Page 30 of The Black Dragon
“What’sthat?”
“A creature that guards the cave entrance. It sleeps after twelve o’clock and hunts for food mid-morning and night. It is not verynice.”
Justin took the key. It tingled in his hand. “Neither amI.”
“Let Arielhold the key. She is needed to guard it, for it cannot be changed by your magick. She must guard it when you shift into dragon to fly up to thecave.”
He eyed Drust with suspicion. Fine for the wizard to ask a favor, now he had one as well. “I’ll do this for you. But listen, Coldfire Wizard, I deserve justice. No wizard of the Brehon gave me justice so I’m grabbing it for myself. I didn’tsee Tristan jumping to my defense when I was imprisoned in Harrington’sdungeon.”
There would be no rest, no peace, until he knew Leo was stopped from torturing other dragons. He drew back, half-expecting Drust to zing him with more coldfire for his remarks. But the wizard onlysighed.
“Not all dungeons are dark and cold places set in stone. Some imprison for far longer, and aremuch harder to escape.” Drust drew a symbol in the air and mysterious blue runesappeared.
The wizard blew at them and they popped out, like soapbubbles.
Justin hated feeling vulnerable. But Drust had to know what Ariel’s father planned. “Leo planned to sell me to the Shadow Wizard. I would have been Cadeyrn’s slave. His eunuch slave, if Leo’s assistant had hisway.”
Hedisliked the sly smile on Drust’s face. “You think having my balls cut off isfunny?”
“The Shadow Wizard does not keep the dragons he pays for, nor would he have allowed Leo to injure you that seriously. Cadeyrn pays gold for dragons and heals them from their wounds and sets them free, with the stern admonition to them to keep their silence. He dislikes being known asaltruistic.”
The mighty Shadow Wizard had a soft spot for dragons? Being privy to this secret, he felt an instinctive respect for Drust. But he wouldn’t let the Coldfire Wizard knowthat.
“Didn’t know you were like Socrates, getting allphilosophical.”
“Socrates was a decent Skin. Even if he did wear a dress.” The wizard tapped him on the arm. “Some scars run deep and burn hotter thancoldfire.”
He snorted. “If you’re talking about my emotions and my past, that’s nosecret.”
“I wasn’t talking about you, Justin. Do you think you were the only one in that house in agony each time Harrington drained yourmagick?”
Guilt pricked him. “Ariel may have a soft heart, but she is Mage and her first loyalty will always be to her father. No oneelse.”
A small bolt of energyshot out of Drust’s forefinger and zapped Justin’s chest. He fell backward. Damn, thatstung.
“Will you cut it out! I’m not target practice. What the hell was thatfor?”
“You’re stubborn and dense, Justin. Stop swimming in a cesspool of pity.” The wizard snapped his fingers and a paper appeared in his hands. Drust started reading. “Open yourself up to receive the love of others.When you are open and sensitive, you can receive the feelings of others instead of centering on your own emotions and aware of someone you love, even if that person is distant and flewaway.”
Daring to risk another bolt of energy, he snorted with laughter. “You sound like those New Age Skins who rhapsodize about positive energy. I’ve read better copy on cerealboxes.”
“I did notwrite this. Ariel did. She penned it and sent it to the four winds shortly after your escape from herfather.”
His jaw nearly dropped. “Why? What does the rest say? Who does shelove?”
“That information you will have to obtain from her.” Drust snapped his fingers and the paper vanished. “Ariel is a complex woman who learned to embrace the vortex energy in Sedona. She is not whatyou think. Even she does not know the truth. But in time, all will berevealed.”
With those words, the wizardvanished.
Drust’s cryptic warning gave Justin pause. He didn’t want the guilt inside him to grow larger and derail his purpose withAriel.
Once a bastard, always a bastard. A dragon can’t change the color of hisscales.
After shifting into his dragon form, heflewaway.
Justin returned to Ariel’s house. Inside, he opened her bedroom door and stared at her, curled up on the bed. Fastasleep.
Hunger rose inside him, the hunger of a man for a woman’s body. But he would not disturb herrest.
Tomorrow, she would pay the price of hercontract.
