Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The crisp night air tickled my nose as we ventured out the front door and onto the main road that abutted the villa. Stars twinkled overhead and dark distorted shadows stretched out from everything as though reaching for us. The area was even quieter than earlier and I unconsciously pressed against Tegan's arm.

"You don't have to worry about anything," he assured me.

"What about what Conrad told us?" I reminded him.

He chuckled. "Vampires can overtake a human but I'm not quite that."

His words made me look him over. "That's right, you're just half dragon, aren't you?"

"On my father's side," he teased.

"So can any dragon mate with any human?" I wondered.

His glowing eyes twinkled in the faint starlight. "Were you wondering on behalf of yourself?"

I shrugged. "Let's just say I'm asking for a friend. So?"

Tegan stared ahead with that mischievous smile. "Dragons have never had any trouble mating with normal humans."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Normal humans? What are the exceptions?"

"Vampires and werewolves."

I furrowed my brow as I thought over his reply. "I can see the problem with vampires, but werewolves?"

He shrugged. "The species have never reproduced. Perhaps they're too far apart or maybe there's some magic that keeps them from being unable to have kids."

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "This world is as complicated as mine."

He lifted a teasing eyebrow. "Did you also have problems with supernatural creatures?"

I laughed and shook my head. "No, but relationships are always complicated. I think it's a universal thing. Speaking of relationships-" I gave him a look over that made him lean away from me, "-what's the deal with you and Cordelia? How much does she know about you?"

He grinned. "Not nearly as much as you."

I blushed at the implication but his sweet talking wouldn't deter me. "How much?"

Tegan sighed as we continued down the road toward a faint glow in the distance. "We were lovers once. Briefly."

"And before my time?" I added with a mischievous smile.

He grinned. "Several years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday."

I dug my elbow into his arm. "Try to develop amnesia for most of it."

Tegan chuckled. "It's hard to forget a woman like Cordelia. She's both beautiful and dangerous, and there's no worse combination for a rich and handsome man like myself."

"So which package was she after?" I asked him as my eyes briefly flickered downward.

"Hard to say," he replied with that devilish light in his eyes. "She did try to make away with my satchel of coins but managed to snatch only a few rocks."

I lifted an eyebrow. "How'd you manage that?"

"By not trusting her," he explained as he nodded in the direction to our right. "But I think this is our turn."

I was glad he was leading the way. The area was still unfamiliar to me and the weak light didn't help matters. I stumbled along and grasped Tegan's arm. He obliged by lighting up his other hand with a fireball and illuminating the area around us.

A brilliant idea slipped into my mind and I stopped. Tegan took a few more steps before he half-turned to me. "Is something wrong?" he wondered.

I closed my eyes and focused. A faint warmth flowed out of me and I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by my brilliant light. Tegan's flame paled in comparison.

"That's better," I mused as I strolled past him.

"Be mindful not to strain yourself," Tegan warned me as he extinguished his magic.

"I need the practice," I countered as I looked down at myself.

My admiration turned to fright when I tripped over the uneven ground and went tumbling down. Tegan caught me before I hit the fine assortment of sharp rocks and pebbles that littered the dunes. I sheepishly looked up at him. "I guess I could use some practice walking, too."

He chuckled. "I'm afraid you won't have much of a chance for that. We're almost there." He righted me and I saw what he meant. We had nearly reached the edge of the beach. "You should extinguish your magic."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Vampires aren't known for their fondness for bright lights."

"Oh. Right." I regretfully put out my magic and we continued on but at a slower pace.

"We might not want to show off all our skills to everyone just yet, as well," he mused.

I sighed. "I suppose, but I'll never get practice in."

"We'll both practice on the return walk," he promised.

We slid across the sands toward the low dark hut near the tide line. There wasn't a single light except for the soft glow beneath the many cauldrons. A man stood by the one nearest our position and turned at our coming. I could just make out the familiar features of Conrad. He was all alone except for two other people who fed the fires.

The vampire studied us with a curious look. "You're late."

"The guests wouldn't leave," Tegan quipped as we joined the vampire at the cauldron.

He studied both of us. "I heard there was something more than that."

Tegan lifted an eyebrow. "News travels fast. Who told you that?"

Conrad turned back to the cauldron with its glowing bottom. "Would you like to see the diving?"

We got the hint about his steely lips but there was another problem at hand. I squinted in the distance toward the shadow waves. "I would but I can't see anything."

Conrad reached into his jacket and drew out a small vial of some dark thick liquid which he handed to Tegan. "Drink this. It will grant you the ability to dive into the depths and see what my men are doing."

Tegan popped the cork and frowned as a pungent odor struck our nostrils. "Blood?"

"Among other things," Conrad told him.

My eyes bulged out of my head. "Whose blood?"

He flashed me a toothy grin. "Mine."

I stared at him in horror for a moment before I whipped my head to Tegan. "You know what, I think I've seen enough." I didn't want a repeat of our adventure in the vampire capital.

"We'd rather not," Tegan agreed as he placed the cork back and held out the glass to our host. "Immortality isn't our calling."

"You'll receive nothing more than a headache from this concoction," Conrad assured him. "The witch in Lusio's employ crafted this magic in order for him to see what we were doing in the water. It will briefly grant you our abilities without any of the side effects."

"So Clara made that?" I wondered as I studied the thick fluid.

He nodded. "The same. Each of you may drink half of it and venture out into the ocean when you are ready."

"I'll go first," Tegan offered as he removed the cork again.

He downed half the contents before I could protest. The bitter look on his face made me glad I hadn't.

"Well?" I asked him.

"It's. . .very bad," he commented as he held it out to me. "Your turn."

I reluctantly accepted the ‘gift' and tried not to gag on the aroma. It was like someone had dragged a roadkill over a mess of rotten eggs, with a faint hint of battery rust. I took a deep breath and toasted to the men.

"Here's to a headache," I quipped before I downed the contents.

And it nearly came back up as quickly as it went down. I locked my jaws to keep the bile from spilling out as Tegan kindly took the vial from me. My throat and I had a lively discussion for several moments before I finally managed to swallow the drink. It dropped into my stomach like a mess of sludge.

I set a hand on my stomach and glared at Tegan. "You lied to me."

He smiled as he gave the glass back to Conrad. "Did I?"

I gave a stiff nod for fear any more movement would lead to another brawl with my belly. "That stuff wasn't bad. It was poison."

Tegan grinned before he turned his attention to our host. "How long does this magic last?"

"Two hours," Conrad told him as he pocketed the vial. "Provided no other magic interferes with it, of course. You will find the others in the depths already. Be mindful to stay out of their way and avoid entering any shipwrecks you may find. Those are more dangerous than they look."

Tegan offered me his arm and used his other hand to gesture to the ocean. "Shall we?"

I sighed and accepted his arm. "Let's go."