Page 87 of Magick and Lead
“Bo? BO?” I called as we entered the farmhouse.
I couldn’t imagine what my cousin would think when he saw us come in, looking stressed, disheveled, and still wet with river water, with a dragon sniffing around the pasture and a dark mage held by Essa at knifepoint. But the house was dark, and Bo was nowhere to be found. We’d left him here alone as the spooks descended on the place, assuming they wouldn’t mess with him when they found we weren’t here. But now, with each passing moment, my concern for him grew.
I made a lap of the house’s first floor, racing through rooms lit only by moonlight, my heartbeat thumping in my ears. I was just swinging around a corner to dash up the stairs to the second floor when I heard a footstep and saw a figure coming down out of the darkness toward me. I gripped my gun with both hands, ready to level it and fire.
But there was no urgency to the footfalls coming down the steps.
“Bo?” I said again.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he said in a tone that rebuked my impatience.
I lowered my gun with a sigh. “You scared the piss out of me, man. What were you doing up there in the dark?”
“I’m blind,” he reminded me. “What’s the point in turning on lights?”
That made sense, though I’d somehow never thought of it before. I’d hardly had a chance to reflect on how idiotic my comment had been when he emerged from the stairwell into the moonlight.
“God, Bo. Your face…” Both his eyes were swollen and ringed in purple, his nose was twice its usual width, and he had a nasty cut on one cheek that had been pulled together with a pair of band aids.
He chuckled. “That bad, eh?”
“The spooks?” I said.
He nodded. “They came right after you left. Didn’t like it when I told them I didn’t know anything about you and Essa.”
I groaned, anger flaring in me like a torch. I wished to God those spook bastards were still here. If they were, I’d beat them untiltheywere blind. Instead, I put a hand on Bo’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten you mixed up in this. I didn’t think they’d do anything like that.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “We’re family. I’m already mixed up in it, Cuz. And don’t worry; I’ve been through worse. But enough about me. How did your mission go?”
“About as bad as your face,” I said, turning on a lamp. I gave him the shortened version of everything that had happened since we returned to Ironberg.
He frowned. “So, the prelate is here?”
“Yeah. Essa has him at knifepoint,” I said. “Sorry to bring more trouble your way.”
The phone rang suddenly, making both of us jump, and Bo’s expression darkened further. “Well, your story explains why the phone has been ringing off the hook. The brass is lookingfor you. They say you’re supposed to report to flight duty immediately. Apparently, there’s been a dragon sighting in the city.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. They’d have me out searching for myself. It was ironic. And yet…
I looked at the phone, still ringing on the side table, and rubbed my chin, thinking.
“You’re not thinking of going,” Essa said, entering the room with a hand on her hip.
“Aren’t you supposed to be watching Kortoi?” I asked, then peered around the corner to find him sitting demurely on the couch, his hands in his lap. He gave me his usual deranged smile.
“He’s not stupid enough to try to escape on foot when there’s a dragon outside,” she said. “Now what’s this about you going back?”
“They saw us taking Kortoi,” I said, “and sounded the dragon alarm. They’ll be sweeping up the coast, searching for you—and Othura. But if I’m leading the search…”
“But you werewithme and Othura. Everyone saw you. How do you know this isn’t just a trick to lure you back?”
I paused, considering her words, then shook my head. “Our government bureaucracy is a mess,” I said. “No one talks to each other. I guarantee you the Air Force brass has no idea I was spotted with you at The Mint, yet—if anyone even recognized me there in the chaos. But the spooksarelooking for us. And theydoknow this place. You can’t stay here. None of us can.”
“So… you could go back to the air base and lead them away from us…” Essa said, thinking out loud. “I take Kortoi as my prisoner and go across the sea to our base in Maethalia. Once I’m there, I force Kortoi to fix whatever he did to Othura.”
On the way to the farm, she’d explained why she’d spared Kortoi’s life—that he’d used his foul magick to poison Othura somehow.
“Right,” I nodded. “And once the coast is clear, I’ll fly to Maethalia and find you.”
