The tail swung around, long and thick, with three-foot-long spikes on the end. I jumped over it, rolled to the side, and ducked under the return swing. The thing didn’t have a pooper, but otherwise the dragon looked remarkably real. Solid, with colors that stayed in the right areas.
“Reagan, we are short on time.” Darius lazily avoided a stomping foot.
“It’s a bit slow, this dragon, isn’t it?” I touched the leg and felt a painful zing through my arm.
“It’s made to distract,” Dizzy yelled as he came out of his shed. He noticed the spell Darius had thrown. “Oh.” He ducked back in, yelling, “If an opponent thinks the creature can be beaten, he will engage because of the size. If he thinks it cannot be beaten, he will resort to extreme measures to find a way around it. Or run. So you see, a large beast, that looks real, is a better—”
“We understand,” Darius interrupted. “Reagan.”
“Yup.” I let the tail smash into me, and was rewarded with a very solid hit that hurt like the bejeebus. I rolled backward onto my head, sword still in hand, before hopping to my feet. “I thought it might pass through me.”
“We do not create weak spells, young lady,” Dizzy said disapprovingly, outside his shed again.
“Now I know.” I ducked under a smashing foot and hacked into the leg, not even thinking about enacting the magic within my sword. Much to my delight, it still worked. The sword sliced through the spell, tearing it open and burning the edges. The blade glowed a soft blue.
“The sword is designed to sense any extreme temperatures and show a color connected to the opposite spectrum. That crazy crystal ball reader said we should incorporate that,” Dizzy said. “Clearly your magic is made up of extreme fire and heat.”
Yes, it was, and now everyone knew. Darius had gained another piece of the riddle. Thanks, Dizzy.
“Of course…” Dizzy’s eyes crinkled. “I don’t think you’ll fight the same person often enough for them to catch on. Or you wouldn’t be your mother’s daughter.”
The dragon unraveled like a sweater before finally puffing out, leaving a big pile of residual magic that wafted sulfur.
“The smell is intended to be a further distraction once the dragon has been taken down,” Dizzy said, reading my mind. Or maybe my scrunched-up face.
Darius held up his used casing and spoke what sounded like Latin. The red spell shimmering above us sparkled before folding back into the casing.
“Oh, that’s handy,” I said. “And a money saver. Do you have to speak Latin to use it?”
“This one, yes. Which is why very few people steal my best spells.” He tucked it into his satchel. “It’s doubtful those who do will be able to use them. I will not be angry if they are returned.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I doubted he knew that I had pocketed the spell he’d given me in the unicorn paddock, but he’d clearly noticed the ones I’d used my five-finger discount on in his chamber. I mean, they were just sitting there, staring at me as I made my out. “That was a dig at me, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” he said.
“I got a call about the noise,” Callie said to Dizzy as she made her way out of the house.
“Sorry! I’d forgotten about the sound.” Dizzy shrank a little and glanced at me. “I didn’t used to put sound in them.”
“You should put fire in it, too,” I said, touching the blade with my finger. It was way too nice for the likes of me.
It’s all about who you know.
“Here, honey. You’ll have to push magic into this, but it should hold it for you.” Callie handed me a strange-looking brooch fashioned to look like a big beetle with a lion’s head.
“Never wear that in my presence,” Darius said. “Keep it out of sight.”
He’d get it pinned to his back when he wasn’t looking so everyone would laugh at him, that was what he’d get.
“Will you be needing any more spells?” Dizzy asked Darius.
“How many of those swords do you possess?” Darius pointed at my blade, which I hadn’t put away yet. It was too new and shiny to hide.
“None like that, but we could make some.” Dizzy glanced at Callie.
She shrugged and nodded. “Full payment up front.” At Darius’s shrewd look, she crossed her arms over her chest. “She is the only one I know who can use a blade like that. I would be making it specifically for her. I don’t plan to waste my time simply because vampires can’t be trusted. Money up front.”
“And a brooch that isn’t so hideous?” Darius hadn’t reached for his wallet. Assuming he had one.
“How many?” she replied.
“As many as would be necessary in the event that she encounters a spell much stronger than she can comfortably handle.”
“Since when are vampires worried about the wellbeing of humans?” She turned on me quickly. “Tell me you didn’t bond the shrewdest vampire in existence!”
“I’m not an idiot.” I shrank away from her scowl. Thunder clouds rolled across Darius’s face.
“A sword can create a bond with the handler,” she said, relaxed now. “But a brooch is too small. Anyone who got their hands on it could use it. For some people, that isn’t a big deal. But for Reagan, that could have extremely damaging consequences.”
Those threads of fear resurfaced. She was right about my power, but was she guessing, or did she know?
“For that reason,” she went on, speaking to me, “You need to take care of them, or your power can be used against you. Not to mention analyzed. So two small magical containers would be all I’d advise.”
“Fine,” Darius barked. He checked his watch. “Get two more in motion. Charge the card on file. I will have my assistant review the charge. I expect a discount for the bulk order.”
“You’ll get no discount, or you’ll get no supplies.” Callie gave Darius her bulldog expression.
“That’s what you get for not using please,” I murmured.
Darius threw his hard gaze at Dizzy. “I would like a handful of distraction spells, delivered to Reagan now. Then a dozen more, styled to look like various creatures, color coded. My people will supply you with the colors, as usual. Make the dragon breathe fire.”
“I’m…not sure I can do that.” Dizzy scratched his head.