Determination and the Dragon (Redwood Dragons Book 4)

by Sloane Meyers

  “I appreciate your willingness to help,” he said. “But I’m sure our spies can handle this. That’s my final word on the matter. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go talk to the High Council. Thank you again for all your hard work, Harlow.”

  With that, Alfonso whisked out of the room in a flash, not even bothering to say goodbye to Myles, who was now left uncomfortably avoiding eye contact with a very angry wizard.

  “You!” Harlow said, pointing a finger emphatically in his direction. “I thought you had my back! Thanks for taking sides with our mean old boss instead of with me.”

  Harlow started shoving her papers back into her bag, tearing the edge of one in her haste and rage. Myles took a deep breath, desperately trying to figure out the right thing to say.

  “Harlow,” he said gently. “I’m sorry for taking Alfonso’s side, but I do think in this instance he’s right. This is going to be an extremely dangerous mission.”

  “I’m not afraid of danger,” Harlow spat out at him as she hiked the strap of her bag over her shoulder and started making her way toward the door. She turned just before she left the room to get in one last jab at him.

  “I’m surprised that you of all people are so worried about danger, anyway. I thought dragon shifters were supposed to be fearless.”

  With that, she left the room, slamming the door so violently behind her that one of the framed paintings on the wall shook. Myles let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair. He stared up at the ceiling for several minutes, absentmindedly looking at the smooth white surface while he pondered the situation.

  He was disappointed that his refusal to support Harlow’s desire to go to Devil’s Melt had caused a rift in the newfound peace between them. But he was happy with the way things had turned out. Someone else would be sent to recover the records, and, eventually, Harlow would forgive him for not backing her up today. At least he hoped she would. But regardless of how long it took her to stop being angry with him, he was not sorry for speaking up. This mission would be extraordinarily dangerous, and he couldn’t bear the thought of Harlow being in mortal danger.

  She’d been wrong when she said dragons were fearless. Oh, dragons were brave, to be sure. They were, perhaps, the bravest of all the shifters. But they weren’t completely fearless. They feared losing the people they cared about.

  And if there was anything the last twenty-four hours had taught Myles, it was that he cared for Harlow much more than he wanted to admit.

  Chapter Five

  Myles avoided his office for the next several hours, choosing instead to work alone in one of the giant, empty conference rooms. He thought it might be nice to give Harlow some space, since they hadn’t exactly left the meeting on good terms. He hoped that she would see his letting her use the office alone as an olive branch of sorts, although he had a feeling it was going to take a lot of olive branches for her to forgive him for not supporting her point of view in front of Alfonso.

  Thankful that he had his laptop with him, Myles opened it up and settled down to work. He reviewed the information Harlow had handed out at the meeting with Alfonso. He had already looked at the transcript of the recorded phone conversation, and at the list of organizations where records had been found. Harlow had attached some more papers to the back of the list of organizations, however, and Myles started looking through those papers now. He whistled in admiration as he saw that she had organized into detailed notes all of her observations on the shifters up in Devil’s Melt. She hadn’t been tracking the group for very long, and yet she’d already managed to learn a lot about them and how they worked. She had names for a few of them, and descriptions of personalities for others whose names she still hadn’t been able to learn. She had made a timeline as best she could of the actions Saul’s crew had undertaken since arriving in Devil’s Melt. She had a rough map of the areas they’d searched, and notes on what search methods they had used in each of those areas.

  Myles spent a good two hours studying Harlow’s notes. When he was done, he leaned back in his chair and once again stared at the ceiling, this time letting his mind drift off to everything he still needed to work on researching himself. He was supposed to have been working closely on the amethyst research with Harlow, but both of them had branched off on their own after she first moved into his office. Myles regretted that now. He should have been kinder to Harlow from the beginning, instead of acting like a spoiled brat who couldn’t handle sharing his office. What was done was done, though, and he could only hope that Harlow and he would still have opportunities to work together in the future.

  While Harlow had been doing her research, Myles had been researching incidents of unexplained magic to see if any of them might lead back to the dragon amethyst. The Advocacy Bureau kept a record of incidents where magic was used around humans but no wizard was ever found to be responsible. Most of the time, these incidents were chalked up to a lucky wizard managing to get away with the unlawful use of magic near humans. But Myles suspected that some of these instances were due to humans inadvertently finding and activating ancient magical objects. It was a long shot, but he’d thought that maybe one of those objects might turn out to be the dragon amethyst, or perhaps even the dragon ruby.

  So far, he hadn’t had much luck with finding anything that might be the dragon stone. He had, however, found some traces of unexplained magic that seemed to have hints of dark magic to them. Myles was not an expert in dark magic. In fact, he barely understood the basics. But he knew that Peter, the head wizard of the Falcon Cross High Council, suspected that Saul and his army were dabbling in dark magic. If this was true, then traces of unexplained dark magic might help them discover more about what Saul’s army was doing.

  Myles knew that dark magic slowly sucked away at the soul of the person using it, which was part of what made it so dangerous. Once all sense of humanity and decency was lost, someone using powerful dark magic spells was capable of committing horrible crimes against humanity. Eventually dark magic would destroy the person using it. But the Falcon Cross wizards were worried that Saul was going to cause irreparable damage to the shifter and wizard worlds long before his use of dark magic caught up with him and destroyed him from the inside out.

  Myles hoped that his own research would help the Falcon Cross wizards at least understand what types of dark magic Saul’s army was using. This would help them be better prepared to face it, a skill that was going to be important for any spies that the High Council sent to Devil’s Melt to try to recover the records of the dragon amethyst.

  Myles knew he wouldn’t be able to finish organizing all of his research today, but he figured it was better to go talk to the High Council sooner rather than later. Who knows how soon they would want to send out a group of spies? Myles wanted to be sure he at least presented a rough report of his findings before any Falcon Cross wizards left the village for Devil’s Melt.

  With a determined grunt, Myles sat up in his chair again and began gathering up his papers and laptop. He’d need to go by his office first to get a few things. Hopefully, if Harlow was there, she would be at least a little less angry with him than she had been earlier. Myles couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t exactly holding his breath that she’d forgive him completely, at least not this quickly. He’d seen over the last few days how stubborn Harlow could be when she felt strongly about something. And she obviously felt strongly about the fact that she was the best one for job of going to steal the amethyst records. Luckily for Myles nerves, Alfonso felt strongly the other way. Myles was glad he wasn’t going to have to spend the next several weeks worrying about whether she was getting caught up in a dark magic attack by the enemy.

  A few minutes later, Myles knocked gently on the door to the office he shared with Harlow. He didn’t need to knock, strictly speaking. After all, it was his office, and had been his first. But he thought that Harlow might appreciate not being startled, and he wanted to do everything he could right now to be nice to her.

 
There was no answer from inside, however. Myles knocked again, louder this time. But there was still no answer, so he finally pushed the door open. To his surprise, the office was empty and dark. He flipped on the lights, and saw that Harlow’s desk was neat and tidy, and her laptop and purse were not there. It almost looked like she’d left for the day, which shocked Myles a bit. Of course, Harlow certainly deserved to go home early today. She’d worked hard all night, and had presented information in the meeting this morning that had the potential to give Falcon Cross a chance to find the dragon amethyst before Saul. But in the time he’d shared this office with Harlow, Myles had never seen her go home early. She was always here before him in the morning, and she always left after him in the afternoon—and that was saying something, because Myles worked long hours himself. But Harlow was the hardest worker he knew.

  Myles frowned. Maybe she was even angrier than he thought about not being allowed to be the one to retrieve the amethyst records from Devil’s Melt. With a grunt of frustration, Myles crossed the room and sat down at his desk to quickly gather together what information he could about the dark magic traces he’d been researching. He told himself that he’d have to worry about Harlow later, even though that was much easier said than done. He couldn’t get her beautiful face out of his mind. How had he spent so much time in this office with her without trying to get to know her?

  He couldn’t worry about it now. His first priority at the moment was to get his research on dark magic to the High Council. Then he could leave for the day, and, perhaps, start figuring out a way to convince Harlow to speak to him again.

  Myles worked quickly, and a few minutes later he was walking out of the Advocacy Bureau with a folder of roughly organized papers in his arms. As he walked out to his SUV, he found himself scanning the parking lot to see if Harlow’s car was still there. But her little red coupe was nowhere to be seen, confirming that she had indeed left for the day.

  Feeling strangely dejected, Myles climbed into the SUV he was borrowing and fired up the engine. He made the short drive over to High Council Hall, mentally rehearsing what he would say to Peter when he got there. After parking, he checked his reflection in the mirror and smoothed back his hair. Even though he had worked closely with Peter over the last several months, Myles still always felt a sense of awe when he was in the great wizard’s presence. Many said that Peter was the greatest wizard in the world, and, although Myles hadn’t met many wizards outside of Falcon Cross, he found it hard to imagine that any wizard out there could be more impressive than Peter. Luckily for Myles, Peter held a great respect for the dragon shifters, and had insisted that they feel free to come to him any time they had concerns, big or small. Myles was taking Peter up on that offer now, and had a feeling that this concern fell more under the category of “big.” Myles knew enough to know that dark magic was no laughing matter.

  Myles walked up the long, impressive stairs that led to the entrance of the High Council Hall. This building was another part of Falcon Cross that never ceased to amaze him. Its tall dome stood proudly against the deep blue sky, and could be seen from almost anywhere in Falcon Cross. Its smooth stone sides shimmered in the bright early afternoon sunlight, and Myles could not help pausing for just a moment to admire the building’s beauty.

  Only for a moment, though. He had an important message to carry to Peter. Myles started taking the front steps two at a time, his strong legs carrying him easily up to the building’s front door. Myles swung one of the heavy doors open and stepped inside, relishing the rush of warm air that immediately hit his skin. Even though, as a hot-natured dragon, the cold January air didn’t bother him as much as others, today seemed to be a particularly chilly day. Myles was glad to be inside.

  He made his way toward Peter’s office by memory, walking swiftly down the hallway past the majestic banners hanging from the walls that were emblazoned with different crests and insignias from many Falcon Cross institutions. Myles recognized a banner embroidered with the Falcon Cross military insignia on it, and another with the official seal of the Advocacy Bureau.

  He turned from the main hallway into another smaller hallway, and toward the door of the office that was right next to Peter’s office. This was where Peter’s secretary, Jill, worked. She would know if he was in the middle of something important at the moment, or if he was not that busy and it was okay to knock on his door and interrupt him.

  “Good afternoon,” Jill said pleasantly as Myles walked in. “How can I help you?”

  “I’m here to see Peter,” Myles said as he closed the door behind him. He was about to explain his errand further to Jill when he saw something that stopped him in his tracks. Jill’s office was set up with a large waiting area full of comfortable plush chairs. And right now, in one of those chairs, sat Harlow.

  Myles had not noticed her car parked outside, and she had been the last person he’d expected to see when he walked into this room. She looked up at him now with a scowl on her face. Her expression was a mixture of anger and guilt.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, crossing her arms.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Myles said, raising an eyebrow at her. It was highly unusual for a wizard to come speak to Peter without an appointment, and Myles was relatively sure that Harlow would have mentioned it to him this morning if she had an appointment with Peter. Harlow didn’t answer him right away, but the guilty look in her eyes intensified. Myles eyes slid downward toward the folder resting on the chair next to Harlow. The folder was stuffed with papers, and looked similar to the folder Harlow had brought to the meeting with Alfonso this morning. Suddenly, everything clicked in Myles’ mind.

  “You’re going to ask Peter if you can go to Devil’s Melt, aren’t you?” Myles asked, his eyes widening. “You’re going behind Alfonso’s back to try to get Peter on your side.”

  “Yes, I’m going to ask Peter if I can go to Devil’s Melt,” Harlow said, standing to her feet and sticking her chin stubbornly into the air. “Because I’m the best wizard for the job. I know how those men operate. I’ve memorized all the details of the searches they’ve done—as many details as I’ve been able to recover, anyway. I’ll be able to retrieve the records faster than anyone else, and I’ll understand how to avoid detection by them better than anyone else.”

  “Harlow, it’s not safe,” Myles said, his voice rising a bit. Why did she have to be so stubborn? He knew that arguing with her was only going to make her even angrier at him, but he couldn’t stop himself. How could she not see how deep into evil Saul’s army was? It wasn’t just about sneaking in unnoticed. It was about sneaking in unnoticed and getting out without crossing any of the dark magic spells that had been cast. And, if Myles’ research was a good indicator, there were quite a few of those spells waiting to curse anyone who tried to cross the enemy. But before he could start in on a rant about dark magic again, Harlow beat him to the punch.

  “And don’t start trying to warn me about dark magic,” she said, coming to stand right in front of him and pointing a finger in his face. “I’m a wizard, remember? I know more about dark magic than you seem to think I do. And I’m not going to let evil spells scare me away from fighting for the side of good.”

  The bright ceiling lights above them reflected off her magic ring, which was a deep green tourmaline surrounded by tiny, rough diamonds. It was one of the most beautiful magic rings Myles had seen, and for a moment it distracted him. The thought crossed his mind that it was perfect for Harlow—a beautiful and unique ring for a beautiful and unique wizard. His heart clenched up when he realized how deeply he cared for her. He had watched a few of his clanmates find lifemates recently, and he’d been happy for them, sure. But he’d never really understood how they could feel so deeply about someone that they would actually want to spend their lives with that one person. He was beginning to see a glimpse of what they’d been feeling. When he looked at Harlow, he had the strange sensation that he was coming alive for the first time. He desp
erately wanted to hold onto that feeling, and onto her.

  “No one is saying that you’re scared, Harlow. But, come on. There are people specially trained to deal with these things. They can go look at all your notes and research and learn from it. You have to trust that they know what they’re doing, and that Alfonso has his reasons for wanting to send them instead of you.”

  “They won’t understand my research and notes as well as I do,” Harlow said, her voice rising. “And since when have you been on Alfonso’s side. The man has been a stressed out asshole lately. I can’t take anything he says or does seriously.”

  “Harlow, Myles, please,” Jill interrupted. “Keep your voices down. Peter can probably hear you shouting from his office next door.”

  “Indeed I can,” Peter said.

  Myles and Harlow whipped around to see that Peter was standing in the doorway of Jill’s office, a somewhat amused expression on his face. Everyone in the room, including Jill, had been so distracted by the argument at hand that they had not even noticed when Peter walked into the room.

  “Your Honor. I’m…I’m sorry,” Harlow stammered, embarrassed. “I didn’t realize how loud we were being.”

  “I’m sorry, your Honor,” Myles said, although he did not feel embarrassed at all. He’d had a reason for raising his voice, and he was not going to feel badly for wanting to protect Harlow.

  “It’s quite alright,” Peter said. “I had just finished up with my last meeting and was about to come over here to ask Jill whether I had any new messages or visitors. And it appears that I have two visitors! What a lucky wizard I am.”

  Peter’s eyes sparkled merrily as he spoke. Myles had always liked that about him. The old man was wise, and fierce when he needed to be. But he cared deeply for the citizens of Falcon Cross, and always treated them with kindness. He looked even happier than normal today, in his long white wizard robe that matched the white of his long white beard. He wasn’t wearing his wizard hat right now, so his long white hair was fully visible as well. His giant magic ring sparkled impressively on the finger of his right hand, and Myles couldn’t keep himself from staring at it for a moment. That ring had helped its owner perform some of the most powerful spells the wizarding world had ever seen, and the sight of it filled Myles with almost as much awe as the sight of Peter himself.