Sinister Magic: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons #1) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,3

would blend in. That robe looked like something out of a Lord of the Rings movie, the silver slippers like something from Oz, and the dragon-shaped gold amulet on his chest was bling that Mr. T would have loved. Lastly, the violet eyes that glowed with inner power were nothing contacts could have achieved.

That violet gaze roamed around the cavern, skimming over us, and I held my breath again. Even if my charm worked on a wyvern, a dragon might not be fooled. I’d scrounged and fought far and wide for my collection of protective magic, and most of the centuries-old trinkets hadn’t come with instruction manuals.

“Dysnax crayell, loreth.” The dragon’s deep baritone rang through the chamber with resonance that Darth Vader would have envied. “Crayell Zavryd’nokquetal.”

The wyvern darted fully behind her stalagmite and hid, her pointed blue tail wrapping around the base as if she feared being torn away.

I touched another charm and mouthed the command word, hoping I could activate it without actually speaking. There was no way I was going to make a noise. Dragons could probably hear pins dropping on the moon.

“…and furthermore,” the dragon said, the charm translating the words in my mind, “you fled like a coward from your home realm, leaving the slain behind you to be discovered by their families.”

The wyvern was a criminal on more than one world? Not surprising. I was relieved to hear the dragon hadn’t come for me.

“You will return with me through the portal to be incarcerated until such time that you can be judged by the Dragon Justice Court. They will determine your punishment and your subsequent rehabilitation.”

Wait a minute. This guy wanted to take my target through a portal to another world? For rehabilitation?

Oh, hell no. The wyvern was going to die for the children she’d killed and the bones of the dead littered across the floor of this very cave. I’d been hired to kill her, not watch someone else cart her away.

I shifted Fezzik and leaned to the side enough to line my sights up with the wyvern’s head.

You can’t shoot her in front of that dragon, Sindari warned. Don’t be fooled by his human form. He can kill you with a look.

I know. I’m going to need your help.

“I didn’t do it,” the wyvern called from behind her stalagmite.

“I see the lie staining your soul. Come with me now, or I will forcibly remove you from your miserable squalid hole.”

Please say the help you need isn’t for me to fight and slay the dragon, because that isn’t in my repertoire of abilities.

No, just lead him away. I’ll finish the job and sprint out of here. Sprint was an ambitious word considering the climb back up to the top of the cliff, but I would find a way. If he catches up with you, go back to your realm. I’ll call you back to Earth later when it’s safe.

You know he can follow me home, right?

I hesitated. Are you sure?

Dragons can do anything. There’s a reason they rule all seventeen of the Cosmic Realms.

They don’t rule on Earth.

Only because they don’t care about Earth. Sindari watched as the dragon strode toward the wyvern. Correction: They haven’t cared about Earth in the past. For a dragon to come here, something must have changed. Or the wyvern committed an incredibly heinous crime.

She did. I rested a hand on Sindari’s back. Please, lead the dragon away. I’m positive he’ll be too angry with me to chase you back to your realm.

That is not reassuring. He will kill you.

Not if I get away. Lead him far and lead him fast.

I don’t think you understand the power of dragons.

Then this next ten minutes should be educational. I waved him toward the tunnel entrance.

Just don’t die in the ocean. I don’t want my next handler to be a whale.

Blazing yellow light flared below, stealing all the shadows in the cave. Rocks shattered as the dragon hurled a magical attack at his foe. The wave of power pulverized the stalagmite, and dozens of others in the area, as it hurled the wyvern forty feet to the back wall.

An ominous snap erupted from the ceiling of the cave. Two stalactites plunged down, leaving my hiding spot on the ledge open and vulnerable. I could get killed simply by the raw power being hurled around.

The dragon lifted a hand, and the wyvern floated into the air and toward him. The winged creature spun, trying to flap her wings, her two legs flailing