Licked by the Flame (24 page)

Lianne kept her thoughts quiet for a few moments while they waited. He could not see anymore what Eubryd was up to in the brood chamber, but he could see several eggs from his vantage point. They still appeared fine, and the cauldron of molten rock that they rested in boiled and heated the air of the cavern at the same scalding temperature he’d grown accustomed to. Nic had no reason to suspect she’d done anything to damage them yet. She must be waiting for her coconspirators.

I see them!
Lianne exclaimed in his mind.
In one of the tunnels across from me, I can see a little bit of a glow. It’s getting stronger. They should be coming into the chamber through a tunnel about thirty feet to the right of yours.

My right or your right?
he asked for clarification.

Um, yours. Can’t you feel them?

Yes, I was teasing you. I know exactly where they are.
He could feel her rolling her eyes at him.
Can you tell what color they are?

I can see a greenish glow…okay, one green fairy and one yellow
, she informed him
.

He let his mind range farther, sensing for subtleties and any details that would give him the edge. He found two fairies, just as she’d described. What he needed now was to single them out, decide which one to target first.

One of them feels stronger than the other,
he mentioned.
Which one is that? Describe him to me so I’ll know him when I see him.

She paused for a moment and he could feel her considering the question. He knew she wasn’t used to communicating like this or using her senses the way that he did. She seemed to understand what he was asking, though. She studied the fairies, watching their body language and assessing their attitudes. At last she gave a confident reply.

The green one. Yes, definitely the green one.

He commended her.
Excellent. He’s the leader, then.

I could tell because he glowed brighter than the other,
Lianne announced.
I wish people glowed like that. It’s kind of pretty.

Don’t get too attached. They’re going to be snuffed out very quickly.

Pity. But whatever. Burn the little bastards and let’s get out of here.

Damn it, but he loved that woman.

He could feel the fairies entering the chamber. Eubryd must have felt them, too. She called out a greeting.

“It’s about time! All was very nearly lost, but I think we can salvage things.”

“These are dragon eggs,” the green fairy noted.

“Best source of magic in all of the world,” Eubryd announced. “We had equipment set up to collect here, but my larger hot-tempered friend sort of destroyed it.”

“We’ve been collecting magic from incubating eggs?” the green fairy questioned.

“Brilliant, isn’t it?”

“And the dragons are with us on this?”

“Er, not quite,” Eubryd admitted. “That’s why things are a little bit of a mess right now.”

Nic could feel the fairy’s indignant energy. Whoever he was, he’d had no idea what had been going on in here. What sort of conspiracy was this that didn’t keep its members informed? He could feel anger building inside the green fairy. Likely Eubryd could feel it, too.

“Hey, don’t get all righteous with me,” she scolded the newcomer. “We’re doing this for the good of all the Veiled creatures.”

“Stealing magic from dragons without their consent? Where is the dragon that destroyed this equipment? What have you done with him?”

“He’s gone off to side with the humans,” Eubryd hissed. “That’s what’s been going on, that’s why we have to do this. We’re becoming pets, harmless caged animals, taking scraps from humans while they keep the best parts of the world for themselves! It’s time we use magic for something more than just surviving. We’re going to break out of our cage and show the humans what magic is for.”

“I thought we were working to strengthen the Veil, to keep the humans farther away from our magic.”

“We’ve been doing that for thousands of years and what has it gotten us?” Eubryd asked. “Now help me reconnect this part.”

“You think you can fix this? You can’t. The power supply is destroyed and the components are all crushed.”

“The human components are all crushed. The magical components are just fine. The magic that was being processed in here all escaped, but see this containment box?”

Nic could hear some scuffling and some mumbling. Unfortunately, this green fairy knew a bit about hybrid machinery. That might be to his credit where this damned fairy conspiracy was concerned, but Nic counted it as a strike against him. That fairy would be the first one he fried, as a matter of fact.

“The containment box is good,” the green fairy acknowledged. “But what can you do with it? There’s no electrical impulse, no catalyst.”

“I see your human associates have taught you not to think for yourself,” Eubryd said. “What’s your name?”

“I’m called Swift. I work for the council of the Great Lake Fairyrealm near—”

“I don’t care about that,” Eubryd interrupted. “You’ve lived behind the Veil for so long you think you belong there. You have at least part of a brain, though, unlike your dim little partner here.”

“Er, I’m Lem, ma’am,” the yellow fairy stammered.

Eubryd seemed unimpressed. “Well, flutter over here, Lem, and let me show you how this thing works.”

There were a couple of moments of clanking metal, then a sudden shout. Nic could feel Lianne’s shock as she watched on from the other side of the chamber. He peered down the tunnel where he’d remained concealed, moving just enough to see the action out in the open.

Eubryd had grabbed the yellow fairy and held him securely in her talons. She was just slightly more than twice his size, but her dragon reflexes were quick. She’d snapped him up before he had time to react and she held him, flapping her leathery wings and hovering over the pile of equipment she’d gathered up.

“What are you doing?” the green fairy demanded.

“I’m showing you that we don’t need human components to create a perfectly good catalyst,” she replied.

With that, she swiftly ripped the pale yellow fairy in half. The little creature barely had time to cry out before Nic felt his life force evaporate. Magic sparked from him, and Eubryd quickly shoved both halves of him into an oddly shaped box that rested atop the pile of equipment. The box suddenly glowed and the equipment started to hum.

Nic could feel its effects almost immediately. Yes, By the Flames, Eubryd had known something he did not. She knew she could get that damn machinery working again! How had he not known that’s what she was planning? When did she become so accomplished at keeping her mind closed to him?

“You should come out here now, Nic,” she called, as if the whole damn thing had been perfectly on cue. “Did you finally give up on your frail little human up there, or did she expire?”

“Damn you, Eubryd,” he growled.

His already torn pants shredded as his body roared into its natural form. He burst, full, sizzling dragon, out of the tunnel where he’d been hiding. The green fairy zipped up toward the ceiling, uttering curses as he went.

“Aw, too bad. The scrawny human must not have made it,” Eubryd said with a delighted smile. “So sorry for your loss.”

Well, that was interesting. He might not be able to reach into Eubryd’s mind right now, but clearly she could not read him, either. Apparently whatever bond they’d once had, her betrayal had broken it. He was sure he could read her if he tried—his mind was much more powerful than hers—but for now it was good to know his thoughts were a mystery to her.

“Whose side are you on, anyway?” Nic asked her. “That was one of our own kind, another Veiled creature that you just destroyed!”

“He gave his pitiful life for our cause,” she said with a shrug of her wings, her beady eyes flashing and puffs of glowing smoke emitting from her tiny, pointed nostrils. “In the end, it will all be worth it, when magic controls the earth again and humans are put in their place.”

She was delusional. She had the upper hand right now, though. He could feel his strength being slowly drained by that machine. It was not functioning at full capacity, but the fairy magic she jammed into that box had jump-started it, and he could feel the effects increasing. It was drawing in magic again, sucking it up from everything in proximity. The more magic it collected, the stronger it would get.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” the green fairy called down from where he hovered above, clearly trying to stay just out of blast range. “The Regulator on that equipment was destroyed. It will continue to gather up magic over capacity.”

Nic had a fairly good idea what might happen at that point. Uncontrolled magic was a very dangerous substance. With the practically endless supply it could collect from the clutch, this equipment would overload at some point. The result would be catastrophic.

“Oh dear, will this make the mountain go boom?” Eubryd asked sweetly. “Too bad I’ll be long gone by then. And what will you do, Nic? Stay to save your precious, useless clutch of weak little dragon pets? Or will you come with me and put your efforts toward a far more rewarding task?”

“You know I can’t leave the clutch,” he growled. “By the Flames, you won’t either, Eubryd!”

He released a powerful blast, enough to leave the walls of the chamber burnt to a glassy sheen where the giant fireball hit. Eubryd dodged him easily, though. She was a dragon, however small and misguided. Fire was not her enemy.

It could harm Lianne, though. Nic would have to be careful where he aimed his flame. He could feel that Lianne had not done as she was told and fled the area. She was nearby, clearly in harm’s way.

“What is that you are feeling, Nic?” Eubryd asked. “You’ve closed your mind to me, but I can detect…ah, so the female isn’t expired. You brought her down here with you.”

“She has nothing to do with this!” he commanded. “Face me Eubryd, if you have any honor left in you at all.”

For a moment it seemed the wyvern would indeed face him with honor. But she was distracted.

“No, face
me
, you damn bat-winged chicken!”

Lianne
. Damn her, she’d come out of the tunnel and stood there in the open, yelling at Eubryd and tossing stones, of all things, through the air at her. Nic couldn’t dare blast Eubryd away for fear he’d char Lianne. The little fool! What was she thinking?

Whatever it was, Eubryd fell for it. She glowered at Lianne, and her scales glowed with molten fury. She had to get closer to do any damage to the woman, however, so she left her spot at the buzzing machine and flew toward Lianne’s tunnel.

Lianne gave one quick glance at Nic and then took off running. He understood now and both loved her and hated her for it. She was going through with their plan, only right now it didn’t seem she’d be out of the way in time for it to work.

“Now, Nic!” she ordered, yelling out loud.

Her voice sounded strong, but he could feel the pain in her body. It was excruciating. Still, she was running up that damned tunnel for all she was worth.

“Do it now!” she repeated. “I’ll be okay, but you have to do it now!”

By the Fires, he hoped she was right. He’d hung the remote detonator around his neck. His scaly fingers grasped it, but he could not bring himself to press the button. She was still too close, still in that tunnel with the explosives, damn it. How could he do this thing, even to save his clutch?

“If you don’t do it now, we’ll all be toast,” she said.

He could see through her eyes. She was in darkness, pressing her bruised, trembling body into the tiny cleft where he’d shown her to hide. Eubryd would find her there. Lianne was right, if he didn’t set off the explosives now, Eubryd would burn her and then leave the chamber to explode when the machinery overloaded. This was his only chance.

“I love you, Lianne.”

He said it aloud and sent the words with every ounce of mental energy he could, then pressed the little button on the detonator. The tunnel exploded with a boom and a whoosh of dusty, ashy air billowed out like furious storm clouds. It overwhelmed him in a second, knocking him backward and obscuring his vision. The entire chamber around him glowed red from the heat of the brooding pool. He was momentarily dazed.

The echo of the explosion reverberated through the chamber until finally the sound dissipated. He was aware of the green fairy flapping his tiny wings furiously, faltering and dropping lower as he choked on the hot, dusty air.

“By the Skies, what did you do?”

Nic wasn’t sure how to answer. What
had
he done? Did he just kill the woman he loved? He reached out for her.

“Lianne…are you there?”

No answer, not audible or mental. He was still too disoriented to find her mind. The machine, though, still hummed away. He was very close to it and could feel it draining him, sucking at his very essence.

“Get away from the machine,” he ordered the fairy. “Get out of here before it depletes your magic. Go find help—anyone who can help me get the woman out of the tunnel.”

“You think she’s still alive in there?” the fairy asked, clearly wondering if Nic had suffered some form of brain damage.

“I hope so. Are you with me, or do I need to get rid of you, too?”

“Hey, I was sent here to help our people shore up the Veil. I don’t know anything about plotting to take over the world. If you want to save that human, I’ll do what I can.”

That was the right answer. Now if he could just feel Lianne, find her mind or her heartbeat or some sign of her life…It was reassuring, though, to know that he could not find Eubryd, either. Apparently his efforts had managed to get that part of the plan right.

He hoped the cost had not been entirely too high.

L
ianne slowly became aware of Nic calling her name. She cracked open her eyes, but they stung so she shut them again. Dust—it was all around her, choking her and making her eyes burn. She reached up to swipe at them and found that, although she could open them, she still couldn’t see. Everything was black all around her.

She groped in the darkness, trying to remember where she was. Oh yeah…she was in a tunnel. But why couldn’t she see the bright red glow from the main chamber? It was blocked. She could feel huge chunks of rocks all around her.

Pain stabbed through her leg as she moved. She found a big chunk of rock on top of it. Pushing herself into a seated position, she shoved the rock over. It clattered and made sounds of little pebble slides where it landed. She must have just barely missed being crushed.

So Nic had set off the explosives, just like she told him. He trusted her. That warmed her a little, despite the fact that she hurt and felt completely alone here in this rapidly cooling cavern.

But was she alone? That overheated lizard bitch had been coming at her, blazes roaring. There was no sign of her now, though. Lianne supposed if the creature was anywhere to be found, she’d be making herself known right about now. The creature’s absence probably meant the explosion had done its job.

But what about Nic? Where was he? She shut her burning eyes again and concentrated on finding him. She had heard his voice, hadn’t she?

Yes, there it was. Through all the rocks and debris, she could feel his desperate thoughts. He was searching for her, begging her to reply.

“I’m here,” she called out, and nearly gagged at the ragged condition of her throat.

Her head rang pretty good, too. It made her voice sound muffled and foggy. Maybe she did sound muffled and foggy; she couldn’t really tell. She went ahead and swallowed back some of the grit and tried calling out to him again.

“I’m okay! I’m in here.”

She waited, then suddenly he filled her mind. He was not as near as she wanted him, but they had found each other.

Thank the Flame
, he said.
Are you injured?

Not too much. More bruises and…ouch, a nice cut on my head, I think. It seems to be bleeding.

Put pressure on it, if you can.

Yeah, all right. I probably look like hell, just so you know.

Are you in any other immediate danger?

From your mini-dragon friend? I don’t see her. I don’t see anything, actually. Either I’m blind, or there are a hell of a lot of rocks fallen down in here.

The ceiling caved in, but I’ll get to you,
he assured her.
Just stay where you are.

That was my plan. Damn it. My leg hurts pretty good, too.

I’m coming for you.

Good. I like it when you come.

She could feel his chuckle rumble through her brain. It wasn’t hearty and rich, though, as she’d come to know it. In fact, his thoughts hadn’t been sharp and clear. Did she really rattle her head so much that she wasn’t receiving properly? She must have.

Just hold on, Lianne,
he said, weaker than she would have expected.
I’ll get to you.

Hey, what’s wrong with your voice? I mean, your thought voice. You sound like you’re a hundred miles away. Are you okay, Nic?

I’m fine. I just…The equipment is collecting magic at an increasing rate.

And you’re still in there with it? Get out of that chamber, Nic! It’s draining you. Find some other way to get in here to me.

No, there isn’t time. Just sit tight, Lianne. Let me concentrate.

There isn’t time? Why? What’s the next disaster I need to be worried about?

The equipment is collecting too much. It’s going to overload itself soon.

Oh, hell. That can’t be good.

It isn’t. Now stay back while I try to clear out this debris.

And by that she figured he probably meant burn the shit out of it. Since she didn’t really want a lap full of molten rock anytime soon, she scrambled back, crawling over broken hunks of rock face and finding her back against the far wall of the tunnel. She pulled herself up to stand, resting all her weight on one good leg and feeling her way along the wall. She moved farther into the tunnel, away from where the opening to the main chamber used to be.

At first she thought she was imagining it, but after blinking and rubbing her eyes again she couldn’t deny there was a faint light. Some of the rocks at the opening were starting to glow, and she could feel the air warming up around her again. Nic would be breaking through to her anytime now.

And he’d be a dragon. The thought of seeing him again that way sent a jolt of electricity through her. She’d been a little bit afraid of him, not quite sure how to react. But then she’d looked into his eyes, felt his mind touching hers, and he’d treated her so tenderly. No, she wasn’t afraid of him now. She wouldn’t react with fear when he burst through the rubble to get to her.

Well, maybe just a little. He was a big-ass scary dragon!

She held her position as the light grew brighter and she began to make out shapes. Her eyes could pick out individual formations and bits of shattered ancient lava rock that glittered in the growing glow. She rubbed her arms to both calm her nerves and revel in the warmth Nic’s blast created.

Lianne, can you see me yet?
he called into her mind.

I see light, and the debris is starting to glow. It’s getting warm in here.

Good. How are you doing?

My leg isn’t much help to me, and that bump on my head is making me a little bit woozy, but overall I’m thrilled that you’re coming to get me.

Me, too. I’m worried about hurting you, though. Do you think you can move farther from the tunnel entrance?

Sure. Now that I can see better, I can find my way. I can’t move very fast, Nic.

Do what you can. Let me know if it starts to get too warm for you.

She agreed, and held on to the tunnel wall for support as she scooted back deeper into the tunnel. It began to turn to the left, so she was moving out of the nice warm light and farther into the darkness. She could hear the walls and ceiling of the tunnel creaking, popping as the fractured rock heated from Nic’s blast. If it wasn’t for the fact that she knew he was just a few yards away from her now, it would be terrifying.

Hold on. I have to work my way through this big chunk. Get back as far as you can, Lianne.

That sounded ominous, so she pressed on into the darkness around the bend in the tunnel. She couldn’t see the bright glow where Nic worked, just a dusky beam of flickering red spreading across the tunnel floor and twisting up onto the opposing wall. It got brighter and all of a sudden, with a loud crack and the whoosh of more dust and debris, the beam shone bright and she knew the tunnel was open. He’d gotten through to her.

“Lianne! Are you all right?”

“I am.” She coughed with her reply. “I’m back here.”

The beam of light was quickly blocked by the huge shadow of something. Nic’s giant form swiftly moved toward her, filling the tunnel and creating wicked patterns of dancing red light as he moved. His eyes glowed and the gaps between his scales were like rivers of fire. It was as if he himself were molten in his core and the dragon form was simply a suit of armor he wore to contain it all.

Terrifying, but hot as hell.

His fiery eyes searched for her and she met them boldly. Yes, he was a dragon through and through, but she knew the soul behind those eyes. That would never change. The emotion she saw in them when they caught on her was unmistakable, too.

She didn’t have to say anything. Surely he could feel her thoughts for himself, know that everything he felt for her, all the love that was displayed in his eyes was echoed within her. She released her desperate grip on the wall and let her aching body fall into his arms.

He’d done it. He’d destroyed Eubryd and somehow managed to keep Lianne safe. Their stupid, hasty plan had worked, despite a few glitches along the way. She was the bravest, most determined human he had ever known. And she was
his
.

He held her tightly, pressing her against him and praying he could keep his body temperature cool enough not to burn her. He should have at least waited to turn into his human form before lunging for her this way. But he’d needed to touch her, to hold her and feel the life surge through her body and know that she was all right.

But she wasn’t all right. He could feel it even now. The wound on her head had been bleeding profusely, and as she wheezed under his crushing embrace, he knew there were less visible wounds as well. The force of the explosion had likely thrown her hard against the tunnel wall. Her lungs were filling with fluid; he could hear the raspy sound that she made when she whispered his name.

“I’ve got to get you out of here,” he said, stroking her hair and cradling her against him.

Even with his wings furled tightly against him, he barely had room inside the tunnel to maneuver. He managed, somehow. This tunnel would wind and meander through the depths of the mountain. He needed one that would take a more direct route to the surface, away from the churning machine that was draining his strength and would eventually destroy the mountain.

Already he was weary from the labor of searing his way through the debris that had blocked the tunnel. If he had his full strength, that should have been child’s play. Obviously the machine was becoming more and more effective as the minutes ticked by.

Damn, but he hated to admit defeat. Eubryd would succeed in destroying the clutch, after all. He would be forced to abandon his duty. It made him so angry, he had to be extra cautious not to let his body flame up or hold Lianne too tight.

“What is it?” she murmured, pressing herself against him as they emerged into the main chamber. “You’re upset about something.”

“I have to get you out of here before that machine blows,” he said. “We should go this way.”

He began moving toward one of the tunnels, but he pulled up short. The little green fairy was still hovering listlessly nearby.

“What the hell are you still doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure the human got out of there all right,” the fairy replied.

“She did. You should be gone while you still have any strength,” Nic admonished him.

“I can feel its effects getting stronger,” the fairy admitted. “What will you do with her?”

“I’ll get her to her people. They can help.”

“A dragon is just going to swoop down into a little village somewhere and get help for his injured human? No, let me help her.”

Nic didn’t trust this fairy one bit, but he did realize that the damn little creature was right. Their vehicle had been struck by lightning and Nic had left everyone back at the jobsite groggy and confused about what he was up to. There was no telling if or when anyone might realize they needed to come looking for Lianne, or where. If he took on his human form, they were both stranded here. And honestly, he wasn’t certain how much energy he had left for a long overland flight, if Lianne even could survive such a thing in a freezing storm with her injuries.

“How can you help her?”

“I’ve got some dust with me. If we can get her away from that machine, there’s probably still enough magic to heal her.”

“You can do that?” This was the first glimmer of hope Nic could truly latch onto.

“I can try. It will depend how much magic I have left, and how bad her condition is.”

It’s bad.

He hadn’t needed Lianne to confirm his worst fears, but she had. He craned his neck to peer down at her. Her eyes told him all he needed to know. Now that the initial surge of adrenaline was wearing off, she was beginning to realize the extent of her injuries.

“You’re willing to let this fairy try his magic on you?”

She nodded. “There’s something wrong in my chest, Nic. I mean, besides the other stuff. I think…I might be bleeding internally. I didn’t notice it at first, but maybe one of my ribs is broken. It’s getting harder to breathe.”

Immediately he relaxed his hold on her. Damn it, but things were going from bad to worse. If this fairy thought he could help, then there was nothing they could do but let him attempt it.

“All right,” Nic assented. “Let’s go over there, into that tunnel. It is the most direct route up to the surface and away from the machine.”

Before they could even enter the tunnel, however, the feel of new magic tingled through him. He barely had time to twist his body to shield Lianne from whatever this was when the glow of two more fairies appeared in the very tunnel they’d just been about to enter. Nic glared as a fiery golden fairy appeared with a more delicate pink fairy at his side.

“Friends of yours?” he asked the green fairy.

“Not exactly,” Swift replied.

“What are you doing here?” the golden fairy grumbled at Swift.

“There’s no time for an explanation,” Swift answered. “This human is injured. Have you brought any dust with you?”

“Only a little bit,” the pink fairy replied, eyeing Nic nervously. “What happened to her?”

“Long story,” Nic rumbled. “Can you help her?”

“We can try, but—” the pink fairy said but faltered in midair. “Whoa. Is that…there’s a machine running in here! We’ve got to get out.”

“Damn it, Swift,” the golden fairy snarled. “What are you up to? And where’s your little partner?”

“He didn’t quite make it,” Swift replied. “Now come on, we’ve got to get back where we came from.”

They were all about to head into the tunnel when a ball of fire slammed into the wall beside Nic’s head. He whirled around to find a broken, hissing Eubryd crawling out from under the melted debris of the cave-in. By the Flame, how could she possibly still be alive?

He ducked, depositing Lianne just inside the entrance to the tunnel. She moaned in pain when she tried to cling to him.

“Stay here. I’ll take care of Eubryd.”

Lianne was afraid for him, he could feel that. “But you’re weak, Nic, I can tell. She can’t have much fight in her. Let’s just get out of here.”