Chapter Eleven
Antonio
Audiv’s fingers dug into his skin as they entered the healing rooms, having been guided there by a short, red-faced woman. His eyes flickered to King Indulf and Queen Anna beside him. Both looked grim, and Anna had fear in her eyes that didn’t bode well. She nodded toward Audiv and Antonio, gave Indulf’s hand a squeeze, and slipped away.
Antonio bowed, Audiv curtsying beside him. She was the one who spoke, having a higher rank than him since she had been part of the palace for almost her entire life.
“Why have you called us, your Majesty?”
Indulf’s expression became even grimmer. “In your research, have you found any mention of a warlock that can steal a dragon’s fires?”
Audiv’s eyes widened, and Antonio felt his breath catch in his throat. He knew without having to ask that something had happened… something terrible that would change everything…
“No,” Audiv replied. Her hand gripped his tighter. “It’s been theoretically possible since dragons’ fire is a type of magic. It’s just completely different… like trying to suck the heat from lava with a bucket of water.”
“So, if there was a big enough bucket…” Indulf shook his head. “Come with me.” He turned on his heel and strode away, expecting them to follow. They glanced at once another and followed after him. “The dragons we sent after Angstrom contacted us several hours ago, and we had to go retrieve them. They are unable to shift, and both say that they no longer feel their fires.”
A chill swept through Antonio. Sure, he might have once jumped at the chance to have his fires taken away… but to have them stolen? No. That was not something he could ever condone. Something that big, that life-changing, needed to be a choice made by an individual. It couldn’t be something some madman decided for them.
He glanced at Audiv, seeing her face so pale that he almost stopped and told her to wait. There was determination in her gaze, too, though, and when she glanced at him and read his thoughts in his eyes, her eyes narrowed into a glare. Respect and gratitude swept through him. How many people did he know could push through as she had? How many people would still hold their heads up high and focus on what she still had, rather than agonizing over what she had lost? And it wasn’t just her stolen magic she was dealing with, either. Angstrom would have stolen something else from her, and she still managed to keep herself standing, refusing to let him break her.
Indulf led them to a private room where a young man and woman sat side-by-side. They were both swathed in blankets, both shivering with their teeth chattering even though the room was warmer than outside. Antonio’s hand drifted over his stomach, where the heat of his fires burned. If that heat was suddenly gone, he could well imagine that he’d feel chilled to the bone. Even just thinking about it made him shiver.
When did my fires become such a central part of me?
“Naegeli and Mergart, this is Audiv and Antonio.”
The two nodded. Their facial features were so similar that it was impossible not to guess that they were siblings. The young woman, Mergart, turned her gaze to Audiv with hope in her eyes.
“Can you fix us? Everybody knows you’re the best mage in the palace.”
Audiv flinched and took in a sharp breath. She lowered her head for a minute before she looked up, clearly struggling to keep her emotions in check. “I’m afraid not. You see… I was Angstrom’s first victim. He stole my magic before he fled. But that isn’t to say there is no hope. I am still researching, and I am certain that something will turn up.”
Both the dragons looked shocked and disbelieving. Antonio reached for Audiv’s hand again, but this time she pulled away from him. Not wanting to seem weak in front of these two? It was a conceivable notion. He let his hand drop back to his side, wishing that he could be more of a comfort.
“Please tell me what happened,” Audiv said, her voice steady now.
Mergart opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She gestured at her brother, and Naegeli cleared his throat. “We tracked down Angstrom and cornered him. He lashed out at us with magic, but we weren’t concerned. Mergart and I have always been immune to mage magic, ever since we were infants. But there was something different about him. The magic wrapped around us and it… it was like ice. I could feel my fires being ripped away… When he was done, he laughed, and told us to return to the king and tell him that he was coming after us… Can it be true? Can the gods of this day have touched him to—”
“No,” Audiv interrupted. “He’s a warlock, nothing more. We’ll have to run some tests… it could be that your immunity to mage magic left you vulnerable to warlock magic. My king,” she turned to Indulf, “I would advise not sending more dragons after him until we have answers.”
Indulf nodded at her. “You will have everything you need.”
***
Audiv stared at the page in her hand for so long that Antonio knew she had an answer. Day by day reports came in, of mages and dragons who went to Angstrom or were dragged to him, unwilling, and had their magic taken away. It seemed that Mergart and Naegeli opened his powers to be able to steal any dragon’s fires. Either that, or he had that ability from the start.
“What is it?” he asked.
Audiv didn’t reply. Instead, she put a bookmark between the pages and strode from her apartment. Antonio sighed and followed after her, a nervous, unsettled feeling in his stomach. Audiv went straight to Indulf’s office; the king looked exhausted but nodded in greeting to them when they entered.
“I found the answer.” She put the book down and opened it. “We have to kill him.”
A jolt ran down Antonio’s spine. He pressed in quickly, looking over the passage Audiv pointed to. Unfortunately, it was not a language that he knew. From the furrow in Indulf’s brow, though, he could see that the king was agreeing with whatever Audiv had found. She sank down into a chair and hid her face.
“So killing is the only way for the magic to be returned,” Indulf hissed between his teeth. “And he has grown powerful enough that it will not be easy to end him.”
Antonio couldn’t say that he would regret the death, when it came to that. Or that he didn’t think Angstrom deserved it. After everything the man had done, he definitely deserved it. The only thing was… there were laws about due process for a reason. He had never felt comfortable with the idea of being judge, jury, and executioner. There had been plenty of his co-workers in the FBI that had been comfortable with it.
Even in a situation like this, when he didn’t think Angstrom deserved to live—especially after learning about the abuse he had heaped on his wife and children—he also knew that his feelings on the matter were not enough to make that call.
But to return magic to those who Angstrom had stolen it from? To prevent him from hurting anybody else? Was it even possible to bring him in alive, with the massive amounts of magic he had already amassed? He was causing earthquakes and floods, he was killing people.
No. The answer had already been clear. When it came to ending one life to save a potential hundred others? That one life had to go. Angstrom had given up his rights to fair trial. He’d given up his rights as a human being.
“It was going to end like this anyway,” Indulf said, his expression grim. “We have been working with the US government already to find ways to take him out. Which reminds me,” he turned to Antonio. “Have you made any progress in your contacts with the FBI?”
Antonio’s expression darkened as he shook his head. “None of them will talk to me. Even the ones who are happy to hear from me soon clam up when I start talking about the disappearances from FBI safehouses. A couple of them told me that they were part of protective details and were attacked, but when I asked if they had any idea how Angstrom knew they were there… nothing. They don’t talk to me.”
Indulf looked disappointed, and Audiv looked up with a worried furrow on her brow. Antonio didn’t look at either of them. His hands clenched at his knees, his nostrils flaring as he thought of all the excuses he was given. Only one of him, an old buddy who had gone through training with him, dared to say that he shouldn’t be looking into this, rather than just giving him the runaround.
It was clear that there was someone high up involved in this. Who, he couldn’t be certain. The fact that there was someone in the FBI—a service meant to protect civilians, not hand them over to the likes of Angstrom—who would be doing something like this was bad enough. That it was a high-up was even worse.
And what gutted him the most was that many of the people he tried to talk to would hardly even acknowledge him. Like he wasn’t the same guy that covered their shifts, who let them take lead on cases they weren’t quite qualified for so that they could learn. He’d mentored a bunch of them, taught them everything they knew. And now they couldn’t stay on the phone for more than five minutes? An insincere ‘Great hearing from you’ and quick boot out was all he got.
He was the same guy he had always been. Sure, he was a dragon. And yes, that had kicked his confidence, made him wonder if he really was who he thought he was. It had made him question. But now? Now he knew. Dragon or not, he hadn’t changed, except now he could breathe fire and he’d save money on cross-country flights.
Indulf leaned across his desk. “Antonio, I’m going to have to ask something very hard of you.”
Antonio straightened. “I have always done hard things.”
“I know. Your record speaks for itself. But you have not yet voluntarily shifted to dragon form, and so I am concerned about the dangers this might pose… there is nobody else for the job, though.” Indulf considered him for a moment. “You know that the Hunters are still keeping tabs on Angstrom. They will be heading the team to take him out.”
Antonio nodded. If he wasn’t going after Angstrom, why bring it up?
“But there is still the corruption in the FBI that needs to be rooted out. We can’t get involved, since that is the business of the US government, not Byrelmore. But in the meantime, our people are being hurt. Our people are losing their magic and it’s only a matter of time before they start losing their lives. So I need you to find out who is against us in the FBI and bring it to the public… without any backup from Byrelmore.”
It wasn’t a big surprise. Antonio considered for a moment before nodding. That, he could do—and he had just the right plan to see it through, too.