Page 43 of The Healing Dragon (The Red Book #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

JESSE

R egardless of the number of times I’ve visited Fierno, there is always something that manages to surprise me.

This time it’s a festival for the dead. Colorful decorations are covering every available surface.

Abandoned and nearly burned down buildings are not spared.

Every light post has a crown of yellow and orange flowers and paper cut out banners connecting them from one to the other.

“Who pays for all of this?” I ask.

The place still looks half inhabited and full of rubbish, but festive.

“One of the crime families. I believe their name is Robles,” Bianca says with a pleased expression. “I love the streets during this time of the year.”

“Why?” Brandon and I say at the same time, referring to the reason the crime family does all this.

I’ve come in contact with the Robles family in my search for the Duelos and they have little care for the people at Fierno.

“It’s a cultural tradition for that family. The celebration is to honor their dead. For a place like this that sees death much too often, the holiday was quickly adopted.” Bianca shrugs.

That’s an interesting holiday to partake in. I look over at Brandon, who is watching Bianca intently, and I wouldn’t be surprised if soon enough we join in on the holiday. I think of my grandpa and how having a holiday to remember him on would be great.

A tall figure crosses the clusters of people walking about the center of Fierno. I’ve met Gabriel only at social functions, but it’s hard to mistake him for anyone else. He is evidently in a hurry as his eyes frantically look around. Once he spots Brandon, he picks up his pace, coming to us.

“I cannot stay,” Gabriel rushes to say. “I’m needed in Luzes to handle an urgent matter, but I’ll return as soon as possible. Get started, I won’t be long.”

“Wait.” Brandon tries to follow Gabriel, but he can only raise his hand before the angel calls for his wings and shoots up into the sky.

“That was quick,” I say, looking towards the darkening sky. I lose track of him almost instantly.

“How are we supposed to summon Mel?” Matias asks.

I look at my brother. “You are the King of Puerto Quinn. If someone can summon anyone in the underworld, it has to be you.”

Brandon doesn’t seem concerned. “I think I have an idea.”

The gates of the underworld are concealed.

The building we approach appears deserted, but the door, in contrast, has a polished new handle that suggests there is something behind it.

Upbeat dance music blasting from the speakers is very unconventional.

The young woman behind the front desk smiles wide and waves as we cross the front door.

“Welcome, welcome, come on in. Gosh, y’all are like the first people to come here in a week.” The young girl gets up and rounds her desk. “My name is Rory.”

“Hi, Rory,” Bianca says tentatively.

“I’m sorry if I come off too strong. I haven’t socialized in days. To say I’m eager for interaction is an understatement. I didn’t realize this job would be so boring. One would think working minding the gates would be more exciting.” She sighs in obvious disappointment. “They mind themselves.”

Her word vomit is met with silence and blank stares.

The absurd amount of energy gives us pause until her outfit registers.

Rory is dressed in business casual, with black dress pants and a white button-down shirt.

Her shoes are sparkling sneakers that shine like a disco ball.

Her hair is also black with strips of pink.

She looks like a mismatch of badass and girly.

“Sick style.” I tell her, trying to fill in the silence.

“Thanks, but I’m taken.” She fans her face.

“I wasn’t,” I try to say.

“I’m flattered, though. You’re cute.” She looks at Brandon. “Is this your brother?” She gives him a once over.

“Also taken,” Bianca hurries to say. She takes a step closer to my brother.

“Okay, I see. Grr,” Rory growls at them, then winks.

“You aren’t human,” Matias says, pointing out the obvious.

Few humans choose to live in Fierno and even fewer would venture to places like this where being in the vicinity of demons is part of the job.

“You’re not a full witch either.” Brandon points out, looking at the girl between furrow brows.

I take a closer look and realize he’s right. There’s definitely magic in her presence, but not in the way it feels with us. Brandon must be able to see way more with his soul reading gift .

“That’s right.” Rory rounds the desk and plumps down on her chair.

“What are you?” I ask, hoping my own gift will help me figure out if she lies.

“I already told you I’m not available.” She turns to Bianca, covering her face from my sight. “Is he always this bad at taking rejection?”

To my utter surprise, Bianca laughs. The traitor.

Matias leans on the desk with one of his charming smiles. He’s good at those.

“You’re good at avoiding questions, huh?” he asks.

“Fine,” she says with her hands up. “If you insist, you can pick me up tomorrow for dinner. I get off at ten. Bring me flowers and open the doors. That’s all I require.”

“You said you were taken,” I remind her.

“To you.” She looks over at Matias. “For you, on the other hand, I’m single. I like blonde curls.” She winks at him.

While Rory entertains us, Brandon walks over to the wall and plucks a piece of paper from the complaints section. He jots something, but instead of dropping it on one of the trash baskets below the different signs, he walks over to Rory’s desk.

“We would like to have this message delivered to General Mel.” Brandon hands Rory the piece of paper.

“Are you sure?” She opens the note. “He is quite the sour puss. You would think the man’s sense of humor died along with his soul.”

If there was any room to believe she’s a simple witch, it died right there. Not even the most brave of our kind would dare speak of general Mel in that way. She is either crazy and has zero self preservation or is far more capable of facing a predator like Mel.

She takes a second to read the note before turning back to my brother. “Should I even bother asking? ”

“No,” Brandon says.

“Perhaps you two are more alike.” She pouts. “Go,” she says with a wave dismissing us.

Brandon leads the way to a room to the side. The glow of the gates illuminates a connecting room covered in vegetation. The walls are covered in moss and leaves.

I take the note from Brandon, curiosity beating me. “Melly’s custody request to Puerto Quinn,” I read out loud. “What does that mean?”

Matias looks at the note over my shoulder. “Who is Melly?”

“You will see.” Brandon walks over to the gates and pushes a red button on the side.

A loud ring blurts through the room. It's only minutes later before we hear a loud beating of wings before a creature lands on the edge of the gates, just on the other side of the doors. It stares at each of us intensely.

“Message for general Mel.” My brother hands the creature the piece of paper.

The creature opens the paper. After a glance, he bursts into full belly laughter. His laughter trails as he flies off the gate and disappears into the mist of the other side.

“Now?” Matias asks.

“We wait,” Bianca says.

She takes his hand in hers and walks to the other open room. There’s a picnic table in the middle with benches. We sit in silence with only Rory’s music blasting through from the reception filling in the space. Until the creaking of metal gates announces the entrance of someone from the underworld.

General Mel looks exactly as I imagined. He is a tall, menacing looking creature with little patience and a dangerous air. There’s no doubt in my mind that he is as ruthless as he looks. His eyes don’t miss a thing as he scans the room .

“What do we have here?” His statement comes out somewhere between disapproval and disappointment.

“Where is Melly?” Matias asks, looking behind Mel like he would see the requested creature from the message.

“Where she will stay.” Mel frowns deeper.

“What exactly is a Melly?” I ask.

“A very requested headache.” Mel turns to Bianca. “Is my brother here?”

“He was,” Bianca explains. “But he was called urgently somewhere. He told us to go ahead and call for you and he would be here soon.”

“Pathetic,” Mel says, leaning against the arch of the entryway.

Despite his discontent, he doesn’t appear to have any intention of leaving.

“Perhaps we can talk to you about why we are here, and when Gabriel arrives, you can have his full attention,” Bianca suggests.

From her outside demeanor, anyone would think she’s feeling incredibly confident, but I’ve gotten to know her lately. The slight shake of her thumbs tells me she feels anything but that.

“I’m glad to see there’s someone with brains around here. It restores my faith in the future of Puerto Quinn.”

I can almost feel the restraint my brother is showing to not bite on Mel's antagonistic comments. Successfully, he swallows his detours and begins explaining our reason to be there. I can see the moment Mel’s interest in Matias sparks.

The demon’s eyes narrow, not in suspicion, but in close inspection.

“Well,” Mel says and closes the distance to Matias. “Let’s see if it’s true.”

With one finger, Mel pokes Matias’ head, then a light of sparks like a zap of electricity ignites .

“That looks about right.” Mel confirms with a nod.

“What just happened?” Brandon asks, looking between the two.

“My advice is to restore it to the book.” The demon returns to the wall and leans against it.

“Obviously.” Bianca rises to her feet. “You’ve told us nothing new.”

“Wrong. I gave you confirmation that your assumption was correct.” Mel shrugs. “I wouldn’t call that nothing.”

“We had confirmation when the book spoke to us directly,” I say.

Mel ignores me. “The electric shock was a warning for me to stay away. I think that’s a brilliant suggestion. I’ll take it.” He glares at Bianca. “What, did you expect me to have some bizarre insight into the magic inside your forsaken kingdom?”

Before Bianca or Brandon can respond, a series of shouts erupts from the reception area.

“Hey there lady, you can’t just,” Rory shouts, then trails off.

Seconds later, a tall woman burst into the room in a rush. Her hair is winded and her eyes are wild with fear. I’ve never seen her before. She has an angelic face and air to match. It can only mean one thing.

“LeeAnn, what’s wrong?” Bianca hurries to ask.

“The Black Castle is under attack.”

The air leaves my lungs as if struck by a blow.

“Who said this?” Mel asks her with scrutinizing eyes.

LeeAnn turns to Matias. “One of the plants you brought me is called the whispering leaf because if synced to a sister plant, they can whisper to each other.”

“Its sister plant is at the castle’s clinic.” Matias concludes.

“Amy Bee and I quickly figured it out when conversations from each other’s clinic would suddenly be whispered. She urged me to find you here and tell you to come home as soon as possible. They are outnumbered.”

“Amy Bee told you this. What else did she say?” Brandon steps into her space, seeking the truth from her soul.

“Don’t kill the messenger.” Mel steps between them. “She’s an angel.” He gestures over his shoulder. “Hardly her fault for your problems.”

“We need to go now,” Brandon says, and we’re all already on our feet. As if the air suddenly deflates him, his face falls. “We’ll never get there on time. The soldiers waiting for us outside the city will not make it any sooner.”

“I’ll join you,” LeeAnn says. Her face is fearless and full of determination. “I can fly there, but I can only carry one of you with me.” She looks at Brandon. “I can get you there in a matter of minutes.”

“Not your fight, sweetheart.” Mel gestures for her to step aside.

“These are my friends.” LeeAnn gestures to Bianca and Matias. “I know some angels that will go with me. I will call them now. We might be able to get some of you there sooner.”

“Fine.” Mel rolls his eyes and turns to Brandon.

“I will aid you with reinforcements in your time of need. That’s what my brother would’ve wanted me to do, anyway.

” He points at Bianca. “At a price, of course, but we shall discuss that later. I can get there quicker than the angels, but cannot provide a ride.” He turns to LeeAnn.

“By the time I see you there, the problem will be resolved. You might as well stay.”

She crosses her arms and raises a brow. “The enemy isn’t only Lord Duelo and his loyal soldiers. He has allies of other magical capabilities.”

Mel shrugs. “Like it makes a difference. I’ll see you there then.”

“Wait,” I rush after Mel. His steps do not falter, but his pace slows enough for me to catch up. “Lord Duelo is going after his daughter.”

“So,” he says.

“I will give you anything for her safety.” The words do not fully register before they leave my lips, but they are true, as my existence without her is unimaginable. “My soul is yours if you keep her safe.”

“Do you really think I want that thing?” He stops to fully face me. He looks at my chest as if he could see the very soul he shudders at. “All pure intentions and loving emotions, disgusting.” He shakes his head and continues walking to the gates, leaving me looking after him.

Brandon places his hand on my shoulder. The act is meant to be comforting, but it feels too much like condolences. I shake him off me, but don’t move away.

“LeeAnn will take me.” Brandon turns to leave. “There is one other angel outside. If you wish to beat Bianca to him, I suggest you hurry.”

I run for my life.