Dragonfall Read online

  I snapped back half in humor and half in anger, “I don't even know why she's got you back there, I can take care of me self ya know!”

  I could almost hear the eye roll in her voice. “I'm sure you can, but she is the taskforce leader. Just following orders ma'am.” She said ma'am with a ton of sarcasm. “Anyone ever tell you that you have an Irish temper?”

  I'm embarrassed to say that I giggled at the woman. “Goodbye Dawna.” I wiggled my fingers out the back window as I hung up.

  It was Tuesday, my turn for the coffee. I went through the drive-thru at the local coffee shop and I ordered up the coffee for my team, and a spare. Black, the only way to drink it. Then as an afterthought I gave the man at the window a ten and said, “Two more for that black SUV back there that didn't order.” I pulled forward but then stopped suddenly, causing my babysitters to have to stop by the window. I snorted as the man handed them two cups and I saw Dawna shaking her head with a smile toward me. I stuck out my tongue at her in the rearview mirror then pulled out to finish the drive to the museum.

  I parked in the employee lot and watched the SUV park across the street before I took my tray of caffeine goodness and my purse and made my way inside. At the security station inside the employee entrance, I flopped my purse and tablet into a plastic tub and sent it through the x-ray machine then stepped through the metal detector, and grinned at the large pacific islander guard. “Hi Sefa.”

  He grinned at me. “Hi Doctor O...” I cut him off with a raised eyebrow. “I mean Myra.”

  I grinned back and handed him the spare coffee from the tray. “That's better. You know I'll be havin' none of that 'doctor' shite.”

  He raised the cup to me in thanks as I grabbed my things from the plastic tub and headed off to the stairs. Ever since I became Drakon, I had loved physical exertion and took the stairs any time I was alone.

  I took the stairs down in long leaping strides, ten at a time, keeping the tray of drinks perfectly level and not spilling a drop. I slid down the railing side saddle on the last set to the sub-basement, and hopped off in mid slide to land lightly on my feet. I chuckled, just a year ago I was quite possibly the clumsiest person our dear Lord saw fit to put on the face of the planet. I would have wound up in a hospital somewhere just for thinking about doing what I had just done.

  The light at the bottom of the stairwell was burned out and my dragon sight just naturally bloomed and everything was bright as day with purplish red highlights. I exited into the staging area for the exhibits upstairs. I had to breath through my mouth, the smells down here coming off the artifacts and the sweating workers were pungent and stale. I could never smell it with my human senses.

  I made my way to a positive pressure clean room and tapped on the glass. James and Mei looked up from their workstations. I held up the coffee and they grinned and made their way out of the clean room and out of the secondary glass door.

  Mei had a silly grin. “Warm caffeine!” She snagged a cup and James nodded and grabbed a cup. I sniffed the rich smell of mine and winced. Oh yeah. A moment later my senses were dulled and I sniffed experimentally again. Mmmm now it was almost mouth watering.

  I smiled after taking a sip. “Ahhh... there. That's better. G'morning.”

  Mei chirped out, “Good morning Myra.”

  James pulled himself away from slurping his coffee long enough to grunt out, “Myra,” before drinking more of his bounty. I almost giggled, us geeks and our caffeine. After our little coffee break, we were more awake and loquacious. I filled them in on the griffon hunt the previous night and that Quinn was pursuing any info she could find about its origin. We needed to work on the final three scrolls from Dublin that we finally received here at the museum since the recent string of murders of the dragons from the Eire Dragon Clan of Denver mirrored a similar account in the most damaged of the new scrolls.

  We all agreed and scanned our badges at the door, I put on a hairnet, paper gown, and some booties then scrubbed my hands in the sink and then we all entered the clean room.

  James lately has been breaking out of his geeky researcher shell. I think his relationship with the short and cute Japanese-American, Mei has boosted his confidence. Most would say she was way out of his league until you heard them talk geek together. I still smile at the couple. A more unlikely pair you will never find. The tall, gangly bloke reminded me of Shaggy from the Scooby Doo cartoons and Mei looked like a model from some Tokyo fashion magazine. They were married last year.

  He handed me an iPad as I took my place in front of the scroll and he comically said, “Dragon up.” I snorted and Mei rolled her eyes playfully as I snapped up my dragon senses. Mei always smiled at my dragon eyes.

  I could read the faded and damaged scrolls with my enhanced eyesight, I think one of the components of the ink is blood, I can smell the faint iron scent. I have been copying down all of the archaic Old Irish that was interspersed with the Gaelic runes of the druids that I could make out.

  We had most of the undamaged parts of the scroll, it was the decayed and torn areas that I was trying to make out today.

  We had discovered by accident, back when my Drakon abilities first started manifesting that my dragon eyes could see the faded writings better than any x-ray or fluoroscope. We had uncovered a tale of treachery and betrayal on those three scrolls. Armed with that information Quinn and I were just barely able to defeat Saint George in his quest for the immortality of the dragons.

  Dublin sent us the final three Fire Stone scrolls for me to examine and our team to interpret after the recent murders started happening. They will be getting the first three scrolls back from us in a few short months when the Fire Stone exhibit in the museum has to be returned to them.

  They are still upset that the shards of the shattered Fire Stone were released into my custody since they contain the souls of the dragons of my clan. They are going through the awakening at a much quicker pace now.

  I do return the shards of the Fire Stone to them as the dragon spirits leave them in search of their bodies. The inexplicable glowing red tint turns clear when this happens. Well, I guess it is explainable now... magic. The world is still readjusting to the fact that magic does exist and all manner of magical creatures and people, who have been hiding from Saint George for centuries, have come out of the shadows.

  After an hour or so, I gasped excitedly as I sketched portions of a rune that was damaged, but mostly visible. James knew my gasps and was suddenly pushing away from his workstation where he was deciphering some of the previous entries on the scroll, his chair rolling neatly up beside me. Mei looked up from the books she was cross referencing some Middle Irish translations in and joined us.

  I showed them the pad. They scrunched their brows in confusion at the partial rune. I grinned at them and swiped my finger twice on the surface of the pad completing the torn off portion of the rune.

  James blurted, “Holy shit Myra!”

  I was just nodding and grinning as Mei said breathlessly, “Air elementals!”

  Then she was running to her work and brought a paper over to us. She excitedly pointed out a couple things. I exhaled. “Me lord! This scroll is about the disappearance of the lost Wind Clan of the Norway Drakon. This tied in with the tidbits we had assembled in a string of mysterious dragon murders back then. Was the Wind Clan hunted to extinction by a murderer as well? Shite!”

  We all jumped to our work and redoubled our efforts to decipher the scroll. I was especially interested because I could use all the elements, but air, most queens could wield one or two elements but it seems both Caragh and I are different and can weild them all... with the exception of air elemental magic. I can feel its energy surrounding me, but it seems to refuse to allow me to touch it. Like it was angry at me or something. Now it seems that the Drakons who could wield it were all systematically murdered by some ancient serial killer.

  I would have automatically thought of Saint George and his evil plot to live forever, at the cost of every living
dragon, but this scroll was dated 100 AD. Over a hundred years before he was born. It was much older than the other scrolls we had looked at, I guess that is why it is in such worse shape.

  I found the rune for a queen dragon. I mused out loud, “The queen of the Wind Dragons?”

  James perked up again. “Mei, didn't you say you saw something that may have been about a queen?”

  Mei nodded and sifted through her notes. I had to smile at her, she preferred paperwork and books to the computers. She pulled out some notes and then a second later was saying, “Something about Queen Alexandra taking the sky to battle in the mountains. Or is that flying in the sky?”

  We all looked at her notes. I squinted and looked back at some reference material on my iPad. “I'd be thinkin' it to be 'took wing'?” I looked around and James looked at my reference material and nodded in agreement. I said, “Ok so that syncs with a queen dragon. Takin' wing. So this is about the missing clan!” Everything fit neatly. It was almost comical, after a long silent second, we all excitedly turned back to our work.

  I was walking over to a computer to add the new runes I had been able to work out on the computer model of the scroll when I doubled over in pain. I screamed and went to a knee. It felt like a piece of me had been torn away.

  Mei was yelling at James, “Stay back!” And she was squatting down with me, hugging me. “Shhhhh... it's ok Myra. Did it happen again?”

  I nodded through tears. I hoarsely said, “I need to call Quinn.”

  Mei nodded. “Ok. But first, you need to get a hold of yourself. I can barely hold your flames back.” Oh, me lord! I noticed I was covered in flame. I instantly put them out.

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes then nodded once and Mei helped me stand. James, who had dove between me and the scroll on the central light table, lowered the hand that was shielding his face. I couldn't fault him, I would have worried more about the scroll than my own safety too. Lords above, us researcher types are hopeless.

  I shot him an apologetic look then I turned to Mei and whispered, “I'm ok. I need my phone.” I stood shakily and she gave me a squeeze of my arm then ran to grab my phone. Before I could dial, the phone was ringing.

  I answered and Quinn's voice was frantic, I could feel her concern through our blood-tie. “Myra! Are you ok? You were in pain, now you are grieving!”

  I tried to send calm and love through our link as I said, “I'm ok love. It... it happened again. A dragon has been murdered.”

  We spoke for a minute and she hung up to relay my revelation to the police and the international taskforce to see if anyone had any information yet. I sat breathing raggedly, trying to get my wits about me. I knew it was here, somewhere around Denver. All the other murders have been in the area. By all that is holy, what had the power to kill dragons like this?

  I glanced up sadly when Special Agent Dawna Grove and three other agents appeared outside the clean room and took positions, concern and professional determination were etched on her face. I sighed, of course, Quinn's first call would be to my babysitters.

  I don't know how long I just sat there, just staring off into space when Dawna was on her phone. It was Quinn, I could hear it clear as day with my dragon senses. But they were trying to keep it from me. She said quietly, “It was Francisco Dalton.” My breath caught. He was the first Drakon to make his way to Denver to join my Eire Clan. He was a good friend and the most powerful dragon in the clan besides me.

  Then she continued as Dawna looked over at me and her face fell as she realized I was listening. “It was a hell of a battle up in Steamboat Springs. He took down about thirty gargoyles and griffons. They made a mess of the east end of town, but he led them into the mountains to protect people and limit the damage. Nobody saw what got him, but there was a horrendous explosion. His... his heart was ripped from his chest, like the others.”

  I was on the verge of hyperventilating, and Mei was there, shushing me and grounding me as I silently cried. That makes five now. Three in Steamboat Springs, and two in Denver. About half the clan lives up in Steamboat or over in Boulder since we love being up high, Steamboat is in the peaks of the Rockies just a hundred fifty miles away or less than an hour's flight as the dragon flies.

  I felt her coming and it made me smile. My protector. She came out of the elevator down the corridor, on the phone yelling, “Just do it!” I exited the glass-walled clean room quickly and she engulfed me in a hug. Then Quinn sighed and whispered, “You already know.” I nodded into her shoulder.

  I looked at her and said, “Get this bastard!” My fist slammed down on the wooden table beside us, splintering the top and bending one metal leg, sending the empty coffee cups flying. Shite, I have to reign in my temper.

  She nodded and held up her flying jacket with a vindictive look. “You up for a hunt?”

  I was stripping off my gown and hairnet and heading toward the elevator, with her quickly taking her place slightly in front of me, shielding me with her body. The other agents were quickly following as I growled, “Just try to stop me.” I heard Mei on the phone telling the curator that the taskforce was borrowing me for the rest of the day. I smiled sadly to myself, she is always looking out for me too.

  We got outside and I walked to the concrete area by the fountain as the team moved people off to the side. I flicked my arms and my dragon form erupted around me as my wings exploded from my back. Quinn was running at me, and with one arm grabbed the flames that my wings were composed of, and flung herself onto my back. Settling into her three-point stance on my shoulders as I started flapping my mighty wings.

  She was yelling down to Agent Grove, “The helicopter is already inbound for you. Coordinate with the task-force and Interpol.”

  When I was high enough above the ground so I wouldn't shatter windows. I screamed out my pain, frustration, and anger. It came out of me as a mighty roar that shook the ground below. Someone was going to pay.

  Chapter 3 – Trap

  When I was like this, with my elemental magic cocooning me, I could feel closest to my Drakon instincts. One-part elemental being, one-part human, and one-part beast. I was on the hunt and... it scared me a bit... I liked it.

  I brought us high above the mountains then dove toward Steamboat Springs. The extra speed of the dive would cut ten minutes off our travel time. I craned my neck back to see Quinn with a determined look on her face, wearing her leather jacket and her flight goggles, her hair streaming out behind her. I stretched my head forward as we sliced through the wind.

  Something was coming directly up at us at high speed. I reared back suddenly just as another dragon that looked exactly like me reared back in front of me, like it was a mirror. It was Caragh I saw wrapped inside the flames of her dragon. She whispered, “Beware,” then seemed to fade away.

  Quinn was asking in concern, “What is it Myra? You just about gave me a heart attack there.”

  I shook my head and restarted our dive. “I just saw Caragh. She was giving us a warning.”

  Quinn's voice hardened as she yelled over the wind, “What did she say?”

  I shrugged my dragon shoulders and said, “Beware.”

  I felt the protective part of her stiffen as she yelled out, “A trap?”

  I shrugged again as we flew. Quinn was on her phone with Dawna. Steamboat Springs was coming into view when Agent Grove's helicopter and the second one filled with armed men in the uniforms of the International Arcane Taskforce had finally caught up with us.

  I back flapped and hovered over the town. I whispered to myself, “Oh me lord.” Half of the east side of town was decimated and soaked. There were dozens of police and emergency vehicles down there. Quinn was stroking my flank with a hand to try to calm the rage that was building inside.

  I took a deep breath, closing my eyes then nodded. Letting her know I could do this. Then she pointed down toward what looked like an improvised base station at the edge of town by the forest. I had winged us that way and moments before we landed, I
let my dragon visage fade and Quinn and I landed lightly in sync by a police cruiser.

  A startled state trooper's hand shot to his holster and he was fumbling with the leather strap. I saw recognition in his eyes and he visibly relaxed. I gave him a sad smile as the helicopters landed in the field. Quinn asked as she flashed her two badges, “Who is in charge here?”

  The young man just pointed toward a congregation of vehicles at the edge of the forest and said, “The Steamboat Police Chief, Tanner.” Then he gave her a half smile, nudging his eyes to her badges, “For now.”

  Quinn nodded once and started walking toward the vehicles as people streamed out of the helicopters. The man called out to me, “Umm... Doctor O'Connell, I'm really sorry about Francisco, he was a good man.” I stiffened a second then just nodded once and followed Quinn. Dawna hustled up beside me.

  I was feeling queasy, I could feel the expended magics all around the area, there was the bright feel of water elemental magic and the twisted decayed sense of that black fetid magic that has been popping up around the murder scenes. I could almost hear the echos of the magic screaming in pain as it was twisted to do something it was never intended to.

  I reached out to feel the elements around me, to calm myself and let them flow inside me. Fire, water, earth. I reached out father, pleading again with air all around me to join me, caressing it with my will. It recoiled from me, again I could feel the rage in it, the accusatory feel as if I had betrayed it. I sighed. But then I blanched when I realized that while being in contact with all of this elemental magic there was a residual taste of air elemental magic in the area, but it was wrong, twisted and sour. What the fecking hell?

  As we walked, Quinn placed a hand gently on my arm and her eyes were searching mine in concern. I smiled softly at her. “It's nothing, I'll tell you later.” She nodded then put her business face back on. As we approached some men gathered around another vehicle with a map laid out on the hood. One man glanced over and stood taller with a look of annoyance and an air of authority. But then his eyes flicked to me and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly and sorrow clouded them. He didn't break his gaze on me as he absently flipped a folder closed on the hood of the car before I could see it.