Dragonfall

by Erik Schubach

  Quinn had her badges out. “Special Agent Quinn Trask. Chief Tanner I presume?”

  He finally looked away from me and had a look of annoyance and relief on his face as he spoke in a strong commanding bass, “Yeah. I suppose the special task-force is going to steal my crime scene?”

  Quinn gave him a sly smile. She understood that that is exactly what he wanted us to do, but the professional part of him resented the implication that his department couldn't handle it. She shook her head once and said, “Actually I would prefer that you to continue your investigation. You were first on the scene. I'd like to pool our resources here. My unit is at your disposal.”

  The man's lips quirked involuntarily at the corners of his mouth. I could see him re-evaluating Quinn. He offered his hand. “Joint investigation?” She nodded sharply once and shook his hand. Then he pulled her aside and whispered a little too loudly and I caught it without my dragon senses, “Is it wise to have her here? There is some powerful lunatic out there gunning for dragons.”

  Quinn said in a normal voice, not even trying to hide it from me, “Normally I would agree with you but she has some unique talents that may help us here and it allows me to keep her by my side so I can protect her. She's pretty stubborn and I doubt we could argue with her to stay away. She can take care of herself.”

  He snorted. The bloke actually snorted. I shot a glare at the two which just got me a smile from Quinn. I hate myself, but I broke and smiled back at her. She'll pay tonight with angry sex.

  Tanner sighed and said almost under his breath, “That's what Francisco said too.”

  We all sobered up and Quinn asked, “Can you catch us up on things? We'll need to see...” she paused. “Where he was killed.”

  We looked back instinctively toward the town. The damage to this end was extensive, Francisco didn't go out easily. I hope he took a chunk out of the fecking bastard that is doing this to our clan.

  He started by saying, “Francisco had called me earlier today saying he had was following someone that just didn't feel right to him in the center of town. I sent a patrol car out to meet with him but before they arrived, witnesses say that dozens of gargoyles and griffons attacked him from the rooftops. They say there was lightning from a clear sky.”

  This brought a shiver of memory to me. That is one of the weapons Saint George used to combat my elemental magic. He had found ways to protect against, and to battle against it. I was starting to get afraid now. His body was never recovered. The crime scene specialists thought that my dragonfire had incinerated him completely.

  I started to voice this, “What if...”

  Quinn cut me off almost harshly. “He's dead Myra!” This just let me know she had the same thoughts, the same doubts as me. Oh, me lord, I don't know if I could face him again. She turned to Tanner. “Did anyone see who was calling the lightning down?”

  He shook his head. “No, they were all panicking and all the surveillance cameras in the area seemed to malfunction.” Then he took a deep breath. “His attackers didn't care who or what they hurt while trying to take him down and Francisco saw this. He took dragon form and tried to take to the air and lead them out of town.”

  He shook his head slowly. “They kept forcing him down out of the air, he was decimating them. But the same was happening to the town. He struggled to the warehouse district where there were fewer people. That lightning kept after him relentlessly. He finally got out of the town just over there.” He pointed to some demolished storage buildings.

  Then he took another deep breath and said, “There were only a few gargoyles left. They shouldn't have been able to take him down. He took to the sky and flew toward the peaks, leading them away.”

  He closed his eyes. “We don't know what happened after that. A few minutes later there was a huge explosion in the forest and when we reached it...” He stood between Quinn and I and handed her the folder to her with a quick worried glance back at me, being sure to block my view.

  Quinn looked at it then closed it quickly, closing her eyes and trying to shield her feelings from me. Too late, I felt a combination of shock, horror, and... anger. That acidic taste of vengeance she got when she witnessed an injustice. I reached for the folder and she pulled it away and handed it back to Tanner with a pleading look to me to drop it. Then she said, “Can you please get a copy of everything you have to my team?”

  He nodded once and made a hand motion to one of the other men gathered around us. The guy nodded and took the folder from Tanner and the business card Quinn was holding out for the man.

  My mate then said, “We'll need to examine the bodies of the gargoyles and griffons.”

  He shook his head. “There is only one gargoyle left alive. The others seemed to dissolve into rot after they died. We don't think the gargoyle will last much longer, Francisco dismembered it.”

  I closed my eyes tightly. There was that magic of flesh and death again. The attackers were just magical constructs like the griffon we captured last night. This was looking more and more like Saint George.

  Chief Tanner then clenched his jaw a bit and asked, “You want to see where it happened?” Quinn just nodded. Tanner looked back at me and hesitated then led us into the woods. We were flanked by a couple of his men, a state trooper and our task force.

  He led us into the forest, my senses expanded. I could easily see the undergrowth that had been disturbed and trampled from recent activity. A basic path was evident from people heading to and from the murder scene. I could smell the sweat, antiperspirant, and cologne from the various men that had passed through including all the men and women surrounding us. There was the sound of chainsaws and the smell of oily exhaust. I detected a slightly coppery taste in the air.

  I whispered, “There's blood. Is someone injured?”

  The trooper with us raised a bandaged hand. “Sorry, that would be me. I gashed it at the scene trying to... umm... free him.”

  I tilted my head. Free him?

  We walked for about fifteen more minutes before the others could hear the chainsaws. But then I froze as I felt magic screaming and twisting in agony just ahead of us by the sound of the saws. I started moving forward faster and Quinn put her arm out barring me from going forward. She met my eyes and said in a wavering voice, “Be prepared Myra. It isn't pretty.”

  I could feel my anxiety building and my fear. If Quinn says, it isn't pretty then, you can be damn sure, it is worse than I can imagine because not much shakes her. I prepared myself as we entered a clearing... no, more like a blast crater. It wasn't as bad as Quinn had warned me, it was much, much worse. I wasn't prepared.

  I ran forward through the wood debris from thousands of splintered and charred trees and darker scorched marks in the cratered ground that smelled of ozone, as if from thousands of lightning strikes. There in the middle was the form of a huge water dragon. Trees twisted from their original form were thrust up through its body in dozens of places. Men were trying to cut the trees down to free the dragon's body, but the saws weren't making a dent in the trees.

  This should be impossible. When Francisco died, the elemental magic of his dragon visage should have dissolved. I reached out my senses, and what I felt... I doubled over and fell to my knees and started puking from the sickening waves from the twisted and rotting magic making the trees do its bidding.

  I was whispering, “It's the same. It's the same. He's back.” Quinn crouched and grabbed my shoulders protectively as I continued to dry heave. Bile burning at my throat.

  Lightning and wood were spells Saint George had used to counter and combat elemental magic. The spells on these trees tasted the same. It was the same spell. I pushed Quinn roughly away then reached out with my senses again as I stood and strode defiantly toward Francisco. I could almost hear the water elemental magic pleading with me. Moaning in pain and begging for release.

  I placed a hand lovingly on the dragon form and gently coaxed it to relax. Promising I would take care of it.

  I spun
around and growled, “Jaysus. Everyone, get back. I need to help it. It is in pain, the magic needs me.”

  Quinn could feel my anger and was quickly yelling at everyone to get back. When the last worker was clear I screamed, and my scream became a bellowing roar as I let my dragon out. The trees around the artificial clearing shook. I slashed my flaming front claws, covered now with granite, at the trees. With thunderous cracking sounds, the trunks exploded into splinters. I released all my frustration, all of my anger on these unnatural abominations of magic, putting them out of their agony.

  When I decimated the last one, I could feel a pain leave the back of my mind, like some painfully constricting restraints had loosened then fell away. I could almost taste the thank you in the air as Francisco's water form splashed to the ground. I looked at the familiar man, now laying on the ground in the middle of the ring of destroyed trees. I almost started retching again as I saw the gaping hole in his chest with ribs and flesh pulled outwards where his heart was torn from his chest.

  I swiveled my dragon head toward Quinn and was about to change back to my human form when I shot my head back in pain as a tree, enchanted with that fetid magic of death shot up from the ground to impale one of my flaming wings. Another shot up on the other side through my other wing.

  I was panicking and started thrashing. Vines started shooting from the ground, wrapping around my flames. I was snapping at them with my huge jaws. They were growing faster than I could break them.

  Quinn was in motion, I could feel her trying to calm me. It was working a bit, though I was still terrified. She was striking one of the trees with her flaming granite fists. Taking huge chunks out of it. I squeezed my tear filled eyes shut and took a deep breath. Come on Myra. Calm down woman and think. You aren't a wee lass anymore.

  Then my eyes snapped open, I had it! I went to dissolve my dragon form, but something was stopping it. Shite!

  Ok think... the vines and trees weren't burning with my flames. But Quinn was almost done destroying a tree. Granite. Earth elemental magic.

  I stopped struggling and gruffed out a warning, shaking the ground as I spoke, “Move back love.” She looked up at me then nodded in understanding and backed up.

  I raised my dragon head to the heavens and let loose my challenge to whoever my captor was. Sending a pyre of flames into the sky to accompany my roar as I asked the earth around me for a favor. That is how it always felt when I used the elements, like I was asking an old friend to do a personal favor for me. All except my fire, I was that fire and it was me.

  Columns of granite shot up from the ground severing the vines like they were made of tissue. A boulder came up under the tree that Quinn had damaged and tore it away from me. I just looked over at the other tree and then reared back on my haunches and with a herculean effort tore my other wing free. I roared at the tree then covered one claw with granite and brought it down on the twisted magic construct with all the force of a queen dragon. I roared in pleasure as I thought that they would need tweezers to find the splinters I reduced it into.

  Again I issued my challenge to the heavens. Quinn was in front of me stroking my flank and whispering, “Shhh.... it's ok now Myra. Shhhh... calm down. You are scaring people. Are you ok? Are you injured?”

  I craned my head over to see some of the men around us cowering, though none of our team or, to his credit, Tanner, seemed phased. I calmed myself and snuffled my head into Quinn. She laid her head on my snout and lovingly stroked me between the eyes. I let my dragon form dissolve away and I collapsed into her arms crying.

  I whispered between sobs, “It was a trap. This is what Caragh had warned me about. The trees were somehow inhibiting my flames.” Quinn held me protectively until I got myself back under control. I wiped my tears and then stood up and glanced back at Francisco's corpse.

  I tasted the residual magic in the air then I turned and strode back past everyone back toward the town and snapped at Tanner and growled, “Show me where this all started!”

  Quinn was by my side. I saw a cut on her forehead where a splinter from the destruction I had wrought must have clipped her. I reached out before she knew what I was doing and I felt a gash open on my forehead as I touched her injury. She opened her mouth to protest but just shut it again knowing I wouldn't listen and just shook her head and felt the now undamaged skin on her forehead. I got the impression through our blood-tie that she was saying, “What am I going to do with you?”

  I grinned sheepishly at her. She knew I couldn't bear to see her injured, and I would have this cut healed in a few minutes.

  Tanner made his way in front of us to lead the way. He said quietly so the others following wouldn't hear, “That was incredible, and here I thought Francisco was powerful.”

  I felt a pang of guilt and frustration at Francisco's name. Someone was going to pay for this.

  Chapter 4 – Discoveries

  We were led into Steamboat Springs to the town's center. I could immediately taste the remnants of that fetid magic. I pulled up my dragon senses, I could smell the magical constructs that had attacked Francisco. Tanner led us behind some crime scene tape to a damaged cafe and said, “This is where it started.”

  I sniffed the air as the wind changed slightly and my eyes snapped up to a neighboring two-story brick building. I started running at it and I could feel Quinn right behind me as I leapt to a balcony on the second floor then jumped up to grab the roof parapet and pulled myself over it. Quinn landed slightly in front of me. “What is it Myra?”

  I pointed at all the clawed footprint impressions in the warm tar roof. “This is where they waited. Like they knew, he would be down by the Cafe. They were waiting for him! It was a trap.”

  She was leaning over the roof edge and calling down to Tanner, “You'll need to get your CSU up here, this was their staging ground for the attack.”

  All the residual magics here were the same, fetid and twisted. I looked over the edge toward the Cafe. I mused out loud, “But how did they know he'd be down there?”

  Quinn supplied, “He told Tanner he was following someone who didn't feel right. He was led here. This was a well laid ambush. But... I wonder if he was the actual target...”

  I squinted at her in confusion and she added, “That trap in the woods was pretty damn powerful and it resisted fire. Like they knew, you'd be there. Only you, me, and Mei can wield fire. I think Francisco's murder was meant to draw you out here.”

  I blanched at that thought. I whispered, “It has to be George.” She didn't disagree, but she didn't look fully convinced either.

  She said, “Well either way, we need to get you someplace safe until we can determine...”

  I cut her off, snapping in anger, “No fecking way are you secreting me away when someone is murdering me dragons Agent Trask!”

  She looked at me and tilted her head slightly like she did when she was trying to convince me of something. “Myra, you need...”

  I finished. “I need to find the murderer and make sure he can't do this to anyone else!”

  She almost growled at me, knowing the futility of arguing with me. “Fine, but either me or my team is by your side at all times and you do exactly what I say!”

  I grinned in triumph and my sharp temper disappeared just as quickly as it flared. “I'll be agreeing to just one of those conditions.” Then I just jumped off the roof and landed lightly in a three-point stance on the sidewalk below leaving her wondering which one I had agreed to. She landed beside me in a thud and sound of granite scraping on concrete. The granite faded from her legs and we rejoined Tanner and our task-force who were coordinating with Tanner's men and the Colorado State Patrol.

  We relayed what we found and he led us to a patrol car and detached the laptop mounted to the dash and typed on it for a second then put it on the hood of the car as he said, “This is the security footage from the cafe right up to the moment of attack, before all the cameras in the area went to static.”

  We watched people in th
e cafe and sitting at the outdoor tables. Then through the window we could see Francisco walking and looking as if he were trying to be inconspicuous. He was right in front of the cafe and was reaching for a man's shoulder. It seems this was the person he was shadowing.

  Just then his head snapped right and we heard him exclaim something that we couldn't make out since he was outside. Then his head shot upwards and I saw water start traveling up his arms, his hands were in tight fists as shadows began falling on him from above, then the static started. There was no video, but there was still audio.

  There was the screeching and hissing of gargoyles and griffons, the deafening roar of thunder from lightning strikes. People were screaming through the sounds of the battle that ensued. Then the warbling roar of a water dragon. We could hear scrabbling and thuds and the sounds got farther and farther away. Then the picture came back to an almost deserted cafe. We could see a gargoyle flopping around in the middle of the street with its wings and two of it's feet torn off. People were hiding behind their tables.

  I closed my eyes, willing my tears away. There were so many emotions... I chose the anger. Quinn was rewinding and she slowed the action down. We watched the portion with Francisco following the man who stopped in front of the cafe. The man turned slightly to the right as if to acknowledge someone. This is what seems to have tipped Francisco off to something.

  Quinn froze it and zoomed in on the man's face. This was only a civilian camera but at least it was high definition. She couldn't zoom much without it pixelating too much, but we were able to make out the man's face beneath his dark hoodie. He looked to be a brutish boxer type. Shaved head and tattoos all over his face.