The Queen's Wings

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  “If you insist.” Reed threw me on the bed and launched himself at me.

  I held him tightly, and this time I didn’t sleepwalk.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Fifteenth Rule of Dragons: Magic can’t be trusted. Only the oldest and wisest of Dragons should wield it

  True to his word, Reed stuck to me like glue, but there weren’t any more attempts to kidnap me or give me any desire to throw myself out of the plane or drown in the airplane toilet. Still, I didn’t relax until I was back at the office. I did get a nice surprise when I saw that the university had arranged to have the new furniture delivered. It almost resembled an office again. I spent most of the morning rearranging and taking off the plastic and tags.

  Reed had set up a makeshift office and was working on one of the new computers. It was almost a domestic scene.

  My consort, I thought and gave him a dopey grin.

  He didn’t even look up, not even when Niall walked in looking just as weary and jet-lagged as I felt.

  “What’s the word on Nidhogg?” I asked, hugging him.

  He looked down at me askance, then patted my back awkwardly. “His bonds are secure. The cultists didn’t damage him.”

  “What about the spell holding me back?”

  He shook his head.

  I rubbed the ache in my chest. Damn it, I was ready to shift.

  “Did you have time to transcribe those mp4s?” Niall asked.

  I nodded and dug around in my purse. There was always work to do to get past the pain. I had completed his transcriptions on the plane because I was afraid to fall asleep. And Niall seemed happier to see his data than me.

  “I’m excited about the Alexandrian scrolls. When can I see them?” I asked, handing him the thumb drive.

  He stared at it like it was an alien. I took it back from him and plugged it into the new computer. I should have known. Since it was a new setup, I had to jump through a few hoops to get it to print.

  “I’ve got them locked up safe. I’m afraid there’s been some foul play,” Niall said from behind me. He tried to point at the screen, but I smacked his hand away.

  “Don’t. This isn’t a touch screen. What do you mean foul play?”

  “Dr. Hiram Storey unearthed them for me. Did you ever hear him speak at the university?”

  I shook my head.

  “He was a good sort, for a human. I knew his father. They were always chasing after legends,” Niall said.

  “Were?”

  “Yes,” Niall muttered, distracted by the lab results on the papyrus that came up on my screen. “They both drowned quite recently.”

  My ears perked up. “Drowned?”

  “How recently?” Reed asked, hanging up on his call in midsentence.

  Niall looked from me to Reed. “Within the last week. Why? Did you know them?”

  “Where did they drown?” Drowning seemed a bit coincidental at the moment.

  “I’m afraid I don’t have all the details. Why?”

  “I think they could have been murdered,” I said.

  Reed made quick work telling him about my bathing habits in Paris and my midnight stroll in Texas. Niall’s face grew grim. “That sounds like a magic far beyond what the cult is capable of. I will see about making you an amulet to protect your dreams,” he said to me. “In the meantime, I will secure my hoard.” He walked away muttering spell incantations that sent goose bumps all over my body. Niall stopped in mid chant. “You didn’t tell anyone else about these scrolls did you? Because they might be in danger. The Storeys were always very chatty, and the fact that they had the scrolls could have lead to their demise.”

  “No, I don’t think so. I’ve had a pretty hard week. After the whole Arianna thing, the kidnapping…” I racked my brain. “Oh no, Jane! I mentioned it to Jane and we made some jokes about it.”

  I dove for the phone, but she didn’t answer her cell phone or the embassy line. The embassy was closed on a Saturday, so that shouldn’t matter, but she never went anywhere without her phone. I choked on my panic and ran outside to my car. I’m sure I was overreacting, but just because you were paranoid didn’t mean people weren’t out to get you—or your friends.

  “We’ll take mine,” Niall said. “It’s faster.”

  The three of us squeezed into his Mercedes and off we went.

  “You have the scrolls with you, right?” I asked when we were halfway there.

  “Of course not. They’re too precious to travel with.”

  “Don’t you think the bad guy has been watching us and will try to steal them?”

  “He’ll never find them,” Niall vowed. “I am the strongest spellcaster in this hemisphere. I will know if someone tampers with my wards. And when they do, we’ll have them.”

  Finally, a plan that didn’t involve me as bait.

  “What is so important about that scroll that a dragon would kill two humans just for talking about it?” Jane couldn’t be dead. This was just me being paranoid.

  “Because if other dragons knew the significance of the papyrus, they would want them for themselves.”

  “You forget, I transcribed your notes. It was a rather dull accounting of a seafarer. It wasn’t a famous manuscript. Its value is in the true nature of the document,” I said.

  “Exactly,” Niall said.

  “How’s that?” Reed said.

  “I’ve been looking at your hoard thefts. The Romanov mummy—whether it truly is from the Czar’s line, it is a mummified hand from that time period and enough people believe it to be what it is. It gives the item power. Rathin’s Seven Pagoda sculpture was stolen. It also was of a legendary place. All the other items that were taken revolved around legend.”

  “So that’s why they want to steal the library of Alexandria scroll from the destroyed lighthouse,” I said.

  “It’s using the myths to power a spell.” Reed nodded.

  “Power a spell? Like stopping the Queens from emerging?” Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure everything was going to be all right.

  We arrived at Jane’s house, and I bolted as soon as the car stopped. After running up to the door, I fumbled and dropped the set of spare keys she gave me. I pounded on the door.

  “Jane, Jane, are you in there?”

  Did I imagine I heard running water?

  Reed put his foot against the door, and we pushed in. We were ankle-deep in water. I made a terrified sound and went to rush upstairs, where the water was cascading down.

  “She’s dead, isn’t she? She’s dead.” I couldn’t breathe. My vision was narrowing. I was going to faint again. I sucked in as much oxygen as I could. I couldn’t break down now. Jane could still be all right.

  Reed put his arms around me. “Don’t go up there. Niall can check things out.”

  “And it’s all my fault. I had to open my big mouth. She was my best friend.” I sobbed in his shoulder. “She liked me when everyone else thought I was crazy or weird. Even my own brother wouldn’t give me the benefit of the doubt.”

  Reed held me tight and let me get it all out.

  Niall came downstairs, and I stared at him with hope. His face gave nothing away. This was where he would say she wasn’t up there. That a pipe broke. Or she would come walking up the lawn with a plumber after having dropped her cell phone in the toilet. Instead, he merely took out his cell phone and dialed. “I need the number for the New Haven police department.”

  My knees gave out. I became boneless. Reed supported my body weight.

  “This is not your fault,” he said.

  “I should call Zhang, too,” Niall said. “The police should be here any moment. I’m afraid we can’t tell them about the scroll.”

  “She was murdered,” I said.

  “The police would not know how to find someone wielding dragon magic.”

  “We’re going to though, right?” I glanced wildly back and forth between Reed and Niall.

  “Of course,” Reed said.

  I pulled it together long enough
to give my statement to the police, but when the paramedics came down with her body under the sheet. I lost it again.

  “She will be avenged,” Reed said.

  “Yes.” I sniffed and wiped the back of my hands over my eyes.

  It was a somber ride back to the airport hangar. Both Niall and Reed scented the air when we stepped out of the car.

  “What’s she doing here?” Reed asked.

  The smell hit me like a brick in the face. Expensive French perfume. A Queen. I looked around for her guards. Was it another newbie Queen like me?

  “Who is it?” I asked

  “I was afraid of this,” Niall said and opened the door.

  A tall redhead with Barbie-like curves was on her hands and knees searching for something. The tips of her stiletto heels peeked up at us. She was chanting over a section of floor.

  “Down boy,” I said to Reed.

  “I wasn’t even looking.”

  “Lerisse, what are you doing here? Alone and unprotected?”

  “I need that scroll, Niall,” Lerisse said, straightening up.

  “Of course,” Niall closed his eyes. “You would have the strength for this. Why did you kill the humans?”

  “She did it?” I would have lunged at her, but Reed held me back.

  “They served their purpose. They found the scroll for me, but then they decided they would sell it. Publish it and put it in a museum.”

  “So?” Reed said.

  “So I need it and it will be consumed in my spell.”

  “Over my dead body,” Niall rumbled. “Besides, they sold the scroll to me.”

  “Whoops,” Lerisse said, with a negligent shrug. “I hadn’t realized that until recently.”

  “Why did you kill my friend?” I asked. “Jane didn’t care about the stupid scrolls.”

  “The human female caught me listening into your conversation. I’m afraid I expressed interest in the scrolls. I couldn’t have her identifying me when they went missing.”

  “You bitch,” I snarled and swiped out at her. I didn’t have talons, but I was going to rip her fucking face off.

  “Why steal these items at all?” Reed asked, holding me back. “Most of the dragons would have given them to you.”

  “Most would,” she nodded. “But not all. All the artifacts must be destroyed for the spell to work.”

  “What are you planning?” Niall said. “You’re not going to release Nidhogg are you?”

  “Niall, don’t be stupid.” Lerisse dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

  “Careful.” He caught her lovely chin in his hand. “We are very much alone, and you aren’t supposed to be here. I could snap you in half and no one would know what happened to you. You should not have come here without your guards.”

  My mouth dropped open. Niall was making threats like a boss!

  Lerisse swallowed and said softly, “Then how would you cast the spell that brings your daughter and all our other lost females back to life?”

  Niall gripped her chin for a moment more before releasing her. “That’s impossible. You cannot bring back the dead.”

  “I can call them out of the weave.”

  “They have no bodies.” Niall shook his head.

  “They will take their form using the magic of the artifacts and the weave.”

  “That’s nonsense. A dragon is flesh and blood.”

  “A dragon is magic and legend,” Lerisse countered.

  They stared at each other for an eternity.

  “It could work,” Niall said and dropped his hand. “But only if a female casts the spell.”

  “Better than that,” Lerisse said. “I think it will start the process anew and our eggs will have more female energy in them.”

  “Then why kill Carolyn?” Reed gritted between his teeth.

  Niall positioned himself in front of Lerisse. It hurt to see him protect her.

  “I hadn’t realized she was a Queen when I discovered she knew about the scrolls.” Lerisse was the picture of innocence. “I would have made it painless. All the deaths were painless. I’m not a sadistic Queen.”

  “I will kill you. I will feel your neck under my teeth. You killed my friend,” I snarled and tried to fling myself at her. But Reed held my arm like the rabid pit bull I was channeling.

  “You involved her,” Lerisse said. “Blame yourself.”

  “That’s enough,” Reed said. His hands bit into me as I struggled to get free. “Do not speak to my Queen like that.”

  “Do not speak to me in that tone, Reed.” Lerisse glared at him. “I will vote for your dismemberment at conclave for harming your Queen.” She sneered the last two words. “There is power in death. This halfling is neither dragon nor human. Her death will add to the magic I am gathering, and then when I cast the spell, her dragon half will have a chance to come out. She would be reborn—as she was meant to be born.”

  “Not. Going. To. Happen,” Reed stated.

  “Are you telling me no?” Lerisse looked amused at the thought.

  “She makes cold, logical sense.” Niall nodded. “You can’t have Carolyn, but I will give you the scrolls.”

  “Niall,” I shrieked. “You can’t be serious.”

  “This is deadly serious,” Niall said. “I don’t agree with her methods.”

  “You don’t have to,” Lerisse informed him in a flat, ugly voice.

  “But Lerisse holds the future of our race in her hands. She has the solution to unlock the Queens. You and she are on the same side.”

  “She killed my friend.” I was almost blind with rage.

  “Humans don’t matter,” Lerisse said.

  “Tell that to the Order of Dragon Slayers,” I snarled. “No, wait. Never mind. I’ll tell them.”

  “Don’t you threaten me, you little bitch.” Lerisse advanced on me, only to be stopped by Niall’s hand on her arm.

  She tried to struggle, but he was stronger.

  “How many objects of power have you obtained?” he asked.

  “Fifty. I can release fifty Queens.”

  “Shall we get you more?” Niall asked.

  “I’m not sure I have the power for more than fifty. If this works, I can always cast it again in the future.”

  “If this works, you might not need to,” Niall said.

  She nodded and they clasped hands in a bargain.

  “I’m not helping this psychotic asshole. Reed, back me up here. You can take her. Rip her freakin’ head off.”

  Reed turned me around so I faced him instead of the smug Queen. “I hate this. But we have to let her try.”

  “And if she fails?” I searched his face for the vengeance I wanted. “Then will you kill her?”

  “If she fails”—Niall disengaged his wards with a wave of his hand—“her spell will backlash on her and kill her.”

  That wiped the smile off her face.

  “You are a dead woman. I vow it,” I yelled. But none of the dragons were paying me any attention.

  “Silence your pet human, Reed, or I will rip out her heart and use it to fire my spell.”

  “Do not threaten her,” Niall growled.

  “I will not forget you also threatened me, All Knowing.” She squared off on him.

  “Carolyn, come with me.” Reed dragged me back to the Mercedes. “It will take her several hours to cast this spell. I need your help in securing Joachim’s assistance.”

  I instantly deflated. Of course. A dragon couldn’t harm a Queen gone bad, but The Order of Dragon Slayers could. “You’re a genius,” I said and kissed him hard on the mouth.

  I walked away and dialed Joachim, then filled him in. “I need you. Jane’s dead. A dragon-mage named Lerisse killed her and two other humans to hide that fact that she’s been stealing items from hoards all over the world. She tried to kill me twice, but Arianna and Reed have managed to stop her.”

  “What do you need from me?” Joachim’s voice might have been tinny and marred by static because of the distance and c
onnection, but I felt his resolve through the phone. Thank Nidhogg, I had someone on my side.

  “I need you to kill her. Reed and Niall can’t because they are dragons. Niall doesn’t want to because she’s got this lamebrain idea to use the magic items she stole and cast a reanimate spell that will bring back fifty dead female dragons.”

  “She’s a necromancer?”

  “I don’t know. I think she’s crazy.” I paced back and forth, trying to find an outlet for my rage and grief.

  “When does the ritual start?”

  “Reed thinks they will need a while. I think you have time to get up here.”

  “Do you want me to stop her?”

  Did I? Part of me did. I wanted her executed. But then the other dragons would always wonder if she could have done the spell. As much as I hated it, Lerisse had to cast that spell. “No, let her disgrace herself. If she lives through it, then you can execute her with impunity.”

  “I will call you when we land in New York.”

  “Hurry, Joachim.” I hung up and stalked back over to Reed. “He’s coming,” I said.

  “Good. For the time being we’re going to the embassy.”

  “Lerisse is a crazy bitch,” I said as we climbed into the Mercedes.

  “It doesn’t matter if she’s a crazy bitch. Everyone will want to see if she can do what she plans to do.” He reached over and held my hand.

  “I know.” I leaned my head back on the seat and stared at him. “Won’t the dragons who had their treasures stolen want revenge?” Was anyone going to tell that Queen bitch she was out of line?

  “Not once we explain why the artifacts were taken.”

  “Why didn’t she just ask for them? Hell, she’s a Queen. She could have asked for the items in tribute and they would have had to give them to her.”

  “But on their own time. They could claim the item was lost or missing. Besides, there is more power in a stolen object than in one freely given.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It’s the dragon’s way,” Reed said. “You own a piece of a dragon’s soul if you steal from his hoard.”

  “Did she steal from you?”

  He shook his head. “No, and that will make it harder for us to convince the other dragons this isn’t a trick.”

  “What do you mean us?” I wrenched my hand away. “She killed my friend. I’m not doing squat to help her.”