DragonsHeart.wps (16 page)

“Take these jackets and for heaven’s sake, wear them. Here, you’ll also need

what’s in these knapsacks. Wear them, and use what the bag gives you when you need it.”

“It’s empty.” Grania felt the feathery lightness of it.

“Of course it is. It’s a magical bag ... you know the sort that Father Christmas wears?” Aurora smiled. “Just go now. Bonnie and I have a big job ahead of us. We’ll be shutting the facility down as soon as Queen Elizabeth and the Prime Minister arrives.

We’ll be having quite the entourage since their families will be accompanying them, not to mention the rest of parliament.”

“What about my mother? You can’t just leave her out in the line of fire. She is our leader!”

“She knows how to handle herself. She’ll be the one assuming the Prime

Minister’s position until it’s safe for him. Draco will try to kill him first; fortunately, your mother will give him a surprise. She's a warrior Queen, Dylan. You know that.

Her role as our leader has always been a low key one. She's not one that gives into the pomp and circumstance. She believes her duty is to protect her subjects, and by assuming the Prime Minister's role, she will be in part doing that. If many humans perish in this assault, she will never forgive herself. Once Draco breaks the human population, he will target us. Your mother hopes to stop him before he can get that far. She's a marvel. You should be proud of her.”

“My mother ....”

Grania watched worry crease his brow. “She’ll be fine, Dylan.” Grania tried to bolster his spirits even though she was plagued by indecision herself. She didn’t know if Aine would be fine .… “Trust me, my father will think twice when faced with such a bitchy witch.”

He laughed. “You’re right. This is what she’s lived for. Her career took

precedence over everything else in her life. I don’t know why I worry about her … she’s one witch that knows how to take care of herself.”

“Amen to that,” Aurora said. “Your mother will be fine. But she might need

your help, so get out there and do what I’d do. Do everything that I would do in fact, with my complete blessings.”

He nodded, pulling her toward the door. As the door swung open, Bonnie spoke.

“The Queen and her family as well as The Prime Minister and the rest of the cabinet have arrived. We can now go into lockdown mode.”

“May the Graces be with you, Dylan and Grania. When you save England, you’ll

save the world.”

In the next instant, they were out in the street. Grania looked back. The building was disappearing before their eyes.

“You won’t see them again, unless we figure out how to stop your father,” Dylan said, giving her an encouraging look.

DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170

“The solution is simple, Dylan. You’ll have to use the spell.”

“I don’t want to. Not now. I can’t!”

“You have to.”

“I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do, my dear wife. I won’t be a

destroyer of a race. I can’t. I don’t have the stomach or heart for it anymore.” Despair etched his face. Even though she was exasperated with him, her heart went out to him.

She understand how he felt, she just couldn't condone it, not when so much hinged on him using that spell against her father's legions.

“You have no other choice! I won’t let you throw away all of your hard work.

Listen carefully to me, husband. If my father is capable of killing hundreds of my kind at once, then, I’m telling you, he’s too far-gone! There is not hope of saving him now --

we’ve lost him forever. I knew that a long time ago, and the events of today have only reaffirmed and crystallized that realization for me. I can't live in denial any longer. I won't.”

“If you’re that passionate about it. Maybe.”

“No, not maybe. You use it when you have to. Don’t think about me, or the

others that it could hurt. My aunt and uncle knew the consequences of that spell and they still wanted you to finish it. Now, that you’ve finished it, I see no ....”

“I never said I’d finished it.” He gave a look of supreme annoyance. His eyes flashed with ill humor.

“You didn’t have to. You’re about as telling as a crystal globe, at least to me.”

“We need to get off the street … did you feel that second tremor? I feel as if I’ve had one too many at the local pub.”

“I did feel it. Either my father is still playing show and tell, or there’s a dragon walking toward us.”

“Tewkesbury is about a twenty minute drive from here.”

“If we fly, we could get there faster.”

He looked sharply at her. She shrugged her shoulders. “I know, I’m the one that likes to drive, but the streets might be clogged with traffic, considering the mass chaos that's going on as we speak. It’s a wonder it hasn’t migrated here yet.”

“In due time.” He looked over at a trendy little silver sports car. It looked like a car a super spy would drive. And, since they were outside of the MI6 building, she wouldn't be surprised if a super spy did drive it.

“What are you doing?”

“I can make that contraption fly.”

“You wouldn’t. It would give your kind away.”

He gave her a pointed look. “Do you actually realize what you just said? Are you hearing yourself?”

“Yeah.” She snorted. “I’m sorry, I’m having a hard time dealing with this news.

It’s rather surreal to me. I never thought it would go this far, but it has. Now, we have to do whatever we can in the way of damage control.”

“Damage control? If my hunch is right, it’s even too late for that.”

Screams of panic rent the air, followed by a sound they both recognized. “Make that damn car fly! I’ll take care of whatever is coming our way. Go!” Grania shouted, moving into battle mode.

He gave her one last fleeting glance. People ran toward her. She didn’t know DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170

what to do … why had Dylan’s people abandoned the humans? They were going to get pulverized out here.

“Get behind me!” she yelled her order, earning a few looks of disapproval,

especially from the men. There were about twenty of them.

“What the bloody hell do you think you can do? We’ve just been invaded by

flipping dungeons and dragons!” The man yelling the remark had a gaping wound in his side. He looked as white as a sheet, he needed medical attention, sooner rather than later.

“Just do it! Whatever is coming this way, I can stop it.” She pulled out her sword from its scabbard.

“Do you hear her, Hugh? She can stop it.” The man with the wound turned to his friend and chuckled, then grimaced with pain.

“Maybe she’s like that witch that tried helping us,” Hugh suggested hopefully.

“Tried?” Her stomach sank.

“She got knocked out by a car. That was a wicked sight to be sure. I don’t know why she didn’t get crushed.”

“Knocked out? That would have killed her.”

“Not so.” A man that stood at about six feet four came striding into view, holding an unconscious witch in his arms. “She’s my fighting partner. I was going to stay and fight another round, but I couldn’t leave her in harm’s way. Our medics are doing what they can, but ....”

“I understand. You just wanted her safe.” She smiled.

“Are you friend or foe?” Suddenly, the warrior wizard’s eyes started glowing. “I know what you are. I can smell it.” His eyes widened, he reached for his wand, when Dylan shouted something. In the next instant, the man’s wand turned rubbery in his hand. “What the ruddy hell?”

“Just try using that sort of magic on my wife, and there will be fucking hell to pay!” Dylan strode into view. “I’ve rigged the car. It’s ready to go.”

“Dylan?” The wizard looked shocked.

“I should have known it was you, Leo. What the hell do you think you were

doing? She’s on our side! Just like so many other dragon shifters are. I catch you pulling another fast one like that, and I will forget that I even know you! I will not hesitate to blow you from here to bloody kingdom come!”

“My apologies, then. I didn’t realize that she was who she was. I would never hurt a Lightfoot. Not in a million years. Now then, since we’ve cleared the air could we please move on? I’d appreciate it if you could possibly take the bloody jinx you put on my wand off?”

“Course,” Dylan said. The wand straightened and hardened before her eyes.

“What’s going on in Tewkesbury?” she asked. She watched as Dylan moved over

to the injured man and put a magical bandage on his side.

“I’ve never seen the likes of it before. Most of them are trying to make their way to London. Before we know it, the capital will be streaming with hordes of the bloody buggers. Don’t worry though, we were giving as good as we got before Kayla was injured.”

“My family.” She felt the need to sit. Vertigo ripped at her being, nearly pulling her asunder.

“Your family must be somewhere safe.” Dylan gave her a reassuring smile. Her

DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170

stomach clenched. She could feel a sense of deep foreboding in the air.

“What’s this about your family?” Leo looked between them.

“The king and queen of Dragonia,” Dylan whispered.

“I heard someone say they were dead.” Leo looked crestfallen. “I am sorry, I

hadn’t realized that they had any relations here on Earth.”

“Dead?” Hollowness invaded her heart. She swallowed past the thick lump

emerging in her throat.

A bright light illuminated the space behind them. Sounds of a dragon’s battle cry came to them from ahead. It made the hairs on the nape of her neck prickle with dread.

The dread was quickly replaced by a bloodlust the likes of which she’d never

experienced before. If her family had been among the many that had been slain that day, she would bloody well avenge their deaths. The best way to do that was to kill as many of her father’s dragon shifters as she could manage.

“Hey, Dylan! I don’t have all day. We should have the entire facility in

lockdown mode, but I persuaded Bonnie to open it up when these humans wandered by.

Aine said that there were bunkers created for the humans all over England. I don’t understand why this bunch didn’t get caught by one of our agents.” Aurora looked magnificent. Light glowed around her, as her magic literally haloed her in a protective cocoon.

“Aye, that’s right.” Leo nodded. “Unfortunately, they forgot to put one in this bloody area of town. Hats off to whoever decided on that. We can’t go back, we have to go forward until we can find the next closest bunker.”

“How badly injured is she?” Aurora moved forward to lend her assistance.

“I think she’s coming round. Before the car hit her, she’d managed to put up a shield but then a tremor hit, and her concentration wavered … just enough for her to get her blinking lights knocked out.”

“I’ll take her with me,” Aurora offered. “The rest of the humans can come as

well.”

The mortals clustered around Aurora. Something about her intrigued them

greatly. It had to be the light she was throwing off. “It’s just the sort of affect I have on humans. I have no idea why.” She smiled at Grania. “Do you two still want to forge on ahead? It looks like everything has gone to the dogs out here.”

“To the dragon shifters more like,” Leo scoffed. “I’m staying out here to fight.

You can take Kayla back with you.”

“No …,” Kayla coughed, finally coming round. “I’m not going back with

Aurora. I’m trained for this. I have to fight. There’s no other way.”

“You had yourself knocked out ....” Leo’s forehead creased. Grania recognized the way that Leo looked at Kayla; he was giving her the same irritated look that Dylan gave her more frequently than she preferred.

“That’s happened to me plenty of times. I’m a walking disaster, remember,

Leo?” He put her cautiously down on her wobbly feet. “Whoa. I’m good. Give me a few more seconds and I’ll be back in top form.” She gave Leo a wane smile. Grania had to admire Kayla’s tenacity under great odds.

Grania stepped forward. Kayla’s eyes widened. “Oh, boy. You’re her! I

recognize you from our intelligence reports. I’m honored to meet you.” She bowed her head to Grania in a show of respect.

DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170

“Obviously, Leo missed the memo, since he tried to kill her when he first laid eyes on her,” Dylan said wryly, narrowing his eyes at Leo.

“How was I to know? She’s not wearing the royalist insignia … I thought she

was one of Draco’s little hellions.”

“It’s okay, Dylan. You stopped him in time.”

“You bet I did. I better not catch you pointing that thing at her again.”

“I don’t think we really have time to stand out here arguing. I’m getting the humans to safety.” Aurora sounded determined.

“Humans? We all have names, you know!” The same loudmouth that had opened

his trap before when Grania had told them to take cover behind her, had gone done it again. She would be relieved when Aurora finally got them out of her hair.

“What the hell is going on here? I’m just minding my own business walking

toward my car when a lorry flies through the air and lands on top of it. Had it not been for some bloke wielding a wand, I would have been dead. Those dragons are dangerous!

And then, there are the ones that aren’t dragons, but they aren’t humans either! What the bloody hell is going on? I want some answers!”

“
We
are at war.” Dylan’s voice remained impassive.

“Well now, call me stupid. I didn’t realize that! What I want to know is what the ruddy hell
we
are at war with!”

“Dragon shifters that want to take back this world.” This time she supplied the rude man with his answer.