Read Light Dragons 03 - Sparks Fly for Free Online

Baltic’s former lieutenant, the one who sang a dirge directly on top of us, and brought our house down around our ears. Literally.”
    He breathed heavily into the phone for a few seconds. “I do not have time for the troubles of your husky dragon, Tully.”
    I dug my fingernails into my hands in reaction to his wholly unsubstantiated jibe that Baltic’s dragon form was fat. “This concerns Maura, too, you know,” I said quickly, hoping the mention of his beloved granddaughter would sweeten his temper. “Thala is a necromancer, and the leader of the tribe of dragons that-”
    “I have just told you that I have no time for your troubles, and I object to being made to repeat it, but I will do so this once: I have far more important things to do than worry about dragons, necromancers, and whatever other trouble you’ve found yourself in, so I will thank you not to disturb me again.”
    Before I could explain, he hung up the phone, and I had a very strong presentment that if I tried to call back, he’d simply hang up again. Or worse.
    “Oh, what the hell. You live only three times,” I said, throwing caution to the wind as I dialed Dr. Kostich’s number again.
    “Yes?”
    “I realize you don’t want to talk to me-”
    “Then you should know better than to call me. Do so again at your own risk.”
    The phone went dead in my ear.
    “Arrogant, annoying mage,” I grumbled as I dialed a third time. “Can’t be bothered ... Look, this is important, Dr. Kostich, so please hear me out.”
    “As important as being transformed into a tree sloth? That is what I am about to do.”
    “Threaten me all you like, but I will not be bullied into keeping quiet-”
    The murmur of his voice speaking in Latin caught my attention. I listened for a few seconds, recognized the words, and with a snarled, “You are the meanest person I know!” I hurriedly hung up the phone before he could complete the spell.
    “Problems?” Ludovic asked when I examined myself for signs of imminent slothdom.
    “Just the normal-my life going to hell in a sloth’s handbasket.”
    After that failed attempt at garnering help, my chat with Ludovic while driving into London was confined to unextraordinary subjects, since Baltic’s trust-like that of Bastian-went only so far. It had been an uphill battle to get Baltic to accept the offer of Ludovic’s services, due to Baltic’s steadfast insistence that the day would never dawn when a light dragon would need help from another sept. He gave in only when I pointed out that Pavel and he were the only adult males in the sept.
    The Merchant of Venus wasn’t what I thought of as a sex shop (small, dark, and filled with both unidentifiable stains and sleazy men in trench coats) and instead could have passed for any brightly lit, clean, modern boutique in a trendy part of SoHo.
    “Wow,” I said to no one in particular as I entered the store. Facing me was a freestanding wall with black-and-white arty photographs, and a half-moon table bearing a reproduction of The Lovers statue. I peered closer at the photos, blinking when I realized the couples and groups in them were not all human.
    “Welcome to the Merchant of Venus,” a soft, cultured voice said. “I’m Dido. Can I be of assistance?”
    The woman who stood at the end of the barrier wall looked perfectly ordinary; she had short blond hair and was wearing a pair of black pants, a red shirt, and a black leather waist cincher.
    I realized I was staring and made an embarrassed gesture of apology. “I’m ... sorry. You look so normal.”
    She smiled and inclined her head toward the pictures. “Are you interested in poltergeist erotica? If so, we have a large collection of both books and videos.”
    “That’s ... uh ... what’s in the pictures?” I fought the urge to look closer, feeling it was better if I didn’t know. “Thank you, but I’m here for some ... er ... toys.”
    “Ah.” Dido gestured toward the wall. “Perhaps you will come