Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“Did he have any luck figuring out what made you topsy-turvy?” Ardon asked, leaning forward.
“There’s a grocery list of ingredients he was able to decode without all the useful machines that used to do this for us. Most of those are nonreactive ingredients usually added to bulk up a substance so it can be packaged. Some are the smoldering components to create the smoke.”
“And?” Drake asked, arching one eyebrow as if he were waiting for the biggest piece of news.
“And three things the chemist couldn’t determine. Those must be whatever affected me,” Oldrik shared.
“So, there’s no way to determine the source and eliminate it?” Argenis asked.
“Unless you have some idea I haven’t come up with. The first group of people can’t answer questions and the Peterson guy is roasted under a pot downtown,” Oldrik commented. “There is one more thing. It wouldn’t have to be dispersed in smoke. The chemist wondered if they would continue to try to distribute it in that way or if they’d switch to a powder or a liquid.”
“Whoever made this was diabolical. What’s the safest way to kill dragons? From a distance.” Khadar answered his own question.
“It had a particular smell. Even though I was completely thrown for a loop, I captured that smell in my mind by reflex. Here.” Oldrik pushed the memory out to the dragon’s minds around him.
Everyone reeled back with a painful expression.
“Could you warn us first next time?” Ardon demanded.
“Just be glad you didn’t have the extras that came along with that sniff,” Oldrik reminded them.
“So, we sniff everything?” Keres asked, shaking his head.
“That’s a potent scent. You can identify it now,” Drake suggested. “The Petersons. Are they completely out of Wyvern? Any lingering family members here?”
“The word at the passes is that each of them has turned away Barbie Ann despite anything she tries to bribe them with. She’s even tried to disguise herself and sneak in. It was brilliant, Keres, to mark them with permanent ink embedded in the cage bars you transported them in. Their black hands give them away at every crossing.”
“A simple gift that keeps giving,” Keres sneered.
“How many times do you think they washed their hands before they realized it wasn’t coming off?” Khadar wondered.
“Oh, it will come off in a few years. Anything inked on the inside of your hands usually does,” Keres admitted.
Drake cleared his throat. “The horde ruling over New York City has collected a number of subject matter specialists in an attempt to discover what caused the end of technology.”
“Collecting being an involuntary activity?” Argenis guessed.
“Dragons don’t ask for permission,” Drake smiled. “New York dragons are a breed to themselves.”
“Exactly. Did they actually share information voluntarily?” Khadar asked.
“Only because there’s no answer. They’re expanding their search.” Rogan strolled inside.
“And the red dragon joins us?” Khadar said, standing to welcome the newcomer. “Scotch?”
“Thank you. I was delayed by the arrival of the red dragon from New York. He just left,” Rogan explained. He took the glass Khadar offered him.
“What does a New York dragon want? Wyvern isn’t a bastion of scientific discovery,” Keres pointed out.
“A mysterious colored cloud killed two of their own,” Rogan explained.
“I don’t like this,” Oldrik muttered.
“Whatever caused the change, our purpose remains the same. Protect Wyvern. Protect our mates,” Drake reminded them.
“And those to come,” Ardon added, raising his glass.
One by one, the others lifted their tumblers into the air before drinking. The horde was in agreement. They would take advantage of any information, but their core objective was on the pact they’d signed so many years ago. Dragons didn’t enter an agreement without committing to it.
A movement at the door drew Khadar’s attention. Three mates were being naughty. He smiled as he lowered his glass. His mate had recovered now after her ordeal. He’d look forward to having her displayed over his thighs.
“Do you think they saw us?” Lalani worried.
“No way. Daddy would have called us out if he saw me,” Ciel assured her.
“They can’t get mad. We have to know what’s going on,” Aurora told them.
“Would you go back to how it was?” Ciel asked.
“Me?” Aurora asked.
“Both of you,” Ciel answered.
“Would I have met Khadar?” Lalani asked.
“Who knows? You would have been here for your birth mother. Maybe?” Ciel suggested.
“There were so many tools to help with all sorts of tasks. I mean, how do you vacuum carpets now?” Lalani said.
“How important is that carpet?” Aurora asked perceptively.
“Not at all. Really, all I care about is Khadar. Even if the world was the same, it wouldn’t feel like it now. Khadar would make it different,” Lalani confessed.
Ciel nodded. “Argenis makes me feel that way as well. He would make sure I’m happy and healthy, no matter if the floor was lava.”
Immediately, Aurora crawled on top of the table. “The floor is lava?” she asked dramatically and waved the other women up to join her.