Koshi (17 page)

“Bullshit, I saw that look in your eye. You’re in love with your food and I brought something that’ll even the odds between the two of you.” She glanced around the gateroom. “Where’s the battle?”

He stared at her and blinked. “You’re too late. She’s gone.” The room faded around the edges of his vision as if he’d drunk too many bottles of good sake. He smiled at the memory of his last drink. It had been over dinner with Sandra.

With the last of his strength, he called upon the core of the volcano. No one would cross the gate while he still drew breath. He’d blow the mountain as soon as the dwarves breeched his home, and take his enemies to the grave.

“Ishi?” His mother’s voice sounded faint. “Shit, where’s that useless goblin pet of yours?”

* * * *

Sandra helped Beth carry the groceries into their apartment. The doctors claimed her recovery was a miracle. Sandra knew better. People of Inverness might not believe in magic, but she had learned hope came in all shapes and sizes. She ran her free hand over the pocket of her shorts.

They seemed empty. She dropped the bag of food in her other arm onto the sidewalk and checked both her pockets.

“Sandra?” Beth halted behind her by the trunk of the car, overflowing grocery bags in her arms. “Did you lose the keys?”

She stuck her hand deeper and felt around. It had to be there. She always carried it with her every day, but her hand came out empty. Without a glance at her sister, she raced to their apartment on the third floor, taking the stairs two at a time. Maybe she’d left it on her dresser?

Fumbling the key in the lock, she finally managed to enter. She could hear Beth’s faint call in the stairwell and hesitated. For years she’d been her sister’s caretaker and she’d just left her on the street alone.

So much had changed over the last few days. Her sister was a different person, almost a stranger. She was cured now and could manage her own life for the first time in years.

Sandra left her calling and went inside to her bedroom, halting at the doorway. There it was. On her bedside table, the saji lay where she’d left it before sleeping last night. Like any old spoon, the metal appeared tarnished and dinged, but magic had once lived inside the saji. That magic had transferred to her sister.

It was her only link to Ishi.

She crossed the room and sat on the edge of her bed before her weak knees gave out. With shaky fingers, she cradled the saji and ran her thumb over the cold metal. What the hell was she doing? It was just a spoon. Ishi wouldn’t magically appear if she rubbed it like a djin’s lamp.

Beth leaned against the doorjamb, out of breath. “Spill it!” She wobbled across the room and knelt in front of her. With a fingertip, she touched the corner of Sandra’s eye and showed her the unshed tear. “You haven’t been yourself since coming back from Japan.”

Sandra stared at the wall behind Beth and bit the inside of her lip. Her sister knew about Ishi and the deal they’d made, but not that she’d shared his bed and lost her heart to him.

She missed him. His silly pranks and his teasing, the way he made her laugh and feel free. She’d always miss him. How could she ever fall for a man after Ishi? Sighing, she set the spoon down. “Nothing happened. I thought I lost this. That’s all.”

“It doesn’t work anymore.” They’d secretly tried it on another patient in the ICU before Beth was transferred out. He didn’t recover. Ishi had said it would only work once in Inverness before needing to be recharged in Outremer.

“I know.”

“Maybe we should send it back to the dragon. He should have an address, right? Maybe a PO Box?”

She frowned and clutched it to her chest. He had his little farm with sheep and dogs on the side of the mountain. “I wouldn’t know how to find the address.”

“Dude.” Beth grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Snap out of it. I’m cured. We should be partying. Hitting the clubs. Maybe go on a vacation. Instead, you’re acting like–like you’re depressed or heart bro–” She let go and leaned onto her heels. “Heart broken. Oh my God.”

Sandra stared at her.

“Oh my God.” She whispered it this time. “You fell in love while in Japan.” She slapped Sandra’s shoulder with enough force to send tingles to her fingertips.

She grimaced and rubbed the spot. “Ow.”

“Who is he?”

Her stomach twisted in knots. “Maybe you should start with what is he.”

She gasped. “No fucking way. The dragon?” She clasped her hands together as if her fairy godmother had just appeared. “Does he love you?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m human. My lifespan is just a blink of an eye for him. I’m more like an amusement.” But he had never treated her like one. She rubbed the sore spot on her arm.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Beth gave a look of disbelief. “And you let him get away?”

Sandra rose so her sister didn’t loom over her. “He didn’t get away. I left and brought the saji home.”

Beth blinked. “I’m cured. You should go back.” Her voice softened. “I’m a big girl and I’ve got lots of catching up to do. You don’t need to care for me anymore.” Opening her arms, she invited her in for a hug.

Leaning against Beth’s thin frame, Sandra closed her eyes. If only the answer were so simple.

“Big sis, if there’s one thing I learned while being sick, it’s that time doesn’t matter.” She squeezed her. “You love him. Go be with him. Lifespan be damned. Hell, he could get struck by lightning tomorrow.”

The knot in Sandra’s heart loosened. Could the answer be that easy? Just love and not worry about the future? She shook her head. “I think we’ve hurt each other too much for encores.” She patted her hand. “Why don’t you make us some coffee while I bring up the rest of the groceries?”

Beth nodded, doubt on her face.

Sandra descended with more grace than when she had climbed. There was only the bag she had dropped on the ground left to carry. She gathered errant cans and a bag of rice before returning to their home.

Beth rested on the island in the kitchen, leaning forward as she listened intently to the news. “Evacuations are still in progress on Izu Oshima Island. The refugees are being taken to the main island of Japan until the state of Mount Mihara can be determined. Many vessels are in use to transport…”

Sandra set the bag on the counter top. The buzzing in her ears drowned out the news reporter as she stared at a familiar volcano. A dark bloom of smoke poured from the caldera.

Ishi controlled that volcano. What was he doing? Had something happened to him? She gasped. What if he’d been hurt in a battle?

She hurried to her bedroom once more and searched her drawers until she pulled out her passport.

“What are you doing?” Beth stood in her path.

“That’s his island. It’s his volcano.” She pointed to the television. “Something’s wrong. I have to see him.”

Chapter 18

A dark cloud hovered over Izu Oshima, much like the first time she’d come here, except instead of a storm this was ash. The military had almost finished the evacuation according to the news reports, so she stood alone on the deck of the ship going back to pick up stragglers. She wasn’t sure if it would come back for her.

She stared at the dark sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of red wings. The calm of the ocean contrasted with the raging tempest in her soul. What if she got to his den and he was all, “What the hell do you want?” She cleared her throat and tried to ease the uncomfortable tightness.

She couldn’t spot him anywhere. It was unlike him to let something threaten the island. Dread anchored her spine with a snap. Until now, she’d had some hope everything would resolve by the time she arrived, but the volcano continued to erupt. Something had happened to her dragon.

Squaring her shoulders, she glared at the volcano.
I’m coming, Ishi
.

The boat docked and she jumped off before the captain could say anything to change her mind. She hiked up the street toward the empty main road. It would be a long climb to Ishi’s den.

Many cars were left on the roadside as their passengers had parked to board the ships to leave the island. Hell, she needed a vehicle. As she passed them she peeked through the windows looking for one with a set of keys, but to no avail. Muttering curses to the taxi gods, she jogged out of town and followed the road that would take her to Ishi’s farm.

On top of the hill, she found his house empty and his livestock gone. She stared at his old truck parked by the abandoned house and searched the unlocked vehicle. The keys weren’t inside. She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and wished she had the ability to magically start any car. Climbing out, she muttered under her breath about paranoid dragons and lack of keys.

The ground suddenly heaved under her feet and her knees buckled. Pressed against the vehicle, she clung to the Earth as it shook. A roar cracked the air. She crawled on her hands and knees. Her heart triple-flipped with joy, yet it wasn’t red wings flying above. Black ones beat the ashy air.

His mother? Sandra flattened her body to the ground. Things were worse than she’d thought. What if she was too late? What if he was already dead and gone to the grave thinking she didn’t love him?

The earthquake stopped and she rose to her feet. What if his mother was hungry?

Weaving through the air like a drunken flier, the black dragon almost collided with the mountainside.

Sandra gasped at the almost hit, then saw small creatures clinging to his mother’s back. She was under attack. That meant the gate had been breeched. Sandra spun and searched the empty streets. They’d evacuated the island under the guise of an eruption, but she knew there were powerful forces in her world that worked with the gatekeepers. The evacuation was also for possible invasion.

Fuck. And she stood in the middle of it.

Another roar caught her attention. Ishi’s mother crashed not far from the farm. Clods of dirt and plants rained on Sandra’s head. Ducking, she missed getting brained by flying debris. Without a rational thought, she raced toward the dragoness. As she jumped the wooden fence, she watched the dragon tear the last moving dwarf apart and add his body parts to the carnage around her.

Her gaze swiveled toward Sandra and pierced her soul.

She froze.

His mother moved so fast that even if Sandra had tried to escape it wouldn’t have mattered. With her bloodied hand, his mother grasped Sandra’s body. “You? Where have you been? He keeps calling for you.” Not waiting for her to answer, she took flight.

Caged in her claws, Sandra had to contort her body to avoid being pierced. Ishi’s mother’s rough handling made her miss his gentler grip, but her heart still rang with clarity.

He was alive.

Sandra clung to Ishi’s mother’s fingers until she dropped her on the ledge. Not waiting for the battle-crazy dragon to land, Sandra charged inside the den, leaping over half-charred carcasses, discarded weapons and a crazed donkey braying as it ran in circles. She entered his bedroom.

Ishi lay on the bed. Blood soaked through his clothes; a broken arrow shaft protruded from his stomach. His skin appeared waxy.

Quietly, she hurried to his bedside and caressed his face. “Ishi?” He felt cold and clammy under her fingers.

Flicking his eyelids open, he tried to focus. “Am I dead?”

“No.” Not yet. She forced a smile on her face. “I came back. I–I…”
Just say it, dumbass
. She’d traveled thousands of miles into a battle zone only for her tongue to tie in knots.

“Sandra.” He spoke her name as if it was a magical love spell. “It’s not safe.”

“No, shit. We need to get you some help.” She searched the room with her gaze. Not sure how to call Outremer’s version of nine-one-one.

Heavy boots clopped into the room. His mother in her human form filled the doorway. Her black hair was twisted into dreadlocks and fell past her shoulders. The darkness in her gaze would send any sane person away screaming. “He’s refusing to be healed.” She pointed in the direction of the treasure room. “The dwarves stole some of the outer chamber’s treasure where he kept his healing items stored. There’s nothing left for me to use. Every time I try to transport him to Outremer, the fucking gate calls him back. Those little dwarven buggers are smart. I’ll give them that.”

They were using the gate against him.

She bent over to rest her head against his, but something poked her in the side from her pocket.

The saji.

Standing, she pulled it out of her jean pocket and showed it to him. “It worked. My sister’s cured, but it’s out of magic. How do I recharge it?”

“We only need to bring it back to Outremer. The magic in our realm will automatically regenerate the spell in the spoon.” Ishi’s mother crossed the room and clasped her in hug so tight, stars flashed in her vision. “I’ll go right away.”

Ishi groaned and arched his back before vanishing from the bed.

“Mistress! Mistress!” Urgle scrambled into the bedroom and groveled at the black dragon’s feet. “They’re coming through the gate.”

She swatted him across the head. “Tell me something I don’t know.” Unsheathing her sword from her back, she ran from the room.