyes to the single entrance. “When they come, we will be prepared.”
“Good,” Norwyn said, slinking out of the room.
“Where are you going?” Dark asked. “It’s too late for more schemes!”
“This will only take a few minutes,” Norwyn said, growling.
And with a flap, the white dragon disappeared into the tunnel.
Dark shook his head. He didn’t understand where Norwyn could possibly be going right now, in the middle of the war!
“Norwyn, come back!” Dark cried.
But the white dragon did not return.
“Terrible timing,” Dark said. Then he roared, slashing several computer screens nearby. In his rage he smashed them with his feet, and sparks flew about him until he stopped, panting over the debris.
A single television screen sat in front of him, and it caught his attention.
It was two humans standing at what appeared to be the edge of an aquifer.
“I hear movement outside,” Sage said.
Dark’s entourage moved into the center of the room and surrounded him.
“You better be back soon, Norwyn,” Dark growled.
***
Amal and Demetrius beheld the underground aquifer.
“I always heard that the city sat on the largest aquifer reserve in history,” Amal said, “but I never believed it.”
The river of pink magic flowed beneath them, as far as the eye could see. Above, an elaborate paved arch with reflective tile overlooked the river.
“It’s pretty beautiful,” Demetrius said. He elbowed Amal. “We’re looking at some pretty top secret stuff, baby. I mean, if we were just regular people, we’d be getting arrested right about now.”
Amal dipped her hand in the magic. It glowed as magic flowed around it, but then it quickly dissipated—the mark of a human touching magic.
“What do you think it would be like to use it?” Demetrius asked. “Sometimes I go to sleep wondering.”
“All of this power,” Amal said, standing. She glanced around the aquifer, thinking hard. “If we are sitting on all this magical energy, and if the Hall is under attack, then why the hell aren’t we using it?”
They heard footsteps behind them. Two men in suits were approaching.
“Stop!” they cried.
***
Alvia pulled Miri onto a balcony overlooking the gardens. Elves and dragons were fighting below and the sound of the fighting was the only thing they could hear.
Alvia climbed onto a waterspout and began pulling herself up.
“Slow down!” Miri cried. She looked at the pipe, and then she looked down.
“We can’t slow down,” Alvia said. She was covered in a protective purple glow, and Pepper clung to her back. “If it hadn’t been for me, you would have been trapped in the collapse back there.”
Miri didn’t want to think about the northern wing of the Hall. They’d escaped just before it exploded
and crumbled, sending hundreds of soldiers down with it.
She knew one thing: they were having too many close calls. If she didn’t stick with Alvia, there was no way she would survive.
“I’m coming!” Miri said.
She grabbed hold of the waterspout and tried not to look down. But the grounds were below.…
Three stories below.…
She yelled as she pulled herself up. One by one, she moved her hands upward and pulled herself. And then she shimmied with her knees.
I can do this, I can do this.…
Alvia reached the roof. Pepper jumped off her back and ran across the shingles. Alvia motioned for Miri to hurry.
“This isn’t easy, you know,” Miri said.
WHACK!
A blast of magic struck the wall nearby, crushing the balusters of the balcony they had just left.
“Oh, no!” Miri cried. She reached higher but she lost her grip.
She slid down the downspout but caught herself.
“Come on!” Alvia cried. “You’ve got to hurry up!”
Miri thrusted upward and grabbed the downspout.
Come on, Miri.
A giant thud came from the roof. Alvia disappeared.
“What was that?” Miri asked.
Alvia didn’t answer.
Miri climbed faster. She climbed harder. The downspout wiggled but she put her whole weight onto it, holding on as hard as she could.
She grabbed hold of the roof and she pulled herself up.
“A little help!” Miri said.
Her arms burned. But she pulled herself over.
Alvia was standing face to face with Redtail.
“Oh no,” Miri said, reaching for her grimoires. “Not good at all.”
Redtail flew forward and Alvia and Pepper ran at him.
***
“They’re gaining,” Sage said, watching the screens. Our dragons in the garden have fallen.”
Dark cursed. The rumbling they’d heard before passed, probably the shaking of floors from another wing. He couldn’t count on being so lucky next time.
“How are the other dragons doing?”
“The roof dragons seem to be holding steady, my lord,” Sage said. “But it’s just a matter of time.”
“I hate the waiting,” Dark said.
He wanted to feel the sensation of elves on his claws. He wanted Fenroot’s blood.
“Where is the scoundrel?” he asked.
Sage shrugged.
“Where’s Norwyn?” Dark asked.
Sage shrugged again.
“That white dragon is my only hope at victory,” Dark said.
***
Amal and Demetrius ran as the men in suits pursued them, firing gunshots.
“Since when does your own protection detail shoot at you?” Demetrius yelled.
“When you find something they don’t want you to see,” Amal said.
They followed a long pipe down a narrow, cavern-like hallway. The aquifer flowed next to them on their left.
The men fired at them again but Demetrius pulled out his detective issue magnum and he fired two shots. One struck one of their pursuers in the chest, and he keeled over, falling into the river of magic.
“Good shot,” Amal said, “but you got one more left, baby.”
The other pursuer disappeared.
“That makes me nervous,” Demetrius said, following behind Amal.
“Let’s keep going,” Amal said. “We’ve got to keep moving forward.”
They emerged on another side of the massive aquifer. The pink river stretched endlessly before them, and they stood on a platform that extended out into the river like a pier. On the edge of the pier was a motor, and a large vertical pipe that started in the river and extended upward into a giant well. From far away, Amal could see markings on the motor: Abstraction Chamber
A bullet ricocheted off the yellow railing next to them.
The man was on a platform above.
Demetrius squatted, aimed, and shot him off. The man crashed to the ground next to them.
“That’s what they didn’t want us to see,” Amal said, pointing at the giant motor. “But what I don’t understand is why they kept us undercover. I don’t understand why Edwil and his men would be our enemies.”
“That’s because they don’t work for you,” a voice said.
Norwyn floated down and landed on the platform with a resounding clang. He wrinkled up his face, and his bright blue eyes glowed in the aquifer light. “They work for me.”
***
Dark paced around the Abstraction Chamber impatiently.
He didn’t know how he was going to fight. All he knew was that he was going to give it his all.
Still, Norwyn hadn’t returned yet. Where was the damned dragon?
He pointed to Sage. “Find Norwyn and bring him back.”
“But my lord—”
“Now!”
Sage bowed and then ran through the tunnel leading to the roof and took to the sky.
Dark watched him, his stomach in knots.
***
“To say that you were my last choice is an understatement,” Norwyn said. As he approached, Amal and Demetrius backed away.
“I had the election rigged in Lucan’s favor,” the white dragon said. “I could have lived with another Ennius term. But you, a human? Your letter was quite effective in drumming up support in the city. But you are beyond your usefulness now.”
“So you’re the governor’s dragon I’ve heard so much about,” Amal said. “Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”
She pointed to the aquifer. “Why aren’t you using the aquifer? We can win this battle.”
“You are in the middle of a conflict that you do not understand.”
Norwyn raised his hands, and metal claws extended. They were as sharp as knives.
“I could have helped you,” Amal said. “We can still win—”
“The help you offer is futile,” Norwyn said. “This world needs another help. A help only I can give. Mrs. Governor, it’s time to say goodbye.”
***
Alvia fired a dual ice and electric flame at Redtail. It coiled around the Crafter dragon and he roared.
Pepper scratched the dragon on the chest.
The fire constricted Redtail and he couldn’t breathe. He scrambled across the roof but the flames constricted tighter, and he fell over the edge, into the frantic gardens below.
“Who taught you how to cast magic like that?” Miri asked.
“Let’s go,” Alvia said.
They ran across the roof, but a green glimmer caught Miri’s eye.
Turning, she saw a green dragon fly out of a secret opening hidden in the spires of the Hall’s spiky roof.
She grabbed Alvia. “Over there!”
They changed direction, but as soon as they did, a group of dragons circled the area over the opening. Among them was the biggest silver dragon that Miri had ever seen.
Fenroot circled the roof as if to acknowledge that he saw the opening, but then he fanned away.
“Why is he retreating?” Miri asked under her breath.
Alvia grabbed her. “Come on!”
***
Demetrius fired at Norwyn, but the bullet bounced off his chest. He jumped out of the way as Norwyn slammed his claws on the metal walkway.
Amal jumped out of the way of the dragon’s tail.
“You should’ve stayed in hiding like I told you,” Norwyn said.
“I’m starting to think that you’ve rigged the battle outside, too,” Amal said.
Norwyn chased her and snapped at her but she ducked.
“I’m starting to think that you want to be the dragon lord.”
Norwyn laughed as he swiped at her. “Wrong again.”
Demetrius approached Norwyn from behind but the dragon grabbed him with his tail.
“Ah!”
Norwyn brought Demetrius in front of his face, and he squeezed.
/> Amal held her hands up. “Let him go.”
Norwyn’s eyes blinked, and a holographic image appeared in front of his face. He winced and growled.
“Damn it! Not now!”
“Whoa, Norwyn, this is the mother load!”
Sage was high in the sky above them, his eyes wide at the aquifer.
“Our lord is going to be in good spirits when he sees the aquifer cache that you have here. He’s looking for you.”
Sage noticed Demetrius and Amal, and his face went long. “Hey, what’s going on here?”
Several compartments in Norwyn’s tail opened and a flurry of orbs flew out, honing in on Sage.
“Norwyn, why are there humans here? What’s this—”
Knives bloomed from the orbs and jammed into Sage’s throat. The dragon sputtered, flapped his wings furiously and tried to pull them out.
Norwyn dropped Demetrius and flew up to Sage. He bit the dragon by the throat and threw him into the aquifer. The pink magic covered the dragon’s body and pulled him under.
Norwyn circled back around the metal walkway to finish Amal and Demetrius.
But they were gone.
Then, he heard a familiar roar from far, far above.
The Abstraction Chamber.
It was under attack.
Norwyn growled, flying upward as fast as he could.
***
Alvia threw a spear made of fire into the tunnel. It illuminated the darkness, giving her a quick view of the tunnel’s layout before disappearing into another lit room.
Miri imagined the spear sticking to the wall, but instead, she heard what sounded like sparks.
Then a roar.
She knew the roar.
It was Old Dark.
They ran through the tunnel and emerged into the Abstraction Chamber, an egg-shaped room with a high ceiling, and computers and panels everywhere.
Dark was standing in the middle of the room, flanked by two dragons—a Keeper and a Crafter.
“I must say,” Dark said, “I expected an army of a thousand to rush in here, not an army of three.”
He recognized Miri. “Miri Charmwell—what an even bigger surprise!”
Old Wicked (The Last Dragon Lord Book 3) Page 19