Enemy of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector Book 4) Read online

  I turned to Aethelred.

  His gaze was disappointed. “I cannot see much about the spell. Only that this type of magic has been used on a small scale before—on one person at most. But this is impacting an entire village. How could such evil be possible?”

  “I’ve felt the evil.” I shuddered at the memory of Drakon’s dark magic. I’d used it to defeat him at the castle in Siberia, but it had made me sick for days.

  Aethelred scrubbed a hand over his face. “As for how to stop this, you would need to ask someone far older and more powerful than me.”

  Damn. “How the hell are we going to find someone?”

  “I may know someone,” Ares said. “Laima. I was going to question her about Drakon, but hadn’t had a chance yet.”

  “The Goddess of Fate?” I’d met her in the Vampire Realm during my trials. “That could work. Goddesses pretty much top the charts of ancient and knowledgeable.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Ares said.

  I turned to Aerdeca and Mordaca. “Thank you for the help. What do I owe you?”

  “Nothing,” Mordaca said.

  Dread curdled in my stomach. “This is the second time.”

  “This evil is that powerful,” Aerdeca said. “We will fight this battle with you in our way. Fate will like that we do this for you. It may help.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded my appreciation. “I’ll take all the help I can get.”

  Aethelred sighed. “You’re going to need it.”

  Chapter Three

  After saying our goodbyes, we stepped out of Apothecary’s Jungle into the watery midmorning sun. Brisk winter wind whipped across my cheeks.

  “Well, that went poorly.” I tugged my coat tighter around me.

  “It was—” Ares snapped his head to the left to look beyond my shoulder. Shock widened his eyes.

  I turned to look.

  My little dragon fluttered in midair, black gaze intent on me. Though the sunlight was filtered through clouds, his scales still glittered a beautiful green. A man stepped out of the shop near the dragon, pulling up short and gazing at him. The dragon turned to look at him, then hissed. The man winced and hurried away.

  “Hey, buddy.” I held out my hand.

  He turned to look at me. Was he a bit bigger than he had been? Only a few inches, but I was almost sure he was.

  The dragon fluttered closer. The little beast sniffed my fingertips delicately, then purred.

  “You have a new friend,” Ares said.

  At the sound of his voice, the dragon looked up. He didn’t hiss at Ares, but he didn’t approach any closer either. He gave me one last glance, then disappeared.

  Damn.

  But he’d be back. Somehow, I just knew it. At least, I desperately wanted to believe it.

  “I do have a new friend.” I told Ares the story of him appearing to me, omitting the part about my trove. I hadn’t taken him there yet. Maybe I would soon, though.

  “Never heard of anything like that. But he clearly likes you. And only you.”

  “Well, I like him. Or her.”

  Ares squeezed my hand, clearly pleased for me. “We should get started toward the Vampire Realm soon. It won’t be easy to reach Laima.”

  “Oh no. More trials?” I didn’t have the energy for a Kraken right now.

  Ares grinned. “No. But the Vampire Realm is dangerous, and the shortest route to their castle is through some deadly parts of our world.”

  “Speed is important, so I’ll take the danger.”

  A grin stretched across his face. “That’s what I thought you’d say.”

  “Just let me call Cass and Del to tell them what’s happened and where we’re going.”

  He nodded, and I stepped back from the middle of the sidewalk to lean against the building. I pressed my fingertips to the comms charm at my neck. “Cass? Del?”

  “Hey!” Cass’s voice came through clearly. “Any luck with your mother?”

  “Some, but not with the dragon. I didn’t get to talk to my mother.” I explained the terrible dark spell on Elesius and what we’d learned in Darklane.

  “Oh no.” Dread laced Cass’s voice. “That’s terrible.”

  The thought of what they were going through made my insides coil. “We’re headed to the Vampire realm for more answers.”

  “Damn,” Del said. “More Kraken?”

  “No, which is the only good news. There’s a good chance that Drakon is behind the threat to Elesius.”

  “What?” Cass said. “Can you not get a break?”

  “Apparently not. We don’t know for certain, but it’s possible.”

  “Why is he targeting your village?”

  The cold dread that had cloaked me grew worse. “I have no idea.”

  “It could be a way of catching you,” Del said.

  “That’s most likely.”

  “Which means we have to be extra wary,” Cass said.

  “We will be.” I looked at Ares and saw the affirmation in his eyes. “You guys keep hunting answers in this world. Every now and again, keep trying to locate Drakon.”

  We’d been attempting to find him with our dragon senses, but he was still blocked. Some kind of powerful concealment charm, we thought. Didn’t mean we couldn’t keep trying, at least.

  “On it,” Del said.

  “Good luck,” Cass added. “Be safe.”

  “You too.” I cut the connection and looked at Ares. “Ready to get out of here?”

  “Let’s go.” He reached for my hand and pulled me toward him.

  I gripped his bigger hand and closed my eyes. The ether sucked us in, throwing us through space toward another realm.

  I stumbled slightly when it spat us out in the Vampire Realm. It was night here, as always, and the moon hung heavy in the sky. The towering white arch that marked the official entrance gleamed in the dim moonlight, the rose-covered vines looking nearly black.

  A screech sounded, familiar and lovely. I looked toward the sky, catching sight of the flaming red blur streaking toward me. A Pūķi. The dragon was followed by two others. They landed in front of us in a row, eyes intent on me.

  “I think they’re smiling,” Ares said.

  I raised my arm, showing the Pūķi the protective bracelet that Ares had gotten them to make for me. “Thanks for this, guys.”

  They snuffled.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘you’re welcome.’” I conjured an apple for each, handing them over. The Pūķi gobbled them out of my hand, snorting their pleasure before taking to the sky.

  “Ready?” Ares asked.

  I nodded, glancing at him, my eyes taking in his changed features. He was the scary version of Ares that came out in the Vampire Realm—sharper cheekbones and harder eyes. More pronounced muscles and a deadlier air than when he was on Earth. And considering that he looked pretty damned threatening on Earth, that was saying something.

  I followed him through the arch, my gaze moving from his features to the creepy statues that bordered the walkway. Mythical beasts stared at me—Minotaurs, hydras, and two-headed wolves all followed me with their stone gazes, ready to pounce if I put one foot out of line. A shiver raced down my spine. I was suddenly glad that scary Ares came out when we were in the Vampire Realm.

  “Do these guys ever come alive?” I asked.

  “They do, if they sense someone trying to enter with ill intent.”

  I made a mental note never to do that. “How long will it take us to reach Laima?”

  “Several hours at least. Maybe longer.”

  “There’s no Vampire cell service to just call her up?”

  “Unfortunately, no. And definitely not for goddesses. We’re lucky the fate goddesses choose to live in our realm, but they do so on their terms. They like their privacy, and their palace is cut off from the rest of our world. We won’t have to go the long way around that we took during your trials, but the shortcut is fraught with the usual dangers of the Vampire Realm.”

  We re
ached the main courtyard where Magisteria and Doyen usually held court in their chairs. As expected, they lounged in their creepy thrones, each holding a wine goblet and chatting. They stopped mid-sentence to look at me, gazes unreadable. No greeting, but no attack either.

  So it was going to be a standoff, then.

  I couldn’t blame them. They’d come into our relationship thinking that they were the bosses and I was just hoping to curry their favor. But now I had some fated task that Laima had commanded they help me with.

  So yeah, we weren’t going to be besties.

  I waved, but didn’t say anything. They just stared me down.

  “They really don’t like me, do they?” I whispered to Ares.

  “They don’t know what to make of you.” He turned away from the courtyard, which seemed to be the central meeting place, and led me down another path. “There’s no one else like you, Nix.”

  A smile tugged at my lips. In the distance, lights twinkled in a valley. “Is that the vampire city?”

  “It is. I live just outside. We’ll pick up my ride and head toward Laima.”

  “You can drive here? Yet you still gave me a rickety rowboat in which to fight a Kraken?”

  “That’s the point of a trial.” He grinned, so handsome in the moonlight that my breath caught.

  I shook away the sappy feelings. I so did not have time for that right now.

  He gestured to another path, and we took it. This one wound up the side of a ridge toward a house on a cliff. Night-blooming flowers dotted the path on either side, white and sparkling in the glow of the moon. The trees were twisted and ancient. Forest creatures chirped from the branches. I really hoped they weren’t the Night Terrors. Those fanged black squirrels gave me the heebie-jeebies.

  “Though this place is terrifying, it sure does remind me of a fairy tale,” I said.

  “Did you ever read the old fairytales in their original form? They could be frightening.”

  I smiled, then gestured toward the building that we approached. “Is that your place?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t like living down in the city with everyone else?”

  “This is convenient. It’s located near the portal, and since I spend so much time on Earth, being able to commute easily works for me.”

  “By foot, I assume. I can’t imagine driving a car down the path between those scary statues. It would offend their ancient sensibilities, and they’d come alive and eat it.”

  He laughed and turned onto the drive. The house wasn’t large, but the walls were made entirely of glass. The view had to be fabulous. A large modified motorcycle sat in the driveway.

  I whistled. “That’s no car.”

  The tires were huge, and the front was reinforced with a metal cage, like it could be used to ram things. It was a hulking machine built for off-roading, a vehicle like a cartoon GI Joe would ride.

  “There’s no driving in the civilized areas of the Vampire Realm. But for things like this, where we have to cover a lot of rural terrain quickly, the bike works well.”

  “You imported it with magic?”

  “Yes. Motorcycle factories aren’t really our specialty. This place is…ancient.”

  “I like ancient.”

  “Then you’ll like it here.” He climbed onto the bike and gestured for me to join him.

  I boosted myself up onto the seat behind him. It’d been built for two and stood relatively high off the ground due to its large tires. The vehicle was rugged and suited to Ares.

  He cranked the key that was sticking out of the ignition.

  “I guess people aren’t going to steal the Enforcer’s bike, huh?” I shouted over the roar of the engine.

  “Not likely.” He reversed, pulling out of the driveway, heading farther down the road away from his house.

  The breeze rustled my hair, bringing with it the scent of flowers and magic. The need for the off-roading tires soon became apparent. Within a mile, we were on rocky terrain heading away from town.

  Soon, we entered a jungle. Massive trees towered overhead, silent sentries in the dark night. The screech of jungle animals echoed around us. The bike cut easily across the jungle floor, climbing over massive tree roots and winding around boulders.

  “So the vampire world has a ton of different climates, then?” I shouted.

  “It does.”

  “Like Zootopia.”

  “Zoo-what?”

  “You know, Judy Hopps, bunny cop?” I was wearing a T-shirt featuring her, in fact. The bunny in question brandished her carrot-shaped voice recorder. “I love Judy Hopps. She never gives up.”

  “Like you.”

  I smiled, my heart warming. “Being compared to Judy Hopps is about the highest compliment I can imagine.”

  “You’re ten of Judy Hopps,” he shouted over the wind and engine noise.

  I laughed. “Not possible.”

  A shriek tore through the night air, sending a shiver racing down my spine. “What’s that?”

  “Kamikaze Sparrow.” Ares hit the gas, and the bike revved forward. “The jungle is their territory.

  “That sounds like a big sparrow.”

  “It is.”

  A skeletal black bird swooped though the sky, dodging trees and heading straight for us. It was huge—about the size of a golden retriever—and about to collide with our heads.

  Its beady black eyes zeroed in on me as it neared.

  “Lean left!” Ares roared.

  I ducked to the side as Ares swerved the bike to avoid the monster bird. We sailed by, the bike at a sixty-degree angle with the ground. The bird barely missed us. I could feel the rush of wind from its wings.

  “Lean up!” Ares shouted.

  I leaned up, following him, and the bike righted itself. I spun around to watch the sparrow hurtle toward a tree, out of control. It collided with the trunk, exploding in a burst of black dust. The dust dissipated to reveal a gouge in the tree trunk.

  My heart leapt in my chest. “It’s not a real bird!”

  “Magic,” Ares shouted. “Protective magic born from the jungle. Kamikaze Sparrows dive-bomb intruders.”

  “Cool!” And terrifying.

  We zoomed through the jungle, ducking and swerving around trees and Kamikaze sparrows. My skin chilled as we nearly collided several times.

  We’d just veered around one when another came from the left, about to plow into us.

  A flash of red streaked by, slamming into the sparrow. The bird exploded into black dust as we sailed by. A Pūķi shot high into the air.

  “Thanks!” I called.

  Ares laughed and drove us expertly through the jungle, weaving around trees and avoiding a panther that eyed us nonchalantly from a boulder. The Kamikaze Sparrows continued to dive-bomb us, but the Pūķi kept them away.

  After an hour, the jungle thinned. Ares pulled the bike to a stop in front of a great gorge. The other side was at least a hundred feet away. I peered down into the black depths. The moonlight couldn’t penetrate all the way to the bottom.

  I swallowed hard. “That’s gotta be two hundred feet deep.”

  “At least. And there’s nothing but jagged rocks below.”

  I shivered, catching sight of a rickety suspension bridge spanning the great crevasse. “Are we crossing that?”

  “We are indeed.”

  “Indiana Jones at least got a river.”

  “It was full of alligators.”

  “Oh, yeah.” I grimaced. “Not sure which I’d prefer.”

  Ares hit the gas and drove us along the edge of the gorge, headed toward the suspension bridge that didn’t look big enough to support the bike. Growls sounded from deep below, sending a shiver across my skin.

  “Are there monsters down there?”

  “Probably,” Ares shouted back. “Never had a chance to check for sure, but those growls aren’t new.”

  Ares turned onto the bridge, and the bike zoomed over the wooden slats. The rickety bridge swung back
and forth. There was a rope handrail on either side, but no way it was strong enough to keep us on this bridge if we veered off track. Ares’s skill on the bike was the only thing keeping us from plummeting into the darkness below.

  “Shift hard when I tell you to!” he shouted.

  “What?”

  “Left!”

  Instinctually, I threw my body left. Ares did the same. Our movement forced the bridge to sway that direction right before a fireball shot up from below. The heat singed me as it hurtled toward the sky.

  “Holy fates!” I shouted.

  “It’s coming back down!”

  I looked up, watching the brilliant orange ball rise high into the sky and then plunge back down.

  “Right!” I screamed.

  We leaned heavily right, barely shifting the bridge. But it was just enough to save our bacon. The heat of the fireball dropping past us made my heart leap into my throat. We were so freaking close to being turned into flame-broiled Magica.

  The wind tore at my hair as we zoomed across the bridge. Ares called out “Right!” and “Left!” every time a fireball flew toward us from below. It was like he could sense them. Then I watched them fly into the sky and called out which direction we should dodge toward on their return trip.

  We were burned only once, when I fireball flew too close to our thighs. It stung like the devil, but didn’t feel catastrophic at least.

  I could barely breathe by the time the bike climbed onto solid ground on the other side. My heart thundered so hard I could hear it over the roar of the engine. I turned around to see one last fireball hurtle up from the depths. It barely missed the bridge, flying toward the sky and then plummeting into the gorge below.

  I collapsed against Ares’s back, panting. “Holy crap, your world is scary.”

  “No kidding.” He turned around and gripped the back of my neck, pressing a kiss to my lips. “Good job back there.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Are you all right? How’s the burn?”

  I inspected my thigh. The denim was singed away and revealed bright red skin, but it wasn’t charcoal. “Fine!”