Dragon's Curse (Heir of Dragons: Book 2) Read online

  “If you’re talking about my Uncle Randy he hasn’t given me any reason to question him,” Kaylee said, smoothly enough that she almost believed it.

  “Then you haven’t looked close enough. Anyway.” Zaria crumpled her empty can in one fist and tossed it into the trash. “My personal beefs aren’t why I’m here.”

  “I sure hope not,” Damian said. “You’re already making my head hurt.”

  “Kaylee,” Zaria said. “I mentioned I wanted your help with something.”

  “But you wouldn’t say what.”

  “Well I am now. I came to Scarsdale because I heard rumors of an extremely powerful magic item in the area. A large area, but still in the area.”

  “Wait, you don’t mean—?” Damian said. “Zaria, how can you even begin to guess this is where it’ll end up?”

  “Outside information,” Zaria said. “My own sources. And it’s not here in Scarsdale. But definitely in one of the big cities nearby. Maybe within a museum.”

  “What is this ‘it’ you keep talking about?” Kaylee said.

  “It’s one of the lost items, isn’t it?” Edwin said slowly. Zaria winked at him.

  “Nailed it. Cute and smart. Yep, it’s an ancient book of spells called the Book of Kells.”

  Kaylee smothered a laugh. First it was Mjolnir, now this. At this rate, she should just start reading fairy tales to gather factual information on what she might face next. “Um, the Book of Kells is in Ireland. Also, it’s not a book of spells.”

  “That one is fake, and a very good one, too. The true Book of Kells, as told in ancient lore, was the combined knowledge of some of the most powerful Merlins from the Order of St. George, the order the Slayers broke from.”

  “But if they’ve found the real Book of Kells then what’s the one in Ireland?” Damian said.

  “It’s something called a Merlin’s Codex,” Edwin said. “Another collection of spells, but not nearly as dangerous. The real Book of Kells is on a whole other level.”

  “The last volume of only a few in existence,” Zaria agreed.

  Kaylee scooted to the edge of the couch. “What does it do?”

  “A lot of things. I’m sure many of the spells are useless to most Merlins. Merlins nowadays haven’t spent every waking hour of their lives steeped in learning and the magic arts. They wouldn’t be strong enough to use half the spells.” Zaria held up a finger. “But there is one. One has the Slayers mucho interested. Called the Horn of the Hunt. Also known as the Dragon’s Curse.”

  A shiver ran through Kaylee. Her throat had suddenly gone dry and she took a steadying sip of Coke. Nobody else seemed to have experienced the same effect from the name except for Zaria, who was staring intently at her.

  “Yeah, you should be scared. The Horn of the Hunt spell can summon the Herald of the Hunt. One bad dude. Made of magic. Maybe even a fairy, I don’t know. What we do know is that if he gets out, he can then summon the true Hunt.”

  “Like, from the King Arthur legends?” Edwin said.

  “Like from your nightmares,” Zaria said. “The Hunt is led by St. George himself. And that, my friends, is bad news for all of us.”

  Damian folded his hands across his lap. He was staring through the window at the darkened interior of the warehouse.

  “What do you want me to do about it, Zaria?”

  Zaria crinkled her nose. “Do? I don’t want you to do anything. I just want info. Last time I was here your intel helped me stop the Slayers’ raid in Canada. Lot more people would have gotten hurt without it.”

  “When was this?” Edwin said.

  “Couple years ago. The Slayers tried for another magical item, Drake’s Drum. Can inspire mad fervor in all their followers, and that’s a pretty sweet deal for a brainwashing cult. The Convocation near where it was didn’t believe us, so we took matters into our own hands.”

  “Sounds familiar,” Kaylee muttered to Edwin. His jaw tightened but he nodded.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t know who has the Book of Kells now,” Damian said. “Those kinds of items are far beyond anything that passes through here. Even the wandering traders I usually get my tidbits from wouldn’t know. It’s too far out of their reach for them to care.”

  “You must know something,” Kaylee said.

  “About the same as you,” Damian said with a wave of his hand. “Nothing but flits and whispers that the real book has been discovered, and that the organization who found it plans to put it on display around here soon.”

  “In a museum?” Edwin said.

  “Yeah.”

  “There must be a dozen museums in the bigger cities around here,” Kaylee said.

  “And the group that found it is keeping the whole thing close to the vest,” Zaria grumbled. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say they were doing that to throw the Slayers off.”

  “Except they’re planning to display it in public,” Edwin said.

  “And the Slayers are already here,” Damian added.

  Zaria suddenly stood. Edwin tensed, but Kaylee held his arm reassuringly. She wasn’t quite sure what his deal was. She didn’t trust Zaria either, but that didn’t mean she actively mistrusted everything about her as well.

  “What are you going to do now?” Damian said.

  “Wait it out,” Zaria said. “Keep our eyes and ears open.” She fixed Kaylee with a stare. “I’m hoping to get a few allies to join the fight.”

  “Absolutely not,” Edwin said immediately.

  Kaylee held Zaria’s gaze. “What were you thinking?”

  “Kaylee! You can’t seriously want to help them?”

  “If it means stopping the Slayers, then yeah, I do.”

  “She attacked you—”

  “I think you’ll find little Miss Storm Dragon-kin is more than capable of taking care of herself,” Zaria said.

  Edwin was up in an instant, his fists glowing. But before either could move Kaylee stepped between them.

  “Enough! Both of you! Edwin, what is your problem? Zaria, we’ll think about what you’re asking. No promises.”

  Zaria scoffed. “Don’t need any promises, just results. As long as we stop the Slayers from getting that book I don’t care about your allegiances.”

  “That’s fine. Right, Edwin?” Kaylee added.

  Edwin clenched his fists.

  “Right, Edwin?”

  “Right, but it’ll be on our terms.”

  Zaria chuckled. “Now you’re thinking like a rogue.”

  “And if Kaylee—if any of us—gets hurt because we helped you and you didn’t come through for us…”

  Zaria’s eyebrows raised. “Oh. I see it now.” She shrugged and went to the door. “We’ll be in touch the next few weeks, until this whole thing blows over. And Edwin?”

  “What?” Edwin snapped.

  “Believe what you want about me, but I promise I’m not the enemy. Because if the Slayers manage to summon the Hunt, we’re all royally screwed.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Randy’s house was deathly quiet. The latest spring rain had transformed the dirt and splotchy sod of the front yard to a mess of mud and sodden grass. Each step Kaylee took squelched beneath her feet until she hit the porch when the boards began to creak.

  Randy still didn’t appear.

  Kaylee didn’t even need to look inside. She immediately went to the shed. It was empty.

  Except…

  She crouched. In the mess of mud, motorcycle tread drew a path out into the driveway and down the road. Kaylee could taste just the barest whiff of exhaust on her tongue. She could almost imagine the heat rising from the ground in waves where she’d crouched. He’d been here recently.

  But where was he now? And why? Randy keeping secrets from her was nothing new. Up until now it had just been something that annoyed her, but she’d never challenged him on, assuming either he’d tell her anything she needed to know eventually, or she’d confront him on it when she was ready.

  She was ready.
<
br />   It was too much of a coincidence, really. Zaria brought news of the Book of Kells, which the rogues had been tracking for some time. Randy knew about the rogues—who knew how much he knew—but he knew, and now he was gone. And Kaylee wanted—no, needed—to find out where.

  She pulled out her phone and dialed. Jade picked up on the first ring.

  “Kaylee? I thought you were supposed to be with Randy?”

  “He’s not here.”

  Jade swore loudly. “And after we just ran into some Slayers. Is the guy an idiot, or does he just have the worst timing in the universe?”

  “He didn’t know.”

  “Timing, then. Look, Randy has to have had a Convocation Merlin put charms up around the house or something. Stay inside until I get there—”

  “Actually, can you bring Edwin when you come? Do you think he could get out of training with Baba?”

  Kaylee could hear Jade letting air out between her teeth. “Uh, maybe. But why would he need to be there?”

  Kaylee walked outside, her eyes trailing the vanishing motorcycle tread until it hit the road.

  “Just tell him to come too. And have him bring a car.”

  “Do you think you can still do it?” Kaylee said.

  Edwin paced around the empty shed, every now and then holding up a hand as though feeling for some invisible energy.

  “Maybe, but a simple Seeking Spell works best when I have an actual object from the person. Or the person in question has been to wherever they are now before.”

  Jade, leaned against one of the wooden beams, nodded to the workbench. “Maybe one of those tools was used on his motorcycle.”

  Edwin picked up a couple of them and balanced them in his hands. He put them both back and systematically began running a hand just above the rest. He paused.

  “Bingo,” he said, twirling a socket wrench in his fingers. “It’s always the socket wrench.”

  “How do you know?” Kaylee said.

  “Magical energy signature. It’s kind of like…think of it like…maybe…”

  “You don’t have to explain it to me, I believe you,” Kaylee said, completely understanding. She was a dragon-kin who was still learning to control her own magic, and he was a Merlin who had only recently learned to use his; neither of them were particularly qualified to understand the detailed intricacies of how the others’ magic worked, just as long as it did.

  Edwin crouched. He placed the socket wrench on a clear space and began drawing a number of symbols around it in the mud.

  “Chalk works best for these kind of charms, but I should get a decent lock. Give me a minute.”

  “Not that I don’t trust your reasons,” Jade said to Kaylee as Edwin began muttering to himself, “but why are we tracking your uncle, anyway?”

  “I think…I’m not sure, but I think he’s up to something.”

  “Of course he is. He’s Randy. Even Alastair wants to keep him on a tight leash. Does this have to do with what you told me about the other night? What Zaria said about the book?”

  Kaylee listened to Edwin’s chanting as it grew louder. The scrawled circle had begun to glow. “Maybe. I don’t know yet.”

  “He could be on a Convocation mission, you know,” Jade said. “I’m sure Alastair has been sending him to do stuff and just isn’t telling us.”

  “Look, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Kaylee snapped.

  Jade jerked back as if struck. “I never said I didn’t want to go.”

  “There’s just—I need to know what he’s doing. You don’t have to follow me if you don’t want.”

  “I’m your Tamer, and your friend. I’ll always be there if you need me. Even if I don’t…”

  Kaylee glanced at her. Jade was staring out the shed.

  “Even if you don’t take the Tamer test,” Kaylee finished. “And if you don’t, you won’t be my Tamer anymore.”

  “Right.”

  “Have you thought more about it?”

  “A little.” She sighed. “A lot.”

  “And?”

  “And I think—”

  “Got it!”

  Edwin was clutching the socket wrench in his hand. It was emitting a glow nearly as bright as his smile. “Let’s ride.”

  The fact that they didn’t have to go too far from Scarsdale to find Randy’s magic trail was both very good and very bad.

  After about ten minutes on the highway, Edwin pulled off to a rural farm road. The town of Lariet was to their left. To the right was rural land much like that which surrounded Scarsdale.

  Edwin went left.

  “Almost there,” he muttered. He’d been following some internal GPS given off from the spell he’d performed. “And Jade, for the last time, please stop fiddling with your knife. I puncture this leather and my dad’ll kill me. I was barely able to convince him to let me drive it.”

  Jade let her knife drop into her lap. She sank further into the plush seats. “It isn’t like you don’t have three more cars.”

  “My dad has three more cars. I have this one.”

  “You shouldn’t even need your knife,” Kaylee said, twisting back to look at Jade. “We’re just going to find Randy and see what he’s up to. No fighting at all.”

  “Kaylee, in what alternate universe do you live in where that’s ever happened to us?”

  Kaylee grimaced. “I thought maybe saying it aloud would give it a better chance of coming true.”

  “We’re here,” Edwin said.

  After taking another ten minutes to parallel park (“Just use the stupid rear camera, Edwin,” Kaylee snapped. “That’s cheating and you know it,” Edwin snapped right back.) he turned the ignition off. They had ended up down the street from a business complex. The white, windowless building fronts stared at them, as if questioning what they were doing here. Edwin nodded to what had once been a bowling alley. The front doors had been plastered over with wax paper. The handles had a ridiculously oversized padlock on it.

  “There’s our place,” Edwin said.

  “I don’t see Randy’s motorcycle,” Kaylee said.

  “He’s probably hidden it.”

  Kaylee unbuckled her seat belt. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do. You two stay alert, and I’ll go take a peek.”

  “Ha!” Jade and Edwin said at the same time.

  After checking that the coast was clear, the three of them strolled casually across the street. The other buildings had vacant parking lots, save for the few cars of those staying behind to work late. An air conditioner hummed to life nearby, cutting through the end-of-day silence.

  “To the back,” Jade whispered. She took the lead and gestured for them to follow her through an alleyway to a loading bay at the rear. A single door marked Employees Only was firmly locked and sealed with another padlock.

  “There has to be a less obvious way in,” Kaylee said as they crouched along a chain link fence. It’d be suicide to simply waltz inside. Just because there were no obvious signs of Slayers definitely didn’t mean they weren’t there.

  Edwin pointed to the lip of the roof hanging not too far over their heads.

  “I can get you up there.”

  “How?” Jade said.

  After some searching Edwin produced the dented lid of a trash can. Kaylee, knowing exactly what he was going to do, immediately stepped onto it. Edwin closed his eyes. A moment later the lid levitated her to the roof line where she hopped off. Edwin lowered it. The second the lid touched the ground he put his hands on his knees.

  “Don’t you dare say I’m too heavy,” Kaylee hissed down to him.

  Edwin grinned at her, straightening up. “I don’t have a death wish. Jade?”

  Jade was a little more hesitant, but after some joking that she couldn’t possibly be heavier than Kaylee (“Edwin!) she joined Kaylee on the roof.

  Edwin closed his eyes once more. “You’re all clear,” he said after a pause. “I don’t sense any protective charms. I’ll keep watch out here.”
<
br />   “We’ll only be a minute, right?” Jade asked Kaylee.

  “Right,” Kaylee agreed, reluctantly leaving Edwin and slipping across the rooftop. Jade found an air vent and managed to pry the rusted grate loose with her knife. They peered into the dark. The smell of stale air and something potentially dead greeted Kaylee’s nose.

  “By all means, dragon-kin first,” Jade said, stepping aside.

  “Some Tamer you are.”

  “When it comes to smells, I’m a self-preservationist.”

  The air duct was cramped but manageable. Kaylee dropped in feet-first and curled her body tight. After some maneuvering she began shuffling in one direction, trying to make as little noise as possible every time her knees hit the metal.

  After what might have been a hundred yards, or only ten, Jade made a barely audible warning sound. Kaylee froze.

  Voices. A few of them directly below. A couple more just ahead.

  “Look for a vent we can see out of,” Jade whispered.

  Kaylee began sliding forward again. The panel beneath her bowed and she jerked to a halt. Her heart stopped almost as fast as the voices did. Or maybe that was her imagination.

  A man laughed. Kaylee could suddenly breathe again.

  The two shuffled along a little farther until Kaylee’s eyes picked up pasty yellow light leaking in from another vent. After some contorting, she and Jade managed to press their faces against it to see.

  Slayers below. At least ten, though Kaylee couldn’t crane her neck far enough to the side to see beyond the twenty-foot segment directly in front of her. The tables and chairs at the head of each bowling lane were relatively intact. Discarded bowling balls, even some pins, were tossed carelessly around. A spot had been cleared away by the snack bar for the Slayers to lay down cots. Kaylee suppressed a snort. The Slayers might have been a deadly ancient organization, but glamorous they were not.

  “Hear anything?” Kaylee whispered.

  “No. Can’t really see much either. A few at the popcorn machine. A couple—”

  There was the crash of pins. “—actually bowling. Are you serious? The machine doesn’t even work, you numbskulls.”