Me and My Shadow - Katie MacAlister [117]
Kostya shifted to human form, yelling at Gabriel, “He is mine!”
Savian staggered up the stairs, one arm hanging limp, his usable hand still clutching his piece of wood. “Took care of that redheaded she-wolf. Just the one dragon left? Good,” he said, then keeled over on the floor.
“Must I do this again?” Kostya bellowed, raising his sword over his head. “How many times must I kill you before you stay dead?”
“Gabriel!” I yelled, coming out of the shadow world.
“May, go!” Gabriel shifted at the last second and leaped out of the way of Kostya’s downswing. The sword flashed in the air as it passed through the spot that a nanosecond before was occupied by Baltic, and embedded itself deeply into the floor.
Chapter Twenty
“Where’s Baltic?” Aisling asked, her face red and shiny with sweat. “What’s happen—oh, god, not another one!”
I waited until her contraction was over before handing the lockbox containing the phylacteries to Drake, who rose when I entered the small inner room that was part of his lair. I tried to keep from looking around, knowing how touchy dragons were about having their treasures regarded by other dragons, but I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows at a couple of familiar-looking paintings hanging on the wall. I wondered if the appropriate museums knew they had forgeries as I eyed the gold items, chalices and aquamaniles, as well as numerous other treasures, all glinting warmly, making my skin feel sensitive and hot.
“Would you like a Cajun crisp?” René said, offering her a package of potato chips. “Or I have a chocolate orange if you’d like something sweet.”
“No . . . orange . . . just . . . Baltic . . . ,” Aisling panted as she worked through the contraction. At last it was over and she waved a feeble hand at me. “Someone tell me what’s happening.”
I obliged her. “Baltic is gone. He disappeared into the shadow world again. For someone who bears the title dread wyvern, he sure runs away fast enough when a battle doesn’t go his way.”
“We felt the heart re-forming,” Aisling said, still panting a little, taking a sip of water from a glass Nora held for her. “You got it sharded all right?”
“Yes.” I glanced at Drake as he held the strongbox clamped under one arm. “They’re all there, all five. Gabriel would like you to keep them safe until they can be distributed to their proper owners.”
Drake released Aisling’s hand, nodded, and put the strongbox onto a shelf. I did look around then, amazed at the objets d’art that Drake had gathered over the centuries. “This is an impressive collection. But not so much gold as I expected to see.”
Aisling laughed, twitching at the sheet that covered her. She was lying on some sort of a raised platform, a mattress from a bed having been laid on top of it. “You haven’t seen what I’m giving birth on, have you? René, would you?”
I was a bit surprised to find René in the inner room with Aisling while she labored, but evidently Aisling was comfortable with him there. He grinned and pulled up the corner bottom of the mattress so I could see what was underneath.
It wasn’t a table, like I’d thought. It was a long wooden case with a glass top, lit from within with soft lights that caressed the surfaces of the gold coins that filled it almost to the rim.
“I just hope that Gabriel doesn’t make you give birth on top of his hoard of gold,” Aisling said with another laugh that trailed away into a shriek of pain.
Kaawa bustled over as Drake helped Aisling into a sitting position, allowing her to press back against him as she strained.
“This is looking good,” Kaawa said from her position between Aisling’s legs. “Another couple of good pushes, and I think the head will crown.”
“Time for me to leave,” I murmured, averting my eyes from the sight. There were some things I was quite happy to leave as a mystery until such time as I needed to know. “Good