by Nikki Frank
Rubbing the tears away, I went back to Yumiko. “How about Emmett? He wasn’t anything more than drained, right?”
She took out the writing pad again. Emmett and Elita are fine. They’ve been tending to you for almost four days.
“Four days?” I yelped and clapped a hand over my mouth as Elita stirred. “Sorry.”
Yumiko nodded. Recovering from injuries as severe as yours takes a good deal of time, even with fairy magic.
Talon and Omri didn’t wake until the next afternoon. I spent the day poking around the woods curiously. Having a red sun intensified all colors into jewel tones. But otherwise Setmyth forest could have passed as earthly woods, filled with trees like oaks and firs. Birds and squirrels darted around about their business. The setting would have been pretty if I hadn’t been so worried.
Without Omri’s particular talent of finding magic geysers, Emmett had taken to giving everyone power. I wanted to laugh when he kissed the passed-out Omri and Talon. But my stomach felt tight and slightly sick when he fed Elita. He took her face in his hands and gave her a gentle kiss which was uncomfortable to watch.
Elita had changed the most through the aftermath of the attack. I had thanked her for saving me and the others and for caring for us for days. I figured she’d blow my gratitude off but instead she blushed and tentatively reached for me. The next moment lavender hair tickled my nose as Elita hugged me.
“I didn’t like you when we met,” Elita started.
I tried to keep from rolling my eyes. Obviously, she still needed a bit of practice.
“But you’re a good person like Omri and Yumiko,” she continued. “And you carried Omri all the way out even when you were hurt, just for me.” She squeezed me again. “Thank you. If you decide you want to stay in the Central Borderlands, I’ll give you a job and see your magic rations are taken care of.”
I gaped at her. “Are you kidding? That’s a huge offer. I don’t even know what to say. Thank you.”
She smiled. “I’m happy to be in a position to reward my friends.”
Feeling gushy and impulsive I squeezed her hand. “Friends, for sure.”
I worried I might have over stepped but Elita turned pink and giggled. “I’ve never really had friends before. I’m so excited.”
“Me too.”
Omri really knew his stuff. She was taking one hell of a polish. All the challenges were certainly getting the job done and each time she conquered one she shone a little brighter. Her feelings made me bubbly inside, too. I had my first female friend.
My ears perked after we’d settled in for the night. Talon, laying in his sleeping bag beside mine, moaned. I reached over and grabbed his hand. “You’re okay, Talon. I’m here.”
“Livy?”
“Yeah. Do you need anything. Do you hurt? Can I―”
“Slow down? That would be great, because my head is spinning.”
He rubbed his temples and let his fingers drag down his face. They paused on his neck. He gave me a startled look and tears crept into my eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” I burst out. “I couldn’t see and because of me you have scars all over your neck. I’m a failure as a partner. I’ll understand if you want to break off our working together.”
He stared at me. “Is that what you think?” he croaked. “I’m alive because of you. What part of saving me is failing? You fought blind against a herd of sigbin to help me. I don’t want to break off our work relationship. Just the opposite. I don’t want to work with anyone but you.” His blush even showed in the firelight. “I mean, if you want to work with me. I know you don’t think I’m ideal.”
I put a finger to his lips. “I trust you, implicitly. I’ll work with you and I won’t give you crap anymore.”
He’d scooched very close to my face. “I can’t make the same promise.” His lips were so close they were almost touching mine. “I like giving you crap too much to stop.”
“I meant about work.” I wasn’t backing away. Strange. “I’ll never stop giving you crap about your crappy personality.”
“Partners, then?” he whispered.
“Yesss . . .” Heat flared in my chest. “But being partners doesn’t mean we’re more.” Though for some reason I still didn’t back away. He slipped a hand behind my head. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back into his hand. “It’s just business,” I whispered.
“Of course,” he murmured, his lips brushing mine.
Fire rippled through me at his touch and I leaned toward him, cementing the kiss. He gave a low moan and pulled me tighter. Firelight flickered and in the forest, crickets trilled, like a scene from a movie.
I slapped down the voice in my head asking if I really wanted to be doing this with a man who, two weeks ago had me wanting to throttle him. I wasn’t going to listen to my head. I was going to listen to my heart. Without my head’s permission my picky, impish heart had found space for Talon. At least I knew toyols were wired similarly. He wouldn’t be taking this lightly, reducing the risk of my being hurt. My head could handle that logic, and I gave myself up to being well kissed.
Chapter 12
I woke in Talon’s arms and stretched, jumping slightly at the touch of a body next to mine first thing in the morning. And a bit wary to tell the truth. I got a firm kiss to the back of my neck.
“Out of my sleeping bag,” he ordered. “I’ve gotta go, unless you like waterbeds.”
I rolled my eyes. What a Talonish way to ruin a moment. I scrambled out of the bed and blushed to find the others staring openly. “I . . . Nothing happened. We just . . .”
“Whatever.” Emmett shrugged. “You two are weird enough you might work together.”
Omri winced and grabbed his chest as he sat up. “Now that everyone is up we need to get moving. Sitting around only gives Zaemon time to arrange something worse.”
I pointed around at our weary and injured ranks. “Are we even still up to this?”
“We don’t have a choice. We can’t keep taking on legions of evil ourselves. We’ve got to find the unicorn and get them partnered. Bonding them is the only way to stop the attacks.”
I crossed my arms. “Do we really have to do this by ourselves? Isn’t Elita’s father the next thing to king? Can’t he fight the demon lord’s forces for her?”
Omri shook his head. “You would have her father take the entire region to war over this?”
“Well, no. I thought―”
“No,” Omri snapped. “If you value Emmett, don’t even bring such a plan up. My Lord would easily have him killed to ensure peace. He wouldn’t flinch at the loss of one man to save thousands.”
“Omri’s right,” Elita added. “Father indulged me with this in the first place. He won’t give more help than he already has. If we make ourselves a nuisance he’ll be rid of the whole issue.” She glanced meaningfully at Emmett.
“Okay. Then what’s the plan?” I asked.
We set off in the direction Omri indicated, but we moved tediously slow. Omri labored to breathe and Talon frequently winced as he turned his head. In less than an hour even my scars had begun to burn. I scurried forward and grabbed one of Omri’s wings which were now dragging behind him.
“This isn’t going to work. We’re in no shape to fight and we’re going way too slowly.”
He shot me a sharp look and dropped to the ground, head, tail, and wings hanging. “What would you suggest?” His tone held a definite bite.
“Isn’t there somewhere we can hide until we’ve had a chance to heal?”
Omri shook his head. “After Zaemon finds his sigbin wiped out, his minions will track us down. Every time we defeat something he gets a better idea of our strength. Which of course we no longer have. The only hope I can see is to try and stay ahead of him.”
I crosse
d my arms and shook my head. “Then we’re not thinking hard enough. Because we’re not going to win when he shows up. At this rate, we might as well set up a comfortable camp and at least enjoy ourselves as we wait for the inevitable. Or we can use our brains and come up with something else.”
Talon patted my head and flopped down next to Omri. “As much as I hate to admit my own weaknesses, Livy’s right.”
My tail lashed behind me in frustration. “Is there some way to send a message to the unicorn and get him to come to us?”
“We could try.” Omri frowned. “But they’re very elusive and not particularly accommodating. Usually they grant requests like ours to get visitors to clear off.”
“Good.” I’d started pacing little circles. “You work on a message. I’m going to think. I’m not going to sit around and let a demon lord toy with me.”
I was still pacing when the forest around us fell silent. I glanced over at Talon and Omri, but they were staring past me, their mouths hanging open. I spun, reaching for my blade. The sight which met my eyes left me nearly wetting my pants. A pair of dragons grinned wickedly at our group.
They were smaller than I would have expected, their serpentine bodies ran about fifteen feet from snout to tail. Each had four equally sized legs, with clawed toes. They sported horns which glittered as viciously as the gleaming tips of daggered teeth peeping from their lips. The right-hand dragon had purple scales so dark they almost shone black. The other was an equally dark blue.
We all backed in around Elita and Emmett out of reflex rather than reality. Even in top form the four of us fighters wouldn’t have stood a chance against a pair of dragons. The purple dragon stepped forward and gave us a frightening smile.
“Put down your weapons and come with us peacefully. Lord Zaemon wishes to speak with you. All of you. If you do this, you will remain unharmed.”
I blinked in surprise. Her voice rolled through the air, carrying power and intimidation, but there was no mistaking the femininity. I’m not sure why it never occurred to me female dragons existed, but the reality shocked me.
Elita pushed past us and stood between us and the dragon. “You understand who I am, right? Taking me or harming me is tantamount to a declaration of war.”
The blue dragon gave a chuckle, which churned my stomach with vibration. “Yes, little fairy. We’re aware of who you are. Lord Zaemon has taken this into consideration. You’ll need to come with us. You’ll be hard for your father to rescue in pieces.” He inclined his head toward all of us. “My sister did not properly introduce us. I am Farak, and this is my sister, Ferika. If you agree to come peacefully, you are to be escorted as guests. Lord Zaemon has business with you.”
Omri stood. “And if we refuse to do business with a demon lord?”
“Then we’ll be staying to lunch.” Farak tightened his claws on the dirt, running a tongue across his teeth.
Ferika snickered. “Don’t worry, we’re quick eaters. We don’t play with our food.”
Omri sighed. “We will come.”
“Zaemon has a really loose definition of guest, doesn’t he?” I snorted. I caught flashing dragon eyes at my impertinence as well as a painful grip from Talon.
“Don’t piss them off,” he hissed at me.
Farak gave us a grin exposing his impressive set of teeth. “You will ride three apiece on us.”
He flattened his back to where we could climb up and I scowled at the glistening scales incredulously. How was I supposed to hang on to a back as slick as polished metal? Talon pushed me up on Farak’s back and then helped pull Yumiko up. Emmett, Elita, and Omri climbed aboard Ferika. A moment later both dragons took off and the forest fell away beneath us.
Talon’s nose jammed in my ear as we clung to the dragon’s back. “Whatever happens, I’m glad we met.”
“Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?” I tried to swallow my heart which had somehow ended up in my throat.
“Oh, Livy.” His voice was tight and sad. “Dragons are unforgiving, cunning, and excellent liars.” He choked on the rest. “I . . . can’t believe how deeply I care about you. I wish we could have had longer.”
He ran the tip of his nose along my ear, and despair choked me.
“Oh God, Talon. Please, don’t do this. If you’re waiting for me to say the same, I won’t. Because I just chose a partner. That’s a huge decision for an imp. I’m going to work with my partner for years yet. And I can hardly believe he’s saying things which sound like he’s given up.”
I pressed my back into Talon’s chest. “Seriously,” I whispered. “My partner is one of the most infuriatingly stubborn and feisty people I know. He pisses me off and still somehow demands I like him at the same time. He’s brave, to the point of foolish. And I’m wondering where he went to right now.”
“That’s not fair, Livy.” Talon gave my waist a squeeze so hard it hurt. “The Talon you’re describing didn’t have a partner. He only had to watch his own back. Now I need to watch out for you, too. Do you not understand how much I care? You have to. These feelings are not much different for a toyol than an imp. If you got hurt, I’d be crushed. And . . . and I can’t see this ending well. I’m not quitting. I will stand between you and the dragons if necessary, but I wanted you to know how I feel just in case. I want this partnership to go on for years, as well. I want to make you say out loud that you want more than a partner from me. I . . .”
His voice fell away as we began to descend toward what I assumed to be Zaemon’s palace. The whole building, nearly a city, shone in the sunlight. The palace looked like a three-dimensional scene from a stained-glass window. Nothing like what I would have expected from a demon. I’d been imagining cruel spires of black stone and green slime and toadstools.
We landed on a large terrace, overlooking the glittering sea. I slid from Farak’s back. Talon slipped his hand in mine, his slick with sweat. He must know more than I did, not being from the Borderlands and all. Though, in this case I couldn’t say I wanted to know what had him so worked up. The old saying ignorance is bliss might have held a point.
Once Ferika’s passengers were on the mosaic pathway she led the way down a glimmering hall. Farak herded us from behind. Colored shafts of light cut through the hall. Under other circumstances the palace would have been breathtaking. My breath was certainly being taken away. Unfortunately, not by beauty. Apprehension had wrapped bands around my chest and the squeezing hurt.
We’d taken so many turns I’d completely lost track of where in the labyrinth of a palace we were. I got so lost it almost came as a relief when we entered what was clearly a throne room. Almost, because in the throne at the center, sat Zaemon.
The figure on the chair blew my expectations out of the water. His looks were as incongruous to the term demon lord as the glass palace was to the demon lord’s castle. Maybe because I’d been raised on Earth, but when anyone mentioned the demon lord I expected some sort of CGI monster: horns, bat wings, fire issuing from the mouth. Or the other portrayal of the sleek, sexy villain. This man was neither. Okay, so he had wine-red skin, but otherwise he was a pudgy man, dressed in khaki slacks and a Hawaiian shirt. Two small horns peeped from canary yellow hair which exactly matched his eyes and he had dragon-like claws for feet.
His evil aura nearly brought up lunch. And black scorch marks dotted the glass floors around his throne. The remains of his victims. Only a fool would underestimate this man. He sat up causing his buttons to pull against his paunch.
“Welcome. Welcome.” His voice was nasal and oily in a suave gangster sort of way. He rubbed his hands together gleefully. “I’m so glad you decided to accept my invitation.”
Farak and Ferika stood with their bodies curved in a U-shape nesting the six of us inside, leaving no way to run. Zaemon ambled toward us, slowly looking each of us over. When he reached our g
roup he held his hands out in front of us like warming them over a campfire. As he did I felt a wash of alien magic probe at my own. He gave us a sleek smile.
“Now that I know who is who, let’s separate you.” He went to Emmett first, running a hand lightly across his cheek and tipping Emmett’s face up. “My beautiful source. So nice to finally meet you. And they’ve prepped you so much better than I could have hoped. You’ve been keeping your companions alive, haven’t you?”
Emmett didn’t move.
“Powering so many has forced your connection to widen. You are now pouring fourth so much magic. How truly delightful. You will be such an asset to me.” He pushed Emmett to the side of the main group.
“Dear child of my rival.” Zaemon took Elita’s hand and kissed it. “You are lovelier than I expected. How pleased I am.” He pulled her off to the opposite side from Emmett. Then he caught the rest of us in his stare.
His yellow eyes were mesmerizing, and I found I couldn’t look away. “You four must be the guards then. And what exceptional guards you are. To have gotten past all I’ve sent for you.” He took a deep breath as if smelling us and gave a satisfied sigh. “And all so young as well. Still plenty of time to develop your talents properly.”
He stepped back and addressed the group. “I’ve been impressed by your feats and it takes much to impress me. Especially after you wiped out an entire company of my personal guards. Originally, I had plans for only the source. And while those have not changed, I have readjusted my other plans.”
He folded his hands behind his back and stared at me. The power in his eyes pressed down on me. “You took out the diablita I was grooming for a wife. I’m now without a partner. But I will forgive this since your little band has brought me such a divine replacement.”