Page 62 of The Dragon With A Girl Tattoo
“I don’t know,” Parisi said, her expression troubled as she absently stroked Jim’s head.“It reminds me of ...”
“Baby me?”Jim asked, hope evident in its voice.
“I’m not sure.The memories are confused, and slip away before I can get ahold of them,” she said, taking Desi’s hand to rise.
“Maybe you need a few more sniffs?”Jim asked.
Parisi’s gaze was on Desi.He evidently felt distress in her, because he ruffled the fur on Jim’s head and said, “It was a first step.It will take time to awaken all her memories, but we will not push for more now.However, I believe the time has come for you to join us, Effrijim.Your place is at our side.”
“Uh ...”Aisling was clearly startled, but at that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps heralded the arrival of Yrian, Drake, and Christian.
I met Yrian’s gaze for a few seconds before he focused on the two newcomers.Desi turned to face them, his right hand making a movement that I realized was muscle memory reaching for a sword.
Yrian and Desi considered each other for five seconds before Yrian inclined his head.“Desislav.”
“Yrian Shadowsworn,” Desi answered, making the same head bow.“You are here?I thought you long dead.”
“I was,” he said simply, then raised his eyebrows at Parisi before making a full bow to her.“Sovereign.I did not realize you had survived.The First Dragon will be most interested to hear news of you.”
She smiled, and suddenly, I felt lit from within with happiness.Next to me, Yrian took a deep breath, as if he, too, felt the impact of her smile.“I remember you!You are the son of that fury, the one who wrought so much trouble within the Bitu.”
“Bitu?”Aisling asked, automatically reaching down to pet Jim when it sat next to her and leaned on her leg.
“It is an old word,” Desi answered.“It is what immortals called the L’au-dela before it was so named.I was told there was a gathering of wyverns present.We have come to demand the return of the blood moon.If you refuse, we will be forced to war against you in order to regain it.Understand, Aisling Grey, we do not do this lightly.We know you have taken care of our son, and it is for that reason that we wish to treat with you first, rather than simply striking.”
Drake and Yrian both stepped forward at Desi’s last couple of sentences, their body language reading the same defensive mood.Christian, evidently not liking guests to be accosted in his home, also took a menacing step forward.
“What’s going on?”I asked Aisling.“What is a blood moon?”
“A relic,” Yrian answered before she could.He held out his hand for me, but rather than pulling me to his side, as I expected, he more or less pushed me behind him.I stared at the back of his neck for a few seconds before pinching his arm and moving to his side.
“I relinquished it to the princes of Abaddon in order to guarantee the safety of my son,” Desi said, his gaze flicking impersonally over me.I felt like I was covered in Yrian’s fingerprints, and that everyone knew we’d had wildly fabulous sex the night before.“It was taken by Bael.We have learned that the dragon sire banished him to the underworld governed by Osiris.Thus, the dragonkin are responsible for its loss.It must be returned.”
Yrian stiffened at the name of his brother, his fingers tightening around mine momentarily until I gave his a squeeze to let me know the grip was almost painful.
“You assume much that is incorrect,” Drake said stiffly.“Bael has not been a member of the kin since the First Dragon stripped him of that right, so your supposition that we are responsible for him or his actions is false.”
“He has your relic?”Yrian asked Desi, his voice tightly controlled, but I could feel the fire within him.I didn’t even wonder at that oddity; it was something else I set aside to think about later.
“I thought we decided that Bael used the blood moon to make the Tools,” Aisling said, now pressed closely to Drake, Jim at her side.I wondered about that.Why would the demon choose to be with what was technically its boss rather than with its very powerful parents?
“What tools?”Desi asked Aisling, frowning at her in a manner that had her taking a step back, while Drake took one forward, with Jim glancing worriedly between its parents and the green dragons.
“The Tools of Bael were three powerful items created by an alchemist mage several centuries ago.”Drake’s voice turned the same sort of gravelly that beset Yrian when he spoke of his evil brother.
“Drake actually had all three for a while, but Bael manipulated them away from us,” Aisling said, covertly drawing wards on Drake’s back, on her own, and, after turning to the side to block Jim, on it, as well.“So if he used your relic to make them, it’s long since been destroyed.”
“It can’t be destroyed any more than your dragon heart can,” Desi said, his eyes narrowed on Yrian.“Its power can be re-formed, however.Why are you here?”
I wanted to tell Desi a thing or two about manners, but reminded myself that I was a newcomer to the dragon world, and Yrian probably wouldn’t appreciate me lipping off for no reason other than being annoyed at yet another bossy demigod.
“Kashi.”It was only one word, but the emotion Yrian put into it had Desi’s eyebrows rising.
“You seek to destroy him?”Desi asked.
“Kashi?I remember him, too, although Desi always called him Bael.”
“He took that name when he embraced the dark power,” Yrian said, his voice low and rough.
