by Ann Gimpel
Daide rolled his eyes. “Since when did you turn into my parent? It’s been bad enough playing the other half of the Odd Couple with you for twenty plus years. Besides, even if you’d been standing guard, it wouldn’t have mattered. You wouldn’t have had any better luck pounding sense into me than my coyote.” Daide slumped against the wall, looking cowed. “I was fascinated. When I realized it was talking with me, I got sucked in. I’m still not sure how it happened.”
The area around Daide grew taut with pulsing magic until a shadowy coyote with russet fur formed. Its paw flashed out, and four bloody streaks formed on Daide’s cheek. The magic dissipated as quickly as it had risen.
Karin rushed toward him; he waved her back. Blood welled down the right side of his face, but he didn’t try to staunch its flow. “I deserved that. My bond animal marked me. It’s a warning to any others who would seek to disrupt our bond.”
“Thank the goddess it didn’t decide you’re more trouble than you’re worth,” Aura muttered.
“You may not believe me, I’m grateful for its loyalty as well.” Daide staggered slightly and turned toward his cabin. “I’m going to throw cold water on my face and pull myself together. Nothing like coffee and humiliation for breakfast.”
Recco watched him go. “Don’t take too long,” he called after his retreating form. “We have other problems.”
Daide didn’t even turn around. “’Fraid my problem cache is full up, amigo. Solve whatever this one is without me.”
Chapter Nine: Only One Wee Problem
Zoe swallowed hard. At least Daide was safe. If they hadn’t shown up when they did, it was anyone’s guess what might have happened. Daide had been deep in the creature’s thrall. If it hadn’t been trying to woo him, gain his trust, he’d have moved back inside. As it was, they were damn lucky he hadn’t vaulted over the rail when the four of them stormed him. If he had, they’d never have pried him from the monster’s clutches.
“What is that thing?” Recco asked in a strangled-sounding voice.
“Sea dragon,” Ketha said. “It might look the same, but it’s in a whole different universe than sea serpents.”
“When did you come to that conclusion?” Zoe’s voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. It didn’t get rid of the thick places, though.
“Between the outside deck and here,” Ketha replied. “It’s not like there are a whole lot of choices. If it was a plesiosaur, like it told Daide, it wouldn’t have magic, now would it?”
“Daide needs to know.” Recco turned to follow his friend.
“No, he doesn’t,” Karin said. “At least not right away. He feels bad enough about what happened. No rush to add information. It’s not like he’s going to sneak back out on deck and give in to the thing.”
“This pretty much kills stopping at McMurdo, huh?” Aura moved closer to Recco.
“There’s another wrinkle,” he muttered.
“Only a single wee problem? Sure and we can uncover more than one.” Zoe tossed her hood back and unzipped her red, insulated parka.
“Your sarcasm isn’t useful.” Ketha sent a pointed glance scudding across the space between them.
“What’s the wrinkle?” Karin asked.
“A doctor at McMurdo requested asylum for herself and nine others.”
“Asylum from what?” Karin set her mouth in a harsh line.
“I have no idea.”
“How is it only ten people are left at such a huge research station?” Aura asked.
“Don’t have that answer, either,” Recco replied. “Some died, but the doc gave Juan and me the impression the others had lost their minds. Deranged was the term she used.”
“Deranged, eh.” Zoe shifted from one booted foot to the next, not liking the sound of any of this.
“Anyway”—Recco hurried on before they could pester him to death with questions—“Juan asked for a list of names of the asylum-seekers. Viktor wants a whole lot more than names. He wants to know their positions at the base. The doctor is supposed to get back to us sometime before midnight.”
“I don’t see how we can motor across the bay, pick up a bunch of refugees, and motor back without the sea dragon raising hell,” Karin muttered.
“Sorry. Left that part out.” Recco gazed at them out of worried dark eyes. “Apparently McMurdo has several aluminum boats with outboard motors. Juan told the doc she’d have to find her own way out to us. She knew about the serpent...er, the dragon. Didn’t seem surprised it was patrolling their inlet.”
“Unless she commands magic,” Zoe spoke slowly, “she’d have no idea dragon was even in the running for what the thing really is.”
Ketha made a sour face. “There go all those plans we hatched up.”
“Don’t be so quick to toss them out.” Zoe felt protective of their earlier strategy session. The creak and clank of the anchor chain blasted her.
“It appears we’ve arrived,” Recco muttered.
“We’ll be here for a few hours,” Aura said. “I’m going up to the bridge to see if there have been any new developments. Like further radio contact from McMurdo.”
“I’ll join you,” Ketha said. “Viktor will want a full report on Daide.”
“What are you going to tell him?” Recco seemed to have moved past his shock and accompanying disbelief about the sea serpent being a sentient dragon.
“Everything.” Ketha trotted up a nearby set of stairs with Aura right behind her.
He rubbed a hand across his stubble-covered chin. “I’m still trying to absorb dragons being real, although I’m not certain why they’re any harder to accept than Vampires.”
“Or Shifters?” Zoe couldn’t rein in her sarcasm, and she kicked herself for being a bitch. Her cheeks heated, and she mumbled, “Sorry. It came out wrong.”
He moved closer to her. “You hail from the British Isles, traditional home of dragons. How about telling me what you know about them?”
Still in a foul mood, she twisted to face him. “Och, ye mean the fire-breathing bastards that swoop down and scoop up unsuspecting virgins.”
“The same.” His grin was infectious. “Although I imagine they spent more time filching sheep, goats, and cattle than virgins. Easier to find.”
“Pfft.” Karin shook her head. “I can skip the mythology refresher. I’m going to check on Daide. Make sure he’s not beating himself up too badly.”
“Might be a good call,” Recco said. “He tends to be harder on himself—less tolerant of mistakes—than anyone else would be. Whenever one of his patients died, he’d spend days—sometimes weeks—doing a post-mortem to determine if he’d missed something critical.”
“An endeavor he and I have in common,” Karin muttered and walked down Deck Three’s main corridor, her tread heavy and purposeful.
Zoe felt Recco’s gaze on her. It pleased her and made her self-conscious at the same time. He was a damned attractive man, but he’d seen her at her worst. Daide’s words about humiliation being served up with breakfast skirted close to what she’d felt like when she’d given in to the lyre and its hypnotic pull.
“Shall we stop by the kitchen?” Recco angled his head to make better eye contact. “We could get a nice cup of something hot, and then you can teach me about dragons.”
A small shiver that had nothing to do with being cold slid down her spine. At least he hadn’t suggested holding their tutorial in a cabin. Tongue-tied and awkward as a sixteen-year-old on her first date, Zoe turned and almost ran down the nearby stairwell. To cover her confused feelings, and push past her attraction for the man behind her, she said, “The first dragons actually hailed from China. At least I believe they did.”
Zoe shouldered into the galley and plucked two mugs off hooks, handing one to Recco. He stuck his beneath the coffeemaker’s spigot and nodded approvingly when dark, fragrant liquid dribbled into his cup. “Not much left. Enough for one cup, though.” He tilted the machine to encourage what was inside to trickle out.
Zoe poured hot water ove
r tea leaves and stirred in a small spoonful of sugar. “Ready?” She glanced his way.
“Lead out.”
She walked through the swinging door and made her way to one of the corner tables. Recco sat across from her.
“How come you’re not tossing questions at me?” she asked and took a sip of tea. The hot liquid tracked down her throat, its taste and scent reminding her of the home she’d never see again.
He shrugged. “Not sure what to ask. I figure there are two distinct lines of logic here. Dragon myths and real dragons. They must be related.”
“Aye, they are. Men have reported dragon sightings forever. In truth, I have no idea whether the Asian or European variety came first. When the world grew smaller and explorers from the Orient discovered Europe—and vice versa—they uncovered common mythologies. Dragons were an element in many folktales.”
“Have you ever seen one? Before today, that is.” Recco set his cup down.
“Nay. If we had access to any of the Shifters’ archives, though, we could research when the last dragon sightings were. I also have no idea what percentage are the seagoing variety.”
“Mind if I run something by you?” He arched a dark brow.
“Not at all. I apologize for how short I was with you earlier. The women and I were finishing up with plans to deal with anything unusual at McMurdo when my coyote howled a warning. Before I could question it, a huge wave of power splatted against us. Ketha was first to react. She pounded out of the bar at a dead run with us strung out behind her.”
“The magic left a trail, huh?”
“Aye, one I’d have been able to follow even after death.”
A troubled look washed over his face. “Why didn’t I feel it?”
“You must have. ‘Twas only a few moments afore you showed up.”
“I was on the bridge. I saw the four of you drag Daide away from the rail and came as fast as I could. No magic in play at all.”
He looked so chagrined, she laid a hand over his where it rested on the table. “Magic has physical properties. If you weren’t in its direct path, you wouldn’t have sensed it.”
“Or maybe I’ll never be any good at this.” He dragged his hand from beneath hers. “I never cared about developing competence as a Vampire. Bare bones ability was plenty to satisfy me.” Something naked and raw ran beneath his words.
Her heart hurt for him. “Viktor and Juan were on the bridge with you. Right?” At his nod, she went on. “They didn’t feel the magical barrage, either. Believe me, if they had, they’d have reacted to it.”
A corner of his mouth turned down. “Just because I’m not the only inadequate one doesn’t make me feel better. Don’t mind me. I’m worried about Daide, and it’s sent me into a funk.”
“Och, and I know all about ill moods. Mine erupted all over you earlier. Back to dragons?”
“Sure. When you’re starting with nothing, any information is valuable.”
“Insofar as I know, no one’s reported a dragon sighting—real or otherwise—since the early 1800s.” She took a measured breath and smiled ruefully. “Modern life spelled the death of magic, or at least sent it underground. Each new scientific discovery made it harder to justify the existence of anything science couldn’t dissect or explain.
“Along with the rise of science came far less tolerance for incidents eventually labeled as mental illness. Trances, predictions, even channeling psychic energies to heal illness became suspect occurrences.”
“It was true in Argentina too,” Recco murmured, looking thoughtful. “Shamans were common in my grandfather’s time. They’d vanished—or gone underground—by the time I was old enough to understand such things.”
“Aye, and so we killed all the mysteries. Bully for us, eh?” She closed her teeth over her lower lip feeling sad—and angry. “Along the way, we cut ourselves off from our most valuable resource: belief in the unseen world.”
“My mother’s father said much the same.”
“How old were you when he died?”
“Ten. He left very specific instructions for what he wanted done with his body.”
Zoe tilted her head to one side. “Let me guess. He wanted his remains cremated.”
“How’d you know?”
She shrugged. “’Tis the only reliable way to be certain your enemies can’t nab a bit of your essence, take it into themselves, and block your entry to the next world. My area of specialization as an archaeologist was native and indigenous peoples.”
“Any particular reason you picked them?”
“Of course. They still believed in magic.” Zoe tamped back a shy smile.
He narrowed his eyes. “Is there a link between dragons and death rituals?”
“Because dragons command fire? It’s a tantalizing connection, except they didn’t normally dabble in human affairs—unless they wanted something.”
Drawn in by Recco’s sincere expression and dark, liquid gaze, Zoe felt safe enough to lower her guard. Not only was he so stunning she’d never get tired of looking at him, he had a razor-sharp intellect, and the ability to approach problems from many sides—
“Why was that?”
“Why was what?”
“Dragons. Why’d they avoid human affairs?”
His question redirected her to the last thing she’d said. “The closest I can come is it would be like a king paying heed to the lowest commoner toiling in his field. If dragons considered humans at all, I suspect they saw them as a pesky inconvenience or something to amuse them. Shifters didn’t fare much better.”
Recco spread his hands in front of him. “If it’s true, then why was the one out there”—he jerked his chin toward the windows lining one side of the dining room—“trying to lure Daide?”
Zoe shot to attention in her chair. “Holy godhead, ’tis a most excellent point.”
“Thanks. What does it mean? Is fell magic powering it? Hell, is it even real or only a collection of cells, like those monsters the sorcerer at Arctowski constructed?”
Karin strode through the door at the far end of the room. “There you are,” she called. “After talking with Daide, I’m convinced the serpent or dragon or whatever’s out there isn’t any more real than anything else we’ve come across.”
Zoe pushed to her feet. “Och we’ve dealt with plenty that’s real. Demons. Sirens. Vampires in stasis. It’s beside the point. What did Daide say that made you question the dragon?”
“It was trying to convince Daide to leave the ship and remain at McMurdo. Dragons fly or swim. Neither variety would have the slightest use for a scientific research base.”
“Aw crap.” Recco stood too. “Did you stop by the bridge first to let them know?”
“Uh-uh. You were closer, and”—she turned her copper eyes on Recco—“I thought you might want to talk with Daide. He’s still really morose.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. He expects a lot from himself. Always has. It made him a very good diagnostician because he was careful, went the extra mile for the tough cases, but his level of perfectionism cuts both ways. So did his control-freak inclinations.”
Zoe watched him walk away. Despite the uneven start, she’d been enjoying their conversation. And his company. Probably far more than she should.
“He’s a good man,” Karin said without preamble as soon as the dining room door shut behind him. “You could do far worse.”
Zoe’s face warmed, and she looked away. “We’re just getting to know one another,” she protested. “Rowana was the matchmaker among us.” The memory of her friend trickled through her like a sad, slow tide.
“Yeah. I miss her too, but not for her matchmaking skills. Something isn’t right about this place,” Karin muttered. “My magic is activated. My wolf is growling in the background. Hasn’t said much, though.”
Zoe snapped her fingers. “Daide’s coyote. It wouldn’t have been so upset it felt the need to show itself and mark him if the scaled fucker paddling around out there weren’t rea
l.”
Karin’s eyes widened. “Goddess’s teats. You’re correct. Then why the hell would the dragon bother with subliminal suggestion about the research base? On the rare occasions dragons went to the trouble to co-opt humans to their will, they took them flying.”
“Just before they unseated them, ensuring they fell to their deaths,” Zoe muttered. “Dragons were never our friends. If Daide’s as quick to heap blame on himself as Recco suggested, maybe you didn’t get the whole story from him.”
Karin stood and headed out the door. “Why titrate it?”
“Because he’d have felt like a selfish ass—and a prime idiot—if he’d told you he’d always wanted to live in the ocean with a dragon.” Zoe hustled out of the dining room, keeping pace with Karin. “I presume we’re headed for Daide’s cabin?”
“Where else? We need more information.”
The sound of raised voices reached Zoe a few doors away from Daide’s cabin. She knocked but didn’t wait for a response before pushing the door open. None of the cabins had locks. She’d thought it odd, at first. When she’d asked why, Juan quoted some regulation for ships in Arkady’s class.
The argument bouncing between the men cut off abruptly when she knocked. After she crowded inside with Karin, there wasn’t much more floor space. “What was the fight about?” Zoe crossed her arms beneath her breasts and dropped an obvious truth spell over Recco and Daide.
“What the fuck is that?” Daide batted at white-gold netting settling over him.
“To make certain both of us tell the truth.” Recco angled a hurt look Zoe’s way.
“I could have made it invisible.” Zoe battled impatience. “We have to figure out what’s going on here. No room for half of anything.”
Daide glared at her from haggard eyes. He’d never appeared worried about much of anything when he was a Vampire. Of course, Zoe hadn’t known him very well then, either. An inch or so shorter than Recco, he had a more compact build with broad shoulders and a square jaw. Same dark hair and eyes, though. And same Native features.
Karin sidled between Zoe and the men. She stabbed an index finger into Daide’s chest. “Your bond animal is convinced the sea creature is real. I trust it way more than I trust you.”