Page 48 of Magick and Lead (Dragons and Aces #2)

CHARLIE

“ B o? BO?” I called as we entered the farmhouse.

I couldn’t imagine what my cousin would think when he saw us come in, looking stressed, disheveled, and still wet with river water, with a dragon sniffing around the pasture and a dark mage held by Essa at knifepoint.

But the house was dark, and Bo was nowhere to be found.

We’d left him here alone as the spooks descended on the place, assuming they wouldn’t mess with him when they found we weren’t here.

But now, with each passing moment, my concern for him grew.

I made a lap of the house’s first floor, racing through rooms lit only by moonlight, my heartbeat thumping in my ears.

I was just swinging around a corner to dash up the stairs to the second floor when I heard a footstep and saw a figure coming down out of the darkness toward me.

I gripped my gun with both hands, ready to level it and fire.

But there was no urgency to the footfalls coming down the steps.

“Bo?” I said again.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he said in a tone that rebuked my impatience.

I lowered my gun with a sigh. “You scared the piss out of me, man. What were you doing up there in the dark?”

“I’m blind,” he reminded me. “What’s the point in turning on lights?”

That made sense, though I’d somehow never thought of it before. I’d hardly had a chance to reflect on how idiotic my comment had been when he emerged from the stairwell into the moonlight.

“God, Bo. Your face…” Both his eyes were swollen and ringed in purple, his nose was twice its usual width, and he had a nasty cut on one cheek that had been pulled together with a pair of band aids.

He chuckled. “That bad, eh?”

“The spooks?” I said.

He nodded. “They came right after you left. Didn’t like it when I told them I didn’t know anything about you and Essa.”

I groaned, anger flaring in me like a torch. I wished to God those spook bastards were still here. If they were, I’d beat them until they were blind. Instead, I put a hand on Bo’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten you mixed up in this. I didn’t think they’d do anything like that.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “We’re family. I’m already mixed up in it, Cuz. And don’t worry; I’ve been through worse. But enough about me. How did your mission go?”

“About as bad as your face,” I said, turning on a lamp. I gave him the shortened version of everything that had happened since we returned to Ironberg.

He frowned. “So, the prelate is here?”

“Yeah. Essa has him at knifepoint,” I said. “Sorry to bring more trouble your way.”

The phone rang suddenly, making both of us jump, and Bo’s expression darkened further.

“Well, your story explains why the phone has been ringing off the hook. The brass is looking for you. They say you’re supposed to report to flight duty immediately.

Apparently, there’s been a dragon sighting in the city. ”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. They’d have me out searching for myself. It was ironic. And yet…

I looked at the phone, still ringing on the side table, and rubbed my chin, thinking.

“You’re not thinking of going,” Essa said, entering the room with a hand on her hip.

“Aren’t you supposed to be watching Kortoi?” I asked, then peered around the corner to find him sitting demurely on the couch, his hands in his lap. He gave me his usual deranged smile.

“He’s not stupid enough to try to escape on foot when there’s a dragon outside,” she said. “Now what’s this about you going back?”

“They saw us taking Kortoi,” I said, “and sounded the dragon alarm. They’ll be sweeping up the coast, searching for you—and Othura. But if I’m leading the search…”

“But you were with me and Othura. Everyone saw you. How do you know this isn’t just a trick to lure you back?”

I paused, considering her words, then shook my head.

“Our government bureaucracy is a mess,” I said.

“No one talks to each other. I guarantee you the Air Force brass has no idea I was spotted with you at The Mint, yet—if anyone even recognized me there in the chaos. But the spooks are looking for us. And they do know this place. You can’t stay here. None of us can.”

“So… you could go back to the air base and lead them away from us…” Essa said, thinking out loud. “I take Kortoi as my prisoner and go across the sea to our base in Maethalia. Once I’m there, I force Kortoi to fix whatever he did to Othura.”

On the way to the farm, she’d explained why she’d spared Kortoi’s life—that he’d used his foul magick to poison Othura somehow.

“Right,” I nodded. “And once the coast is clear, I’ll fly to Maethalia and find you.”

We were both silent for a moment, turning the plan over in our minds to find flaws or alternatives.

“And I’ll walk to the bar at Pike Crossroads and drink Wilderton Ales until all this blows over,” Bo said. “I believe we have a plan. Let me just grab my cane…”

He slipped away down the hall.

Essa was watching me. I could see the machinery of her mind turning, making some great calculation.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

She shook her head, taking a tremulous breath. “I promised myself I wouldn’t leave here without…” she hesitated. “Without you.”

Her words were sweet, but something, dragon sense, maybe, made me feel that there was more to her sentiment than a romantic desire for us to remain together. When she said without me , she didn’t mean she intended for us to leave hand in hand.

“Because you vowed to finish what you came here for,” I said, my voice low. “To finish me .”

Some dark emotion flashed in her eyes. Guilt, maybe. She looked away.

“I helped you get Kortoi, didn’t I? I’ve helped you all along. You still don’t trust me?” I said.

She met my eyes once more. “I trusted you once, you betrayed me once. Why should I trust you again? Why should I believe helping me capture Kortoi wasn’t just another ploy to gain my trust, just so you could betray me once again?”

The question hung in the air between us.

I searched my mind for an answer, any answer that would convince her.

But the truth was, I had betrayed her. Deliberately.

Using her to unravel her kingdom had been my plan all along.

And even though I’d tried to reverse course at the last minute, I had succeeded in dealing Maethalia a terrible blow.

Those had been my actions. And words could never eclipse actions.

I’d tried to redeem myself by catching Kortoi.

But it seemed clear now that wasn’t enough.

And that was okay. I’d just keep going. Keep proving myself through my actions.

And someday, somehow, she’d believe my love was real.

No matter what I had to do. No matter how long it took.

No matter if I had to crawl through hell itself, I would prove myself to her.

But there was no point in giving a big speech now, not when time was so short. Instead, I took her hand and brought it to my lips.

“The wind is ours,” I said.

She shook her head sadly. “The winds are ever-changing, Charlie.”

“Then the stars.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “You mean those dim little lights that blink out the moment the sun comes up?”

I laughed in spite of myself. “God, you’re tough.”

I was surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes in the dim light. A single tear fell, and I brought my fingers up, gently brushing it from her cheek.

“I will prove myself to you,” I said. “Or die trying.”

“Then in the next life, I would trust you with all my soul,” she said in a tremulous voice.

I pulled her to me then, brought her lips to mine.

I thought she would pull back, thought she would fight, and for a second, she did seem as if she would turn away.

But I pulled her closer, and her body came against mine with a shiver of surrender.

I tasted her. Her lips, her tongue, the salt of her tears.

And for a blissful instant, there was no Charlie. No Essa. We were one.

Then came a sound. A song. Kortoi, in the other room, was whistling a discordant tune.

He gave a low laugh, a sound full of all the darkness and madness of the void.

And with that reminder of all that was chaotic and evil in the world, Essa and I pulled apart, and my resolve returned, like the visor on a knight’s helmet clapping shut.

“I’ll go,” I said. “I’ll lead them away so you can cross the sea. Then I’ll come for you. I’ll find you.”

She nodded. “We’re staying in a village called Murrum, on the northern shore of Lake Shrade.”

A slow smile came to my lips. “Maybe I won’t come. You have vowed to kill me…”

She ran her fingers over my stubbled cheek. “You’ll come. You’re too foolish to stay away from me,” she said.

I tilted my head toward Kortoi. “You sure you can handle him on your own?”

“I won’t be on my own,” she said loud enough for Kortoi to hear. “I’ll be with Othura. He’d be a perfect snack for her.”

I nodded. I could have stayed there forever. Bantering with her. Teasing her. Kissing her. But every warrior has a clock inside them, and mine was ticking down. Danger was coming, and we were almost out of time.

“Wait an hour,” I said. “That should be time enough for me to get there, get airborne, and start leading them away from you. Then go. I’ll meet you in Maethalia.”

I squeezed her hand one last time, then turned and pushed out the screen door. I chose a steed from among Bo’s refurbished motorcycles, fired it up, and blazed off into the night.