Light Dragons 02 - The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons

Grace of the Magi, because I’ve never seen a reaction like that before.” I glanced to the side, where Baltic had tossed the runed rock. “What are we going to do with Larry?”
    “Who?”
    “The rock. I call him Larry.”
    Baltic shrugged, and pulled out his cell phone. “Leave it. It can do no harm here.”
    “It doesn’t seem right, somehow. I mean, he was a man, even if he was trying to kill you.”
    “He wasn’t trying to kill Baltic, my adorable one. He was trying to kill you.”
    I looked over to where the faintest outline of Constantine was visible as he perched on a boulder. “Me? Why would he want to kill me? Baltic, I understand—everyone wants to kill Baltic.”
    The love of my life shot me a look that made me bite back a giggle.
    “That is because he is a reprehensible, callous beast with no morals and even less intelligence,” Constantine said coolly.
    “Right,” I said, standing up and facing him. “That’s it—do you hear? That is it! No more calling Baltic names. I know you’re all pissed because I chose him over you, but I did so five hundred years ago! I loved him then, I love him now, and I will always love him. Get over it already!”
    Constantine’s outline straightened itself up. “Never! You gave yourself to me before he took you, and you will be mine again!”
    I narrowed my glare to razor sharpness. “You just don’t listen, do you? I love Baltic. You’re dead. Really, those two things should say it all!”
    “I am not dead,” Constantine said with dignity.
    I pursed my lips.
    “I am simply temporarily without life. If the archimage’s daughter can resurrect that one”—he waved a hand at Baltic—“she can resurrect me as well.”
    “Over my dead body,” I muttered.
    “He’s already seen to that,” Baltic snapped as he closed his phone and moved closer to me, glaring at the outline of Constantine. “Begone, spirit! You bother my mate.”
    Constantine sputtered with indignation.
    “I really don’t want to have to fight with you, Constantine, but until you accept a few facts, we’re going to have some issues.”
    “Do not attempt to reason with him, chérie ,” Baltic interrupted. “It is useless. Constantine does not have the facility to do so.”
    “Like hell I don’t,” the annoyed shade said, getting to his feet. “But Ysolde has a point. I am here now, alive if not quite alive, and clearly things are different than they were in the past. Therefore, I will adapt. A good wyvern is always willing to try new things when necessary.”
    “You’re not a wyvern anymore,” I pointed out.
    “Of course I am. I was a wyvern when I died, and now I am alive again. Thus I am still a wyvern.”
    “Are you not listening? Maura told me you may be autonomous, and you can have a corporeal presence, but you’re not actually a living, breathing person.”
    “I’m as good as alive,” he said with a haughty sniff.
    “And two, you’re not the wyvern of the silver dragons anymore. A very nice man by the name of Gabriel Tauhou is.”
    “Tauhou?” He frowned. “I do not know this name.”
    “From what I understand, you knew his father, although I don’t know what his name is. Gabriel lives in Australia with his mate, May.”
    “He has a mate?”
    I looked at Baltic, who was punching a number into his phone and ignoring us. “Yes, he does. She’s a doppelganger.”
    “Ah. Created, not born. Clever, but it doesn’t matter.” Constantine shook his head and his form solidified about halfway. “I was wyvern before this Gabriel Tauhou. Now that I am back, he must stand down in favor of me.”
    “Yeah, good luck getting him to agree to that.” Distracted by a glint of anger in Baltic’s eyes, I watched him as he put away his phone. Despite my assumption, his anger didn’t seem to be directed at Constantine. “You weren’t calling Gabriel, were you? It would take him forever to get to Latvia, and I told you that my head has stopped hurting.”
    “I was attempting to contact Thala,” Baltic said, his hands on his hips as he scanned the surrounding area. Thick wisps of heavy white smoke still tainted the air, making it a little difficult to breathe, but since we were located in the center of the forest, none of the charred trees were visible.
    “Oh. I guess I must have forgotten about her. Where is she? You don’t think Maura and her Three Stooges got her, do you?”
    Constantine snorted.
    “No,” Baltic said slowly, his eyes narrowed in