43. Dragon Flight #2
“And what did you think?” Arthur tilted his head, and raised his brows. He knew full well his daughter wasn’t that kind of pushover.
“I thought that book’s not going anywhere without me.” Rosie sat up straighter. “But I let him take it. I knew there was no way they’d be able to open it up without me. I’m the only one who can open it now.”
“So you had a plan?” Arthur asked this question as gently as possible, tamping down any urge to reprimand his daughter. This was no small task, as every cell in his body was pulsing with four more judgmental words.
What were you thinking?
“Sort of,” Rosie said. “I figured it couldn’t hurt Bardo to have a live dragon there as backup, if they got too pushy about the book.
I figured I could change their minds if it came to that.
” Her lower lip trembled, and she bit down on it.
She hugged herself tightly, gripping her own elbows.
“That might not have been the best idea. I take full responsibility for that.”
“Okay.” Arthur took a shallow breath in. “So, how did it go down?”
“This man was waiting for us in the alley outside the passage. We gave him back the samples, and Bardo handed him the book. For a minute, it seemed like everything was going to be okay. Like he was cool about it,” Rosie said.
“But then he tried to force open the book, and it burst into flames. He didn’t like that. ”
“What’d he do?” Will was wide-eyed.
“He grabbed me and threatened to kill me if Bardo didn’t make the book open for him.”
“What did Bardo do?” Arthur’s hand was cramping where it gripped the leather bench seat.
“Bardo laughed.” Rosie’s face crumpled. “He said he didn’t care what the guy wanted to do with me or the dumb book. Then he grabbed a bunch of the samples and started eating them. He shifted and started running for the bridge.”
“What in the?” Will was at a loss for words.
“Such craven recklessness!” Arthur groaned. He was surprised this hadn’t already made the newspapers.
“I think he was trying to buy some time for me.” Rosie’s breathing was shallow.
“The man—his boss, rep, or whatever—wasn’t expecting me to be a dragon.
He seemed shocked when I shifted. Ran for cover.
It wasn’t too hard for me to get away from him.
” Rosie rocked in her seat, her face contorted now with pain.
“I tried to catch up with Bardo. I knew he wouldn’t be in his right mind.
He was moving so fast, and he just kept saying he was going to be like me, that Nocturnaturals were setting him free.
That the world would finally see his fire.
” She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “He actually managed to breathe a little green fire, right before I caught up to him at the middle of the bridge. ‘Who’s a disappointment now?’ he said. ”
“Have some water.” Arthur pulled a bottle of cold water from the armrest, and waited as Rosie took a few sips and collected herself.
“Where was his sales manager when all this was happening?” Will asked. “Did he run away too?”
“No.” She set the water bottled down. “He followed us. Chased us all the way to the center of the bridge. I wasn’t particularly worried about him, though. Not until he took out the wand.”
“A wand?” Arthur asked. “As in a wizard’s wand?”
“Yes, but not like any wand I’ve ever seen before,” Rosie said. She waved this question away, eager to finish the story. “He was still furious. He told Bardo the deal was off. He wasn’t interested in a drug addled yak like him. Then he pointed the wand at me.”
Arthur placed an arm around Rosie again. Her whole body was shaking with the stress of telling this story, but she had to get it out. She shook him off and stood up, using her hands to illustrate as she finished the story.
“The next thing I knew, Bardo was charging at the guy. He was running full force at him, a million miles an hour, headed directly toward the railings.”
“What happened!?” Will flinched.
“He went right through the man and over the edge,” Rosie said.
“I felt a tap on my shoulder and spun around. The wizard was standing right behind me. ‘Simple sleight of hand,’ he said. He called Bardo a halfwit. Then he introduced himself to me and offered me a candy bar.” She shuddered.
“I didn’t stick around to see what flavor it was.
I got the hex out of there. I flew—faster than I’ve ever flown. ”
“Thank the stars. Good girl.” Arthur stood and gathered her again, kissing the top of her head. “Good girl, Rosie.”
“I hid in a belfry for four hours. The only reason I didn’t come right home is because I was afraid he was still following me. And then I had to go back and check on Bardo. I had to see if he was okay.”
“I’m so sorry, Rosie. There was no way anyone could have survived that fall.” Arthur rubbed his daughter’s back.
“No, I know. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Maybe I was just in shock. I mean, I think I’m still in shock.
That man, he seemed so normal at first. He was handsome, well dressed.
” Rosie shuddered. “Do you think it’s because of the synthetic magic?
I’m usually much better at reading people.
Cormac seemed so reasonable and nice. Until he… wasn’t.”
“Cormac?” Arthur froze. Had he heard that correctly? Did she say Cormac? He met Will’s eye. “Wasn’t that the name of the man who dropped off Rosie’s book?”
“Yes, and he’s also the founder of Nocturnaturals.” Will swallowed.
“Small detail! Whatever was he doing in Primrose Court?” Arthur thundered.
“Product research?” Will shrugged. “Maida said he seemed concerned about Bardo and committed to safeguarding the magical community.” Will raised a hand to his forehead and shook his head. “You know, come to think of it, he was in Los Angeles just before Maida’s apartment was broken into, too.”
“I’d like to know the last time he was in Primrose Court,” Arthur growled.
“You think it was around the time the Mudpuddle vanished?” Rosie asked breathlessly.
“Oh. My. Goddess.” Will was already on his feet, drawing a circle on the wall of the car. “I’ve got to warn Maida.”
“Are you sure?” Arthur asked. “You’ve already ported four times today. And you haven’t had a chance to recover.” He knew that there was a limit to the number of times Will could travel in a day. He suspected that whatever it was, Will was already testing it.
“I can’t take you with me.” Will was already stepping into the light. “But we’re not too far from the passage. Maybe ten minutes at this hour. I’ll meet you there.”
Ten minutes to the passage! That meant close to twenty before he could possibly get back to the Mudpuddle.
Arthur slammed his fist against the wall of the van just as the portal snapped shut. “I knew there was a link to those blasted Ordinary products. When will folk ever learn not to mess with synthetic magic?”
Rosie blanched.
“So we’re talking about the same guy? You really think that Cormac was responsible for the Mudpuddle disappearing. And Zephyr?”
“Yes.” Arthur opened and closed his palm, still feeling the impact of the metal on his knuckles. He didn’t mind the thrum.
“If Cormac was at the Mudpuddle this afternoon,” Arthur spoke quietly, both in an effort not to alarm his daughter, and to calm his own nerves. “I’m guessing that he’s come back to finish whatever he started.”
Rosie turned back to her father. “Do you think Maida’s in danger?”
Arthur nodded stiffly, unable to disguise his worry. “I do. We never should have left her alone in the shop.”
“What about Granny?” Rosie banged the partition again. “Where is she?”
“She went to fetch the doctor. In case you needed treatment when we came home,” Arthur said.
“Stop the van!” Rosie pounded on the partition with the driver. “Just pull into an alley. Right there, up ahead!”
“But we’re almost there,” Arthur protested.
“Nevermind, I can get us there faster,” Rosie said. She reached for the handle on the door and threw it open before the van had even come to a complete stop.
“Hang on, Dad, I’ve got you.”
A moment later, the biggest, most spectacular dragon that he could ever have imagined gripped him by the shoulders, tucking its talons under his armpits and lifting him into the night air.