Fused in Fire (Page 28)

Reagan…

“Speaking your disgusting human tongue will not help you now,” Three Fists said.

“I liked you a lot better when you were being helpful.” I unslung my backpack and put it down beside the flap. Hopefully speaking English, I said, “Grab this as soon as I go through the flap. Wait until the first roar to follow me in. This demon’s able to carry things telekinetically, so I doubt anyone will question the backpack flying. Just make sure to get it before someone else grabs it.”

Reagan… He was pleading.

“Do you wish to remove that… What is it called?” Three Fists asked, pointing. “Fanny belt, yes?”

“Really? Even here?” I rolled my eyes. “It is a pouch, for fuck’s sake.”

“I was summoned for months at a time by a group of disgusting humans who wore them. I know the slang used by you vile humans.”

“You’re putting on blood sport, and you’re calling humans vile?” I rolled my shoulders and thought about opening my pouch. “Does magic work down here?”

“Of course. You are not the first offspring of a mage who summoned a demon for pleasure.”

“Gross. You know, I didn’t get this hostility earlier. This is a different side of you. Your grumpiness is showing. Are you tired?” I glanced in my pouch, making sure I remembered what all the various colors meant.

“Enough stalling. I will enjoy watching you die, greedy, disgusting human.”

“You guys are really disgruntled about the whole double-time situation,” I muttered.

Three Fists pushed through the flap and then held it open with its hand, watching to make sure I followed. I did so with a straight back and raised chin. Adrenaline pumped in time with my heart. Rage pumped in time with the music.

The crowd shifted in impatience. They banged on their seats or whatever they had at their disposal as I stepped onto the performance circle. A large demon decked out in a clown suit sat in a box I hadn’t noticed off to my right. I felt a protective wall of air draping down in front of it.

Even from the distance, I felt the pulse of that demon’s power. It was even stronger than Agnon, the lower level five from Seattle. It called to my ice magic, expanding it throughout my body. Unlike before, my fire magic rose as well, already more powerful than normal from being in the underworld.

I felt obscenely powerful. I felt alive.

I bowed, a grand gesture that felt right.

“A human,” the clown said, leaning back. “Interesting. We haven’t seen one of you since the Great Master enhanced the fog near the river. Your maker must’ve had substantial power. I can almost feel it. Who was it, tell me?”

That clenched it. Darius’s suit did deaden the feel of my power. Maybe I’d remember to thank him if I ever got over this whole circus situation.

“I don’t know,” I said with a flourish, playing to the crowd. “He was a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy.”

“Hmm. Well. Please continue.” He waved his gloved hand, and it was then I felt the presence behind me.

I turned and the first thing I thought was, I’m going to blow my cover.

Chapter Nineteen

It wasn’t a creature I could’ve expected. Not at all.

I had no idea how I’d missed it upon first entering the arena. My suspicion was that I had intentionally blocked it out.

Because it was a freaking dragon.

A dragon!

I wasn’t sure if it was using that shape because it was massive and terrifying, or if it was actually the mythological creature. Being that unicorns were real, I had my suspicions.

Its scaly hide glittered and sparkled when it moved, like a writhing rainbow. With the lights shining down on it, throwing color around the room, I now understood the reason for the black-and-white decor. Heck, even for the color outside. This great beast was the attraction, and Clown Demon over there was hamming it up.

Great wings topped with hooked claws tucked against its sides. The large hind legs indicated its ability to launch into the sky, and the small front legs would probably soon be swinging at me, trying to rip me apart with the clawed ends. A great tail curved around it, the end spiked like a Brink dinosaur.

The thing took up a quarter of the performance area. All it had to do was stomp around and hope it squashed me.

Again. How in holy Hades had I not noticed it immediately?

“I bet my sword doesn’t do a great job of piercing that hide,” I muttered, reaching into my pack. “Well, then. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”

The dragon roared its challenge. It spread out its mighty wings as best it could, given the space constraints, and bowed.

“Oh.” Surprised, I bowed back. “That’s nice.”

It roared again and stomped toward me, fairly clumsy and odd. It wasn’t a ground creature, I could tell. If it got into the sky, I bet all that awkwardness would melt away.

What was this majestic beast doing in this ramshackle circus?

“Blink once if you are being held prisoner,” I said.

It rose onto its hind quarters and slashed at me with its front legs. Expecting that, I back-pedaled as fast as I could, putting away my sword. I was sure it had vulnerable spots, but I didn’t want to dodge underfoot to find them unless there was no alternative.

Let’s see if the Callie and Dizzy team can help me out, I thought.

I grabbed out the T-Rex spell casing, pinched, and threw it at the flap at the back of the performance area so it would distract the dragon that way and give me room to work. It flared pink light.

The dinosaur grew from the casing, three-quarters as big as the dragon and utterly lifelike. Its thick hide, a dark green, looked tough and kind of swampy. Its teeth gleamed as it opened its mouth to let out a mighty roar.

The dragon flinched, its focus abruptly shifting, now clearly unsure what the hell was going on. It regrouped quickly and spun, swinging its spiked tail.

I dove out of the way, barely missed, and spilled half of my spells. “Dang it!” I grabbed them in fistfuls and shoved them back in the pouch, pausing only to pinch a Weather Beater and throw it at the crowd.

Lightning rained from the ceiling, followed by churning tornadoes. Gasps and shrieks filled the air. A woman with a fistful of large hoops went flying through the air, the first to be caught by the spell. Her rings separated and arched through the air, a lovely blast of color.

I glanced up as the T-Rex lunged for the dragon. The dragon spun again and smacked the side of the T-Rex with its tail, making the dinosaur flicker. I heard a sound like a bug zapper. The dragon roared and backed up.

I threw another T-Rex out at the crowd, just to mess with everyone, and because they deserved it. Why not? If you didn’t know the rules, you didn’t know when you were breaking them.

A dog in a party hat flew past me. A zebra head attached to a demon’s body flew by in the opposite direction. The dragon swiped again, undaunted by pain. The first T-Rex blinked out.

I heard yelling behind me but didn’t pay any attention. The dragon was advancing.

An explosion rocked the other side of the tent, behind the dragon. Darius. Colorful fire flew into the air, then exploded again. I knew each explosion would spray little magical needles down on the crowd even as the lightning attacked them.

I zipped up my pouch, since Darius would cover for me, grabbed out my sword again, and rushed at the dragon. It lunged down at me, snapping its great, pointy teeth, and I slapped it in the face with my sword. The clang sounded like metal against metal.

I was right—even with my magic, my sword would not pierce that armor.

“This is a terrible thing to ask,” I said in a collection of grunts as I ducked under its leg and rolled. “But do you critters shed and sell your scales? Because I would pay for that armor. I really would. Million-dollar idea. Let’s talk.”

I hopped onto the knee of its back leg, surprised at how slowly it moved. When it shifted, bending back to snap at me, I sheathed my sword and jumped, grabbing the edge of its wing and pulling myself up. The wing flapped, as I’d figured it would, trying to shake me loose. I let go, the timing a little off, and splatted onto its back.

“Now what?” I asked it. It roared and beat its wings before pushing off with its legs.

“No, no, no! That was a rhetorical question. There isn’t enough room for that!”

The sharp edges on the end of the wings fanned the crowd. Gashes opened up on arms, faces, and backs, whatever the wings could reach, before the dragon rose higher into the air.

“I should’ve thought that through.” I grabbed wildly for something to hold on to, but my hands slid against smooth scales. Its neck was too thick for me to wrap my arms around. Its wings beat too frantically for me to grab.

I glanced over its shoulder, seeing Clown Demon looking up at me with a wide smile behind its ice magic shield. It was the only one still watching the show. The rest of the former observers were now running frantically, trying to escape the spells.

For now.

I winked at Clown Demon even as the dragon’s muscles bunched under me. It was about to make a move, and I had a feeling that would lead to me being dumped off its back.

“Darius, if you don’t want me to use my magic, you better get ready to catch me,” I said, hoping that translated into his mind even though we were a good distance apart.