Light Dragons 03 - Sparks Fly

getting himself out of Baltic’s grip enough to make us both a little bow. “You’ll find no better tracker than me, if I do say so myself. Now, tell me what you know, and we’ll see what we can see.”
    While Baltic and the others filled Savian in with the details, I paced the long room, feeling itchy with the need to be doing something, anything to rescue Brom, little pools of fire trailing my footsteps until I smothered them on the following pass through the room.
    The horrible words of Gareth’s note kept dancing through my head, making me rage at the same time my stomach turned over with worry. I’ll call his phone tomorrow at noon with instructions, the note said. His phone ... the two words reverberated in my head. Gareth’s phone! Or rather, his phone number. I still had Gareth’s phone number programmed into my phone!
    I pulled it out and stared somewhat dazedly at the entry for him. It couldn’t be this easy, could it? Could I just call him and demand that he release Brom? I hit the DIAL button and held the phone up to my ear, half expecting to hear a recorded voice tell me the number had been disconnected.
    “Yes?”
    The voice was so familiar, it took my breath away. Well, the fury that followed that one word took my breath away-it took me a good two seconds before I was able to speak.
    “Who is this?” Gareth’s slightly nasal, annoyed voice filled my ear.
    “If you treat Brom with anything but the utmost care, I will do things to you that you cannot even imagine,” someone said in a low, ugly voice, and to my surprise, I realized it was me.
    Baltic spun around at my words, frowning as Gareth sputtered, “Sullivan? How the hell did you-dammit, Ruth, I told you we should have gotten a new phone!”
    “Where’s Brom?” I asked, and then repeated it, screaming, “Where have you taken my son?”
    Baltic was at my side, one arm around me, trying to take the phone, while behind him, Savian made gestures at me and said something about keeping Gareth on the phone as long as possible. He pulled out his own cell phone and turned his back on us as he made a call.
    “He’s right here, and he’s all right, although he’s not going to remain that way if you don’t do as I tell you,” Gareth said.
    I closed my eyes for a moment, visualizing roasting Gareth alive. “Let me talk to him.”
    “No. There’s no reason for you to speak with him.”
    “By the rood, Gareth! He’s my son! I’m out of my mind with worry! I have to know he’s all right!”
    Gareth muttered some rude things, saying in a slightly muffled tone, “Get the boy. No, she’s insisting on talking to him. Just warn him not to say anything but that he’s unhurt.”
    “Mate, control your fire.”
    I opened my eyes again to find the tables surrounding us were alight. I tamped down the flames, staring in mute appeal to Baltic.
    “It will not help Brom if you lose control,” he said softly, and tried again to take the phone.
    “Sullivan?”
    I almost wept with relief at the sound of Brom’s voice. “Are you all right, lovey? Did Gareth or Ruth hurt you?”
    “No, I’m fine, although they don’t have any interesting books, and I left my field notebook in my room. There’s a dead sparrow outside my window, but I can’t take notes about it.”
    I leaned into Baltic, some of the tension easing as Brom complained. If he was well enough to fret over the loss of a notebook, he wasn’t harmed.
    Before I could say any more, Gareth was back. “Happy now?”
    “I can’t believe you would kidnap your own child to use against me,” I told him, tightening my fingers on the phone.
    “I told you this wasn’t over when you tried to brain me against my own car,” Gareth sneered. “If you think we’re going to roll over and lose all that gold you brought in each year, you’re stupider than I thought.”
    “How much do you want?” I asked through clenched teeth. “How much blood money will it take to let Brom go?”
    “All we want is what is due to us. All those centuries we took care of you; you owe us, Sullivan.” He named a figure that didn’t even register in my by now numb brain. I was past the disbelief that Gareth would hold his own child hostage for profit; I just wanted to do whatever it took to get Brom back. “That’ll do for now.”
    My gaze met Baltic’s. He nodded, then made a gesture toward his watch. “You’ll get your gold, but it will take Baltic a day to get it from his lair. Where are