Eileen Wilks - Death Magic

“That’s telling all of us,” Lily said dryly. “I’m not about to get a big head now. But these dopplegängers may be hard to kill.”

Possibly. If so, Sam suggests you obtain possession of the focus.

“You’ve told all this to Sam and the other dragons?”

Of course. We have informed most of the Shadow Unit, also.

“By focus,” Cullen said, “are you talking about the artifact used to make the dopplegängers?”

Yes. You will need to destroy it. Ah. Sam has reminded me of something.

“Is Sam listening to us now?” Rule asked.

Sam is monitoring several situations. Be quiet while I speak with Lily Yu. Lily Yu, you will be unable to absorb power from the dopplegängers or the amulet. Sam believes it is best you are aware of this so you can plan your tactics properly.

“I wouldn’t want to try. It’s death magic, isn’t it? Ugh.”

Your understanding is as dangerously inadequate as Sam suspected. Absorbing death magic would turn you into a creature we would have to hunt down and kill. Sam believes that under sufficient stress—to save Rule Turner, perhaps, or the lives of young children—you would violate this ban. To ensure you do not, during our recent session I created a barrier.

“You did what ?”

Do not be alarmed. I am young for such advanced and delicate work, but I did an excellent job. I am unusually skilled at perceiving and manipulating the . . . bah. Your language lacks a word for this. I refer to the interface between power and physicality. I cannot manipulate your Gift directly without destroying you, but I was able to place a barrier in this interface. You are still able to use your Gift in the way normal for you, but you will not be able to pull power from others.

Lily was on her feet. “This was Sam’s idea?” she demanded. “Sam wanted you to do this? Without asking me—you deceived me, tricked me—”

It is unlikely you would give permission without a great many explanations we were and remain unable to offer. I tell you now so you can plan accordingly. Oh, and I will need to remove it later, or your Gift will burn itself out attempting to override the barrier. Now I must go. I have a great deal of distance to cover by dawn.

“What? What do you mean, you’re going?”

Neither I nor any of the dragons in North America will be available to pass on messages for two or three days.

“Mika!” Rule was on his feet, too. And furious. “You’re leaving at a critical time, and without notice or explanation! Is this the way allies support each other?”

The mental voice was fainter. I regret the lack of notice. I have trouble differentiating threads in . . . from the not-now. I had intended to give you more . . . as well, perhaps. You would have . . . quite annoying. I am nearly out of range, so . . .

And that was it. Mika was gone.

“Son of a bitch .” Rule spat out the last word.

“Has everyone been messing with my head?” Lily was so angry she was shaking. “The Lady, the dragons—is there a sign on my head that says ‘please tamper with my brain?’ ”

Cullen leaned back in his chair, frowning. “Once the two of you are done cursing the damned know-all, see-all, tell-nothing dragons, we might try to figure out why they’re taking off so suddenly. It isn’t for one of their sing-alongs. They wouldn’t have kept that a secret until the last moment.”

Lily drew a shaky breath. She was okay. At least she thought she was. How could she tell anymore? “What’s to figure? We don’t have anything to go on.”

“We know Mika’s traveling a long way, but expects to get there by dawn.”

“Do you know how fast a dragon can fly? I sure don’t.”

“There were fighter jets pacing the dragons when we returned from Dis.”

She remembered. In retrospect, it didn’t make sense. How could wings carry dragons anywhere near as fast as a jet? Even if those jets were intentionally going well below their top speed . . . she turned to Rule.

Who had an odd look on his face. “This is farfetched, but . . .” He looked at Lily. “Mysterious Rhej business?”

She blinked. “It has to be coincidence. Doesn’t it? The Rhejes don’t take orders from the dragons. Or vice versa. I doubt they’re in contact at all.”

“No,” Cullen said slowly. “But what if the dragons are in contact with the Lady?”

THEland was rock and dirt without a shred of green, lit by the eerie fluorescence of a sky lacking sun, moon, or stars. Lily crouched behind a rocky outcropping, firing an M-16 at the nightmare swooping down upon her from that empty sky. The horrific blasts from her weapon had her head pounding as if something was trying to get in, but the creature kept coming—

Cheep, cheep, cheep.

Her eyes popped open. It was dark—dark as in nighttime. Normal night. She was not in Dis . . . stupid damn nightmare. Blindly she groped for her phone on the bedside table, sitting up. Rule was gone. Maybe it wasn’t the middle of the night, after all. Her hand connected with the phone and she thumbed it on. “Lily Yu here.”

“Lily, I’m so sorry if I woke you.”

It was Deborah Brooks. Lily glanced at the clock. 6:35. It wasn’t night anymore, though it was still dark; sunrise was thirty or forty minutes away. Rule must have messed with the alarm again, dammit. He did that when he thought she needed sleep. “Not a problem,” she said. “Something’s wrong, or you wouldn’t have called.”

“It’s the elemental. It’s leaving.”

“Everyone’s leaving.” No, wait, Deborah didn’t know about the exodus of dragons and Rhejes, and this couldn’t be connected. Could it? Lily reached for the lamp and switched it on, hoping light would get her brain working. “What do you mean?”

“It’s difficult to put what it tells me into words, but it’s being called—or maybe offered something. I think someone has promised it something. Or perhaps it wants to see the others. There are other earth elementals there. I’m not sure how many, but it wants to go where they are. I think I should go with it.”

“Wait. Go with it? Where and why?”

“The National Mall. I’m almost sure it’s going to the National Mall. That’s where those Humans First people are. That can’t be good, can it? So I need to go with the elemental. I thought you and Rule should know. I wasn’t sure who else to tell.”

“You did right.” She threw back the covers and headed for the chest of drawers. “Stay where you are. We’ll be—”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I need to go now, Lily. It likes me and is happy for me to go with it, but it won’t wait for me. You won’t be able to call me because it doesn’t like cell signals. It says they itch. I have to go now.” The line went dead.

Lily didn’t waste time cursing. She called Rule loudly as she grabbed underwear from the drawer. She never slept naked when there were people in the house, but last night they’d made love so late and she’d fallen asleep without dragging on a T-shirt or anything else and . . .

The door slammed open. “What is it?”

“Deborah Brooks called. Fagin’s elemental is headed for the National Mall. At least that’s where she thinks it’s going, and she’s going with it.” How? Deborah couldn’t ride on the thing. Follow it in her car? On foot? Lily had her panties on and was fastening a bra. “I tried to get her to stay put, but she wouldn’t. She said there are other earth elementals there now. And someone’s offering them something.”

“Cullen,” Rule called as he moved to the closet. “To me. José! Send someone for the van, double-time. I want ten guards downstairs and ready to leave immediately. The rest here and on high alert.” He pulled something dark from the closet and tossed it at Lily.