Magic and Mayhem: How To Date A Dragon (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Baba Yaga Saga Book 2) (16 page)

One bark in reply. Another growl. Then it latched onto his leg again with more tugging.

“Dude, you’re sliming me and that’s disgusting. Let go of my pant leg.”

He had to jump back when the familiar morphed into a giant camel that brayed loudly in his face. The beret was still perched on his big old camel head. Iren’s alarm was all that kept him from laughing. “Impressive change-up, dude. But I still don’t get what you’re trying to tell me.”

The camel changed back to the dog who ran around in a circle and then ran away. It stopped to look back at him. That’s when Iren figured it out.

“I get it now. You want me to follow you. Is Carol in trouble?”

Two sharp yaps and the dog was running like mad across the grounds, not waiting for him.

Completely worried now, Iren had no choice but to go running after him.

***

“Has Thane done something wrong?” the librarian asked.

“No. Not that I know of,” Damien answered. “However, I am a little worried about the research he’s been doing for Professor Moth. Some of it involved dangerous, forbidden spells.”

“Are you referring to the control spell or the love potion one?”

“Love potion?” Damien asked, surprised by the information.

“Yes. For Professor Moth’s bats. I believe they were trying to make them be amorous with each other.”

Damien frowned. This did not bode well. “When was the last time you saw Thane?”

The librarian clicked on a nearby computer keyboard. “It was 2:27 when he returned all his library books. He said his research work was finished.”

Damien was running before the librarian could do anything more than draw in a breath.

He needed to find the Jezibaba and the girls. He needed to warn them before Thane did something stupid.

After he got over being wrong, he was going to have some serious groveling to do.

***

Nigel paced in the woods, happy to have a solid pair of legs once more. It had taken the combined magic of several council members to restore his original form. He’d barely left the sacred grove before the real Lord Magna had passed away for real. The man was going to be stunned by the lusty reception he was going to get from the Jezibaba’s great grandmother.

Nigel looked at the sky to see how much time had passed. Waiting was not something he did well. It was a failing he and the Jezibaba both shared.

He smiled when the dragon finally appeared, but it faded when he saw the smirking idiot was alone. “Oh for Merlin’s sake. Did ya fail again?” Nigel demanded.

Thane huffed and shook his head. “Quite the contrary, warlock. I have succeeded beyond your wildest dreams, but it will cost you to collect more than one prize from me today.”

“Stop fooling around, Thane. Which Chosen One did you end up bringing?”

Nigel felt the dragon’s pride swelling within him. The energy of it was disgusting to experience. But prejudice has no place in business and his empathetic skills had kept him alive up to now.

“You were supposed to surprise me, Thane, not bore me to distraction.”

“Ladies, come say hello to Nigel,” Thane called.

Nigel’s mouth dropped open when a powdered covered Jezibaba and two young women walked out of the trees. He drew back in alarm when the Jezibaba walked to Thane and laid her red-haired, curly head gently on his shoulder. Thane glanced over and smiled at her before bringing his smirking gaze back to Nigel.

“How much do you think such a complete set would be worth to your Council of Witches? The Great Jezibaba is now at my command.”

Nigel walked to her and searched her eyes which were clouded by magic. “Hello, Lovey. How goes it?”

“Hello Nigel.”

The Jezibaba blinked as she looked him up and down. Nigel could tell the train wasn’t completely pulled into the station, but her greeting and recognition of him proved some part of her was functioning.

“Why are you not in prison where I left you? I think I shall have to kill you to keep you out of my business,” Jezibaba said softly.

Unsure of how much control the dragon actually had over her, Nigel quickly put some distance back between them. Best not to take any chances.

His gaze met the dragon’s. “How long will this binding last?”

Thane shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s an aphrodisiac spell so of course the results vary with each situation and each female. For the moment, all three will do anything I ask so long as I promise I will be theirs and only theirs.”

Nigel rubbed his face. “I can’t believe the Jezibaba was brought down by an aphrodisiac spell.”

“Scoff all you want, but the proof has her head on my shoulder again. Pick one of the girls to kill and get it over with, warlock. I wish to be done with my obligation to the council. I may take my other two prizes with me and bargain for more later.”

Nigel looked at the two younger girls. “Buggers. I don’t think I can hurt the one dressed in all pink. It just wouldn’t feel right.”

Thane snorted. “Good. She’s a shifter healer and may be salvageable. Perhaps with the other one gone, she’ll drop the Baba Yaga nonsense entirely.”

Nigel huffed. “I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high, dragon. Morgana backs these witches.”

“Forget your Goddess. I’ll let you have
both
girls if you’ll double the price. Just think, all the competition for witch protectoress can be ended here today.”

“What about the Jezibaba?” Nigel asked.

Thane smiled wickedly. “She’s not part of any bargain. I know someone who would pay much more than your Council of Witches would for her. Her death is forbidden, but there are darker gods who want to end the dragon witch’s life. She is an abomination to our kind, like the ancient one whose name is never spoken. I will go down in dragon history as a conqueror.”

“Or as just another dragon Morgana The Red wiped from existence,” Nigel warned.

“Thane?”

Thane turned his head to the woman at his side. She was growing on him. Perhaps he could understand what Damien saw after all. Perhaps he’d sample it himself. “Yes, darling?”

“They’re coming to rescue us,” she said.

“Who is, sweetness?”

Jezibaba sighed and squinted her gaze at the sun as she thought. “A dog and an elf.”

Thane threw his head back and laughed. He patted her cheek. “This day is just getting better and better.”

Damien was in his office when Nathaniel popped in on him. Or at least he thought it was Nathaniel. The man smelled like the old warlock, but didn’t look like him at all. His dragon senses roared in displeasure. He’d neglected his beast for far too long.

“Sorry to disturb you, Professor Smoke. Have you seen the Jezibaba? We can’t locate her or the Chosen Ones. My concern grows every minute. They haven’t left the grounds, but that’s all I can determine.”

Damien shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen her. I need to find her too. Don’t you have some way to track her?”

“Not without involving Morgana. I was hesitant to do that until I knew it was a problem. The Goddess tends to overreact.”

Damien held up a hand. “I understand. Let’s look a little harder. If we call Morgana, we’ll have blood and death and who knows what.”

“Agreed. I go then to continue my search,” Nathaniel said. Before he could transport, a wind lifted inside the office. In moments, Zenos stood before them. Or at least Nathaniel thought it was Zenos. The mage was a bit younger than he recalled, but then look at what happened to him?

“Yer not going to find them in time, druid. I can’t stand to watch this troll shite anymore. If Professor Dragon Pecker here hadn’t pissed her off, she’d have confided in him. She’s been looking for him since daybreak.”

Damien’s stomach fell at the news. He should have been there when she woke up. He’d ignored his instincts to stay so he could continue his investigation. “Who are you?” he demanded. “How did you get past my wards?”

“Feck off, Professor Bluster. How did that dragon boy ya trained get around them? Ya got wimpy magic, that’s how. Ya never use yer beast and he’s resentful. She doesn’t use hers and she’s waning. I should kick both yer arses. With protectors like ya two, the girls are lucky they’ve survived this long.”

Nathaniel sighed loudly. “Professor Smoke, this is Zenos. He’s the mage who’s going to train Hildy and Carol.”

“Mage,” Damien said, the word sounding wrong somehow. The man glaring at him was far more than a mage.

“No time to play twenty questions to educate a hard headed dragon, druid. The English plotter has them all in the woods. Yer golden dragon boy powdered all three with what he thinks is a love potion. The thing is though, it’s one third control spell. It will require a good effect to break its hold.”

Damien walked round his desk. “Take us to them,” he ordered.

Zenos snorted. “Why? So ya can betray her again?”

Black smoke billowed from Damien’s nostrils. “I will fry you if she dies.”

“Oh, now yer worried,” Zenos declared. “Well, ya see I’m having a little problem with my own magic since healing Nathaniel.”

“Stop making excuses. They want them dead,” Damien yelled.

Zenos drew himself up and morphed into a giant gorilla. He beat his chest and roared into Damien’s face. Then he grabbed the dragon and the druid and transported them, enjoying their oomphs as they dropped into a sacred circle where Pissy Miss stood waiting to be sacrificed.

They scrambled to their feet. The first person Damien saw was the warlock the Jezibaba said she’d locked up over and over and hadn’t managed to kill. He would correct that for her today.

“I remember you, Nigel,” Damien said viciously, glaring at the wide-eyed villain who laughed nervously.

“This is not your business, Professor Smoke. Dragon politics never concern themselves with the lives of witches. Just leave here while you can,” Nigel encouraged.

“Take Carol to safety,” Damien ordered Nathaniel.

Flames erupting on Nathaniel’s cloak prevented the warlock from obeying him. Nathaniel dove outside the circle, struggling to escape the burning cloth.

Where in hell was the frustrating mage?

Damien looked back over his shoulder to see Thane smiling. Elenora’s head on his shoulder angered his beast and him. Thane and Nigel would both die today.

An irreverent god’s voice drifted out of the trees. “True love’s kiss breaks the spell, eegits. Get to lip locking yer women before it’s too fecking late.”

“Darling…” Thane began, but he was cut off by a camel braying loudly in his ear. Startled, he jumped and blasted the animal with his flame. It morphed into a yapping, angry dog.

“No! Don’t kill him,” Hildy yelled, before she dove on top of the dog.

Breathing hard, Thane glared and turned back to the Jezibaba. But it was too late.

“Forgive me. I should never have doubted you.” Damien said before putting his mouth on hers. He wanted to sink into her when her arms came around him. Goddess, it had been so long. He bent her backwards, then lifted her until she was pressed all along him. His pride had almost cost him the most precious of his possessions.

“No!” Thane yelled, morphing into his dragon form.

Damien ran from the change, dragging the woman he loved with him. He didn’t doubt his love for her was strong enough. He just hoped the spell broke sooner than later. They could all use her help.

“Stay out of the way,” he ordered, morphing into his dragon.

Much larger than Thane’s, he took out several trees near the clearing. When the younger dragon shot skyward to flee, Damien was close behind.

Nigel saw the Jezibaba rubbing her face and moaning. Knowing he had little time left to complete the most important part of his task, he lifted his hands and chanted. A lighting bolt built in his palm. It would be all he needed at this close range. He turned to throw it, but an elf streaked across the lightning’s path and knocked the Chosen One to the ground. The boy climbed on her with no finesse whatsoever and planted his mouth on hers. She squirmed under his weight and eventually threw him off to the side where he lay still. The elf’s clothing smoldered beneath him.

Buggers.
He’d hit the wrong target.

Readying himself to transport away, Nigel didn’t sense the wand’s power in time to stop it from constraining him. He winced as the Jezibaba walked over to where he struggled to pull himself to his knees.

“Ouch, Lovey. That hurts something fierce,” Nigel complained.

“I warned you what would happen next time I came across you in the flesh,” she said.

The Jezibaba lifted the wand in the air, only she never got the chance to fashion any spell. A tiny, black dagger sailed accurately through the air and landed precisely in Nigel’s chest. Jezibaba could see the deadly throw had pierced the warlock’s wicked heart.

Wide-eyed, Nigel’s gaze went to the angry girl glaring at him. “Bugger. Didn’t see that coming,” he said, falling over in the dirt.

Jezibaba looked on with a heavy heart as Carol turned and dropped to her knees beside the boy who had saved her life.

Iren gasped as Carol turned him over. “Why did you do that?” she demanded. “Why did you jump in front of me?”

“Because your life is more important than mine,” Iren said hoarsely, closing his eyes as his head rolled sideways.

“No!” Carol screamed in denial. “I refuse to die a virgin. You can’t die, Iren!” She glanced around in panic. “Iren saved my life. Someone help him.”

Jezibaba walked to the circle and knelt beside the wildly grieving girl. “Iren took a direct lighting bolt to the back, child. I don’t think there’s anything we can do. That magic is deadly.”

Carol looked back at Hildy. Ahmed was trapped in her arms and whining over it. Her friend said nothing. The spell was not broken for her. In her current condition, Hildy couldn’t even try to heal Iren.

Carol glared at the Jezibaba. “This can’t be right. This can’t be how it works out. Thane can’t win this way. The Council of Witches can’t win.”

“They haven’t,” Jezibaba insisted, gripping Carol’s shoulder tight. “You live. Hildy lives. I live. They haven’t won anything.”

A naked, burned Nathaniel limped to the circle. He held a smoking remnant of his robe over his private parts. He looked down at the boy who’d sacrificed everything.