Blood of the Phoenix: Book 17 of The Witch Fairy Series Read online

  “Come through. We do not have all day,” the old King orders. He coughs out the last word and a puff of smoke escapes his nostrils. He’s right. He should consider every moment precious, for it could likely be his last.

  The four of us enter the Dragon realm, and I close the passage behind us before addressing the King. Pasting my most sincere smile in place, I manage to sound polite as I say, “King Myles, it is always a pleasure.”

  “You do not like me any more than I like you, so spare me the false pleasantries.”

  Eliana’s and Josh’s eyes widen at the King’s bluntness, but I appreciate it. “Of course,” I agree.

  “Why are you here, Witch Fairy?” Ryu asks. His red and silver scales shine in the torch light. I think he may have gotten bigger since the last time we saw him. He has definitely put on some muscle. Do Dragons work out? An image of a Dragon at a gym pops into my head doing things like running on an enormous treadmill and lifting weights. I try not to laugh aloud. Ryu does not miss my sudden amusement, though. Believing I am laughing at him, which technically, I guess I am, he lets out a roar and a blast of fire. So much for trying not to offend him.

  Kallen and I don’t even have time to react before Ryu’s flames are forced back by a blast of blue and orange fire stronger and fiercer than his own. It happens so fast, Ryu doesn’t have time to duck before he is hit square in the face with his own fire breath. He paws at his face scales and eyes making sure he is not aflame, then he rubs his face against the cool marble floor of the great hall to find some relief from the scorching blast. I don’t believe he’s seriously injured, Dragon scales are pretty fire resistant, he’s probably just scalded a bit.

  Ryu’s lack of serious injury doesn’t seem important to the others in the room. Around us, the Dragon guards move into attack positions. Amused, I mutter to Eliana, “Glad to see you are as good at making friends as I am.”

  “Couldn’t help it. Instinct,” she shrugs.

  “Halt!” King Myles croaks out to his guards before things turn into a fire and magic melee. Lumbering from behind the enormous table where he holds court, he approaches. I have to give Eliana and Josh credit. They don’t even flinch as the massive, scaled beast stalks forward. I get nervous when King Myles passes the eight feet mark and is within striking distance. I want to pull magic, but Kallen shakes his head in warning. “Wait,” he mouths.

  Good call on his part. King Myles is not being aggressive. He doesn’t attack with either force or flame. What he does is stick out his snout and take a long, deep sniff of Eliana. Which she tolerates with an impressive amount of calm. Still no flinching on her part. Cocking his head to the side, the Dragon King does it again. This time, he inhales so hard that he has a coughing fit. He turns his head so the smoke from his nostrils doesn’t get in our faces. That’s surprisingly considerate of him. What the hell is going on?

  “My King?” Ryu, who has stopped rubbing his face on the floor, presses when King Myles sniffs Eliana for the third time.

  Throughout his rude sniffing party, Eliana maintains her perfect aura of calm. If she’s afraid, she is not showing even an iota of it. There are worry lines around Josh’s eyes, but I’m not sure if they are concern for Eliana, or the Dragon King if he pisses the former off. Probably both.

  I can’t help it; the words just fall out of my mouth. “Smells good, doesn’t she?” I muse. “I think it’s her shampoo.”

  This goads King Myles out of his silence. Addressing Eliana, he bows his head low and says, “Greetings, my lord. Have you come to take back your gift?”

  With the amount of times my jaw hits the floor in a day, it’s a wonder the bones haven’t shattered. Or at the very least, the hinges haven’t completely worn out. Sooner as opposed to later I will probably need a good oral surgeon to repair it. This time, it’s so bad that I wish I had brought a hoist with us, because I can’t seem to pick it back up on my own. I try again. Nope, without some serious hydraulics, my bottom jaw is going to stay on the floor.

  Eliana turns huge, round eyes toward me. “What is he talking about?” she asks. She clearly believes the Dragon King has lost his mind. So do I.

  Since I don’t have a clue what is going on, I turn to Kallen. The surprise and confusion on his face tell me that he isn’t going to be any help. Glancing around the room, the other Dragons are as shocked as we are. So, I ask the source of all this confusion. With a great force of will, I hoist my jaw from the floor and force my mouth to form words. “What are you talking about?” I ask King Myles. I do not ask him if his grip on reality is slipping, and I am quite proud of myself for that. Though, I admit, the question may have been implied in my tone.

  As I said, the shock and confusion is not limited to our side. “You bow before a Cowan?” Ryu demands in unmasked disdain toward his King. “Have you gone mad?”

  I have often wondered why Myles is still King since the Dragons do not show deference for the elderly. Now I know. Right before our eyes, the Dragon King seems to shed the shroud of age. His body is no longer stooped. He no longer seems brittle. He expands before our eyes into a ferocious beast with sharp teeth and claws and a wicked temper. A tangible rush of strength and power pours out of him. It is as if someone breathed new life into his soul. A dangerous, new life. The Dragon King’s eyes flash bright with intent, and a stream of fire so hot and long even the Phoenix would be impressed, shoots from his mouth. Kallen and I pull magic to protect the four of us, but the flames are not directed toward us. We are just trying to fend off the heat. It’s brutal. Not Cosmic Fire brutal, but it’s still pretty bad.

  “It’s part of the magic of the Dragon Kings,” Kallen explains in a hushed voice. “It is bestowed upon them in a ceremony when they are anointed. It is rarely used as it consumes so much energy and can create an imbalance.”

  “Let your magic go,” Eliana whispers to us. Trusting her, Kallen and I do as she asks. Eliana steps forward and while barely avoiding his flames, places her hand on the Dragon King’s chest. How is the skin not melting off her face right now? Her voice echoing loudly around the room, Eliana orders, “I command you to stop!”

  Before the flame of the Dragon King kills its target, it fizzles out in a cloud of smoke. Seriously, what the hell is going on here?

  17 Chapter

  “Um, Eliana,” Josh says nervously. He doesn’t like her being so close to the Dragon King. Neither do I. She’s within the incineration zone, and I don’t know who’s a quicker draw on their fire power – her or King Myles.

  Across the room, Ryu is frozen in shock. The fact that his King was about to turn him to ash is having trouble penetrating what I imagine is his tiny little Dragon brain. Hm. I wonder how close Dragon brains are to lizard brains? Obviously, Dragons are more evolved, but I bet not by much. I should probably focus on the problem at hand, though, and not Dragon brains.

  “He does not know,” Eliana says soothingly to King Myles. Her hand is still over where I assume the Dragon’s heart lives. If the old geezer has one. I, for one, am not convinced. It is clear, however, that Eliana has figured out the mystery of the Dragon King’s insane behavior. I certainly hope she is planning to share with the rest of us.

  “My King,” another Dragon says tentatively. “Is all well here?” Brave guy after what the King just tried to do to Ryu for asking him basically the same question. Well, Ryu was much more of a jerk about it.

  King Myles is still in mega-King mode, but the façade is cracking around the edges. His scales are losing their luster as each second passes, and his eyes are dulling again. “Fools,” he hisses. “Do you not recognize the one who gave us fire?”

  Just when I finally get my jaw working correctly again, he says something like that. I think the bone actually cracked when it hit the floor this time. I definitely am going to need that oral surgeon. And I have certainly lost the power of speech. I glance at my husband who usually comes through when this happens to me. He is going to be no help, though. Even Kallen can’t seem to make his tongu
e work properly.

  It is Josh who finally finds his voice. “Eliana, what is he talking about?”

  When Eliana turns back to us, her eyes are glowing an eerie red. That’s new. But, her voice is calm and even when she responds to her love. “Ra gave them fire,” she explains.

  Kallen’s brows knit together. “I have not heard that legend before now.”

  “It is not legend,” King Myles snaps. “It is fact.”

  He’s so old, he may have been there when it happened. He’s already pretty crabby, so I don’t push my luck and ask him. Instead, I say, “Why would Ra give you fire?” I realize too late that this question was probably just as rude.

  Eliana is the one to respond. Ra must be communicating the information to her, because I am certain she was just as ignorant as the rest of us two minutes ago. “They were his protectors,” she explains.

  I’m still confused. “Ra lived here at some point?”

  Shaking her head, Eliana continues, “No, they migrated here after Ra left the Cowan realm.”

  Cocking my head to the side, I ask suspiciously, “Was it his idea that they eat Goblins?”

  Eliana’s eyes open wide. “What? No!” That’s a relief. But still, what I thought I knew about Dragon history is all shot to heck now. Surmising this, Eliana adds, “There were Dragons here already. The ones from our realm came here to find sanctuary among them. As they found mates, the ability to breath fire was passed down to their young.”

  I gaze up at Kallen. “You didn’t know any of this?” My dumbfounded husband shakes his head.

  One of the other Dragons shuffles forward. The one who dared to ask the King a question after his blowup. “Our origin has been a tightly kept secret.” Obviously. He moves within striking range and I tense. But, the Dragon is just trying to get a whiff of Eliana. His nostrils flare as he breathes in so hard her hair moves toward his snout. Eew, I hope he doesn’t get Dragon snot in her hair. I bet Dragon snot is really hard to get out. Stepping back, the Dragon says in awe, “How is this possible?”

  “I carry Ra’s essence within me,” Eliana explains.

  Ryu has finally gotten over his shock, and he finds his voice again. His disbelieving voice. “A Cowan carrying the essence of a god?” he sniffs. “Impossible.”

  If Eliana wasn’t here, Ryu would be toast. Literally. It’s obvious his King wants to roast him with his fire breath. “Insolence,” he hisses. “Leave.”

  Several of the other Dragons move toward Ryu, ready to make him comply with the King’s command. If it comes down to a fight, my money is actually on Ryu. He’s huge compared to these other guys and known to be the King’s best warrior. He doesn’t put up a fight, though. He doesn’t believe any of this, and he is relieved to get out of here, away from the King he believes has lost his mind. Ryu doesn’t waste any time finding the exit, and he leaves without even a good bye glare in our direction. Rude.

  Now that that drama is over, King Myles turns his adoring attention back to Eliana. It’s kind of creepy seeing him like this. “My lord, have we displeased you in some way?” he asks, speaking to the god within her, not Eliana herself. I wonder if she finds that offensive.

  “I can’t imagine Ra is happy you’ve been eating sentient Goblins,” I mutter even though he wasn’t speaking to me. The Dragon King ignores me. It’s amazing how often I am ignored in a day. I tried to keep track once, but it got too annoying and I gave up before I hurt someone. Kallen isn’t ignoring me. He narrows his eyes in my direction, but Josh’s mouth curves up slightly. Turns out they are not always on the same page.

  Eliana plays it cooler than me. “We have come seeking your help,” she says, trying to steer the direction of the conversation back to why we are here. As much as that needs to happen, I can’t help feeling disappointed. I really want to hear about the Dragon and Ra history now.

  Since Dragons don’t have lips, they can’t really smile. But, King Myles is doing something funky with his scaly mouth that I believe is supposed to be one. “Anything, my lord.” The suck up. Oops, pretty sure I said that aloud.

  Speaking quickly so that the King doesn’t have time to react to my impertinence, Eliana explains about the Phoenix. When she is finished, the Dragon King sits back on his haunches. He is back to looking old and withered again, the stress of Eliana’s tale erasing any trace of the mighty King he was a few minutes ago. In fact, he looks even older, and I didn’t think that was possible. I see what Kallen means about the Dragon King magic using too much energy. It obviously ages the Kings when they use it. Maybe King Myles isn’t nearly as old as I think he is. He could be at least a millennia younger than I thought.

  There is murmuring among the other Dragons. Back and forth about whether Eliana’s Phoenix story could be true or not. They are quieted by a withering look from their King. “We do not doubt the word of Ra.” I open my mouth to point out that Eliana is not technically Ra, but snap it closed when I realize how stupid that would be. Kallen’s lips twitch in amusement, and I give him a sour look. He knows me too darn well, sometimes.

  “Of course,” the bravest of the Dragon guard replies. Since he actually sniffed Eliana, he seems to believe the story.

  “We shall help any way we can,” the Dragon King assures Eliana.

  Clearing his throat, Kallen brings King Myles’ attention to him. “We will also need the assistance of the Goblins.”

  The King asks Eliana, “Is this true?” When Eliana nods, he barks, “Bring the Goblin King!”

  “Um, I hope he’s a guest and not a prisoner,” I blurt out.

  “I am no prisoner,” a squeaky little voice says from the far door. It seems the Goblin King was eavesdropping. “I come and go as I please. The Goblins will stand with you. I will raise an army and we will be ready to depart on the morrow.”

  I suppress a grin. Goblins want so much to be fiercer than they really are. “I appreciate your generous offer, and your enthusiasm, but we really only need one female warrior.” She doesn’t really need to be a warrior, but I figure it will make him feel important if I put it that way.

  Sure enough, the Goblin King puffs out his little chest. “I will have the best and brightest here within the hour.”

  Next to me, Eliana and Josh’s noses begin to twitch. It doesn’t take long for the stench of a Goblin to fill a room. “You’ll get used to it,” I whisper lie. Eliana gives me a doubtful look. She doesn’t need my ability to detect lies to know she will never get used to this smell. Still, I give her my most innocent smile.

  In an effort to speed things along now that the room is filling with noxious Goblin fumes, Eliana, who is not breathing through her nose anymore, asks the Dragon King, “Will you send a female Dragon, as well?”

  I can tell the Dragon King is torn when he shoots a surreptitious glance toward Kallen and me. He hates having to help us. If we had asked him to send a female Dragon to help, he definitely would have said no. I can see it in his ancient eyes that are even cloudier now that he used his King magic. He can’t refuse Ra, though. I could help it, but I don’t. I send a simpering grin his way. He narrows his lizard eyes, but still he replies, “Of course, my lord.”

  “Great, can you have them both in the Fae realm tomorrow?” I ask, having a hard time not plugging my nose when the Goblin King moves farther into the room. We need to go. Soon. Before all of my nose hairs melt and dribble down to my lips. I can’t imagine that melted nose hair tastes good.

  “Please,” Eliana adds when the King seems irked that I am being so pushy.

  Cocking his Dragon head to the side, King Myles says the only thing he can say to Ra. “It shall be done.”

  “Fantastic,” I exclaim, already opening a passageway. “Thanks for your help.” As soon as the passage is open Josh, Eliana and Kallen do not hesitate. With a final breath-holding wave, I step through myself and close the passageway behind us. With a great deal of relief, I blow out the Goblin infested air in my lungs and take in a breath of fresh sea air. Eew! Apparently,
there’s still Goblin residue in my sinuses, and I just refilled my lungs with it. I swear, once it gets in your nose, the Goblin stench becomes solid and glue-like. I’ll probably be smelling it for days. Wait, I will actually be smelling it for days because a Goblin is coming with us. I seriously need to look up a spell to save all of our noses.

  18 Chapter

  I’m obviously not the only one experiencing sinus issues. Rubbing at his nose, Josh complains, “Does the smell ever go away?”

  “It is quite permeating,” Kallen agrees, but reassures him, “It will take a few minutes, but your sinus passages will clear.”

  “Hard to believe the Dragons find that appetizing, huh?” I ask, wishing I had a tissue so I could at least try to blow the Goblin stench out of my nose. I know from experience, though, that it wouldn’t work. Time and fresh air are the only cure.

  Eliana shoots me a horrified glance. “They truly eat those little people?”

  I nod but add, “To be fair, when they started eating them, the Goblins weren’t really more than forest creatures. They have evolved and become more sentient over time.”

  “Xandra got the Dragons to agree to eat imported cows smeared with Goblin sweat instead,” Kallen says proudly. Considering his words, nauseated would probably be a better reaction than pride.

  Which is the expression on Eliana’s face at the moment. I definitely prefer Kallen’s pride to her nausea. “That is nasty,” Eliana declares.

  I agree, it is. “True, but it was still a good compromise.”

  “You’re looking a little green,” Jenna says over my shoulder to Eliana and Josh. “Didn’t things go well?”