The Jade Dragon (8 page)

“I go now,” he whispered into Aden's ear. “I send thoughts to you if I see Gregori or anything strange.”

“Good. I'll start from basement level and work my way up. You start from the top and work your way down. We'll meet somewhere in the middle.”

“Over and out,” Albert whispered and the weight on Aden's shoulder lifted, his familiar gone seconds before a neophyte walked down the great winding staircase into the hall.

Cloaked in his official robe, Aden was second only to Anton in the Dragon hierarchy. No one would question his presence in any room of Marylebone House. Only those who were invited to Marylebone could enter its walls. The general public walking past as they made their way to work or home, would not actually see the building as it was shrouded by magic and visible to very few.

Aden strode down the hall, his official Dragon's cape floating lightly behind him, to the office he kept at the rear of the building. He pushed the door open and blinked, immediately certain someone had been here and he'd bet a year's worth of spells it had been Gregori.

They'd once companionably shared this room, Aden as his most senior apprentice and Goran as Aden's apprentice. Gregori's desk against the far wall had sat unattended and untouched for the past few years. Until today. He spun full circle, building a protection spell about him and sending out a search spell at the same time to ensure he was alone.

He paused. Listened. Closed his eyes and continued to search with his mind's eye. He used all his senses, and for a second he thought he saw Gregori wink and give him the universal thumbs-up signal. Aden opened his eyes. Yes. He'd been here. Which meant Anton was likely to have been as well. Relief flooded through him. He had no stomach for hunting or ending the life of the man who had taught him much in his tenure as an apprentice Dragon. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Think, Aden. What would Gregori do?

• • •

Albert flitted quietly from room to room, enjoying his search. He hadn't hunted in a long time. It felt good to be useful. He started at the very top, the belfry where all the other dragons like himself nested. Here they were free to fly in and out at will, as long as they stayed within the magical barrier that protected Marylebone from being detected by mere non-magical mortals.

Clarissa, his partner, wasn't here. But their nest of dragon-eggs was. Soon he would be a father. His insides went all gooey and he nearly forgot to be invisible. Albert wanted to stay and snuggle up with them but he moved on, remembering his task. Clarissa would not leave their young ones alone for long and if she needed to, she would ask another dragon to sit with them for her.

He made his way to the uppermost belfry to look for the oldest dragon in their ranks, Lyzander, Gregori's familiar. The old dragon stood on the ledge waiting for his master to return, eating little and worrying them all with the sad droop to his eyes and the lack of interest in producing any fire, sparks, or smoke.

Lyzander looked over his shoulder towards the entrance as Albert entered the belfry. Pausing, he wondered whether he'd been discovered even though he was invisible. Lyzander was wily, almost as wily as his master. Albert alit softly on the floor, and paused, not moving. Lyzander stared in his direction for ages, but then blinked and returned to staring outside, his head drooping, his tail tucked about his body.

Moisture pooled in Albert's eyes. He felt Lyzander's despair and it made him sad, too.

Albert checked all the corners of the lair before moving down to the next floor to the private rooms of Anton and Eleisha. He hid in a corner even though no one could see him and listened. The doors were closed. No sounds. He would have to wink in and out of each room very, very quietly and very, very quickly. Eleisha was smart and she had a dragon, too. So did Anton.

Carefully, he began his search and it didn't take long to find Anton, sound asleep in his dressing room chair. Mistletoe wasn't there. Albert sidled up as close as possible and inspected Anton. His chest rose up and down. He breathed in and out. Albert sighed with relief. He sent an immediate message to Aden.

• • •

Aden laughed so hard his belly ached. “He got the better of you. Admit it.”

Anton sat, fuming with indignation from his chair by the fireplace. Eleisha sat beside him, her hand in his. “I admit nothing. That no-good brother-in-law wasn't playing fair.”

“I'd say it wasn't fair to encase him in stone in the first place,” Aden said. “You could have told me. I was shocked when I first discovered him in the Gallery and nearly ruined everything when I attempted to investigate the spells. It knocked Rosa unconscious in the process.” Aden spoke of the very first time he'd visited the Greenwood Gallery and discovered the famed jade dragon that many came to see housed none other than Gregori.

“The fewer who knew the better,” Anton said in a grumpy tone. “Eleisha was there. And Zelda knows.” He shuddered. “I guess Zelda also knows he's escaped. She's sure to involve herself somehow.”

Eleisha kissed Anton's forehead and brushed a stray length of graying hair from his cheek. “Anton believes Gregori is correct. The death of Alice and Jack Greenwood wasn't accidental. Their vehicle was protected by an anti-crash spell. We've quietly investigated all avenues and Zelda has never stopped looking, either. We've come up with nothing.”

“Rosa's going to be furious that we've kept this from her. They all will.” Aden's dark eyes sparked into a fiery glow. “What point is my role as Dragon if you don't give me all the tools, including the information, to do my job?” He thought for a moment. There was something else. There had to be. “What aren't you telling me?”

Anton glanced to Eleisha before returning his gaze to Aden's. “Gregori is destined to be Alanna's mate. Except the bells tolled for him when she was but fourteen. That's why we ensorcelled him. Not because we believe he hurt her parents. We don't believe that for an instant.”

Aden blew out a long slow breath of air. “Does she know this?”

“She has an inkling.”

“So what do we do now?”

“We utilize you and Albert. Perhaps Rosa as well, to keep an eye on Gregori while he's free.”

“No. Rosa is too emotionally involved, as you so succinctly put it only seconds ago. Plus, I'm not even sure if she'll talk to me when she learns I've been hiding information about her parents' death from them all. They think it was an accident.”

Anton acknowledged his comment with a nod. “She loves you. But she also loves her sisters and has fought to keep them together all these years. She will want to help her sister. But — ” He paused and steepled his fingers, resting the index fingers against his mouth in thought. Reaching a decision, he lowered his hands. “There is one avenue we've never covered and I believe the trail of Gregori's hunt will lead him directly to it.”

“And that is?”

“Alanna herself. She was in the vehicle at the time of the accident. She's never spoken a word about it. Ever. If anyone knows anything, it's her.”

• • •

Gregori stood on gravel in the very center of the long, open section of road and wondered how such an event had occurred. It was a back road to Raven's Creek. The general public used freeways to get where they were going but locals used this road all the time.

Suddenly, he felt his familiar Lyzander call to him. The dragon was deeply unhappy and missed him. Gregori reached out to speak with him telepathically, but he dared not call him to his side. Other dragons would be able to track his old familiar.

“It won't be long now,”
he soothed.
“Why do you call me?”

“Albert looks for you. He was sneaky and invisible, but I'm so old, I see things others do not. He hunts for you.”

“Do not worry, my friend. He won't do anything yet. Just gather your strength for when you're needed.”
He felt Lyzander's heart lighten a little.
“Don't waste time pining for my company. I may need you sooner than you think. Eat, drink and stay at the ready.”

A hum of a vehicle in the distance ended their conversation. Gregori translocated behind the giant oak, the exact same one the Greenwoods' car had wrapped itself around, and he waited. Before long, a four-wheel drive vehicle sped down the stretch of road, going too fast, its tires flinging up loose stones behind it like mini missiles as it sped past Gregori.

Going invisible, Gregori followed.

Aden arrived in the courtyard, startling Zelda. He grinned. One didn't get much over her, so surprising her made him chuckle.

“Some warning of your arrival would have been appreciated. Why are you here?”

Aden shot her a withering glance. “To recreate a facsimile of the dragon. Rosa sent for me.”

Zelda nodded. “Good. I've already explained to customers that the dragon is away being valued for insurance purposes and will be back shortly. And I've repaired the courtyard walls. I figure they'll stand for several hundred years.”

Aden eyed the woman Rosa trusted implicitly. He had ample reason not to in the past and he found it difficult to trust her now. “I'll craft the dragon and Rosa will infuse it with spells. I may need your help.”

An amused glint appeared behind Zelda's horn-rimmed glasses. She knew full well how he truly felt about her. “You're asking for help? From me?”

Aden controlled the urge to turn the old hag into stone and put her on the lily pad instead. “Assist' is a better word. I need a piece of jade strong enough to house a bevy of spells. I'm to craft it as close to the original as possible and if needs be, we'll place Gregori in there.”

“Alanna keeps a supply upstairs.” Zelda cackled like the old crone she resembled. “I imagine she's going to be too busy for the next couple of weeks to help you, so help yourself.”

Aden flew up the stairs two at a time to the studio and began to hunt for a suitably sized stone. He picked up piece after piece, weighing each one in his hand, gauging the stone's ability to absorb magic without cracking, its strength, character, and willingness to be fashioned into the shape of a dragon. Alanna had an amazing collection and he figured there was several thousand dollars' worth of jade on the shelves in one corner of the room alone.

He looked around. A ballet bar Beth used was in one corner. There was a pedestal with a lump of stone in the center of the room, near a bench holding a number of sculpting tools. Nothing else. But yet, he sensed there was another piece waiting to be found. He closed his eyes to search with his mind's eye. A soft green glow formed and it spoke to him.
I am here.

Aden moved to Alanna's bedroom and stood in the doorway. It had to be in there or the bathroom. They were the only other rooms on this floor besides the small kitchenette.

“Damn it!” He marched out onto the landing and called down to Zelda. “There's a piece here, but it's in Alanna's bedroom and it's not worth my immortal life to go in there without her permission.”

“I'll call her,” Zelda came to the bottom of the stairs. She held a finger to her lips silencing his next words. There must be clients in the Gallery.

Aden swore. “I'll wait here.” He stood at the window looking out over the small center of Raven's Creek, expecting to see Rosa and her sisters walking up the street any second.

But when he heard a sound behind him, he turned, thinking that perhaps they had come from a different direction, only to find Gregori standing in the room, his hair disheveled, his clothes far too small for him and an irritated glare in his eyes.

“Well, now,” Aden grinned. “I was wondering when you'd turn up again.”

“I'm here, like a bad penny. Lyzander tells me he saw Albert searching for me? How is that noisy flutter-bug?”

“That so-called flutter-bug is about to become a father.” Aden moved forward without regard for his own safety and gripped Gregori's forearms, a huge smile on his face. “With responsibility comes maturity. Don't let his playfulness fool you into thinking he won't hunt you down and burn you to a tasty crisp if you so much as harm a single soul.”

“And it's wonderful to see you again, too.” Gregori was without a doubt, pleased to see Aden and not at all put off by the threat. “Although I can't say the same for that sorceress downstairs.” He grasped Aden's forearms and tugged Aden into an embrace.

“She saw you?” Aden looked to the stairwell. “And you're still alive?”

“Do you think I've become as dense as the stone I was trapped in?” Gregori lowered his voice and without communicating they both moved to the far wall to ensure they remained unheard. “No one should cross her. She's more influential than all of Marylebone combined.”

“More importantly, Anton is not happy. He's pissed and he said to tell you ‘forty-eight hours before deadline, as discussed.' Eleisha is even more displeased that you didn't stop by to say hello. Whether you're successful or not in your hunt, I've received instructions to craft another stone dragon strong enough to hold you for all eternity if necessary.”

“Go ahead and craft one. It won't be needed. If necessary, I'll put you in it instead.” Gregori put a finger to Aden's shoulder and made a sucking noise with his tongue and teeth. “After I've drained most of your magic, I'd ensorcel you easily.”

“You forget. I know you.”

“You shouldn't be so confident. Being stuck in stone for ten years has left me feeling as twitchy as a glow-worm in daylight. I may have told Anton I'll return in ten days' time, but I'm now telling you, there's no way I'm going back into stone of any shape or form.”

Alarm flared in Aden's chest. He inspected Gregori's aura. He was under control but there were flares of red, shooting out indiscriminately. “What will you do? Rescind your magic? Become mortal?”