21. You will have a problem if you take him to a place with books.

TWENTY-ONE

You will have a problem if you take him to a place with books.

Sunday, May 13, 2057

The Shield Mountains

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

Rather than fall a dizzying distance and come to a sudden and final halt, air filled my wings and jerked me upward. Rather than scream, I squeaked.

My stones hovered in the air around me, and I suspected the diamond with a fiery heart did most of the work holding me in place.

The sound captured the attention of the Black Dragon of New York, who abandoned his perch, swooped down, and caught me with his clawed paw, laughing at me all the while. “You are a wicked woman, Zenna.”

Miranda’s mother, who leaned over the edge, waved.

With three pumps of his wings, the black dragon dumped me on the platform, landed beside me, and applied pressure to my back, pinning me to the stone. My stones followed, and one by one, they landed and formed a pile nearby but out of the way. “Red? Can you check his conformation?”

The red dragon whistled, took to the air, and joined us before shifting to human, crouching beside me. With a smile, he rubbed my nose, and the sensation reminded me of a hug, soft and warm. “You have no patience today, Zenna.”

“I wanted to see what would happen!” The woman came over, gathered my stones, and cooed to them. To my surprise, she took the time to give each one a little kiss, apologizing to them for giving them a fright. Then she carried them over to the bar, dumped a candy dish out, and set the collection inside.

Red scowled at Miranda’s mother. “He’s afraid of heights. Shifting in the face of terror is not uncommon. You’re lucky he didn’t have a heart attack.”

Zenna rolled her eyes. “It worked, and he’s fine.”

I could respect her ruthlessness and drive to get results. Over the years, I’d listened to shapeshifters often enough to understand how most of them worked. My arms would become my forelegs, my legs would become my hind legs, and I would have to learn how to cope with having a flexible tail and wings along with a long neck. I took a deep breath, which tasted rather dusty. I moved my mouth, concentrating on the sensation so I could figure out how to make a muzzle form words.

While I did that, Red asked the black dragon to release me so he could examine my wings. “Valor, can you try to stretch your wings? Be slow about moving. You’ll have a lot of learning to do, and you’re more likely to hurt yourself than us right now. ”

My skin twitched, and rather than have scales like the other dragons, I had a thick, leathery hide, which itched. I gave myself a shake, and after a few minutes of trial and effort, I figured out what my wings felt like and convinced them to move at my whim. I stretched as he wanted, lifting my head to get a look.

The boney support of the wing shared similarities with other dragons I’d seen with membranes allowing for flight. Mine were longer than I expected, slender close to my body before fanning out. The leathery hide covering the bone was a deep red fringing on black, and the color faded to a bright crimson along the lower edge of my wing. Dapples, lighter in color than the surrounding hide, would offer hours of entertainment should I be tempted to count them.

Two thirds along the wing were a set of boney claws, and with experimentation, I determined I could flex, move, and even bend them, much like fingers. To my delight, I determined I could use them much as I did hands, and when I folded my wings along my sides, they settled close enough to my forelegs to be of use.

Within a few more minutes of exploration, I determined my forepaws were flexible enough to be used as hands as well, with slender fingers tipped with sharp, curved claws. I would have to take care with the claws, but with practice, I bet I could handle most tasks requiring human finesse.

The Black Dragon of New York shifted into his human form and went to work scratching under my chin. It took all of five seconds to understand why Jace enjoyed attention, and I settled in to bask in the sensation.

“You may as well come up, Nathan. Bring Paul with you,” the black dragon called out. “We can toy with Lovell and present him as extra distressed so she struts her stuff for him.”

According to the nearby monitor, we pained the captain, but he shifted, lowered himself so Paul could mount, and took care with joining us so he wouldn’t dislodge my partner. “Normally, torture isn’t legal.” Once the elephant shifter was safe on the ground, he shifted and joined the Black Dragon of New York, targeting the base of my skull to scratch.

My eyes crossed and I melted to the ground, discovering I could purr in the right conditions.

Paul snickered, sat on the ground next to me, and patted my shoulder. “You’re now going to be the calmest and most sensible dragon in the entire city. That’s not hard, and you have a huge lead on the competition. In better news, you’re not large enough to ride, so you might escape that nonsense for a few years.”

“He’ll stay small for a while,” Red informed my partner. “I needed a few hundred years before I advanced enough to manipulate my mass and size to handle a rider. But he’ll be as long-lived as Miranda, as her line of browns hasn’t evolved much.”

“If we live, we live a long time,” Zenna announced with pride. “The problem is, most of us browns aren’t sensible and get killed off in stupid fashions. My daughter is not stupid. So barring perishing in the line of duty or suffering through true misfortune, she has thousands of years ahead of her.”

“Grimstone is going to be pleased he’s no longer the baby of the station,” my captain said, and he gave me a final scratch before rubbing his hand between my eyes. “Will he grow into having scales? ”

“He’ll only pick up a mottling of scales around his horn buds,” Red replied, and he tapped on the tip of my nose. “You can see some of the scaling here. My hide is quite tough, so you won’t have to worry about him on that front. He’ll handle bullets better than you will, and he won’t even scar. Any marks left from bullets will be erased every time he sheds. I shed yearly. You’ll have to remove the bullets from his hide, but that’s a small price to pay. Right now, his shifted form won’t be of any use to you for police work, but his magicker skills should improve should he continue to invest his time into studying and practicing. You will have a problem if you take him to a place with books.”

“That is not a new problem,” my captain muttered.

“It will, for the most part, be business as normal, although you won’t be quite as worried about him being exposed to poison in the future. I do enjoy some poisons. They make an excellent snack.”

“There will be no recreational consumption of poisons in my station, Detective Lovell. We will have to redo your benchmarks on sedatives and so on, however.” The captain got to his feet and sighed. “Paul, you get to babysit your partners for the first two weeks back at work. That should give me enough time to get your education admittance paperwork handled. I’ll put Smithson in charge of them after that. Zenna, please provide a care sheet for brown dragons.”

Miranda’s mother laughed. “We’re easy, Nathan. Sufficient love, appropriate food and water, and a calm home environment equals a calm brown dragon. As she’s going home with someone who makes her favorite drink and he is rather notorious for enjoying peace and quiet, she should prove rather steady given some time to relax into her role. She’s the white sheep of the family. But do put her into the driving courses for interceptors; she will excel at it. She was born with the need to speed, but she has all those lawful tendencies hampering her. If she’s driving an interceptor, she will be able to indulge in her need for speed.”

“Paul, on your days off from school, I will require you to work on training these two on interceptors.”

“Sure. I don’t expect any problems with Miranda, and I’ll try not to traumatize Lovell.”

“I expect a little trauma. We’ll hold his new wife hostage until he’s demonstrated he can drive at least a hundred on the course.”

Paul gave my shoulder another pat. “Do we have any wreckers?”

“We won’t be teaching him how to ride on cars until he weighs at least five hundred pounds. I prefer a minimum of a thousand before skating lessons begin. How much do you think he weighs, Grant?”

“I’d say no more than two hundred, and that’s being generous,” the Black Dragon of New York replied. He worked his arms under my belly and lifted, grunting as he picked me up. I squeaked, lifting my head and regarding him with wide eyes. “As I thought. Not even two hundred. He might have dropped a few pounds during the shift, though he could have lost some weight during his hospitalization.”

As I’d seen dragons with broken wings suffer before, I took care to keep still so I wouldn’t end up the next poor bastard to be grounded and whining for several weeks. I swung my head in the direction of my captain, and as I couldn’t quite figure out how to speak with words yet, I whined .

“All right, Grant, put him down. I think we’ve tormented him enough for one day. Go relax on one of the lounge chairs and get used to that form, Lovell. You can watch the festivities while Zenna brings you nice things to eat and drink. We’ll keep Miranda out of trouble during these challenges, but if you get upset, you can try to take your first real flight. Your wings can handle your weight, so there’s no reason you can’t put them to use. Just use one of us as a landing pad for now.”

The instant the black dragon put my feet back on the ground, I retreated in the direction of the chairs. It took some trial and error, but I determined I walked best if my left front leg and right hind leg worked together. I climbed onto a chair, tucked my wings close, and curled, making certain I had a good view of all the screens.

The dragons observed with interest, and Paul came over, picked the chair nearest to me, and sat. “He’s surprisingly agile and coordinated for his first shift. I remember mine. I rolled around far more than I walked.”

Our captain grinned. “Lovell’s far smarter than his schooling indicates, and he’s watched dragons a lot. His gait’s different than ours, though. We’re more like horses while he’s much more like an iguana.”

“A desert spotted iguana to be precise,” Red said. “I think he’s going to be frilled, though—and he might end up spitting toxin. It’s a toss-up among reds. Frilled lizards are typically a forest breed, but he seems to be a hybrid. There were frilled reds, but they’re extinct—and they went extinct a long time ago. They tended to pick fights with the wrong dragons, losing badly. I was still young when the last got killed off for being an idiot. ”

“Is there any chance that those genetics somehow made it into humanity?”

“Certainly. There were plenty of dragons who bred with early humans, and the frilled reds were still around back then.”

“But were they magickers?”

“I’d say they were among the best at magic, yes. Valor, lift your head, hiss at me, and pretend, for a moment, that I’m an interloping male after your woman, your puppy, and your hummingbirds. I mean, your puppy is adorable, and I wouldn’t mind taking her home with me.”

I reared my head back, narrowed my eyes, and growled at the thought of the red dragon even thinking about invading my home. Even if he hadn’t ordered me to, I would have hissed at him, and I showed off my teeth while I did so. When hissing didn’t satisfy me, I threw in a few growls for good measure.

Captain Farthan raised a brow. “He’s not going to steal your puppy or your hummingbirds, Lovell. If you want to call Miranda your woman, I wish you the best of luck convincing her to invoke the fraternization rules. You’re going to need it.”

Rather than spit at the opal dragon, I swallowed and settled for more hissing.

“That is definitely a frill,” Zenna commented, and she prowled close, her gaze focused on my neck. “What’s with his coloration?”

“That would be a very clear warning label that he is packing heat,” Red commented, coming over and touching something along my throat. “Valor, you’re going to be a poison breather or spitter. Probably a spitter, judging from the fact you decided to swallow rather than give your captain something to worry about. Until we know your abilities, keep swallowing unless you have a good reason to want someone dead. You likely spit a neurotoxin of some sort. When I was young, we had a species of coral snake that preferred desert life. Your frills are in those colors: red, yellow, and a red so dark it is sometimes mistaken to be black. Those snakes went extinct long ago, although there are modern equivalents. The modern equivalents merely wish they were anywhere near as deadly as the species I grew up avoiding.”

As I had no real desire to do anything other than warn Red away from my puppy and birds, I snapped my teeth in warning before settling back onto the cushion to check the screens for Miranda’s return.

Red snickered and scratched the base of my skull. “All right. I think it’s time for everyone to go back to the entry platform and put on a good show. Leave Paul here. You can irritate her extra if you claim Paul was kidnapped while she got changed.”

“This is going to be a disaster,” Paul predicted, but rather than complain, he made himself comfortable. “Hey, Zenna? I don’t suppose you could hook me up with a margarita, could you?”

“Sure, but I’m making it light on the alcohol. I want my cavern intact by the time this show is over. Want a shot of something, Nathan? You surely need some liquid fortitude at this stage.”

“I won’t say no to a beer if you’ve got one.”

“You’ll have to deal with a very illegal craft brew we made for ourselves. ”

“I’m sure I’ll suffer through somehow.”

Sunday, May 13, 2057

The Shield Mountains

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

Miranda’s first challenge involved walking a tightrope from the entry of the canyon to the next platform. The line, which wasn’t much wider than a pencil, did a good job of inducing anxiety so strong I hid underneath Paul to the best of my ability.

She waltzed across the cable while I whined and did my best to cover my eyes so I wouldn’t have to watch her fall.

Paul had the decency not to laugh at me, and he snorted in Zenna’s direction. “She does not seem particularly challenged, but Lovell is going to have a heart attack at this rate.”

“I took her to her first gymnastics course when she was six months old and had started to toddle. She loved it, so I encouraged it. I thought about selling her to the circus a few times during her youth. I really had no idea you were that afraid of heights, Valor.”

“He’s good about heights on things like staircases, rollercoasters, and so on. It’s the instant he thinks there’s any real risk of falling that he short circuits himself and goes into a panic. I’m not sure we’re going to be able to get him actually flying , truth be told.” Paul rubbed my neck, careful to avoid the tiny horns marking the edge of my frill. “Perhaps doing cartwheels on the line is a bit much. It’s a good thing she changed her clothes, but I’m not sure that leotard is much of an improvement on the modesty front, though.”

“It’s really not,” Zenna conceded. “Valor, darling, she’s not going to fall. That was supposed to impress you.”

Miranda’s father snickered. “I’m impressed over how terrified he is. He can’t even watch her. He tried, bless his heart, but he about fainted dead away when she decided to bounce on it to test the line’s give.”

I whimpered and tried to burrow under the elephant shifter, failing to make any progress.

“It’s all right,” Paul said, and he kept rubbing my neck. “We’ll go have coffee at your place tonight, and we’ll make grilled cheese as a snack before we fire up the grill and make steaks. I’ll even make Captain Farthan buy the steaks because he’s a participant. You still have your grill, right?”

Zenna giggled. “I mean, to be fair, he and Grant tried it first, and they both fell. Then they decided to play in the ball pit rather than shift and fly out or climb up. And then Red gave it a try, and he fell, too, but at least he transformed and flew up to another platform. You can look now, Valor. She’s doing a celebratory dance at the top.”

I peeked, and sure enough, the woman did flips and otherwise bounced around the goal platform as though someone had installed springs in her feet.

Paul laughed. “What prize is she getting for that?”

“Clearly, I’m buying you all a feast for your grill tonight. Valor, if you don’t have a grill, I will buy you one and have it delivered. I have a motorcycle for her that’s her actual prize, and it’s a match for yours, but hers has a purple body with black and pink decals. ”

While it took work, I could talk a little, and I concentrated enough to say, “My grill broke over the winter.”

“Peter, we’re going to go buy them a grill tonight. We’ll need to swing by their place to see if there is space somewhere in that yard of his for one.”

“He has a patio in the back. It can fit a grill, but you’ll have to carry it through the house,” Paul informed them. “The patio is the mandated city limits for separation of houses and fences plus a few extra feet due to paranoia. He doesn’t use it for anything other than grilling, but he can access it through the hallway near the kitchen.”

“He actually obeys city rules?” Zenna heaved a patience-worn sigh. “What are we welcoming into our family, Peter?”

“Common sense.”

Even I had to laugh at that. “Captain Farthan has tried to break me of my fear of heights, but he didn’t get far with me.”

“You’re fine, Valor,” Zenna soothed. “This challenge will be much friendlier for your nerves. She does not need to leave the platform to complete it.” Grabbing the radio, she pressed the button and said, “All dragons report to the platform for the next challenge. You can play in the balls or lounge later. Miranda, as your first reward, I have selected a motorcycle for you. It is much like Valor’s except it is purple. The decals are black and pink and match his. Your helmet is purple and black. It’ll be delivered after you both have gotten your licenses certified for motorcycle.”

Miranda whooped.

After releasing the button, Zenna laughed and said, “I might have been a failure of a parent for her in her youth, but I have since learned how to spoil my children in a way they are tolerable beings. It’s just her turn to get the same treatment. I tried too hard to fit her into my shape, and she simply won’t ever be like me. I do regret that, but she’ll be happier with the fate she’s chosen for herself. I never would have encouraged her to become a cop. Seriously, who thought this was a good idea? I owe them a scolding and a present.”

“One of the judges came up with the idea,” Paul replied. “I believe an eagle-griffon was present for her trial, and she must have said something that indicated she’d be good for law enforcement. She was caught in the act by dragons, but they fed her before taking her to the station. She was just hungry.”

“Compassion can go a long way. I was never good at being compassionate, and that’s part of why I went so wrong with her. Peter is much better at that than I am.”

I marveled over how open Zenna was about her failings as a parent. “Is that why you do this?” I wiggled out from under Paul, and as I’d discovered the elephant shifter quite enjoyed having a lap dragon, I made myself comfortable on him while still able to watch the screens. “You want her to know you understand better?”

“You’re doing so well with your words. Good job, Valor. My babies need weeks before they can do anything more than monosyllabic words. But yes. Every single one of these challenges caters to her personal strengths. They are a little challenging. I used a narrow cable, although it’s not the narrowest she’s used. She will not feel I was taking it easy on her, but it is well within her skill level. This next challenge will be entertaining for you. She must turn her companions into beautiful women. ”

Before I could stop myself, I snorted my laughter. Paul reclined in his chair and scratched under my chin. “Do you know what one of the benefits of being an elephant is? He weighs basically nothing. He’s like a giant dog with wings. And his hide is surprisingly soft. It’s almost supple. It has a suede texture to it.”

“And if he has any of Red’s traits, you’ll find he will be more than happy to be a lap dragon for you. If he likes being with his people and having peace and quiet, then you’ll be able to pet him to your heart’s content. And I’m fairly sure you two partner well together because he’s as much of an attention whore as you are. He’s just a calm version of you.”

“Well, he does also get paid to help minimize property damage.”

“I’m sure they’ll keep paying him for that. You elephants are not the brightest crayons in the box when you get riled up. Valor is still Valor. He’s just a more refined version of himself, and he won’t be at any risk of his magic turning on him.”

Paul made a thoughtful sound. “I always thought he was rather like a dragon in many ways, especially when it came to facing the wrath of a dragon. Most of us show some concern when the dragons get upset. It took us two full years before Jace relaxed enough to stand up against the dragons. Lovell has always been steadfast even in the face of an angry dragon.”

“With his magicker skills, it would take a lot more than a mere dragon to frighten him. Do help adapt him to being called Valor, though. He’s going to need it, and if he doesn’t embrace it, he will surely be nagged to a near death state over it. ”

“I will do better when someone calls me Valor rather than Lovell,” I promised, taking time with each word so it was understandable. “Please tell me it gets easier to talk.”

“It does,” Zenna promised.

Captain Farthan and the Black Dragon of New York returned to the platform, and once they were there and back in human form, Zenna pressed the button on her radio and said, “There is a steel panel near the edge of the platform. Stand near it and press it. You can tap it with a foot if you’d like. Just stay near the panel until the next challenge is in position.”

Miranda headed over to the panel and pressed her foot against it without bothering to wait for the dragons, who wisely hurried to catch up with her. A section of the platform rose, and it included a stylist station like I expected at a hairdresser, a cabinet, and changing booth. The cadet narrowed her eyes and said, “I’m suspicious.”

“This challenge is solely for you, Miranda. The three dragons with you are your victims. You have an hour to transform the men into women. There are wigs, attire, makeup, and anything else you might wish for this test in the cabinet.”

“Bitch,” Captain Farthan muttered, loud enough for the microphones to catch it.

The Black Dragon of New York crossed his arms. “I admire and respect your ruthlessness, Zenna. Why are you dressing us up as women?”

Red shrugged. “I knew there were risks involved with choosing to participate in the madness. I only have myself to blame.”

“The art of disguise is a useful one, and how else is Miranda going to be able to showcase her skills? If she can turn you manly dragons into feminine beauties, she can fool anyone.”

Paul sighed. “The captain is going to get revenge on us all for this.”

He really would. “Make good episode of game show. Tell Alicia?”

“I mean, we could involve the entire station and have them try to identify the captain after he’s been transformed into a beautiful woman.” Paul gave my neck a rub. “Good thought. We’ll throw those scaly bastards under the bus and volunteer them for the episode.”

“This is precisely why I kept telling you that you can’t leave boys unattended, Zenna,” Miranda’s father said with amusement in his voice. “Boys cause trouble because they can.”

“They’ve had a hard day. They can plan trouble all they want.” Zenna shook her head, pressed the button on her radio, and said, “You will be judged on clothing presentation, makeup, and hair. The judges will be the cops at the station.”

“No,” both dragons growled.

“I don’t see why not. Be good sports!”

“No.”

“Fine. Paul will score. He might be fair about it. Your time starts now. And remember: your victory hinges on Miranda’s victory, so it’s wise to cooperate.”

Miranda dove for the cabinet, yanked it open, and spewed curses. According to the monitors, she had a bunch of dresses to work with, from short cocktail dresses to floor length gowns. The cadet snatched a white dress, eyed it, eyed the captain, and tossed it aside before snatching up a red one and flinging it his way. “Put that on.”

Captain Farthan sighed, shot baleful looks at the woman, and went to do as told. “I swear, your mother is going to pay for this, and her downfall will be whispered about among dragons for a thousand years.”

Miranda flung a matching bra his way along with silicon pads. “And if I don’t win, you will join her in paying!”

I slithered off Paul’s lap, went to the bar, and stood on my hind legs, grasping the counter while taking care to keep my claws from gouging it. Once I could see over it, I examined her selection of alcohols. “Midori sour?” I requested, turning my head to regard Zenna.

She came over, scratched between my eyes, and went to make my drink. “How long do you think he should stay as a dragon today, Peter?”

Miranda’s father came over, looked me over, and rubbed my back between my wings. “We could nudge him back now. It looks like the initial influx of magic has settled. If he does that, he’ll probably nap through a bunch of your challenges.”

“I’m recording it, so he can watch—and rewatch—her exploits all that he wants. The next one might give him a heart attack. She has to scale down the column the platform is on, without any gear, and retrieve at least six diamonds. There are twenty available for her.”

I whipped my head around to regard the various platforms jutting up from the floor. “She’s a rock climber?”

“My daughter is many things, but yes, she loves climbing rocks. She is unaware her interest stems from her species. She’ll probably fall on that one. That column is not forgiving. ”

“All right. I’ll help him get back to human, and if his clothes were trashed, I’ll see about getting him into something that isn’t a dress. Miranda likes suits, and I’m sure we have some ribbon here somewhere.”

“I’m going to need two drinks if I’m being dressed up, ma’am.”

“I’ll just make you a double, darling—and we’ll only make you watch the challenges you can handle, so don’t you worry about that.”

“You’re taking away my dragon?” Paul complained. “But he’s soft and cuddly.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to play with your partner when he’s a dragon soon enough,” Zenna replied, grinning at my partner. “How about I make you another drink as a consolation prize?”

“Sure. But I’m going to have to insist on two steaks for the grill tonight if you’re taking my dragon away.”

“You are a harsh negotiator. I agree to your terms.”

Sunday, May 13, 2057

The Shield Mountains

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

Over the course of six hours, Miranda displayed an equal mix of mental and physical prowess. Had I not already respected her for her determination to change and do good in Cauldron City, the showcasing of her competence would have done me in. In an amusing twist, all three dragons accompanied the woman while wearing their dresses, makeup, and doing a damned good job of reminding me the eyes could deceive. There was no magic involved with her makeup skills and ability to work wonders with a wig, which baffled me.

I’d checked.

Twice.

Once on the final platform, Miranda stomped to her mother. “You’re evil .”

“Yes, I am. And you went along with it because I have what you want.”

Miranda’s eyes widened, and she glanced my way, caught herself, and resumed glaring at her mother, her cheeks turning red. “Mother!”

“Just don’t screw him at work. You’ll be fine. Here. I’ll give you a free present. Nathan, please tell my little girl she is welcome to take her detective home, do whatever she wants with him, and keep her job.”

“Those are the rules. Keep the hugging, the kissing, and the fighting at home. All you have to do is act like a professional while on duty. I’m confident you both can handle that. The fraternization rules are real, you can use them at will, and there is little Detective Lovell enjoys more than competence, which you’ve shown off in plenty. You don’t even need to lay any permanent claims on him right away. I’ll even let him issue an invitation to go out on a date. In his head, it wouldn’t surprise me if he considered stealing my shoes to be an elaborate first date.”

I lifted my drink her way. “He’s not wrong. I’ve suckered your parents out of a new grill and steaks. Want to come to my place and fire it up?”

“It’s easily going to be midnight before we get home. Your parents are going to kill us all! They’re watching the birds and Pumpkin.”

“I already texted them that there are no problems,” our captain said, grinning at the cadet. “Grant also sent over reinforcements. Hardy and his grandmother are keeping everyone entertained. You have nothing to worry about. How did you like the show, Valor?”

“That climbing test about did me in. I had to stop watching after the second diamond.”

Paul snickered. “It’s true. He tried to watch it, but after she had a bit of a slip, he about had a heart attack. He hyperventilated, and Peter had to take him out of view of the screens to calm him down. We’re going to have a lot of work ahead of us, Miranda.”

I knocked back my drink, got up, and sighed at my clothes, a suit Miranda’s mother had acquired for me. “They stole my clothes.”

Like the first suit, it had a bulletproof lining and would go into my closet to be used another time.

Miranda looked me over, and she licked her lips. “My mother might be evil, but she knows how to dress a man. If she didn’t want you keeping it, she wouldn’t have thrown you in it.”

“Or had it made in his sizes,” her mother muttered. “Grant, do you mind driving the children home?”

“Considering I was requested to bring an SUV so everyone would fit, I don’t mind. Are you satisfied with your latest little test? ”

“As a matter of fact, yes. I’m satisfied all the pieces are in place for us to truly start the hunt for Timothy. And that’s how we should address him, Valor. Timothy. First, we will strip him of the name he cherishes. Once we have robbed him of that, we will rend the flesh from his bones and cast every drop of his tainted, foul blood to the four winds.” Zenna growled, and I heard the dragon in her voice.

“Mom, what did he do to you?”

“It wasn’t what he did to me, but what he did to one of your brothers, my darling daughter. And he will pay for his transgressions with his life.”

“My brother? Is he dead?”

“No, but that poison has damaged him beyond what even the antidote can repair, and he will not live a long nor happy life. And I will make Timothy pay for that.”

One day, I would learn that life was not a puzzle with a set number of pieces. People had many facets, and what Zenna had presented to me had fit the picture I’d wanted to build, blinding me to other possibilities. Her interest in the labs and the antidote made sense.

She didn’t race to beat Timothy.

She fought to save the life of her child.

“Do you think I can help him?” I asked. “I’m not a doctor—hell, I’ve barely made it through my paramedic courses. But I do have magic, and that toxin is magic. Maybe there’s something I can do?”

“Red?” Zenna asked, and the anger bled away, leaving behind a tired woman.

“Perhaps. He’s not wrong to try, and while he was motivated before, seeing your son might make a difference. For him and for Miranda. But it is not a pretty sight. I do not have your love of magic, Valor, nor your skill. But if you can see or feel what hampers our efforts, it might make a difference.”

“We can get a grill and steaks another day. Let me see him, and then I’ll talk with Dr. Erik and Mrs. Dr. Erik. Maybe they can help—and neither would deny you, not after what you did to save their friends and family. They might not be able to help, but they would try.”

Zenna bowed her head and sighed. “We will need the SUV, Grant, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll drive you anywhere you need to go, Zenna. All you ever had to do is ask. Show us your truth and what we are truly fighting for.”