Dragos Takes A Holiday

by Thea Harrison

  The dwarf drew in a quick breath and lowered her voice. “Wait a minute, I know who you are. Look, there are some men who have been looking for that ship for a very long time—since before I came to Bermuda and took over the museum. I’m not sure how many men, and I don’t know where they live. I don’t want to know. All I know is they spend time at the dockyards a lot, and they frequent bars, and their leader…he’s not a nice man.”

  Eva and Pia exchanged another glance. Pia asked, “The leader wouldn’t happen to be a big Light Fae male, would he? Long hair pulled back in a ponytail?”

  The dwarf rubbed her chin nervously with the back of one hand and nodded.

  “And one of his men was in here earlier to talk to you.” Pia didn’t ask it as a question.

  The dwarf nodded again. “Years ago, I used to have a few records that mentioned the Sebille. There was nothing substantial, mind you, just mainly some stuff that has been retold so much it’s turned into legend. A massive storm and strange lights in the sky, that sort of thing.”

  “Strange lights.” Eva’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of strange lights?”

  The dwarf snorted. “It was probably just lightning in the clouds. A few people claimed that they sighted the ship from the north shore, and then it disappeared.”

  Pia felt a thrill of excitement. “So it was sighted here.”

  The dwarf threw up her hands. “Apparently so, and people have been looking for it ever since. Like I said, every once in a while they show up here, just like you did. They want to dig for clues. But something always happens to them. Their boats disappear, or they have an accident. Somebody always ends up getting hurt. So I got rid of the records. I burned them. And I tell people I don’t have anything, and to stop looking.” She sniffed. “Sometimes they don’t listen, but I still try.”

  “What about the man who was here earlier?” Pia asked. “He didn’t threaten you, did he?”

  The dwarf shook her head. “No, they don’t bother with me. I wouldn’t hunt for that damn wreck if my life depended on it. He wanted to know if anybody had been in today to ask about the Sebille. He must have been on the lookout for you.”

  Eva said gently, “If they come looking for us, they’re not going to like what they find.”

  ***

  Dragos flew away from the islands in a bright flood of sunshine. After a short while, he left the shallow reefs behind and soared over deep water. He concentrated on flying thoroughly over a section before going on to the next, searching in a circular pattern around the islands. He made a complete pass all the way around, then moved outward in greater concentric circles.

  Most people would have found it tedious work, but he didn’t. He reveled in the solitude and freedom as he soaked up the sun’s brilliant warmth. The air smelled briny and clean over the ocean. It felt good to stretch out his wings and work his body, and good to truly let go of crowded city life. He put away considerations of politics, stocks and profit margins, and let the dragon take over his thoughts.

  The vast, tangled mass of land magic that made up the Bermuda Triangle lay to the west. He considered it without much curiosity. A few of the crossover passageways came in quite close to land, but passageways in the ocean were easy to avoid. All he had to do was fly high enough overhead.

  He grew hungry, dove for fish and ate while he flew.

  He covered more than a hundred miles in an hour. Within a few hours, he grew convinced that the Sebille had not foundered anywhere near the edge of the shallow reefs bordering the islands, and he headed farther out in a wider circle.

  Dragos? Pia said.

  Like every other Wyr, her telepathic range was quite limited, but Dragos’s telepathic range was much larger than the average Wyr’s, and he heard her quite clearly.

  Yes? he replied. Are you having a good morning?

  We’re certainly having an interesting morning. How about you?

  I’m having a great time, he told her. It’s beautiful out here.

  Her mental voice warmed. I’m so glad.

  He banked and wheeled toward the east to start another circuit. Did you find out anything at the museum?

  Yes, we actually found out quite a bit more than we expected. Her voice sounded a little odd.

  He cocked his head. Tell me.

  Apparently the Sebille was sighted off the north shore in a big storm, and then it disappeared again. At least that’s what the curator told us was in old records before she destroyed them.

  His interest quickened. If the Sebille was sighted off the north shore, he could try narrowing his search area down by doing some calculations of the currents. He left the area he had been searching, whirled in a big circle and began to follow the ocean’s current north of the island. Why did she destroy them?

  Because there’s a group of men who have been searching for the wreck for a long time, and they don’t take kindly to competition, Pia told him. They’ve been scaring off anybody who goes looking for it. The curator said the treasure hunters’ boats sink or disappear, and somebody always got hurt, so she finally destroyed the records. She said their leader is a big Light Fae male, and he’s not a nice man.

  Dragos did not bother to snort. He was not a nice man either.

  He said thoughtfully, A big Light Fae male?

  Yes, and when we got to the museum, there was a man hanging around the building. He left as soon as we arrived. She paused. He had been inside the museum before we got there, and he wanted to know if anybody had been in asking about the Sebille.

  Was it one of the men from the bar? His thoughts turned dark and murderous.

  I don’t know, but it might have been. Who else would have known that someone would be showing up at the museum this morning? You and I talked about it last night.

  I remember, he said. What are you doing now?

  We’re going back to the house, she told him. I want to feed the peanut and put him down for a nap.

  Okay, let me know when you get there. I’ll be back soon.

  Don’t hurry back for our sake, okay? We’re not going to let some pissant local thug ruin our vacation. Eva and Hugh are on alert. We’re fine.

  All right, he told her. I’ll still be back soon.

  In a matter of minutes he had followed the current past the last of the islands and out to deep sea. Then he continued straight over deeper water.

  Almost five miles out from the island, he felt a faint tickle of magic from below. He wheeled around the area.

  A moment later, Pia spoke again. We’re back at the house, and Eva and Hugh have thoroughly searched the whole property. Everything is peaceful. Nothing is out of place, and there aren’t any strange scents.

  Okay, good, he replied. I followed the current that wraps around the north shore, and I’m about five miles out from land. I found something. I’m going to dive.

  That’s fantastic! Good luck!

  He folded his wings and plunged headfirst into the waves. This far out, the water was quite cold. He found it pleasantly bracing. He burrowed down, past where the sunlight penetrated, into frigid darkness.

  The pressure increased, and he knew he had dived deeper than most creatures could have survived without protection gear. Soon he had passed the limit of most manned submersibles.

  Except for submarine canyons, most of Earth’s ocean floors were no deeper than six thousand meters. Still, that was almost 3.75 miles. Aside from the strange marina life that was bred to survive on the ocean floor, very few creatures could survive reaching such depths. The mysterious, powerful kraken could, and so could Dragos, but only for brief periods of time.

  To conserve his energy, he swam in complete darkness, following the spark of magic blind, until he sensed that he had gotten close. Then he threw a simple spell and brought light to the dense water.

  The light spell illuminated the area roughly twenty-five feet around him in a strange bluish green. The pressure was so intense, he felt like he was digging his way through the water, not swimming. He pushed fart
her downward, until the light touched on the greenish ocean floor. His lungs had started to burn. He wouldn’t be able to stay for much longer.

  He kicked his way along the ocean floor, still searching mostly by his magic sense. A few crustaceans scuttled away from the light.

  When the wreck came into view, it did so all at once. It sprawled along the ocean floor with the supporting planks of the hull exposed like the rib cage of a dead animal.

  By now, Dragos’s lungs were on fire, but he was unable to pull away. This close, he could tell there were multiple sparks of magic coming from inside the hull. He kicked along the length of the wreck, searching as quickly as he could for some kind of identification. Going by the size and shape of the ruins, it had been a caravel ship, which placed it in the right historical era. The wreck was as long as he was if he included his tail, roughly forty feet in length.

  He drew closer to the port side. The wreck had deteriorated a lot over the centuries, but enough remained that he could see a significant, jagged break toward the rear of the ship. Quite a bit of the hull had sheared away long ago, leaving only the ribs curving up from the base of the ship’s spine.

  He plunged both front paws into the sediment along the floor, searching for pieces of the hull. As he found fragments of wood, he turned them over and discarded them until he unearthed one piece, roughly a yard and a half in length, that had letters inlaid in silver at one end.

  ille.

  Triumph surged, but he didn’t have time to savor it. He needed air too badly and couldn’t stay underwater any longer. Black spots danced in front of his eyes. Carrying the fragment of wood, he kicked to the surface to suck in huge draughts of air. As soon as he caught his breath, he launched out of the water and flew back toward land.

  In order to have enough room to change, he had to land on the beach just outside the house. Still gripping the hull fragment, he strode up the terraced path.

  Pia had been keeping an eye out for him, because he had barely stepped out of the tree line and onto the lawn when the door opened and she hurried out. Her eyes shone with excitement. “What is it? What did you find?”

  He held up the piece of wood, letters facing outward, for her to see. “I think I found the Sebille.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Already? That’s amazing.” She touched the blackened letters on the wood wonderingly.

  He grinned. “I would have found it eventually, but I got lucky. I used what you gave me and followed the current off the north shore. The wreck is quite a ways out and it’s deep. It’s no wonder nobody has found it before now. There’s only a few submersibles in the world that can dive down that far.”

  Pia glanced at him with an inward smile. He always had a vital, powerful presence, but now his dark bronze skin looked burnished, and his gold eyes shone with radiance. “Come inside and tell me all about it. Liam’s gone down for a nap. Eva and Hugh barbequed steaks for lunch, and they set aside plenty for you.”

  His expression flared with interest. He propped the plank beside the back door and followed her inside. The interior was much cooler than outside. They had closed up the house and turned on the air condition. While he washed up, Pia piled the steaks on a plate for him and set it on the dining room table in the large, sunlit kitchen.

  He thanked her as he sat at the table and began to eat. Pia eased into the seat across from him, and Eva and Hugh came to join them while Dragos told him about his flight and the search in between large bites of the juicy meat.

  “By the time I found it, I was getting tired and needed air, so I wasn’t able to stay down for very long.” He sprinkled salt on the steak. “I didn’t have a chance to examine the wreck too closely, but I did notice there was a jagged break toward the back third of the ship, between where the main mast would have been and the rear mast. It would have been a hell of a storm to cause that kind of damage. Poor bastards never had a chance.”

  “So there is at least one magic item with the wreck?” Pia asked.

  “Yes.” He polished off the last bite with a satisfied sigh. “In fact there are several. I want to go back down, maybe first thing tomorrow morning, and see what I can bring up.”

  Pia nodded. “I wish I could come with you.”

  Pushing away his plate, he crossed his arms on the table and smiled at her. “You could, at least in a boat. You would have to wait on the surface, but if we took a boat out, I could make a couple of dives to bring things back up.”

  She clapped her hands. “Let’s rent one!”

  He grinned. “You bet.”

  Eva spoke up. “I looked through the brochures the rental agency left. You can rent a boat from them. I’ll give them a call.”

  “Great.” Pia looked at Dragos. “So that’s tomorrow morning. What do you want to do this afternoon?”

  “You relax, enjoy the sun.” Dragos pushed away from the table and stood. His face turned sharp as a blade. “I’m going to go on the hunt for a big Light Fae male who is not a nice man.”

  Pia stood too, quickly. That dangerous face was so sexy it made her knees weak. Sometimes she still wasn’t quite sure of her reactions to Dragos. “I’m coming with you.”

  His inky-black eyebrows drew together in a frown. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Well, I do.” She put her hands on her hips. “You know what’s going to happen if we find him. He’s going to be an asshole, and, Dragos, you can’t kill him just because he’s an asshole. You’re not Lord of these islands.”

  He regarded her with a dark expression. “Fine. Come on.”

  Pia looked at Eva. “We’ll be back later.”

  The other woman’s face was full of suppressed amusement. “Have fun.”

  Dragos went out the back door to get the plank of wood, which he set on the floor of the backseat of the Mercedes. They took off.

  That afternoon Pia developed a healthy respect for how many bars, restaurants, grocery and marina supply stores, and fishing shops could be found in the Bermuda islands. Dragos was single-minded and didn’t tire, and she was determined to keep up with him.

  They scored a hit with their perseverance in Hamilton Harbor a couple of hours later. After Dragos parked, they walked along the rows of shops and bars at the edge of the marina.

  Almost immediately, Dragos’s nostrils flared. “He’s here. Hold on a minute.”

  Dragos had literally been in the Light Fae male’s face last night, so he had to have gotten a good fix on the other male’s scent. Thank God. Pia was hot, tired and thirsty. She just didn’t have a hunter’s drive or instinct. If it had been up to her, she would have quit searching an hour ago.

  She stood waiting while he strode back to the SUV. When he returned, he gripped the plank in one hand. Then he led the way unerringly to a bar located at the end of the lane, pushed open the door and strode in.

  Bracing herself for whatever came next, Pia followed.

  Inside, the décor was sturdy rather than elegant. Wide windows faced the water. They had been propped open in the heat of the day. Wooden tables dotted the floor, and tall stools lined the bar against the interior wall. Loud music played, the place was crowded, and it smelled of alcohol and fried food.

  Pia spotted the Light Fae male right away, leaning against the bar. This time he appeared to be alone.

  Despite the noisy, crowded atmosphere, Dragos’s fiery presence drew attention. People fell silent, and the clink of cutlery against dishes ceased.

  At the bar, the Light Fae male turned. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Dragos and Pia. He straightened, and his smile was more of a sneer.

  “Get out,” Dragos said. The dragon was in his voice.

  Except for the Light Fae male, all the customers rushed for the door. Pia barely had time to move aside. Within seconds the place was empty except for, Dragos, Pia, the Light Fae male, and the bartender and wait staff who moved to one side of the room as they watched nervously.

  The scene should have been ridiculous, but som
ehow it wasn’t. Dragos tossed the plank onto the floor in front of the other man, and the Light Fae male’s sneering smile vanished.

  “I located the Sebille.” Dragos strolled toward the other man. “And I’m going to bring up everything I can from it.”

  The Light Fae male’s gaze flared as he stared at the plank at his feet. When he looked up again at Dragos, his gaze had turned flat and ugly. He said in a strongly accented voice, “That wreck, and everything on it, is mine. You made a big mistake, and not a healthy one for either you or your pretty companion.”

  Pia heaved a sigh. He did not just say that, did he? To Dragos, of all people.

  Dragos blurred. He took hold of the Light Fae male in both hands, lifted him in the air and twisted at the waist to slam him into a table so hard the table collapsed, with him on it. Dragos followed him down, kneeling to hold the other man pinned by the throat.

  “Aaaand, that’s assault and battery,” Pia muttered.

  Did officials in another country have the legal authority to throw the head of an Elder demesne in jail? She didn’t know the answer to that. Not that it necessarily mattered, since the question was purely hypothetical. If it came to that, the authorities couldn’t trap him long enough to put him in jail, and anyway, Dragos would demolish any building with jail cells in it. The whole thing would become a legal snarl that would clog up the Elder tribunal for months and years. No wonder Dragos’s lawyers were so rich. He was a litigator’s wet dream.

  She pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off a growing headache. She noticed one of the waitstaff was on the phone, no doubt calling the local police.

  The Light Fae male struggled, but he could gain no purchase against the iron hand that gripped him. “Your mistakes are getting worse, my friend,” he hissed. “There are many more of us than there are of you.”

  “You dare to threaten me?” Dragos hauled the Light Fae male close to his hard, angry face. “My wife says that I can’t kill you for being an asshole. She has a much kinder heart than I do. If you or any of your men come anywhere near us, I will take you apart. Slowly.”