22. Does he need righteous wratha calming father figure?

TWENTY-TWO

Does he need righteous wrath or a calming father figure?

Sunday, May 13, 2057

Dragon’s Heart, Precinct 1

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

Precinct 1 hid within the heart of Precinct 101, confusing just about everyone in Cauldron City, including most dragons. Only the wealthiest of dragons had a home or business in Precinct 1, making it the most expensive and desired area of the city to live.

Zenna directed the Black Dragon of New York to a modest family home skirting a park, let us into the gate with a code, and said, “This belonged to your grandmother once upon a time, Miranda. She’s a brown dragon who grew tired of North America and decided Europe was more to her taste. She left the property to your father, and after we lost track of you, we moved here. We have pretended to be opal dragons, using magic to hide the color of our scales. We were going to teach you how to be a dragon when you turned seventeen, but we had parted ways by then.”

“Dad told me while I was changing,” Miranda said in a quiet voice. “And that Valor needs to become a dragon so he doesn’t die? He talked to me about that during the climb.”

“Yes, that’s correct.” Zenna twisted around to glare at her husband, who grinned and shrugged. “I wanted to surprise her with his draconic form.”

“She’s had enough surprises, and I knew it was only a matter of time before you told them about Tony.”

“How bad is it?” The Black Dragon of New York parked the car in front of the garage, killed the engine, and unlocked the doors. “Does he need righteous wrath or a calming father figure?”

Miranda’s mother sighed. “He’s alive, but he’s weak, and we have to take him in for dialysis weekly. The first time he gets sick, he’ll probably die. His organs are all damaged, and nothing seems to help. He was hit with an experimental, early form of the poison. He knows he’s dying, and he knows we’re trying to fight his fate. We’ve been taking him to the hospital here, but they haven’t had any luck yet—and that was even after the unicorns figured out how to stop bouncing off the toxin and began helping other races treat it.”

“Maybe I should call in Dr. Erik and his wife.” After pulling out his phone, he engaged the dark screen in a staring contest. “Maybe what happened to Tony will help them treat people with the current toxin.”

“We were going to ask, but not after the attacks. Tony had befriended Timothy when he first came to Cauldron City, thinking he might be a useful ally in the underground. It proved to be a mistake.”

“And Tony wasn’t part of your operations?” I guessed.

“Right. We’ve always encouraged our children to build their own empires, although they’ve always been welcome to participate in ours. I’m sorry I hid this from you initially, Valor. I know it colors the investigation.”

“It just establishes your motives,” I replied, getting out of the SUV. “It doesn’t change anything for us. Right, Captain Farthan?”

“It really doesn’t change anything for us beyond adding extra motivation to get that piece of filth off the streets. At this point, Tony is a victim—and if he knows anything that can help us, we’ll use it.”

“Even though we aren’t precisely law abiding?”

“I’m not wearing a body cam,” he replied. “Are you, Detective Lovell?”

“I am not.”

“Masoner?”

“I seem to have forgotten to bring a body cam with me, sir.”

“I’m not even asking the cadet. She still can’t figure out how to hook them up without a great deal of embarrassment and assistance.”

“I didn’t think it would get clipped to my chest!”

I snickered. “It’s okay, Miranda. At least your fittings for your bra went without incident. We all have to be properly fitted for cups and straps, and Annalee has herself a grand time. Just going by waist size is not enough for her. Every cop in her station will be appropriately protected. If we don’t provide the measurements for her, she absolutely will take them herself. I was wise and had provided every single measurement I could think of so the equipment manager wouldn’t have to help. I did not want to be helped. And yes, Annalee was the equipment manager when I was hired, and I am grateful, to this day, that a kind detective had warned me about the fittings. And she requests updated measurements every year to monitor for any possible health complications.”

If she thought something was amiss, she called for a doctor and had the problem addressed.

Miranda stared at me, covering her mouth with both hands. “Oh. I thought those were all the same size.”

“Not all men are created equal. I happen to have a bit of a size mismatch between my waist, thighs, and…”

“Equipment,” Captain Farthan supplied. “He requires custom garments when we require cups and other protections, and it’s Annalee’s job to make certain he has what he needs, just like your bras are the station’s problem because it’s required for your job.”

“I see.” Miranda turned her attention to the house. “Is this where you live, Mom?”

“It is. I am an evil criminal mastermind by night, Mom by day. Your dad has decided he’s a stockbroker, as he loves playing with money, especially when it’s money that isn’t his. When he wins, he gets rich, so he likes winning.”

Miranda’s father bowed. “And my record is so clean it squeaks when you rub it, and I will be keeping it that way until I’ve gotten bored with being a stockbroker.”

“And I really have a bunch of brothers and sisters.”

“Tony is one of a clutch of nine. Your father thought having a clutch would be a wise idea, as I was rather overbearing with you. By having nine at once, I was too damned tired and at my wit’s end from trying to keep nine babies alive to be overbearing. Our second clutch had six, and our third had three. We will not be having another clutch until Timothy is a corpse. Then we’ll have a celebratory clutch. Fortunately, Tony was the only one Timothy got to. I began making my moves once we got Tony stabilized. Timothy has been a persistent blight, and I’ve just gotten to the stage I can really fight him on equal footing.” Miranda’s mother headed for the door, unlocked it, and opened it. “We have company, brats, so at least try to act like you’re not heathens. Your sister’s here, and I’ll tan your hides if you embarrass her.”

“It’s going to be a long day,” Miranda muttered.

I checked the sky, which already darkened. “That’s one way to put it. I wish I could say this will be okay, but I have no idea if I can do anything for him.”

“The fact you’re willing to try means more than you can know,” Miranda’s father informed me in a soft voice, patting my shoulder. “Let’s just say I never thought the day would come that I would be putting my hopes in a cop .”

Captain Farthan huffed. “Trust me on this one, Peter. You’re not the only one having similar thoughts. I’m putting my hopes in a criminal mastermind.”

“This is the ultimate example of two enemies becoming the closest of friends in the face of true evil.” The brown dragon straightened his shoulders, and his expression turned determined. “And as far as I’m concerned, Timothy is true evil.”

“He is,” Red confirmed. “He truly is.”

Sunday, May 13, 2057

Dragon’s Heart, Precinct 1

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

The instant I stepped into Tony’s room, the sense of a foul magic tweaked my awareness. The young man slept, and if I were to judge from my other senses, the ones that had begun whispering to me as a child, he clung to his life by the merest of threads.

A vile presence contaminated him, reminding me of crude oil, clinging and ready to smother—or burn if exposed to a spark. It writhed, seeking out its next victim. I shuddered, dug out my stones, and piled them on my palm.

A pure white glow emanated from the diamond with a fiery heart.

Yes, to erase that vile presence, I would need that stone’s purity.

I willed the gem to float and handed the rest of them to Paul for safekeeping. “Hold those until I’m done. I don’t want to accidentally make use of other stones.” Sometimes, that happened, and the results varied—and the last thing I needed was additional complications. “I think it might be wise if everyone stays in the hallway. I don’t know what that is I’m sensing, but it’s nasty.”

“It’s the poison,” Miranda’s mother whispered. “Every now and then, it feathers against my senses as though seeking a way in. ”

I nodded. “Mr. Grimstone? Can you sense anything?”

“I’m no magicker, but I have an uneasy feeling. Red?”

“I’m the same as you. Zenna, have you had any magickers here to look at him?”

“No. I never thought a magicker could do anything to help. And the magic I do is dragon magic, and it’s barely compatible with the modern toxin and antidote. But I think that’s what Timothy was after—he wanted that compatibility. This was one of his failures. Tony was just the… confirmation. Tony made the mistake of letting Timothy learn he’s a dragon.”

“I think I might want that thick hide for this, Red.” I turned to the red dragon, wondering if I courted trouble attempting to shapeshift. “All I have about this stuff is a bad feeling.”

Red touched my shoulder, and a few moments later, I dropped to the floor with a startled squawk.

Miranda sucked in a breath. “He’s so small.”

“It’s normal,” Captain Farthan said. “He’s rather quick about shifting for his age, though. Is that your doing, Red?”

“It’s his natural inclinations. He was born for this, rather literally. I truly believe he was always meant to be a dragon and just needed someone to come along and give him a push along to get him there. Remember, Valor. Your magic is going to be stronger than you’re used to.”

“I count on that. Not sure what go on here, but magic at play.” I wondered if I could use magic to keep Tony living after I eradicated the taint polluting the room. In theory, I understood how the body worked.

I had just always approached the sick and injured with mundane methods rather than magic .

“Do you think I should call in Dr. Erik?” the Black Dragon of New York asked. “Also, I think it is rather unfair at how adept you’re speaking this early on, Valor. Must you outclass us?”

I lifted my head so I could get a better look at him. “Yes.”

Captain Farthan chuckled. “If you pull this off, Valor, I’ll haul you back to the station so you can get the royal treatment, and I won’t even toss you in general holding before you get your treat. Paul, betray his secrets.”

“You already gave him heaven at the station, sir. Just give him a paid day to work with his new toy, and he’ll be happy.”

I needed to find a way to thank Paul for being my friend in addition to my partner.

“I can do that, too, but after Smithson’s bender, I’ll break every one of their hearts if I don’t let them feed people as rewards.”

“He likes stew,” Miranda announced. “You can tell he likes a food because he becomes still and quiet, and he slows down. If he’s slowed down, he’s in his happy place. I can make him a batch of stew as my contribution.”

“I’ll ask Smithson if you can use his kitchen for it, that way we can at least try to surprise him.”

Had I been that obvious about enjoying her stew? I’d been tired, which had factored into it. I’d also been relieved I would escape Jace’s fate. Determined to keep my dignity, I took care to keep my wings pressed close to my sides and went to Tony’s bed, standing up on my hind legs to get a better view of the young man. “He has already had his first shift?”

“My clutches usually hatch from the egg as dragons, and then I raise them human. I’ve only done one live birth, and she’s still in denial. I’m sure she will get around to accepting her magnificence soon enough.”

Miranda sighed.

“I’ll be teaching her the trick of it,” her father promised. “Upon realizing she can shapeshift into just about anything, she has put in a request for an equine shape, a freshwater shape, and a saltwater shape. I’ve already selected dolphin for her saltwater shape. I’m debating her freshwater shape. I’m sure I’ll figure something out. Once she masters those three shapes, I’ll help her with her draconic form. And that’s the rule, love. She must have mastered four shapes before we teach her how to be a magnificent dragon.”

“Your rules suck.”

“The rules exist to make certain our children are adaptable. And if you argue with me, I’ll make her learn an avian form before helping her become a dragon.”

While Zenna mostly ran the show, I recognized when Peter held the reins, and he ruled with an iron fist.

Sighing, Peter stepped into the room with me, and he stared down at his sleeping son. “And anyway, with Tony like this, we’ve rushed our hatchlings enough making certain they survive if Timothy targets them, too.”

The oily presence stirred when the brown dragon entered the room, and I sensed its frustration. “It seems to be almost sentient. It wants to spread, but it can’t spread to you, Peter.”

It couldn’t spread to me, either.

I could feel it trying, brushing up against my defenses and sliding off, unable to gain purchase .

“We’ve been careful to keep humans out of our home, and we take care when we take him to the hospital. He’s been sleeping more than normal lately.”

I could guess as to the why of that; bit by bit, the oily substance grew stronger, and I had no doubt it leeched away Tony’s life. “Maybe Dr. Erik coming would be a good idea. I don’t know what I can do beyond try to get rid of this stuff. Warn him it is more like a virus than a poison. It wants to grow and spread.”

“I’ll call him,” the Black Dragon of New York promised. Once Peter left the room, he said, “I’m going to close the door. Maybe a physical barrier will help keep that thing in there.”

Just what I wanted, to be shut in a room with something that made my skin crawl even when human. Rather than complain, I waited for a few moments, debating how best to approach the situation. I could tell what the diamond wanted.

It wanted to burn the toxin out of this world so it would never bother anyone again. I wanted that as well, but I wanted to leave Tony alive when finished—alive and able to be healed.

But how?

I touched Tony’s arm with the leathery pads of my right paw. I considered the slender digits, wondering what dragons called them. Paw? Hand? Foot? Claws? Whatever they wanted? I liked paw. Paws reminded me of cats and dogs, and I liked both.

I settled with fingered paws with numerous similarities to hands. With that mental distraction out of the way, I focused on what was important: getting the young brown dragon through the day alive. Every paramedic course I’d taken had hammered on that single goal.

We worked to make certain we kept our patients holding on until a real doctor could help them.

With the awareness Dr. Erik—or someone —would be coming along to help, I decided I needed to purge first and hope I could keep him together long enough for somebody to take over the rest of the work. I began with the exterior influence, and as it seemed dark, cold, and oily, I went with light and heat as my weapons of choice. I took the time to scrutinize the room, distinguish what I wanted to burn away versus what I wanted to leave intact, and focused on the simple runes I’d carved into the diamond.

Pinpoint accuracy mattered, even when I wanted to influence a large space.

The stone chimed, and the instant I unleashed my magic, it erupted into flame, which engulfed the room.

The toxin—or whatever it was—screamed its agony at the onslaught, and much of it faded away to nothing, not even ash. Some remained, and as I concentrated, I determined what had leeched out of Tony had been destroyed, leaving me with the challenge of conquering the vile stuff polluting and killing his body.

With a better understanding of what I faced, I would check his family members for infection and eradicate it from them, too. The diamond lost its light, although it still gleamed, waiting for me to ask it to strike again.

Aware the toxin infected the blood and went on to eat away at the organs, I made use of my claws and dug one into Tony’s arm hard enough to draw blood. The dark, cold, and oily sensation burst, and I was aware of it trying to penetrate through my hide to infect me.

Without my prompting, the diamond exploded into light once more, and the corrupting force pulled away.

I growled, low and deep, at the thought of Timothy Lerrans having deliberately created some foul magic meant to spread and destroy. While I wanted Tony to live, thrive, and enjoy life with his family, who loved him enough to take on one of the world’s true evils, I couldn’t afford to let the poison spread.

It was a leviathan compared to the modern version’s smaller snake.

I encouraged the stone to delve into Tony’s body, seek out only the darkness, and purge it.

The stone floated over to where my claw rested in a drop of Tony’s blood, dipped down, and began to glow in a golden light.

Then, something else stirred, something quiet and warm. I could sense the diamond’s regard, but as it was neither dark nor cold nor oily, it left the new presence be.

“Are you here to help?” a voice whispered in my ear, and the tone and nature reminded me of my little brother when he wanted something badly enough to use his words. “It hurts.”

One day, I would get my claws on Timothy Lerrans, and I would battle over him with every other dragon and unicorn wanting a piece of him, and we’d spread bits of him across the entire face of the Earth. “I am here to help,” I promised in a whisper, aware that if any of the busybodies in the hall heard me, they would come barreling in and make a mess of my work. “What is your name? ”

“I am Cole.”

Not Tony. “Is Tony with you?”

“Tony is tired of fighting, and he hurts all the time, but he loves his mother and his father. He doesn’t want to let them go. But he is here. I don’t know for how much longer. He is so tired.”

Yes, I could tell. “How did you become trapped with Tony, Cole?”

“My father did it. This is his darkness, and it grows stronger by the day. It caught hold of me when he tried to fix my heart. It hurts, but he finds a donor when it gets too bad. But I question where he gets the hearts. They are anguished.”

Why did telling the truth have to hurt so damned much. “I’m sorry, Cole. They weren’t willing.”

“My father is not a kind being, and he wants to love me. He does what society says any father would do for their son. He does not understand or care to understand why it is wrong.”

All sons wanted to be loved, and the pain in Cole’s still and quiet voice would bother me for years to come. “My name is Valor. I’m a detective, and it’s my job to help bring your father in to face justice.” I hesitated, and then I added, “When we learned about you, we decided we would pluck you from your father’s hands and make certain you get the care you need. It isn’t your fault you have a defective heart.”

“You know? You know of me?” Like me, Cole paused. “And you still care?”

“You’ve been helping Tony, haven’t you?”

“I keep him company, and I do my best to reassure him. I hold as much of the darkness at bay as I can. But it’s too much to drive it back alone. I’m tired, too.”

“The sins of the father are not the sins of the son, Cole. We cared about you because you are a person in need of help.”

“I’m not really a person.”

“What are you, then?”

“I am a dragon. I dream of flying. I feel the world around me. I see wings taking flight in blue skies. I don’t dare let my father know. I have to contain the beast within. He wants to fly. I promise him we can fly when my father is gone, but we are not strong enough to get rid of him.”

“Your heart fails you.”

“Always.”

“We speculated about this, but you have a heart defect that affects dragons. It can be treated, by dragons. And I know, for a fact, that you have a grandfather who loves you very much.”

“I have seen him through Tony’s eyes. He hurts. My father hurts him all the time.”

“Yes, that’s true.” I sighed, wondering how I could free Cole and Tony from the darkness without killing them both. “I want to free you from the darkness, but I am afraid of killing Tony in the process.”

“If he could have but one last breath untainted by my father’s filth, he would die peacefully. But I will do what I can to help him live. But once he recovers, I will no longer be able to stay. I am only able to be here because he has weakened so much. I… am a parasite, I suppose. But I am a beneficial one to him. I am why he still lives.”

“You have a symbiotic relationship with him,” I replied, and I tilted my head for a better look at Tony’s face and pallor skin. “If I take away this darkness, what will happen?”

“I will hold him together for as long as I can until his spirit recovers enough to eject me. Then I will be forced out, likely to return to my body unless there’s a place I can go. You are too healthy and strong. But that is no matter. I won’t be hurt from this. I will just lose my ability to see the world around me. This is my first time out. I suspect it is my last. My father keeps me under lock and key, and when he exposed me to this toxin, bringing it into the same room with me, my heart struggled. He took it away, as quickly as he could. But I managed to hitch a ride. The darkness wanted to leech into me. But I leeched onto it instead. I wanted to know what he did and how.”

I feared what Cole had learned. “And do you, in your body, know what happens here?”

“Oh, yes. I am him, he is me. We’re always connected. I know what happens to my body even now. And only a little of my essence escaped. I couldn’t afford my father to spot me, a star in his inky void. I smothered myself in the toxin as much as I could until he poisoned Tony with it. Tony is not a bright spirit, but he is a being of love. My father does not understand the meaning of the stars in the darkness. He is incapable of understanding.”

That I believed without hesitation. I considered my diamond, which continued to rest in Tony’s blood, offering a warm and welcoming glow. “If I could offer you a chance to nestle in this stone, would you take it? I might be able to help you get there.”

Bindings were not outside of my knowledge, although I tried not to use them.

“I can stay?”

The hope in Cole’s voice stabbed me within, and I wondered if the poor young man had been shown a scrap of love in his life. “You can stay. And you might even be able to help us locate you.”

“He has my prison warded. I can’t even tell you what direction to go. But I can tell you what is happening in my prison right now. Brenda has come to read a book to me. We take turns. She’ll read a few chapters to me, and then I’ll read a few chapters to her. She is forced to be my companion. My father took her in exchange for allowing her mother and father to live. But she doesn’t resent me for my father’s actions. She figured out the situation within the first day. I am always kind to her. I never raise my voice, and when she puts on makeup, a rare thing, I tell her she is beautiful with it as without it. I don’t know what else to do. And she is kind to me back.”

I wouldn’t tell Cole the truth of that; he’d find out soon enough, especially if Zenna had spoken the truth about the heart the woman had grabbed and the bright love she harbored. “I think you’re going about it the right way. Honestly, all you have to do is be everything your father is not, and you’ll be all right.”

“That’s exactly what I do!”

“In any case, you can stay. I have a magicker skill I can use, one of binding, that can encourage you to take residence in the diamond.” I suspected I wouldn’t even need to use it.

The diamond’s warmth hadn’t been of my design.

“Thank you. I don’t want to return to that prison with no chance of ever seeing any of the world.”

I’d have to take care with where I put the diamond, how I would use it, and what I said around it, but Cole would have a home with me—or his grandfather—for however long he needed. With luck, we would find a way to free him from his father’s clutches and get him the treatment he needed.

And then I would see about Red passing on his legacy one final time. “Do you think you could become a dragon?”

“Oh, yes. I don’t think it. I know it. It was before my father installed the cameras, before he began monitoring me with his magick, when I first knew. When I first felt. When I first became.”

“You shifted, and you figured out how to shift back on your own.”

“My heart hurt a lot, and my father panicked. He had to work surgery on me six months earlier than he expected. When… when I am ready to move on to the next life, I will simply wait until it’s time for my surgery, and I will be how I am meant to be, and I will pass in peace. I decided that then.”

“We’ll do our best to get to you before then, Cole. And we’ll do everything in our power to make sure your Brenda is able to escape as well.”

“But why?”

Right. Cole would have no understanding of why someone might want to help him. “For the same reason you help Tony. I can. That’s it, that’s all. I’ll admit, I am not your father’s friend. But I am happy to be your friend. Just like you’ve been a friend to Tony. And if Tony will miss you, we’ll visit him so you can still be friends with him.”

“Really?”

“Really. And we’ll talk with your grandfather to see what he can do to help you speak to others more easily. I’m sure there’s some dragon magic at play there.” I considered the situation, sighed, and said, “I don’t suppose you know what will happen when this foul crap gets purged, do you?”

“I don’t know for certain, but I can make some guesses based on what I’ve safeguarded. His brain is safe. That’s where I live. I’ve saved his heart as much as I can, but that’s where I’m losing the war.”

“You’re not fighting this alone anymore,” I promised. “And no matter how this works out, please know we tried— and please tell Tony that we’re going to do our best to get him through this alive and well.”

“I will. He’s just glad he isn’t as alone in the dark now. He can feel you. He knew before you said a word. He says he knew you were wanting to help him the instant you stepped through the door. That’s how I knew my grandfather is not like my father. Tony knew.”

I wondered how much Tony had taught Cole—and how much I’d have to teach the young man once he took up residence in my diamond. For Cole’s sake, I hoped he could make himself a home within the stone so he could see the world around him. “May I ask if your consciousness is linked with your body?”

“It is. When my body sleeps, I go dormant. That’s why I struggle so much. The poison spreads when I can’t fight against it.”

Right. “Well, let’s see what we can do about that, okay? You let me handle eradicating that darkness. You worry about keeping Tony alive to the best of your ability. If we fail at this, please know we truly tried, all right?”

“I know. We have been together like this for years now. He knows. He knows I would give my life if only I could save his.”

“With a little luck and a lot of magic, I am hoping that both of you get a chance at life. Just both of you, don’t give up, all right? I’m not giving up on you, so don’t you give up, either. ”

“We will do our best.”

Sunday, May 13, 2057

Dragon’s Heart, Precinct 1

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

The instant I committed and chased after the darkness to blast it out of existence, I understood the scale of the war Cole had waged for so long to keep Tony alive. The toxin attempted to destroy every single cell in the brown dragon’s body. Without Timothy Lerrans’s son, Tony would have died long ago. As it was, I could sense both young men, tired and worn from the relentless battles they had waged.

I addressed that problem first, and I used the diamond’s rune to bolster rather than destroy.

Relief rippled from both of them at the surge of magic, although their exhaustion remained and it would until they could seek out true rest, the kind that healed. Then I decided to take a risk, one I might regret.

I concentrated on the diamond, made it clear I wanted the darkness gone while preserving and healing the rest of Tony’s body, and that I desired to shelter the two young lives relying on me to break them free of the poison’s grasp.

Then I did the one thing I never allowed myself to from the day I’d listened to magic’s call and pursued being a magicker: I unleashed my magic and let it run wild, free to do as it wished to accomplish my needs.

Every book, every grain of wisdom, every survivor of magic’s call said the same: to let go of control was to perish, usually in a catastrophic fashion.

But I recognized the scale of the battle. I couldn’t divide and conquer, not with trillions upon trillions of cells all under siege. If I wanted to gain ground, I had to do more than fight fire with fire. I needed to throw everything I was at my cause, even the control that had kept me alive as a magicker for so long.

No runes.

No restraints.

No reservations.

After a lifetime of holding on, it disturbed me how easy it was to let go and toss all caution to the wind. Win or lose, I would know, in that moment, I had done everything I could for the sake of Timothy’s victims.

Cole might not ever experience his father’s love, but he would experience love. His grandfather would be the beginning. In less than five minutes, the Black Dragon of New York would do what he did best, taking Cole and blanketing him in all the warmth he could.

I suspected Zenna’s stars in her darkness were as Cole believed, bright spots of love for her chosen people. I harbored no doubts the brown dragoness could perform acts of evil—and would, in time. But the instant she understood Cole was why Tony lived, she would add another son to her clutch, and she would more than make up for his father’s failings.

I wanted Cole to have a future filled with love, laughter, and life, among dragons who would help him soar—even if the treatments meant he only lived a mortal’s lifespan. For a while, at least, I wanted to see him fly.

I, on the other hand, would do my best to keep all feet or paws firmly on the ground where they belonged. I would reserve any flight for when I had my motorcycle and used magic. I could handle intangible roads of light and breaking the speed limit .

The thought of the light road captured my attention, and I realized I might be able to do the same within Tony’s body. If I treated his heart as a garage and his blood vessels as the roads, I could spread light throughout the entirety of his body, chasing the darkness away from his organs.

Everywhere his blood went would be infused with the diamond’s glory.

I concentrated on Tony’s laboring heart, and as I had for the two young souls I battled for, I reinforced it, strengthened it, and controlled its beat.

After the tens upon tens of hours of practicing CPR, I couldn’t forget the rhythm of a beating heart. I embraced the familiarity, and with each pumping of blood, I pushed more of my magic throughout the entirety of Tony’s body. When the power reached his brain, it gathered and pooled, finding refuge from the darkness we battled.

I viewed it as a fortification in case I faltered, and satisfied I wouldn’t have to worry about that, I focused on my next target, his lungs.

Without oxygen, he would suffocate, turning the blood I manipulated into useless cells within a corpse. I suspected Cole had realized the importance of Tony’s lungs, as the darkness retreated with more ease than it had his heart.

Cole had no way of knowing what a healthy heart felt like. One day, if I had anything to do with it, he would.

From the lungs, I targeted his kidneys and liver, aware of his need for dialysis. Perhaps he would need some extra treatments—perhaps he would need those precious organs we’d recovered from Mercy’s labs—but he would be alive to make use of them .

I could only hope he would heal without the toxin’s presence.

From the kidneys and liver, I went to the intestines, marveling Tony had been well enough to survive at all. The toxin had done a hefty amount of damage to his entire digestive system, and I foresaw a long road of recovery ahead of him.

From there, I tackled the stomach, the spleen, gallbladder, and the other little fiddly bits I’d learned about in my schooling but hadn’t put much thought into before.

Every organ served some purpose, and the toxin had infiltrated them all.

I burned it all away until I was left with the problem of muscles and skin. After some thought, I opted to make my final assault on two fronts, from the outside and the inside. I closed my eyes and turned my head in anticipation of the diamond once again erupting.

The stone did not disappoint, and its flames licked over the room before sinking into Tony’s skin.

At the same time, I forced a final pulse of magic, forged into light, to eradicate the remnant darkness.

The dark, cold, and oily sensation dissipated, leaving behind nothing but memories of its presence.

I focused on my breathing, and I began with reining in my magic, which wanted to continue its work. It took reminders of the real doctors, who could do a better job, to calm it enough I could control it. However, as I wanted them both to survive, I kept a close and careful watch on his organs, especially his heart, in case I needed to intervene.

“Cole?”

“I’m losing my hold on him,” he replied .

The fear in his voice worried me. I cooed to calm him, and I nudged the diamond to serve as a lure to draw the conscience of the young red dragon into its heart. “Do you feel the stone, Cole?”

“It’s warm.”

“That’s your home now, all right? You’ll hide in the diamond’s heart, and you’ll ride around with me and be able to see the world through it. I’ll even make a pendant so it can be worn. It’s not quite the same as a body, but it should keep you here.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re welcome here,” I promised. “When there’s something I don’t want your father to know, in case he tries to interrogate you, I will hide that, but you’ll get to see life outside—and when you can’t be involved with those conversations, I’ll hand you off to someone who can take you out to see the things you can’t in your prison. I know you have no reason to trust me, but you can. You’ll be as safe as I can make you.”

While Cole hesitated, I was aware of his presence drawing close. Then he popped into the diamond.

The stone’s fire changed, the color deepening to his grandfather’s red. Unlike his grandfather, the diamond held flecks of brilliant white, like tiny stars showing through a sunset sky.

“It’s so warm here.”

“You can rest now, all right? Let your body recover along with your mind. I want you to keep that heart you have going for as long as possible, okay? And if your father asks, just tell him you want more time to read books with Brenda. That will encourage him to keep Brenda close to you. ”

“I can do that.”

“Good. And how was Tony before you left?”

“Tired. He sleeps now that he can, in truth. He no longer waits to die. I feel this is a beginning as much as it is an end.”

“It is,” I replied, and I dropped back to the floor, willed the diamond to follow me, and made my way to the door. “It is a good end and an excellent beginning.”

Sunday, May 13, 2057

Dragon’s Heart, Precinct 1

Cauldron City, Nebraska.

I took a few minutes to steel my nerves before scratching at the door.

Zenna opened it, and she regarded me with wide eyes and a pale face. She swallowed. “My son?”

“He lives. Is Dr. Erik here?”

“I am,” the black unicorn replied, and he trotted up, lowered his head, and sniffed at me. “This suits you. Your magic is calmer now, too. It no longer roils under the surface, seeking to be free.”

Yes, that was a good way to describe my magic when I failed to use it often enough. “You have a patient, and he is free of the poison. His organs are hurt, but he can heal now.”

“I’ll take care of him. The wife and a few of the foals are downstairs. You’re fatigued. Go get one of those mean dragons to carry you off somewhere and put you to bed. ”

I checked the hallway to discover only Zenna and Dr. Erik. “Where are the others?”

“Peter and Grant are feeding everyone. Nathan is headed to the station with evidence, maps, and other presents from Zenna. Red is pacing.”

“Does Red know?” I asked Zenna.

“About what?”

I considered the diamond, which harbored Cole’s spirit. “The guest keeping Tony company.”

“The odd little presence with my son? He has his suspicions. Blood calls to blood. He had no way of reaching out and discovering who or what was with Tony, but he said there was a benevolent spirit.”

“His name is Cole, and he’s Timothy’s son. Cole is a prisoner, and he does not condone his father’s actions. Your suspicions of the woman are correct. Her name is Brenda, and she is likewise a hostage, keeping Cole company in the prison. I suspect Cole loves her.”

“Well, that woman certainly loves someone ,” Zenna replied, and her expression became troubled. “But why was he with Tony?”

“He kept your son alive.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re serious.”

“I am. The only reason Tony lives is because Cole had hitched a ride on the dose that poisoned him, and he’s been fighting to keep Tony alive ever since.”

“It’s not much different from what we blacks do when we try to heal a patient, but we need to be with the patient,” Dr. Erik said, and he peeked into the room. “You weren’t kidding. That poor child is a mess. Zenna, please fetch my wife, and tell her I’m going to need her help with this. Have her call and tell them we may not be available for surgery tomorrow. If you know it, give her all your son’s vital statistics, including blood type, age, species, and so on. If I need to do a transplant, I want the hospital ready for him. I think it’s only fair to make use of those organs helping that bastard’s victims.”

“We are calling him Timothy now,” Zenna stated. “That way, Red can have his name back. We are stripping it from Timothy.”

Then the woman hurried off to do the black unicorn’s bidding.

“No real doctor would do an act this monstrous.” Dr. Erik snorted, and he stepped inside the room. “How did you do this working, Valor?”

“I burned the darkness away with fire and light,” I replied, and I followed him inside, once again standing on my hind legs for a view of the bed. I pointed at the place I’d cut him with a claw. “That was me. I needed to access his blood.”

“That’s going to leave a scar, and for some reason, I don’t think this young man is going to mind in the slightest. His brain is sound. How?”

“Cole,” I replied, and I gestured to the diamond, which floated along beside me. “I moved him into there. The diamond likes him. Its color has changed since he moved in.”

“I will check into this and see if I can uncover anything about spirits being held within stones. We might need to feed him energy.”

“I can do that,” I replied. “That was the first thing I did. They were tired to the point of death, and I wanted them to have reserves enough while I worked.”

Dr. Erik reached over and nuzzled me. “You did a good job. But it looks like I was right. We’ve just had you in the absolute wrong training program for your needs. You needed training with the magical arts. You are, I’m afraid, rather useless at the mundane arts outside of giving needles and CPR.”

“They are important skills, and I have mastered both,” I replied in my coolest tone.

The black unicorn whinnied. “You have. You’ll never be a doctor, but when we get sticky cases with this toxin, I’ll give you a call to see if you can help us with it. Sometimes, the magical component clings more than is easy for us to break.”

I nodded, lowered myself to the floor, and made myself comfortable while Dr. Erik went to work examining Tony. “He will live?”

“He’ll live, although we’re not going to have an easy night with him. You did everything right. I don’t know how long it’ll take to get him back on his feet, but his family is able and willing to care for an invalid for extended periods of time. I might make use of them when I have a patient that needs home care and doesn’t have family to rely on.”

“Count us in,” Peter said from the doorway, peeking his head in. “Your wife will be up in about five minutes. She wanted hands since you have hooves, and she’s deciding which of your kids is going to be saddled, quite literally, to give Valor and Miranda a ride home. Red will be up in a few minutes to help you get shifted back to human, Valor. Grant is off to go shopping for your wife, who thinks we’re going to need a lot of supplies.”

“She’s not wrong. We’ll know if he needs any transplants in a few hours. I can tell you his heart is going to be fine and can heal naturally, but I am concerned about some of his other organs.” Dr. Erik stretched his head out and nuzzled his patient. “You can come hold his hand, because some of this will be scary, and he’ll be aware here and there. It’s better to have a family member around in this case.”

“It isn’t the first time I’ve had hand holding duty, nor will it be the last. The prognosis at the hospital here isn’t good.”

“It took the wrong kind of magic for the hospital system to handle, be it dragon, unicorn, or others. The only reason Valor’s idea worked is because he isn’t working medical magic. He’s inherently a magicker, and all being a dragon now is doing is amplifying his natural abilities. Had he been born a dragon, he would have been viewed as quirky, as draconic magic probably won’t work well for him. And that is not an insult, Valor. You are what you are, and that’s fine. He’s also not a typical dragon. There are no scales?”

“He’s the same species as Red. They don’t have many scales,” Peter explained. “Will you need Valor for any more of the work?”

“No. This is beyond what Valor can do. Valor, go home, do whatever you feel is restful, and inform Captain Farthan I will insert my hooves into his ass if he tries to make you work tomorrow. I’ll call in your medical leave myself. You can go back to work on Wednesday.”

“Yes, sir.” I retreated, careful to keep my wings close as I left the room. “Can work come home with me? I want to think about the case and build a mental plan.”

Dr. Erik sighed. “I suppose, but only if you cannot think of something more engaging to do. Preferably with someone else. Yes, the case is important. Yes, you need to get it organized. But you’ve gotten us moving forward, and we need you sharp. And anyway, you’re about thirty minutes from going to bed. Just eat before you crash out.”

“There is no way I’m getting home in thirty minutes and eating when riding a unicorn.”

“Coerce one of the dragons to fly you home. If they don’t, they’ll be carrying you to bed anyway. You have thirty minutes before you crash out. Use them wisely.”

As only a fool questioned the black unicorn on medical matters, I scampered away to do as told.