She went about telling me of the murders. She said with a measure of pride, “Young Thomas wiped out her horde and actually landed a blow on Morgan herself. She is injured. But she turned her magics on the people fleeing the scene. Thomas was forced to turn his attention to them to protect the innocent people. She hurt him then. They battled down the street, he tried to get to the reservoir where he could overwhelm her with water magic.”
She took a deep breath. “An entire city block was leveled when she brought down what witnesses say looked like a thousand lightning bolts at once, dozens of people were killed. He took the brunt of it shielding a group of people. Nobody knows how, but he was still struggling to get to the reservoir until dozens of twisted trees impaled his body.”
Merlin looked pale and green around the gills as he whispered hoarsely, “The lightning is my magic which she stole.”
Quinn shook her head, fighting off a tear as she finished, “Thomas was one of the bravest and most valiant Drakon of our city.”
I cried into her shoulder. Thomas was no more than a boy. He was nineteen and in college. He didn't deserve this, he had his whole life to look forward to. I was mad and I was... scared. I buried my head in Quinn's shirt and inhaled deeply. The scent of safety chased away the fear. I straightened and then said in a dangerous tone, “I want her dead Quinn.” She nodded. Anger and malice were seething around inside me, threatening to overwhelm me.
Quinn got to her feet and moved over to the huge antique safe built into one wall. She ran her hand along the glossy black surface with the gold decorations and writing then turned the tumbler. She took a breath and opened the safe then brought a wicker basket out to me. I smiled at her. I love this woman so. The malice in my heart bled away.
I pulled back the soft red velvet cover and looked in at the glowing red crystal shards of the Fire Stone. I brought up my dragon senses and I could feel the life and magic surging around in the shards. Quinn knew this made me happy and relaxed me, knowing each of these was a Drakon spirit, waiting to be reunited with a descendant of my clan. I smiled broadly and grabbed two shards that were transparent crystal now. Two new dragons were born somewhere in the world since the last time I looked three days ago.
She smiled back at me, I know she could feel my maternal instincts through our bond. I thought about that as I looked at my spectacular mate. I wanted a child with her soon. I'll have to talk with her about it. Mei was grinning and leaned over and took the two clear shards from me and handed them over to James. He'd make sure they got back to the museum in Dublin.
Merlin was now standing over us, peering into the basket with a look of awe. I smiled up at him then over at Quinn. She tilted her head and motioned her eyes to the basket. I grinned like a giddy schoolgirl and started sifting through the shards, looking for one that was ready to... I stopped then lovingly picked one up.
It almost vibrated in my hands. I could feel the energy... the magic... the dragon soul inside trying to get out. It was ready to be reborn. I put my other hand out palm up and wiggled my fingers as I pushed my will out to it, caressing it, coaxing it out of the crystal. A ball of red magic flowed out of the shard and it rested in the palm of my hand, bubbling with energy and excitement.
Quinn took the now clear shard from me and handed it to James. We all looked on with smiles on our faces at the living spirit dancing in my hand. I stroked it gently and whispered to it, “There you go wee one. You're free now. Go find your body. I'll be seein' ya soon.” Then ball pulsated almost like it was thankin' me and then it zoomed around the room playfully then darted off through the skylight.
Mei giggled and placed her hands to her smiling lips like she was praying.
I covered up the other shards and handed the basket to my love. She returned them to the safe and closed the heavy door, then spun the tumbler before returning to my side.
Merlin spoke with an air of reverence in his voice, “The magic of creation itself. I thought I would never witness such as this. I thank thee for this Myra.”
I reached out and gave his hand a little squeeze and a smile. Then I turned to Quinn. “That's fightin' dirty, love.”
She shrugged with an innocent look on her face. “I don't like feeling your venom. Leave the violence to me that's what I'm here for.”
I leaned my forehead against hers then gave her a quick peck on the lips, “No Agent Trask, this is what you are here for.” I smiled as I stared into her twinkling eyes. Then I took a deep breath and sat back on the couch.
Quinn was in motion, talking to the various agents and police officers in the room. “Ok, I'm going to need all the information we have about the attacks, and I need it yesterday! Grove, we're setting up here as HQ, get what we need.” She turned to an officer. “We need all surveillance in a ten block radius of each attack, we need to know how she is getting around.” She clapped her hands together in rapid succession. “Come on people. Now. We have a psychotic magic user on the loose that we need to bring to justice!”
Then she added, “And for God's sake, can someone get Doctor O'Connel, some food? Her hunger is killing me!” I thought for a second. Me lord, she's right, I feel like I haven't eaten in a week! My stomach growled with comic timing. I looked at me girl as she took charge. I bit my lower lip in want. She was so sexy when she was doin' her thing!
She shot a silly look at me. I held my hands up in surrender. I know woman, not the time for thoughts like that. I smiled at her innocently. She just grinned and turned to coordinate with her team.
Chapter 11 – Diversion
After I had been fed, with what seemed like half the Denver Police force, FBI and Interpol watching in disbelief of the sheer amount of food I was shoveling in, I took a deep breath. I called over to Quinn, “Ok, now what can I be doin' ta help?”
She just simply said, “Stay safe.” Without looking back at me as, she stood with a ring of people around the kitchen table, sifting through enormous amounts of data and reviewing surveillance footage.
I almost growled. “I can't just be sittin' around doin' nothing ya know!” She stiffened a bit then turned and walked to me. She had the gleam of a hunter in her eye as she lovingly rested her hand on my arms. She whispered, “I need you safe. Leave this to me. I'll find her.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head in resignation. I whispered back, “I know love. But I can...” I paused and glanced over at Mei and James. “...WE can help. Let us go over the information with you. It is what we do. We find patterns and sift through data for a livin', ya know now.”
It was her turn to close her eyes then she nodded once and let go of my arms and walked back to the table without looking back at me. She looked at Dawna and said, “Grove, get copies of all of this to Doctor O'Connell's team.”
Mei almost clapped with excitement. James just tilted his long face at me in thanks. I knew they were feeling as useless as I was. I looked around then asked, “Where's Merlin?” This caused most of the room to look around, the wizard was nowhere to be seen.
Quinn got a call. “What the hell? Ok... get them into the abandoned warehouse Myra crashed into yesterday. Set up a perimeter.” She hung up and looked at the phone in her hand.
I shot a questioning look at her from across the room. She explained, “That was the ground floor team. There are hundreds of magic users, creatures, and fairies showing up downstairs. Seeking you out for asylum. They are terrified of Morgan. It seems Merlin is out there getting everyone to the one place he feels is safe. The home of the Queen of the dragons.”
She nodded once at an agent from the international task-force and the man was instantly on his radio, calling in reinforcements and heavy weapons to defend the block and all the newly arrived refugees at our place.
Then Quinn looked at Dawna. “Grove get out there and find the most influential people or creatures out there and see if anyone will volunteer to help guard the perimeter. We have virtually no defense against magic.” The blonde agent just nodded once and grabbed a couple
police officers then headed out the door.
I blinked. I wouldn't have thought of that. Then I had an idea, I spoke loudly over the new commotion in the room. “Morgan is after me water dragons. What if me earth dragons helped to guard the newcomers?”
Quinn turned slowly, deep in thought. She started nodding. “Good idea Myr... Doctor. Do it, but not too many I'll inform the perimeter guards.”
I nodded, and grabbed my mobile and started dialing. My heart was swelling with pride as the earth dragons of my Drakon clan didn't even hesitate to say they would be right here. I had called four of them and all four of them said yes instantly.
We went back to work sifting through the data. I was watching the surveillance video when I felt something that made me smile. I was running for the stairs to the roof. Quinn looked over as I said with pride in my voice, “Incoming!” My mate, Mei, James, and two other agents followed. Quinn somehow got in front of me and we opened the door to the roof. The sharpshooters around the roof turned to look at us then turned back to their jobs.
I pointed to the sky. A huge stone dragon was gliding on the wind currents, approaching quickly. Two more swooped in behind him. Then I turned the other direction and a fourth came swooping down toward the roof. A minute later, four men lightly dropped to the roof as their dragon aspects dissolved from around them.
I hugged each man. “Thank you for comin'. There's a lot of innocent magic users and creatures in that warehouse just there.” I pointed. “They're needin' the protection of the dragons of the Eire now, from the woman murderin' our kin, Morgan la Fay.”
The men nodded in determination. And Quinn said, to them and into her radio, “I need one dragon per side. The perimeter guard is one block out, coordinate with them.”
They nodded and simply dove off the roof and a moment later four granite dragons swooped up into the air in different directions. We watched as they landed on the surrounding rooftops near sniper teams. Then as one they raised their heads and issued a challenge to all. Their roars shook the ground and the windows shuddered, car alarms started going off for blocks. I almost had to cover my ears. I forgot I was still in dragon mode and my senses were expanded. I blinked my inner eyelids then my outer eyelids over my red dragon eyes. I looked around at the awe-inspiring sight. I whispered, “Me boys will protect them.”
Quinn grinned at me and took one last look, then satisfied she took my arm gently and led me back inside with the others directly behind. Before she left me to get back to her group, she said, “Wow.”
I grinned and nodded. “Aye, wow.”
I looked at the videos with fresh eyes now and noticed something. I grabbed the iPad and started sifting through the videos and felt the blood drain from my face. I must have been broadcasting because Quinn turned from the table to look at me and Mei was looking at me in concern. “Are you ok Myra?”
I nodded. “Sorry. Yes, just memories. I know how she is getting' around now.”
Quinn and a couple agents joined us and I started playing back some video from the first murder last night from almost two blocks away from the attack. I pointed at an alley entrance. “See?”
James shook his head and I zoomed in the best I could until it got too grainy and played it again. There was a little bit of motion. Some dust was kicked up and a few leaves were blown along the ground.
Quinn was shaking her head but then her eyes snapped wide as she took the tablet from me and zoomed back out. Seeing what I had, or what I had not seen either. There were no trees anywhere on the block in the frame of the camera. Where had the leaves come from? She muttered, “Shit.”
I nodded and grabbed the tablet back and found a couple more videos from a block or two away from two of the other murders. The same thing.
She muttered, “She's using Saint Geroge's leaf hurricane teleport spell.”
I shook my head. “No, he had no magic of his own, it was all stolen. It was most likely her spell all along.”
She looked around. “I wonder what the range of that thing is.”
James had his thinking face on. I looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow. Mei followed my gaze and asked, “Care to share with the class Stretch?”
He held up a finger and walked quickly over to the kitchen table to the city map spread out over it. He looked at the four locations marked on it and then absently asked, “Does anyone have any string?”
One man reached down and untied one boot and unlaced his shoe and handed the shoelace to James. We all peered in over his shoulder when James put one end of the shoelace on a pin he put in at the location of the camera by the alley, then measured to the next, then did the same for the other two camera locations. He continually measured the result against the map scale and jotted down some numbers.
Then he did some math and then put the string on the scale a few times until he got what he wanted and tied a knot there. Then he placed the end of the string on each camera pin again and with a pen, he held the string tight and drew an arc at the knot, repeating it for each location and they all crossed somewhere in the middle. He grinned and measured from the cross to a pin and then drew a circle that intersected all of the pins. It just missed the attack locations and the fourth attack was well within the circle.
Then he quietly said, “There is her range.” Then he stabbed a pin in the middle where the arcs crossed. “And that is where she staged it all from. That's why you only saw the leaves in three of the four areas. The cameras went to static before the attacks, but that fourth one she just went directly for the attack since she could reach her target when she teleported so the cameras were already staic.” Shite, he is a smart man, James is.
Mei was hugging his arm in adoration and I was nodding in appreciation. Quinn grabbed his arm and gave it a squeeze. Her radio was up and she was dialing on her mobile at the same time. “We need all assets mobilized to Fourteenth and Washington! Arcane incursion, ready state Red Alpha. I repeat Red Alpha.”
Someone muttered, “That's near Saint John's Cathedral!”
Quinn was already running to the door with a couple other agents in tow. She pointed at Dawna and then at me. Agent Grove nodded once and my detail got closer to me, Mei, and James. Quinn yelled back at me as the door was closing, “STAY here!” She reinforced it fiercely through our soul bond.
It hurt a little, we hunt together all the time. But I could already imagine her response in my head. “Not against someone who is hunting you!” The worst part of it all was that I knew she was right, but that didn't mean I had to like it!
Things got unnaturally quiet in the loft suddenly, people were moving around in an organized fashion. I got the sense of a veil of professionalism around us as everyone was doing their job, but under it all I could feel their excitement too... even though they were stuck here with me, they were still part of the hunt.
After a couple minutes, Dawna waved me over to the large tactical screen that was wheeled in earlier. A map bloomed on it and it and a mass of red dots showed a block from Saint Johns. Then one by one, feeds from the helmet cams of the squad leaders bloomed around the perimeter. My eyes snapped to the one labeled Quinn Trask.
I looked at the others in her squad, they were all geared up in body armor with cast iron plating, it had some sort of property that deadened magical attack. It didn't stop them, but seemed to disperse the effects and lessen the damage. Quinn, of course, had no body armor on. Through her feed, I saw her checking her team's gear and striking her hands down on their shoulder pads to let them know they were good to go.
I smiled when she got to Steve. No last name... just Steve. The big minotaur was the first mystical being to pass the accelerated training for the International Arcane Taskforce. His armor made him look like a huge tank and his bullish face and large horns made him look deadly. She slapped his shoulders then he turned around to her and she brought up her granite armor over her entire torso. Steve brought his huge fists down on her shoulders with a grin then she dissolved her armor.
; Everyone did a check with base. I smiled when Quinn checked in. There was some agent at the radios responding to their checks. Then Quinn said, “Team Alpha reconnoiter.” Then she and her five-man team. Well, four man and one bull team started down the block, leaving the main body of the assault team behind. A second extraction team shadowed them.
I couldn't have pulled my eyes from the screen if I wanted to. I could taste the predatory feelings in my mate from here. The only thing stronger was her sense of justice, guiding and molding that thrill of the hunt. I noticed I was breathing in time with her on the screen, my adrenaline was pumping too.
They checked all the buildings as they went, with hand-held video cameras. Then they would clear the buildings and corral any civilians. Men from the extraction team would lead the civilians out to a safe zone a couple blocks away. It was amazing watching this all unfold.
Every building in a two-block radius had been cleared, except the cathedral itself. Quinn's team approached with caution. She glanced up at the blocky Gothic structure then did a double take and moved the squad back behind the building and took another look. She slowly scanned the towers, maintaining radio silence. I didn't see anything. Then suddenly my eyes went wide and I pointed at the screen at the gargoyles lining the roof.
Dawna nodded and the communications officer relayed to the assault team. “Thirty hostiles on roof of St. Johns. Stone class.”
Quinn did some hand motions and one man darted off behind the building they were hiding behind as my protector herself used the trees along the approach to hide her from the creatures above. Something distracted the gargoyles from down the block, it sounded like someone banging on a trash can. The moment their heads turned, Quinn darted to the side of the cathedral, out of their line of sight.
I looked at Quinn's handheld camera feed as she raised it up to the window. Then I heard a collective gasp from around the room as we saw the entire church filled with gargoyles, griffons, a few scattered minotaur, and some bat-like creatures I couldn't identify. Then her camera and handheld went to static and all hell broke loose over the radios.
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