Light Dragons 02 - The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons

opened the door.
    “Jack!” I said in happy surprise.
    “Tully! No, wait, it’s something else . . . Isabel?”
    “Ysolde, but you can call me Tully if you like. I answer to both names. I had no idea you were in London. I thought you went to Cairo.”
    The freckled, sunny-faced young man grinned. “Finished my training there in record time, so the master had me return. But what are you doing here? I thought you were off being the mate to that dragon mage who attacked us.”
    “I am, but there’s a little situation that’s come up, and I need Dr. Kostich’s help. This is Aisling Grey and her demon, Jim.”
    “Hiya,” Jim said. “I remember you from the day the spawn were born.”
    “Er . . . hi.” The smile faded as Jack cast a quick glance over his shoulder. “You don’t have an appointment, do you?”
    “No.” I touched his arm, dropping my voice. “I need to see him, Jack.”
    His face was filled with sympathy. “You know he doesn’t see people if they don’t have an appointment.”
    “I know, but there’s really no other way. I’m doing a job for him, but if I made an appointment, he’d be sure to ask if it was related to that, and you know how impossible it is to lie to him. The man has a built-in lie detector.”
    The corners of his mouth went up. “I guess you get that being the most powerful archimage of this age.”
    “Exactly. So if you could just look the other way and let us in, I’d be eternally grateful.”
    An interesting parade of emotions passed over Jack’s face, everything from regret to obstinacy, finally ending with a mischievous twinkle that I prayed boded well. “It may cost me my position, but I’ll do it.” He stepped back, holding the door open for us.
    “If it would help, I can tell him that Jim overpowered you,” Aisling offered as we entered the suite.
    “Rawr,” Jim said, flexing his muscles.
    “Er . . . no, I think I’ll just take my chances with the fact that Ysolde’s now an important personage,” Jack said, waving a feeble hand toward the room I knew Kostich used as his office. “You won’t mind if I don’t announce you?”
    “Not at all. Thanks, Jack. I really owe you.”
    He nodded, and disappeared into a side room, obviously not wanting to attract any of the wrath that I suspected would be flowing free as the wind in a few moments.
    “I really hate it when I’m right,” I told Aisling three minutes later as Dr. Kostich stormed around the room, ranting to no one in particular about the arrogance of people who should know better than to disturb their superiors.
    “It’s a curse, isn’t it?” she said with sympathy, giving my arm a little pat as I took a deep breath and stepped forward to stop the tirade.
    “I’ve already apologized twice for interrupting your work time, and I will do so again if it makes you feel better, but this is a serious matter, and although it doesn’t have anything to do with the task I’ve undertaken on your behalf, it does have an impact on me, and as such, I am forced to seek assistance from the only one who is powerful enough to help me.”
    “Nice oiling of the squeaky hinge,” Aisling said in an undertone.
    Dr. Kostich wasn’t immune to being buttered up, but neither was he overly impressed by flattery. He stopped stomping around the room and marched over to face me, his scowl almost as fierce as Baltic’s. “You ask for much, dragon. First you demand the interdiction be lifted, and now you seek my aid with a bungled spell? Give me one reason why I should not have you and that troublemaker thrown out,” he demanded, pointing at Aisling.
    “Hey,” she said, rising from the couch where she’d been sitting, and lifting her chin. “I’m a professional Guardian, thank you, recognized and duly authorized by the Guardians’ Guild. I am not a troublemaker.”
    Kostich shot her a potent look that had her sitting back down.
    “You’re the only one who has the ability to figure out what’s going on with my magic,” I said, counting on the challenge of my situation to offset his reluctance to get involved.
    He glared at me for the count of seventeen, then with an annoyed noise, sat at his desk and gestured toward Jim. “Have the demon shift.”
    “Effrijim, I command thee to take thy preferred form,” Aisling said, sitting on the edge of her seat as Jim stood and looked to her for instruction.
    The human form shimmered and compacted itself down into that of a shaggy black dog. Dr. Kostich