Read Online A Memory of Fire (The Dragon War, Book 3) by Daniel Arenson - Free Book Online
Authors: Daniel Arenson
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Let's
take these shards and find Bantis. He'll know what to make of this."
He cracked his neck and summoned
his magic, preparing to shift.
He cleared his throat.
He twisted his toes.
"Or maybe we can make him a
necklace so pretty, he'll abandon his wars and become a bar singer
named Freyina," Erry said brightly, ignoring him.
Leresy grumbled.
What
the Abyss is wrong?
He strained again, tugging at
his magic, but no wings sprouted from his back. No scales grew
across his body. He remained standing in the sand, a human.
I'm
just tired, he thought. He had been digging all night, and was just too weary to
fly.
"Or maybe we can—"
"Shut up, Erry!" he
said. "I'm trying to focus here."
He gritted his teeth, closed his
eyes, and searched deep inside him for the old magic of Requiem, the
magic that flowed from the old gods, that let his people become
dragons. He felt the flickers inside him, mere whispers. He tried
to grab them, but it was like trying to catch the memory of a fading
dream; it slipped from his consciousness like smoke between fingers.
He opened his eyes, kicked sand,
and shouted.
"Stars damn it! What the
Abyss?" He looked at Erry. "I can't do it. It won't
work."
She snickered, reached over, and
patted his privates. "So it's finally happened."
He
grabbed his wrist, tugged her hand away, and snarled. "Don't
you worry about that. That is fine. I can't... oh bloody stars, I can't shift into a dragon."
She frowned and tilted her head.
"What are you on about?"
"You heard me." He
spat into the sand. "I can't shift."
"Why not?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's
the damn shards."
He looked at the sack of them.
They were glowing behind the cloth. And Leresy understood. He
clutched his head, leaned over, and laughed.
"Oh maggoty dog vomit,"
he said, borrowing one of Erry's cusses, and laughed again. He
looked up at Erry and grinned. "Erry! He's a genius. Bloody
stars, the man is a genius."
"What are you talking
about?" she demanded again, glaring. "Stop laughing like
an idiot. If you can't fly home, I'm flying without you."
She raised her chin and
stretched out.
Nothing happened.
She growled, strained, and
hopped about.
She remained a human.
"Having trouble?"
Leresy asked.
She roared and glared at him,
barely five feet tall but looking fierce as a demon.
"What did you do, you
gutter stain?" she said. "Damn you, you sheep-shagger,
what the Abyss did you do?"
He grinned. "I didn't do
anything." He gestured at the sack of glowing shards. "They
did. The red shards. Don't you see?" He whooped, joy brimming
in him. "They cancel out magic! They're like... like anecdote
to poison. Like light to shadow. Like song to silence."
"Like booze to your brain,"
she said. "Pretty much wipes it out."
"Pretty much," he
admitted. "By the stars, Err! The old man got it. Bantis
figured it out." He gave a little Bantis-style jig himself.
"No wonder the bugger was dancing about. He knew the way to
kill my father all along. Imagine it! The Legions flying toward
you, hundreds of thousands of dragons roaring for blood. You wave
these shards around, and they fall from the sky as humans. If any
survive the fall, you blast them to death with hand cannons."
He punched the air. "This is what I'm talking about. This is
how you take Nova Vita."
Erry rolled her eyes. "Yes,
yes, that's all fine and dandy, except for one little problem. Nova
Vita is far in the north across the sea. And we're, well... stuck on
this damn rock!" She shoved him. "How the Abyss do we get
back now? We can't fly, you idiot, and Bantis has the raft."
Leresy tapped his cheek. "We
were able to fly here, back when the shards were underground."
He stared at his makeshift sack of cotton. "See how they glow
through the cloth? We need a thicker barrier against whatever magic
they're spitting out. It's the light that does it, I reckon."
He looked around the beach,
considering. If he had a wooden chest, cast iron pots, or even a
sack made of thicker cloth than his old
take these shards and find Bantis. He'll know what to make of this."
He cracked his neck and summoned
his magic, preparing to shift.
He cleared his throat.
He twisted his toes.
"Or maybe we can make him a
necklace so pretty, he'll abandon his wars and become a bar singer
named Freyina," Erry said brightly, ignoring him.
Leresy grumbled.
What
the Abyss is wrong?
He strained again, tugging at
his magic, but no wings sprouted from his back. No scales grew
across his body. He remained standing in the sand, a human.
I'm
just tired, he thought. He had been digging all night, and was just too weary to
fly.
"Or maybe we can—"
"Shut up, Erry!" he
said. "I'm trying to focus here."
He gritted his teeth, closed his
eyes, and searched deep inside him for the old magic of Requiem, the
magic that flowed from the old gods, that let his people become
dragons. He felt the flickers inside him, mere whispers. He tried
to grab them, but it was like trying to catch the memory of a fading
dream; it slipped from his consciousness like smoke between fingers.
He opened his eyes, kicked sand,
and shouted.
"Stars damn it! What the
Abyss?" He looked at Erry. "I can't do it. It won't
work."
She snickered, reached over, and
patted his privates. "So it's finally happened."
He
grabbed his wrist, tugged her hand away, and snarled. "Don't
you worry about that. That is fine. I can't... oh bloody stars, I can't shift into a dragon."
She frowned and tilted her head.
"What are you on about?"
"You heard me." He
spat into the sand. "I can't shift."
"Why not?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's
the damn shards."
He looked at the sack of them.
They were glowing behind the cloth. And Leresy understood. He
clutched his head, leaned over, and laughed.
"Oh maggoty dog vomit,"
he said, borrowing one of Erry's cusses, and laughed again. He
looked up at Erry and grinned. "Erry! He's a genius. Bloody
stars, the man is a genius."
"What are you talking
about?" she demanded again, glaring. "Stop laughing like
an idiot. If you can't fly home, I'm flying without you."
She raised her chin and
stretched out.
Nothing happened.
She growled, strained, and
hopped about.
She remained a human.
"Having trouble?"
Leresy asked.
She roared and glared at him,
barely five feet tall but looking fierce as a demon.
"What did you do, you
gutter stain?" she said. "Damn you, you sheep-shagger,
what the Abyss did you do?"
He grinned. "I didn't do
anything." He gestured at the sack of glowing shards. "They
did. The red shards. Don't you see?" He whooped, joy brimming
in him. "They cancel out magic! They're like... like anecdote
to poison. Like light to shadow. Like song to silence."
"Like booze to your brain,"
she said. "Pretty much wipes it out."
"Pretty much," he
admitted. "By the stars, Err! The old man got it. Bantis
figured it out." He gave a little Bantis-style jig himself.
"No wonder the bugger was dancing about. He knew the way to
kill my father all along. Imagine it! The Legions flying toward
you, hundreds of thousands of dragons roaring for blood. You wave
these shards around, and they fall from the sky as humans. If any
survive the fall, you blast them to death with hand cannons."
He punched the air. "This is what I'm talking about. This is
how you take Nova Vita."
Erry rolled her eyes. "Yes,
yes, that's all fine and dandy, except for one little problem. Nova
Vita is far in the north across the sea. And we're, well... stuck on
this damn rock!" She shoved him. "How the Abyss do we get
back now? We can't fly, you idiot, and Bantis has the raft."
Leresy tapped his cheek. "We
were able to fly here, back when the shards were underground."
He stared at his makeshift sack of cotton. "See how they glow
through the cloth? We need a thicker barrier against whatever magic
they're spitting out. It's the light that does it, I reckon."
He looked around the beach,
considering. If he had a wooden chest, cast iron pots, or even a
sack made of thicker cloth than his old
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