Page 20 of Elixir of Strife
“Don’t get too cocky, now, Drake.”
He shrugged. “Or just summon a dragon and get it to make an opening for you.”
I held perfectly still. What was that supposed to mean? It wasn’t like I could actually manifest the dragons in our reality. Wait. Could I?
“You know the dragons are just illusions, right, Max?” I chuckled as smoothly as I could, ironing the nerves out of my voice. “Don’t be silly.”
“Yeah. Silly.” He pressed his lips together, like he wanted to say something, but he shook his head. “We should get going.”
I followed his lead, happy to let him play captain if it meant no more odd remarks about me and the dragons. Did Max suspect something about Tiamat and Bakunawa? I could tell him, of course, except that I’d done nothing but deflect each time he brought up Tiamat’s fire, Bakunawa’s waves.
“You should probably tell him,” Bakunawa’s voice suggested.
I clenched my teeth, mentally telling him to stay out of the conversation. When we reached the warehouse, Max and I exchanged puzzled looks. The door was wide open.
“Do you hear anything?” he whispered.
I shook my head.
Max lifted his hand to his face. “Illuminate.”
He conjured his glowing gem, sending it floating into the darkness. My pulse raced as I waited for what the diamond would reveal. Could have been anything.
The Aqueous Elixir? A loaded bear trap? A sexy lady with a gun?
No. None of that. Nothing, in fact. Max’s spell filled the room with the cold glow of its white, and that was it. Light and shadow. The warehouse was empty.
“Damn it.” I ground the heel of my palm against my forehead. “I knew this was a bad idea. Of course they’d empty the place out. Why did we even bother?”
“Because we’re stubborn. Or we’re idiots. Maybe both.” Max sighed, draping an arm across my shoulder as he dismissed his glowing diamond. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“I hate it, Max. I can’t even figure it out. Did the owner freak out? Are they hiding the elixir somewhere else? Or did someone else beat us to it, the same person who broke all those bottles?” I smashed my fist into my open hand. “They must have waited until we hoofed it, then plucked it from under our noses. Ooh, I’m so mad.”
“You’re cute when you’re mad.” He flicked my nose, then chuckled softly.
I rubbed my nose, glowering. “How can you talk about my cuteness at a time like this? I mean, it’s true, but honestly.”
He stretched his arms out with a groan and a relieved sigh. “No point worrying about it. We lost this bottle. At least we know now. Fuck it. Let’s wait for Succulence to give us our next orders.”
Max had a point. Fuck it. We could yammer about losing the elixir all we wanted, but what was done was done. I didn’t think he’d ever be the first of the two of us to go with acceptance over angry, fervent disappointment. Still, this Max was chill. I liked this Max.
Don’t tell him, but I liked every Max.
We walked out onto the docks, our feet automatically seeking out the farthest pier. Fuck it. We couldn’t get our job done, but maybe a little sightseeing would soothe our souls.
Planks clunked and rattled with each of our footsteps. The wind was cool, but kind, and far more refreshing than I expected. Kind of nice, all things considered. The city’s lights twinkling against the water, sleepy boats rocking peacefully on the waves, the distant rumble of late night traffic.
And most of all, Max by my side. This night had been a total bust in the professional department, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a little fun with my partner. He took in a deep breath, his chest expanding, a smile lighting up his face.
“Beautiful out here, isn’t it? I take Dos Lunas for granted sometimes. I keep forgetting it’s a pretty city. Hah. Pretty city. Look at that. I’m a poet.”
I chuckled, brushing the back of my hand against his. “What’s up with you tonight? You’re awfully chirpy.”
“I don’t know. Total failure of an infiltration, nothing to even infiltrate to begin with.” He shrugged, hands stuck in his jacket pockets, knocked our shoulders together. “But at least I get to spend time with you.”
This man. This strange, often grumpy, always awfully gorgeous man. Heat flared up my chest, warmed my cheeks against the cool of the night air. I probably liked this Max the most.
Max nodded at the liquid black beyond the pier, the mirrored canvases of sea and sky. “Look at the water, all those Dos Lunas lights. We don’t really get to see much of the stars out here, but this is nice, too.”
