Holy Smokes
Page 37

“This is a rescue mission, not a tourist visit,” Uncle Damian said quietly, moving to the narrow street when a twenty-year-old VW van pulled up, Rene at the wheel.
I was silent at that rebuke, although I didn’t need to be reminded of our purpose. I missed Drake. It felt like there was an empty spot in my soul that only he could fill, and al though we’d been separated occasionally the last month due to business concerns and arranging protection for sept members, he’d always stayed in touch, either by phone or, more rarely, by dream.
By the time we made it out of the town and to the famous Friendship Bridge that connected Nepal to Tibet, spanning the Bhotekoshi River, I sat huddled in my coat, wishing like hell we were back in the London house, snuggled up together in bed while Drake told me stories of his childhood.
“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride,” I said to myself, sighing.
“I never understood that saying,” Jim said. “If I was a beggar, I’d wish for huge truckloads of money over a horse. And food. Lots and lots of food. Oh, sure, you can eat a horse, but then once it’s gone, you’ve got nothing left.”
“What is it talking about?” Uncle Damian asked, giving Jim a look as if a penguin had suddenly appeared on the demon’s head.
“Nothing. This looks like it, Rene. I bet that car over there is Gabriel’s. Bless him for being so prompt.”
“Yeah. Let’s just hope it’s not a trap, and we won’t end up dead or worse out here in the middle of nowhere.”
Jim wasn’t saying anything I hadn’t already considered, but I really did not have a choice.
I’m not even going to point out the obvious.
Gabriel swore I could trust him, and I had to do just that.
Rather than take care of the situation yourself, which would be far too proactive, right? And you call yourself a professional!
If he betrayed me again…well, I’d deal with that situation if it arose.
Like you dealt with his first betrayal? And just how effective was that?
I ground my teeth against the ever-persuasive dark power and focused my attention on the man who emerged from the Land Rover parked next to a sign describing the bridge. Luckily, there were no tourists to witness our meeting, huddled against the side of our van as we hurriedly caught up on news.
“You’ve heard nothing from Drake?” Gabriel asked, his silver eyes shaded by the thick black hat he wore.
I shook my head. “Still not answering. What did you find out from Fiat?”
Gabriel hesitated for a moment, sliding quick glances at his two companions, who were muffled to the eyeballs. I assumed they were his bodyguards, Tipene and Maata, and waved at them. They both nodded at me. “He said he had not heard anything from Chuan Ren for three days, but he didn’t believe that would be the case if they had captured Drake. I must say that I agree with him on that, Aisling. If Chuan Ren had Drake in her power, she would use him to destroy the sept…and you. You have heard nothing from the red dragons?”
“Not a peep.” Beneath my scarf, I chewed at my chilly lip. “It’s possible that someone else is holding him captive. A red dragon would turn him over immediately to Chuan Ren, but maybe someone else, someone who has a vendetta against him, found him doing whatever mysterious thing he was doing out here and nabbed him.”
“That is possible,” Gabriel allowed.
There was something in his voice, an undertone that sounded strained to my ears. I turned my attention to him, searching his eyes for a sign of betrayal. There was none there, but he looked away after a few seconds, as if he was uncomfortable with close examination.
“What are you keeping back?” I asked him.
He was silent for a few minutes.
“Gabriel, please, if you know something about where Drake could be, you’ve got to tell me.” I put my hands on his, giving them a squeeze. “He’s everything to me. I love him with every tiny little atom of my being. Please, help me find him. Please.”
Gabriel watched me for another minute, clearly unwilling to tell me what he knew. I considered asking my uncle to get the truth out of him, but I doubted if even Uncle Damian, wise in the ways of covert operations and the like, could handle a wyvern and his two bodyguards.
For a moment, for a brief moment that seemed to stretch to eternity, I considered using the dark power to get what I wanted from Gabriel.
Oh, goody.
Gabriel must have seen my inner struggle. “Many years ago, before I was wyvern, I heard the wyvern at the time speaking of a secret aerie in the south of Tibet that had been forgotten by most dragons. Only a few knew of its existence; even fewer knew of its location. When you said Drake was held captive in Tibet, my first thought was that Chuan Ren had found the aerie. That is why I had you meet me here. But Fiat’s comments made me think twice. Now I do not know what to think.”
“Do you know where this place is?” I asked, hope filling me.
It took him another long pause, but he nodded. “I am one of probably five dragons in existence who know. But to take anyone there from outside the sept is absolutely forbidden, Aisling.”
I lifted my chin and let him see my intentions. “I will do whatever I have to do to find Drake, Gabriel.”
He nodded, an unhappy look on his face. “I have no doubt you would destroy yourself in the attempt to rescue him, which is why I am going to go against my oath as wyvern and take you there.” He glanced at Maata and Tipene, saying something to them in a language I didn’t understand.
They sent him identical outraged looks, one of them snapping something back which caused him to smile. “I told them that I would not risk them being in trouble with the weyr for helping me break our laws. Maata threatened to break my kneecaps if I tried to leave her behind.”
I grinned at Maata. “A woman after my own heart. Thank you all. You can be sure that none of us will ever mention any of this—”
Gabriel held up a hand to stop me. “For you I will break the laws of my own sept. But I cannot allow anyone else to come with you.”
“But you know Rene! And my uncle is very trustworthy—”
“I’m sorry, it is not possible,” he said, his voice apologetic, but firm.
“Aisling does not go anywhere without protection,” Uncle Damian said, speaking up for the first time.
“We are her bodyguards,” Rene added.