Light Dragons 03 - Sparks Fly

Eighteen
    “S weetie? Baltic was dead, but he’s alive again. I thought you’d want to know. Ysolde’s talking to Maura now. She says that she has Violet, and they’re starting down the mountain, so assuming they make it to the town OK, Operation Save Violet is good. Oh, you missed Ysolde punching the First Dragon.” Aisling, who had moved a short distance away to speak on her cell phone, listened for a few seconds. “No, she’s alive and well, too, despite the punching and saying some pretty harsh things to him. Did you find Thala? Rats. Well, come on back. Things have settled down here. Is Magoth still with you? Ah. OK.”
    Dr. Kostich, who had evidently taken his own sweet time finding us, strolled up as Aisling was finishing her call. “Ah. Here you are. Where is the dragon ancestor? I wish to return to the sepulcher to secure it against thieves.”
    His gaze was rather pointed when he looked at Baltic.
    “Just a second, Maura. I think someone will want to talk to you,” I yelled into the phone, it being difficult to hear over the howl of the wind on the side of whatever mountain it was Maura and Violet were descending. “Dr. Kostich, Maura has rescued Violet. Would you like to talk to her?”
    “I already have. She called me a few minutes ago,” he said with a sniff. “I expected nothing less from my granddaughter. She is very resourceful, if foolish about many things.”
    “Never mind, he says you talked to him. My love to Violet. Yes, he’s on his way. He’ll probably catch you guys on the way down, so tell him everything’s fine here. Call when you get back to town.” I hung up the phone and considered my former employer. “I’m afraid the First Dragon has gone back to wherever it is demigods hang out when they’re not busy with us lesser beings. Aisling, I take it that Drake and Pavel weren’t able to grab Thala?”
    “No. Drake says they were close to tackling her, and she just poof! Disappeared. Oh, and we should be blighted with May’s demon boss any second now. Evidently he decided it was too much work chasing Thala and turned around to hit on us some more. Lucky us.”
    May muttered something quite rude.
    “Thala,” Baltic said, looking thoughtful. “She must have gone into the beyond.”
    “No,” I told him. “Absolutely not. I know you can go in there-”
    “Which he shouldn’t be able to do, since dragons cannot wield arcane magic,” Dr. Kostich argued.
    “But I don’t want you tangling with her in her natural habitat, so to speak.”
    Pulling out a cell phone, Dr. Kostich snapped an order into it for some mage in the region to pick him up and take him to the nearest portal shop.
    “Is Thala really that powerful that everyone should be so worried about her?” May asked, rubbing her arms against the chill of the night air. Gabriel immediately moved to her side.
    “She destroyed an entire house with her song,” he pointed out. “You saw the damage she inflicted on Baltic. She is to be feared.”
    I hesitated, touching Baltic’s shoulder. His muscles tightened in response. “Thala, I think, is not that powerful. Is she, Baltic?”
    “No.”
    “Then why are you guys so jumpy about her?” Aisling asked, a frown between her brows.
    “Ash, babe-”
    “Don’t you dare tell me I’m missing something obvious, Mr. Would-you-like-a-demon-sidekick,” Aisling said, glaring at her demon.
    “Sheesh! It was just a joke. You know, ha-ha? Man, you used to be able to enjoy a good joke.”
    “I used to have a demon that didn’t lip off every five seconds,” she told it grimly.
    Jim cocked a furry eyebrow.
    “All right, you always lipped off, but at least you used to want to be my demon, and not offer yourself up to every godlike being who wandered past.”
    “Aww.” Jim butted its head against her leg. “I still wuvs ya, babe.”
    “I have returned,” Magoth announced as he emerged from the shrubs. He was still naked, and he struck up a pose next to Aisling, giving her a thorough examination. She blinked at his penis, which appeared to bear a curse on it. “Who wishes to have a post-fight orgy? I should tell you all that I’m equal opportunity when it comes to sexual congress, so don’t let your gender stop you from initiating the fun.”
    Dr. Kostich, to whom the comment was addressed, rolled his eyes and, with a stern look bent upon me, informed us all that he was leaving. “Naturally, the Watch will be pursuing the necromancer who stole the blade