How to Drive a Dragon Crazy
Page 113
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“Remind me why I bother dealing with that old bastard. And don’t say it’s just because of blood ties.” Fearghus stopped and eyed his mate and son. “What did the boy do now?”
With his head resting on Annwyl’s shoulder, Talan replied, “Everything you’ve only dreamed about.”
Annwyl immediately caught Fearghus’s grasping hand and snapped, “Fearghus, no!”
“Just one punch to the head! Just one!”
Chapter 36
For a half an hour Izzy sat there and watched her grandmother—and the commander general of the city’s protection force—try to negotiate Izzy’s entrance into the Nolwenn temple. Her aunts and uncles, a few of her older cousins, and her grandfather stood with her and Éibhear, waiting as well. But as the suns moved overhead, the heat beginning to sear Izzy’s brain inside her skull, she began to get more and more annoyed.
She tried not to get annoyed. She tried to focus on other things. Like the beauty of the city. Sefu was a grand city with a major river that connected it to the ocean and several major Desert Land ports. Bustling and well-designed, Sefu boasted one of the largest libraries and a major theater.
Yet even thinking about those things only managed to irritate Izzy more because she wouldn’t be able to enjoy them. Not when she had things to do.
Maskini made her way down the long stairs.
“I’m sorry, Izzy,” she said when she was close enough so that she didn’t have to yell her failure. “They suggested that you come back tomorrow. They’re expecting one of their appointments to cancel and they say—Izzy? Where are you going?”
“All of you wait here.”
Taking the stairs two at a time, Izzy walked up to the temple doors. She pressed on them, but they were solid marble and bolted from inside.
“Izzy?” She looked over her shoulder at Éibhear. He’d followed her up the stairs and now watched her.
She stepped back and motioned to the doors. “Get them down.”
Éibhear glanced around. “You sure about this?”
“You have no idea how sure I am. Now do it.”
Éibhear shrugged and took a couple of steps down. He stripped his clothes off and handed them to Izzy. He motioned her farther away with a wave of his hand, and then he shifted, his natural powers even stronger when dragon.
Once in his dragonform, he took in a deep breath and unleashed a stream of flame at the doors. The thick marble buckled, the heat melting part of the door. But still it stood strong. With his flame still shooting straight, Éibhear ran forward and rammed his shoulder into the marble. The doors were torn off their hinges and flew inside, crashing into the walls and ceiling before landing several feet away.
Stepping back, Éibhear gestured to the now open doorway with a tilt of his head. Izzy placed his clothes down and walked up the stairs and into the temple. Éibhear glanced back at Izzy’s shocked family, their eyes wide, some with their mouths open. He winked at them and followed Izzy inside.
Izzy entered the Nolwenn temple. It was quite a beautiful place. And big. So big, Éibhear was able to follow her inside without shifting back to human.
Looking around at the marble statues and marble floors, she demanded, “Where’s Haldane?”
“So you’re Talaith’s daughter?” a young witch asked her.
“Haldane,” Izzy repeated as she walked up to the young witch.
“She has much to do, I’m afraid, and I don’t think she’ll be able to find the time to meet with the child of a traitor—”
Izzy cut off the witch’s words by laying her out with a right cross to the jaw. The witch dropped to the floor and Izzy stepped over her.
“I want to see my grandmother,” she said loudly, her voice echoing amongst all that marble. “And I want to see her now.”
As she walked down the long hallway, witches emerged from smaller rooms, looking at her, but saying nothing.
Finally, Izzy reached a huge doorway. She turned inside but after a few feet stopped, blinking several times.
Éibhear came in behind her and she heard his quick intake of breath.
“Gods,” she heard him whisper.
Even before Izzy had been reunited with her mother or known what she looked like, Rhydderch Hael would always tell Izzy that she greatly resembled her mother and father. She had her mother’s face but her father’s eyes and smile, he’d say. And, after one night with her birth father’s family, Izzy knew the truth of that just from what they all said about her. So she’d expected her grandmother to look quite a bit like Talaith. Yet she never thought she’d look like a mirror copy.
“So,” the witch said, “you’re the one that my daughter gave up all this for.” Dark brown eyes looked Izzy over. “You.” And she could hear the disappointment in the witch’s voice. “Well . . . your mother never was very smart.”
At more than four hundred years old, Haldane, Daughter of Elisa, showed no signs of age except for a few gray hairs at her temples.
It was, to say the least, disconcerting, for Izzy to see her “mother” standing there but know it was not her mother. The last time this had happened, her mother’s body had been taken over by Rhydderch Hael so that he could get into another god’s realm and kill her. But this witch standing on a dais, looking at Izzy as if she were completely meaningless, was simply not her mother. She wasn’t possessed with anything but a cold, calculating mind. A heartless bitch.
With his head resting on Annwyl’s shoulder, Talan replied, “Everything you’ve only dreamed about.”
Annwyl immediately caught Fearghus’s grasping hand and snapped, “Fearghus, no!”
“Just one punch to the head! Just one!”
Chapter 36
For a half an hour Izzy sat there and watched her grandmother—and the commander general of the city’s protection force—try to negotiate Izzy’s entrance into the Nolwenn temple. Her aunts and uncles, a few of her older cousins, and her grandfather stood with her and Éibhear, waiting as well. But as the suns moved overhead, the heat beginning to sear Izzy’s brain inside her skull, she began to get more and more annoyed.
She tried not to get annoyed. She tried to focus on other things. Like the beauty of the city. Sefu was a grand city with a major river that connected it to the ocean and several major Desert Land ports. Bustling and well-designed, Sefu boasted one of the largest libraries and a major theater.
Yet even thinking about those things only managed to irritate Izzy more because she wouldn’t be able to enjoy them. Not when she had things to do.
Maskini made her way down the long stairs.
“I’m sorry, Izzy,” she said when she was close enough so that she didn’t have to yell her failure. “They suggested that you come back tomorrow. They’re expecting one of their appointments to cancel and they say—Izzy? Where are you going?”
“All of you wait here.”
Taking the stairs two at a time, Izzy walked up to the temple doors. She pressed on them, but they were solid marble and bolted from inside.
“Izzy?” She looked over her shoulder at Éibhear. He’d followed her up the stairs and now watched her.
She stepped back and motioned to the doors. “Get them down.”
Éibhear glanced around. “You sure about this?”
“You have no idea how sure I am. Now do it.”
Éibhear shrugged and took a couple of steps down. He stripped his clothes off and handed them to Izzy. He motioned her farther away with a wave of his hand, and then he shifted, his natural powers even stronger when dragon.
Once in his dragonform, he took in a deep breath and unleashed a stream of flame at the doors. The thick marble buckled, the heat melting part of the door. But still it stood strong. With his flame still shooting straight, Éibhear ran forward and rammed his shoulder into the marble. The doors were torn off their hinges and flew inside, crashing into the walls and ceiling before landing several feet away.
Stepping back, Éibhear gestured to the now open doorway with a tilt of his head. Izzy placed his clothes down and walked up the stairs and into the temple. Éibhear glanced back at Izzy’s shocked family, their eyes wide, some with their mouths open. He winked at them and followed Izzy inside.
Izzy entered the Nolwenn temple. It was quite a beautiful place. And big. So big, Éibhear was able to follow her inside without shifting back to human.
Looking around at the marble statues and marble floors, she demanded, “Where’s Haldane?”
“So you’re Talaith’s daughter?” a young witch asked her.
“Haldane,” Izzy repeated as she walked up to the young witch.
“She has much to do, I’m afraid, and I don’t think she’ll be able to find the time to meet with the child of a traitor—”
Izzy cut off the witch’s words by laying her out with a right cross to the jaw. The witch dropped to the floor and Izzy stepped over her.
“I want to see my grandmother,” she said loudly, her voice echoing amongst all that marble. “And I want to see her now.”
As she walked down the long hallway, witches emerged from smaller rooms, looking at her, but saying nothing.
Finally, Izzy reached a huge doorway. She turned inside but after a few feet stopped, blinking several times.
Éibhear came in behind her and she heard his quick intake of breath.
“Gods,” she heard him whisper.
Even before Izzy had been reunited with her mother or known what she looked like, Rhydderch Hael would always tell Izzy that she greatly resembled her mother and father. She had her mother’s face but her father’s eyes and smile, he’d say. And, after one night with her birth father’s family, Izzy knew the truth of that just from what they all said about her. So she’d expected her grandmother to look quite a bit like Talaith. Yet she never thought she’d look like a mirror copy.
“So,” the witch said, “you’re the one that my daughter gave up all this for.” Dark brown eyes looked Izzy over. “You.” And she could hear the disappointment in the witch’s voice. “Well . . . your mother never was very smart.”
At more than four hundred years old, Haldane, Daughter of Elisa, showed no signs of age except for a few gray hairs at her temples.
It was, to say the least, disconcerting, for Izzy to see her “mother” standing there but know it was not her mother. The last time this had happened, her mother’s body had been taken over by Rhydderch Hael so that he could get into another god’s realm and kill her. But this witch standing on a dais, looking at Izzy as if she were completely meaningless, was simply not her mother. She wasn’t possessed with anything but a cold, calculating mind. A heartless bitch.
