Zoe looked for a moment like she might disagree with Grayson, but then she shrugged. “Look, do you want to go on this mission or not? If you want to argue with me that there’s a better dragon for the job, then, by all means name a name and I’ll go tell Peter that I’ve changed my mind about who I want to accompany me. He wouldn’t be happy about a last minute change, but he’d let me make it. He’s convinced that the mission will fail without me.”
Grayson felt his skin bristling with annoyance. He hated the fact that Zoe could so easily ask for anything she wanted and get it. But Zoe had already told him she didn’t except anything in return from him for the chance to come on this mission, and, like Noah had said, Grayson had finally been given the opportunity he’d been waiting for. Who cared what the reasons for that opportunity were.
“Enough talk,” Grayson said, gruffly. “We’re already behind schedule. Let’s get going.”
Zoe grinned at him, nonplussed by the fact that he hadn’t acknowledged her strange power to kick him off the mission if she wanted to. She pointed her magic ring at her broomstick and said, “Magicae volant.” Instantly, the broomstick started to buzz with energy, and it hovered next to Zoe, about four feet off the ground.
“Have you ever ridden on a broomstick?” Zoe asked, starting to climb onto the buzzing handle. Grayson shook his head no.
“It’s really easy as a passenger,” Zoe said. “All you need to do is hold on tight to me. Well, to my backpack, I guess. Don’t bother trying to lean in the right direction to help me or anything like that. You’ll likely do more harm than good. Just hold on tight and if for some reason there’s an emergency that requires my attention, just tap me twice on the left shoulder. Got it?”
“Okay,” Grayson said, eyeing the broomstick suspiciously. “But I don’t understand how that little broom handle is going to hold up all of my weight.”
Zoe winked at him. “It’s a magic broomstick, remember? Trust me, it’ll work. Just hop on and try it out.”
Grayson gave Zoe a doubtful look, but heeded her advice to hop on. To his surprise, the surface of the broomstick felt more like a bike saddle than a thin rod. An invisible seat was holding him up, and his feet landed on invisible stirrups. He couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Damn,” he said. “That’s a nice trick.”
“Isn’t it, though?” Zoe said. She sounded pleased. “Just let me cast a couple of protective spells and we can be on our way.”
Grayson found a good spot to hold on tightly to Zoe’s large backpack. He was surprised at how disappointed he felt over the fact that there was a backpack in between them. In his mind’s eye, when he thought of riding with Zoe, he’d imagined his chest pressed up against her back, with his arms wrapped around her waist. But of course that was not the case. She needed her backpack of supplies, too. This might be a long mission. Grayson wondered why he had let his mind wander to places that involved his arms around Zoe, and why he was so keenly disappointed that those daydreams would not be realized.
To his relief, Zoe interrupted his somewhat troubled thoughts to let him know it was time to go.
“Hold on tight,” she said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Grayson was doing as he was told. He gave her a quick thumbs up sign, and she flashed him a brilliant smile before turning back around. She shouted out some sort of magic spell, then leaned back slightly to turn the front of the broomstick upward. The next thing Grayson knew, they were flying, ascending rapidly through the tree branches. Soon, Falcon Cross would be just a tiny dot below them.
Grayson peered into the early dawn sky, trying to see anything that would indicate enemy wizards were about. Everything looked perfectly normal, but he knew that didn’t mean much. Saul’s dark wizards were quite talented at remaining invisible, and they knew where Falcon Cross was located. No one in Falcon Cross tried to delude themselves into thinking that the city was not under constant surveillance by enemy wizards. Grayson could only hope that the invisibility shield Zoe had cast would work. In training, she had supposedly cast a shield so strong that even Peter had been unable to see through it, with all his powerful counterspells. Grayson hoped with all his heart that the dark wizards would be unable to see through it as well.
The whole mission departure had been planned to give Zoe and Grayson the highest possible chance of avoiding detection. They’d chosen early dawn because the light was still not good, but the dark wizards might not be watching as closely as they would have been in the dead of night. The dark wizards would expect any missions to leave under cover of full darkness, with as many hours of dark night left as possible to fly through. An early morning departure meant that any enemy spies around wouldn’t have their suspicions up as high. That was the hope, at least.
Grayson wasn’t that worried about being attacked at this particular moment. Peter had stationed several powerful wizard guards all around Falcon Cross airspace. If Zoe and Grayson got into any trouble, Zoe would send up an emergency signal from her magic ring, and the wizard guards would come to their assistance. And Zoe herself had set up powerful protective shields. The odds that any harm would come to Grayson and Zoe over the course of their flight were extremely low. But it wasn’t an attack during their flight that Grayson was worried about.
Rather, Grayson worried that they would be followed. Having one of Saul’s soldiers follow them and figure out that they knew where the dragon ruby was located would be devastating. The ruby could not fall into Saul’s hands. It just couldn’t. Grayson didn’t want to think about the evil that Saul would do if it did. This mission must succeed. And besides, Grayson needed to prove himself on this mission. He needed to get that ruby and bring it back to Falcon Cross amidst a hero’s welcome. Then everyone would see that he wasn’t just one of ten dragons. He was a hero.
As they rose higher and higher, and began to fly away from Falcon Cross, Grayson still saw no sign of anyone suspicious in the gray sky surrounding him. The blueness of early dawn was now giving way to a pinkish orange as the sun began to peek above the horizon, making its way upward bit by bit. If there were enemies out there, they either hadn’t seen them or weren’t going to attack right now. Grayson knew he wouldn’t have attacked, if he’d been in their shoes. He would have waited to see where the mission was going. And he couldn’t keep away an uneasy feeling that they were being followed.
Whether that feeling was a true gut instinct or just the product of an overactive imagination, Grayson couldn’t tell. There wasn’t much he could do about it at the moment, anyway. Zoe had cast all the spells she could to keep them safe and invisible, and they would be flying a zigzagging, indirect route to Shadowdale. Hopefully, if any enemy soldiers did spot them, Grayson and Zoe would be able to lose them along their purposefully confusing route.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Grayson began to relax even more. The day wore on, and flying on the back of a broomstick over miles and miles of forest became somewhat boring after a while. Grayson did his best to pay attention to where they were, and to keep an eye out for potential trouble, but his eyes soon grew weary of scanning the horizon that always looked the same. He let his daydreams take over again, alternating between thoughts of being given a medal of honor in front of all of Falcon Cross, and of spending time with his arms around Zoe.
He thought for a long time about how she’d asked for him as a partner on this mission because he hadn’t treated her like a celebrity, as everyone else had. He wondered if she would regret her choice if she knew that he was having crazy thoughts about wanting to put his arms around her and kiss her. Would she think he was just like the rest of them?
He wasn’t just like the rest of them, though, he argued to himself. He wasn’t interested in kissing her because of her magical abilities, or her status as the current VIP of the Falcon Cross army. He just thought her body was damn sexy. Did that make him more or less of an asshole?
Grayson scrunched his eyebrows up, confused. It didn’t really matter, did it? He couldn’t act
on any of these feelings while he was on this mission with Zoe, anyway. It wouldn’t be proper. And she’d likely freak out and be angry with him for taking advantage of their working relationship.
Wouldn’t she? Or did she harbor similar secret feelings toward him? Grayson had caught the hint of a sparkle in her eye when she looked at him, but he didn’t know her well enough yet to know if that sparkle was because of him, or if she always looked at people that way.
Grayson’s thoughts continued to run along in this bewildering way. There wasn’t much of interest to see on the long flight, and he was relieved when the shadows started to grow long and Zoe started to descend. They would grab dinner and a motel room, and hopefully the interruption in the monotony of the day would help him get his thoughts out of the Zoe rut they’d become stuck in. Then again, maybe sitting across a dinner table from her would only make his sudden, crazy infatuation even worse.
Chapter Six
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Grayson said. His expression was a mixture of amusement and annoyance, and Zoe wasn’t sure which one was winning out at the moment.
“It’ll only take about half an hour,” Zoe said. “And you don’t have to come with me. In fact, if you’re that hungry, you can just go grab dinner without me. I’ll grab takeout or something on my way back to the hotel room.”
“I’m not sure splitting up for so long is a good idea, especially on the first night,” Grayson said. “We could have been followed from Falcon Cross for all we know, and we haven’t had time to sit still and see if someone is planning to attack once we’re no longer in the air and no longer moving at such rapid speeds.”
“You’re so paranoid,” Zoe said, huffing a bit. “I can take care of myself, in any case.”
Oops. Those words were a mistake. She felt him bristle.
“I know you can,” Grayson said. “I’ve only been reminded every five minutes for the last several weeks about how great Zoe Whitt is. The all-powerful, secret weapon, miracle wizard of Falcon Cross can indeed take care of herself. And, believe it or not, I can take care of myself, too, lowly dragon shifter that I am. But it’s our job to be paranoid. Any opening we give to our enemies is a possible chance for them to derail this mission. We have to be vigilant.”
Zoe stared at him skeptically. “And that means being together twenty-four seven? I think that’s a little extreme.”
Grayson frowned at her. “Two are stronger than one. This mission already needs more soldiers than it has, although I understand why Peter limited it for secrecy’s sake. But let’s not weaken our chances further by separating.”
Zoe sighed, exasperated. She clearly wasn’t going to change Grayson’s mind about the two of them being in separate rooms, let alone letting her—gasp!—go sightseeing by herself. So she changed tactics from trying to convince him to let her go to trying to convince him to come.
“Well, I’m not going to visit the hometown of my favorite wizard poet and not go see the house he grew up in. So if you don’t want to split up, then you better put your shoes on and come with me.”
A murderous look crossed Grayson’s face, and for a moment, Zoe worried that she’d pushed him too far. She considered backing away from her demands, but then, she didn’t want to let him win their first disagreement on this mission. It would set a bad tone. She could already tell that Grayson was a stubborn man, and she wasn’t about to give him reasons to think that she was a pushover. Zoe stood her ground, wondering if she was imagining it or if smoke was actually coming out of Grayson’s ears. Did dragons send off smoke even while in human form? Zoe realized there was a lot she didn’t know about dragons.
“Fine,” Grayson finally said, grunting in a way that told her he wasn’t amused by having to humor a little girl. “But let’s at least eat first, then go sightseeing. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I’ve got a dragon appetite to satisfy.”
“But the Erich Shafer House closes at seven,” Zoe protested. “That’s in forty-five minutes. We don’t have time to go to dinner first.”
The murderous look was back. “You’re a goddamn wizard, Zoe. And supposedly one of the best in the world, at that. Just cast a spell and unlock the door or something. It can’t be that hard. Give yourself a private tour.”
“That’s trespassing!” Zoe protested.
Grayson shrugged. “I don’t see the harm in it, as long as you don’t break stuff or take anything from the house.”
Zoe considered protesting again, but finally nodded. “Alright, fine,” she said. She didn’t exactly like the idea of using her magical powers to break into the Shafer House, but Grayson’s mood was worsening by the second. She would enjoy her time looking at the house a lot more if she wasn’t spending the whole time trying to appease an angry dragon.
Dinner was a strained affair. They ate at a small diner near their hotel, wolfing down food and not saying much to each other. Grayson didn’t seem to be in much of a mood to talk, and Zoe followed his lead. She didn’t want to push his patience further and have him decide that he didn’t want to see the Shafer House after all.
Grayson seemed resigned to the idea, though. After they finished their food and paid their check, he gave her a longsuffering look and let out an overly exaggerated huff.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”
The Shafer House was at the edge of the small town they were in, about a two mile walk from their motel. They walked under the cover of an invisibility shield. Neither of them had seen anything suspicious, and they were hoping that they had actually made it out of Falcon Cross without being spotted by Saul’s spies. Still, they needed to be extra careful, and walking across town to break into a tourist site was the kind of thing that had the potential to attract a lot of attention.
Zoe hadn’t been the one to plan their zigzagging route to Shadowdale. Grayson had been the one to do that, meticulously detailing every stop and alternate routes along the way if they thought they needed to shake off anyone who might be following them. So it had been pure luck that their first stop was in the small town where Erich Shafer had lived. Zoe had been obsessed with Erich Shafer since she was a small girl. He had written the most beautiful poetry—sad, haunting verses that had been a source of comfort for her when her parents died several years ago. Zoe had always been fascinated by Erich Shafer’s story, too. Most of the world only knew him as a great poet, famous in a way that poets rarely were. But the wizard world knew that he’d had a secret. The giant ruby ring he’d always worn wasn’t just one of his strange quirks, as his human fans all thought. Rather, it was a magic ring. The man was a wizard, living secretly among humans in a way that few persons of magical ability could do. It wasn’t easy to constantly be on guard against discovery. It took a lot of mental fortitude to remember not to perform magic spells in front of people, when performing magic spells was almost second nature for most wizards. But somehow, Erich Shafer had done it. He’d managed to maintain his image as a quirky but otherwise normal human, who wrote damn good poetry.
Zoe had always wanted to visit the sleepy little town where he’d lived and written his poetry. His house was supposedly simple but beautiful on the inside, a perfect setup for reading and writing. Zoe’s main interest in the house wasn’t to spy on Erich Shafer’s interior decorating style, though. She just wanted to walk on the same ground she knew he’d walked on. Perhaps it was strange for someone who loathed fangirling so much in her own life to fangirl after a poet, but Zoe figured since the man was dead, it couldn’t bother him that much. Besides, Shafer had actually done something worth fangirling about. He’d written beautiful poems, and shown an amazing talent for harnessing the written word. All Zoe had done was to be born lucky. She wasn’t on the same level as Erich Shafer at all.
The air was quiet as they approached the house. The warm summer night was humid, and fireflies glowed intermittently in the small field which sat in front of the charming little house. A locked gate blocked the footpath to the front door,
and a sign on the gate announced the opening hours and suggested donation of ten dollars for a tour. Zoe looked quickly away from the sign, already feeling guilty about breaking into one of her hero’s homes. But again, he was dead. Surely he wouldn’t mind? She felt for her purse, a small cross body satchel which was slung across her chest. She had some cash on her. She’d make sure to leave a nice donation behind for the upkeep of the house. That would ease her conscience a bit.
Grayson was looking at her impatiently, waiting for her to unlock the gate and get this show on the road. He was probably counting down the minutes until he could sink into bed and fall asleep. Zoe didn’t feel overly guilty about dragging him out here, though. He didn’t have to come, and, besides, she’d been the one actually flying all day. All he’d had to do was hold on. Still, there was no sense in delaying any longer than necessary. Zoe glanced around to make sure no one was there to see her breaking and entering. Even though she was under an invisibility shield, she still felt somewhat nervous. As far as she could tell, the only ones around to watch her little crime were the fireflies. Zoe took a deep breath and pointed her magic ring at the lock on the gate.
“Magicae resero,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Instantly, the lock popped open with a soft click. Zoe reached to remove the lock and then gently open the gate. Grayson followed her, and then she closed the gate behind them. The property really wasn’t that secure. She and Grayson could have climbed over the fence relatively easily, but using magic to unlock the gate was just as easy.
The door to the small house was locked as well, of course, but Zoe unlocked it with the same spell and stepped inside, the floorboards creaking as she did.
“Magicae lucis,” she said. Instantly, a flashlight-like beam streamed out from her magic ring. Zoe swept the light across the main room, taking in with reverence what had once been Shafer’s living room. She didn’t know what she had expected, but the room looked like pretty much any other living room she’d ever seen. The furniture was obviously high quality and must have cost a fortune, but it was of a simple, unremarkable design. Informational plaques were posted all over the place, giving more details on the furniture or the particulars of how Shafer lived his everyday life. Grayson went to one of the plaques and started reading, using his cell phone as a light since he didn’t have a magic ring to turn into a flashlight.
Courage and the Dragon (Redwood Dragons Book 9) Page 5