Page 67 of The Dragon With A Girl Tattoo
“No,” he said after a few minutes’ consideration, all the while wrestling with his fire, which continued to roar inside him, demanding to be let loose.“But the reverse might be true.”
Christian’s eyebrows rose.“You believe Bael has something he wishes to give her?”
“Yes.”His discussion with the First Dragon had been enlightening.“He will most likely give her an object of such power that, using it, she would be able to craft a glamour allowing him to escape the Duat.”
“You mean—”
“The blood moon,” Yrian said with a grimness that gave him a perverse sense of satisfaction.Of course Kashi would do the one thing that would make his life infinitely more horrible.It was ever thus.
“I will contact other Dark Ones,” Christian told him a short time later, while Yrian collected the few things he’d purchased, as well as Becket’s possessions, and accepted the offered use of Christian’s plane to fly to Prague.From there he would suffer untold torments by using a portal to Cairo.“If Becket is seen, I will get word to you.”
Yrian offered his hand, as he had learned was the proper way males thanked other males, gravely shaking it.“My youngest brother’s mate informed me that you have your own troublesome ancestor to deal with.I cannot speak for Becket, but I will do what I can to assist you with him.”
Christian gave him a little bow.“The thane in question has gone to ground, but when he is found, we will be grateful for any help.”
They parted with the sense of a debt owed on Yrian’s part, but he set that aside to focus on what was most important: getting to Becket before she entered the sphere of Kashi’s influence.
To his surprise, Ysolde was waiting inside the Prague portal shop when he arrived there an hour later.
“Baltic thought you might need a little help getting through the portaling experience, since you won’t have Becket to put you to rights.”She smiled as she spoke and held up a bottle of dragon’s blood, and Yrian felt a moment of pleasure knowing that his youngest brother had chosen his mate well.“He would have come himself, but he got dramatic about how awful portaling is for a Firstborn, with lots of far too detailed descriptions of the sort of torture he’d rather endure over taking a portal, so in the end, we decided I’d pop over and help you get to Cairo.”
“The portals do not bother you?Baltic said you were part dragon,” he answered, handing over to the attendant the small bit of plastic that acted in place of coin.
“I’m all dragon, but most of it is repressed or something weird like that, because I died and was resurrected, and the First Dragon needed me to save Baltic so he didn’t alienate the weyr,” she said, waving away the subject when the portaling attendant gave him back his plastic and murmured something about the portal being set to Cairo.“So the answer is no, they don’t bother me in the least.OK, shoes off.Baltic finds it best if he hugs himself when he steps into the portal.Oh, and you are wearing undies, yes?Gabriel always loses his pants, and sometimes that effect hits the other wyverns, as well.”
Yrian bent a stern gaze on her that just made her giggle, but she stepped through the portal, saying, “See you on the other side!”
The next twenty minutes were not ones Yrian wished to relive, but at last, after three paper cups of dragon’s blood, he was up on his feet and able to walk without lurching and holding on to whatever piece of furniture was within grasping distance.
Ysolde sent him off with the remainder of the wine and her good wishes.“Let us know if you need help in the Duat.Baltic may grumble about taking a portal, but I think he’s worried about Bael.”
“He should be,” was all Yrian answered after thanking her for her assistance.
He arrived at the riverboat namedWepwawetjust as the gangway was being retracted, the boat obviously about to start its journey from Cairo through the Duat, and thence to the destination with Maat, who would weigh the passengers’ souls upon arrival.He’d learned all this from the First Dragon, and although at first the ferryman Kherty didn’t want to allow him on board, all it took was Yrian unleashing his fire on the upper deck to make the ferryman change his mind.
“You will pay for the refinishing of the deck,” Captain Kherty said, his mustache bristling with indignation as he looked around at the scorched planks.“In addition to the cost of your cabin.”
“That is immaterial.What matters is my mate, Becket.Where is she?Is she on board?Have you seen her?”
“Becket?”Kherty frowned, his prodigious eyebrows pulled together in a way Yrian found oddly menacing.His fire rose in reaction to it, but he beat it back, feeling he’d made his point already.“I do not recognize that name.Akbar!”
A minion ran up, still holding a fire extinguisher, his eyes wary when he glanced toward Yrian.“Yes, Captain?”
“Do we have a passenger named Becket on board?”
The minion consulted his tablet device.Yrian couldn’t help but wonder what sorts of cat videos they might have in the Duat, but instantly dismissed that thought as unimportant.First, he must find Becket, following which he would destroy Bael, and only then would he and Becket see what sorts of videos were available.“I don’t have anyone listed by that name, sir.”
“There you are,” Kherty said, and added, “There is already a champion on board for the trials, but he will no doubt welcome your assistance.”
“There is also a wrath demon on board,” Yrian said, stopping the ferryman before he could leave.“Its name is Furcand.It kidnapped my mate and brought her here.”
“A demon?”Kherty looked at him as if doubting his sanity.He’d seen that look far too often over the last two years.“How could a demon get into the Duat?”
Yrian spat out one word.“Kashi.”
“I do not know this name, either,” he replied, taking a step away, obviously losing interest in the conversation.
“He is known now as Bael, and has imbued his power into Furcand,” Yrian said, his fingers twitching with the need to find Becket.
