The roar of an angry dragon shook the floor and I heard Peter whimper as he covered his head with his arms.
“Is this really what you do?” he asked, unmoving.
“Depends on the day,” Kami said.
I had to get closer and figure out what was going on. Dragons sometimes went berserk but not like this. Something was off about the behavior. He seemed calm one minute and then flying in a crazed loop the next. It wasn’t consistent. And why hadn’t he spewed fire yet? If a fire-breathing dragon was throwing a hissy fit, you generally felt the heat.
“Stay here,” I ordered.
Peter’s eyes grew round. “Like right here?”
“No. You should evacuate like everybody else,” Kami urged. “The adults have work to do.”
Peter hurried away, tripping over a chair leg and stumbling toward the elevator.
I shook my head at Kami before striding to the window, careful not to step on any glass. I liked these boots and good cobblers were expensive.
“Can you convert him?” Kami asked.
“He’s not Catholic.”
She pulled a face. “You know what I mean. Can you win him over? Use your animal mojo.”
I reached out and tried to tap into his psyche. A cacophony of sound reverberated in my head.
Yikes. No thanks.
“I have to calm him first.”
“Okay. How do we do that? No lullabies. I’ve heard you sing.”
I scrunched my face at her. “That was one time and I was drunk at a karaoke bar.”
“Once was enough.”
I ignored her. “I need to break the connection to that wizard. Whatever he’s doing seems designed to upset the dragon.”
“But why?” Kami craned her neck to see the hooded figure still lurking on the roof of the neighboring building. He was lower down because the Gherkin was taller, and his attention seemed fixed on the dragon rather than what was happening in the cocktail bar.
“Good question. Let’s see if I can find out.” Unfortunately, that meant getting up close and personal with Mr. Dragon.
Kami seemed to read my mind. “Be careful. Don’t go throwing debris around. Peter’s down there now. He could get hurt.”
I looked at her askance. “I didn’t think you liked him.”
“I don’t, but that would be some seriously bad juju if he dies on a date with me. I don’t want a reputation.”
I suppressed a smile. “Too late for that.” Rubbing my hands together in anticipation, I pivoted back to the dragon as he soared past the building.
“Missed him,” Kami said.
I wiped off the sweat of my palms on my sides. “I wasn’t ready.”
“What’s the problem? You’ve jumped on a dragon before. Remember that ice dragon with the shiny blue scales?”
“That was one time and I got lucky.”
“You make your own luck, London. Always have.”
She was right. And crazy.
But mostly right.
She motioned dramatically to the dragon. “After you.”
“You say that as though you intend to jump after me.”
“In this outfit? Absolutely not.” Kami motioned to the outside. “It’s your time to shine, Lady London. Want a boost or not?”
“It would make things easier.”
She slotted her fingers together and held her hands at knee level. I backed up and waited for the right moment.
The dragon swung around and flew past the open window.
“Now!” Kami said.
I ran toward the window, jumped to her hands, and let her catapult me into the air as the dragon passed by. I missed his back and grabbed one of the spikes on his tail.
Oops.
My legs flailed helplessly as I struggled to get a firm grip on the dragon’s tail. The dragon shook his tail in an effort to dislodge me. I managed to pull myself onto the tail and climb the spikes like the rungs of a ladder until I reached his back. I stayed flat on my belly and inched toward the neck. The dragon struggled to throw me but to no avail. I concentrated on sending him soothing thoughts. If I hoped to gain access, I needed to calm his racing mind first.
The wizard had emerged from the shadows but his face remained shrouded by the hood. The cloak was brown not green. Not my Green Wizard from yesterday. Could still be one of his cronies though. The fact that he was still there meant he wasn’t giving up yet. Whatever he hoped to achieve with the dragon, he was still committed.
Good day, Mr. Dragon. My name is London and I’ll be your flight attendant today.
I’d never actually been on an airplane. They were another product of a bygone era. A metal tube in the sky filled with people was too risky now. Too many flying monsters and not enough fuel.
I shimmied along the dragon’s back until I reached his neck and wrapped my arms around it. I made another attempt to tap into his thoughts.
Fire.
Fire.
The wizard seemed to be demanding the dragon breathe fire, but the dragon was resisting. Interesting.
Why would the wizard want to destroy a fabled building like the Gherkin? Was he trying to root out the stone?
As gently as I could, I poked and prodded the dragon’s mind but met with resistance.
The wind blew past us, threatening to unseat me from the dragon’s back. I tried again, increasing the pressure. I had to tread carefully. If I pushed too hard and the dragon snapped, I could end up causing mass destruction. When I was sixteen, I attempted to take over a giant squid in the English Channel. I pushed too hard too fast and the monster snapped. It knocked over an entire ship with its tentacles. Thankfully nobody was onboard at the time but there was property damage which I had to repay by performing jobs on behalf of the owner until the debt was paid. Lesson learned.
Come on, wee beastie. You and I are going to be best buddies.
I felt the dragon weaken and seized the opportunity. I clamped onto his mind and held it firmly in my grip until I felt his resolve melt away.
There you go. Nice and easy.
I relaxed my hold and steered him toward the opposite building where the wizard watched us. I couldn’t see his expression from here, but I had to imagine he looked rather shocked.
Once he realized I was headed his way, he turned and fled.
“Not so fast.”