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Brave of the man to speak. But then, Balor appreciated Caldwell‟s guts.

“Undoubtedly she is. But the warlock seems to have disappeared as well.”

“I‟m sure you have a back-up plan,” Caldwell replied, eyeing him steadily.

Had anyone else said that, Balor would have considered it fawning. “Of course.”

He motioned to Morgan. “My pet. Would you bring our other pet out for these

gentlemen to meet?”

She gave Lucifer a big smile as she brushed past him and he grinned, watching

her hips sway as she went by. He suddenly stilled Landon‟s head and shot his wad down

his throat. The kid gagged and flopped to the floor. Lucifer stepped over him and went to Balor‟s side. “I wouldn‟t call Sigurd a pet in front of him, bro.”

SWORD OF FIRE Cynthia Breeding 97

Sounds of steel- like claws tapped the concrete floor of the warehouse as the white

dragon lumbered forward, his metal scales rattling as he looked at the humans. His

spiked neck scales rose and smoke streamed from his nostrils.

“
Nicht heir
!” Lucifer said sharply.

The dragon rumbled, the sound thundering off the walls and settled onto his

haunches, thumping his speared tail once for good measure.

Landon had managed to crawl toward the others and now all three men looked

warily at the white dragon that Morgan still stood beside.

“There are two dragons?” Caldwell finally asked.

“Very good,” Balor answered. “Yes, and they have been rivals for a very long

time. This is Sigurd and he has agreed to help us track the warlock and his red dragon, along with the woman.”

“How?” Caldwell asked.

The dragon emitted another small puff of smoke. “
Stillstand
!” Lucifer ordered

and then looked at Caldwell. “I don‟t think Sigurd cares to have his abilities questioned.”

“No indeed,” Balor added. “He already knows the red dragons scent and since he

has come to us, he‟s picked up both the warlock‟s and the vet‟s as well. He‟ll be able to get us fairly close to where they are.” Balor looked down at Landon. “I‟m going to give you one more chance to prove your worth before I turn you over to the bookmakers.”

“Yes, sir,” Carl managed to gurgle through the foamy spittle in his mouth.

“Sigurd scented them last night at Love Field. It wasn‟t hard to obtain a copy of

the flight plan. They‟re in Charleston. You will fly there, rent a car and follow them.”

“But how will I know where to find them?” Landon managed to say.

“Lucian will be accompanying you and he‟ll be in contact with the dragon.”

Balor smiled. “And just think of the enjoyable evenings you‟ll have.”

The kid‟s face turned ashen as Lucifer reached down and stroked his cheek. “And

I‟ll enjoy every moment of teaching you all kinds of new skills. You‟ll be a different

man when I get through.”

* * * *

Soft light swirled around Sophie‟s head as she drowsily listened to muted voices

in the background. They must be in the motel, but she didn‟t remember how she got

there. Those pain pills were really something. She turned over in the bed, burrowing her head deeper into the pillow and drifting back into the odd dream of the Mediterranean

seaside she‟d been having.

“What did you mean, Sophie isn‟t human?” Michael asked. “She‟s not an

immortal.”

“Perhaps not,” Pendragon replied, “but goddess blood flows in her veins.”

“Whose?”

“Epona‟s.”

“How do you know that?” Michael demanded.

The dragon chuckled, only it sounded more like surf crashing against the beach.

“Because I mated with her. Sophie is a descendent of the child we produced.”

Michael moved closer to the bed and Sophie sighed softly as a feeling of warmth

washed over her, like gentle summer waves. “Then she has dragon blood too?” he

asked, sotto-voce.

“It‟s why Brighid sent me,” Pendragon answered. „She may be the last of her

SWORD OF FIRE Cynthia Breeding 98

kind.”

“I know she has magical powers,” Michael said, his voice still low. “I saw how

she slammed Caldwell into the wall without being near him.” He looked up at the

dragon. “Epona was known to take the field both as a human warrior and in her horse -

form. Is it possible that Sophie could shift?”

“I don‟t know. I‟m not a shifter, but dragon-blood would make her very strong if

she tapped into it.”

The breeze freshened, making the voices fade, as the salty tang of the sea became

stronger. Sophiei watched turquoise water ebb and flow across the wide expanse of sand
as the warmth of southern sun flooded her.

She curled into a ball contentedly, as a magnificent white horse tossed its head

and looked at her before turning and galloping down the beach
.

* * * *

“Do you think Pendragon will be okay?” Sophie asked Michael as they began

walking down Church Street toward the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center to catch

the ferry that would take them to the actual fort in the middle of Charleston Harbor.

“We left him with a gallon of chocolate ice cream,” Michael replied, “and he has

orders to stay put and not make any noise.” He gave her a smile. “We can hardly take

him walking with us.”

“I know. We‟re trying not to draw attention to ourselves. It‟s bad enough that I

have to use this cane.”

“The cane no one will pay attention to, but we want to stay under the radar if

Sigurd shows up,” Michael said and then looked around. “The last time I visited here,

there was a good amount of paranormal activity going on. Hopefully, all the unusual

energy will confuse him.”

“What
kinds
of paranormal activity?” Sophie asked suspiciously. “If you‟re going to tell me vampires and werewolves are fighting it out…”

“No, nothing like that,” Michael said. “It‟s more like ghosts.”

“Ghosts? What
kinds
of ghosts?”

“Various kinds. Pirates were a problem in the 1700‟s. Twenty-nine of them were

hanged and left to rot at Battery Park to scare other pirates off. One of them supposedly still wanders looking for his head.”

“Get real.”

“That‟s what the tourist brochures say,” Michael said with a grin. “Seriously,

though, so much of Charleston was damaged by war and natural disasters through three

centuries that a lot of these old homes have literally been rebuilt. Negative energy like grief and anger get absorbed into the walls and, over time, are trapped there with each

renovation.”

Sophie shook her head. “If there wasn‟t a live dragon back in our hotel room, I‟d

say this is all stuff and nonsense.”

“Not at all,” Michael answered. “Take the old Slave Mart. We might not like to

think about it, but a lot of slaves were tortured. Some didn‟t make it.” He pointed to the Queen Street intersection sign. “The next two blocks are a real hub for ghosts. Three

churches with their graveyards, Pirate‟s Courtyard, the old Planter‟s Hotel—now the

Dock Theater—but it had its share of rowdy and raucous behavior. In the evening,

purple light can be seen hanging in the air around the place. I can show you later when SWORD OF FIRE Cynthia Breeding 99

we get back.”

Sophie craned her head to look at the huge churches. “That one certainly has a

high steeple,” she said.

“St. Phillips.” Michael answered. “Its steeple was used as a look out during the

Civil War.”

She turned to him. “How do you know so much?”

He grinned. “Google?”

“Funny.”

“The oldest church in the city has a high steeple too,” Michael said as they

stopped on the intersection with Broad and he pointed westward toward Meeting Street.

“St. Michael‟s”.

Sophie choked on suppressed laughter. Michael thumped her back gently, yet

firmly, and then turned her, grasping her arms. “Are you all right?”

All right? Being reminded that there was a Christian saint with the same name as

the sexy warlock whose intense, dark eyes were holding her as mesmerized as his hands

on her arms were was an absurd irony. There certainly was nothing
saintly
about Michael. Even now, with his thumbs so close to brushing the sides of her breasts, her

nipples had pebbled. Her belly thrummed, wanting to press against him and feel the

delicious length of his hard manhood. He stirred feelings in her she had long repressed, made her think wanton thoughts of him—them—naked, her legs wrapped around his

waist, feeling him deep inside—Good God!

She pushed away. “You‟re spelling me, aren‟t you?”

One of his dark brows lifted. “I don‟t think I can. Your shields are too strong.

Even if I could, I gave you my word I wouldn‟t.” A corner of his mouth twitched and

then lifted into a half- grin. “But I can scent your desire. I wouldn‟t turn you down.”

“Stop it!” Sophie felt more confused than ever as she started walking as quickly

as she could. It didn‟t help that the place between her legs had grown damp. She could practically smell her own arousal. “What do you mean, my “shields” are too strong?”

Michael matched her pace. “You‟ve got powerful magic, Sophie. It keeps

anyone from probing into your mind.”

“I don‟t have magic!”

“Yes, you do,” he said as they approached the door of the Visitor Center.

“Remember what happened when Caldwell almost stepped on those puppies? He didn‟t

go veering into that doorjamb by himself. You sent him there.”

Sophie stopped and stared at him. “How did I do that? I was across the room.”

“That‟s just it. Purple light streaked from your fingers. Probably not visible to

most people, but it was there. Why don‟t you let me help you learn to use it? At least,”

he said as he opened the door and ushered her inside, “think about it. We can talk later.”

She recalled that crazy dream she‟d had earlier this morning. Something about

dragons and goddesses and battles—but that was just a painkiller-induced, hazy dream.

Michael and Pendragon had been in the room, talking. But—what had they said?

Something about her not being completely human? What did that make her then?

SWORD OF FIRE Cynthia Breeding 100

“That was strike one,” Sophie said later as they returned from viewing the old

fort. “I mean, it was interesting from a historical standpoint, but Excalibur wasn‟t

hanging around. I guess we couldn‟t just have gotten lucky and found it on the first try.”

Michael shrugged as they started walking up Church Street toward their hotel.

“We‟ve still got Museum Mile to see tomorrow. “Are you sure you‟re not tired? We can

take a taxi.”

“I‟m fine. The doctor told me not to coddle my leg. Besides,” she said with just a

hint of sarcasm, “I want to see this spooky purple light you told me about.”

He grinned and hooked her arm inside his. She might act all tough and

independent, but he‟d seen the strain on her face earlier when the ferry had bounced over the wake of some inconsiderate boater and she‟d tried to balance without putting too

much stress on her leg.

More and more, he admired Sophie. Though hers was a scientific mind, taught to

analyze and come to logical conclusions, she had managed to accept Pendragon and at

least consider other paranormal aspects to her world. But was she ready to start learning to use her own powers?

“What are you so serious about?” she asked after they‟d walked for a few

moments in silence.

“You,” he said. “Do you have any idea of the magic you possess?”

She looked at him pensively. „You really think I have magic?”

Michael nodded. “I can sense it in you, but then, I‟m a warlock. It‟s part of my

training…”

“Just how do you train to be a warlock?” Sophie asked. “Are you saying anyone

can become one?”

“No. I was born a warlock, but our skills have to be honed, like children being

taught to read and write. We must learn to control our powers. Did you know the anc ient Druids trained for twenty years before they could become Initiates?”

“No, but what does that have to do with me? I‟m sure not a druid.”

“Druidess.”

“Whatever. I‟ve just led a normal life until lately.” The look she gave him

clearly said she wished it had stayed that way.

“That is the point, Sophie. Your magic was not needed until now.”

She sighed. “Why now then?”

“I‟m not sure,” he replied and tucked her a little closer to him since the sidewalk

near the fabled ghostly area was getting more crowded with tourists waiting to see the

purple light. She felt good against him, her soft breast pressing into his bicep. He almost lost his train of thought. “I‟m not sure,” he said again, “but the Celtic relics have been lost a long time and Adam Baylor has been looking for them for—years. So has the

Priory. Yet, Pendragon was never awakened to help find them. The Goddess of

Avalon—and I know you‟re skeptical about that—released him for a reason. To find

SWORD OF FIRE Cynthia Breeding 101

you.”

“I had a dream this morning that you and he were talking about me having