Holy Smokes
Page 82
Drake didn’t even grimace as I wiped my impy hand on his sleeve. “Do not try to sit up. You could have injuries.”
I laughed, much to Drake’s shock. “Sweetie, I’m a tough cookie. It’s going to take more than being knocked onto an imp…ew! A pile of imps! Oh, my god, my whole back is covered in imp goo! Argh!”
“Be thankful they were there,” he answered, frowning as I got to my feet. “They cushioned the force of your landing. I don’t like you moving before a doctor can see you.”
“I’m fine. I wouldn’t move if something felt wrong, but nothing hurts except the thought of my back being covered in imp guts.”
He frowned again at me. I kissed the tip of his nose, my back twitching at the uncomfortable wetness. “I’m not going to look, I’m not going to look,” I muttered, then immediately had to look.
I don’t know how many imps there were, but they were squashed flat into an Aisling-shaped mound, the sight of which I doubted I’d soon forget.
“I’d demand a shower, but I guess we have a few dragons to take care of,” I said as he helped me over a chunk of fallen tomb. To my amazement, the room was empty of red dragons. “Where did they all go?”
Drake understood what I was asking. “They left as soon as they saw Chuan Ren go into the portal.”
“You’re kidding! They just turned tail and ran?”
He shrugged. “My dragons would not run if I fell, but the red dragons…they are different.”
“Bunch of weenies,” I muttered, taking a quick look around to assess the damage.
Pál sat next to István, whose arm hung at an unnatural angle. Kostya stood at the portal, an odd expression on his face.
“You threw Chuan Ren into Abaddon,” he said finally. “You sealed her in there.”
“It seemed like too good an opportunity to miss,” I said as Drake and I picked our way over to the portal. I looked with no little amount of pride at the stone circle, once again intact, the wards glowing with faint golden auras. “Two birds with one stone, if you’ll excuse the unintentional pun. I’d say I’m sorry that it messes up your plans for getting into the weyr, Kostya, but to be perfectly honest, I’m not at all sorry. I don’t know if Abaddon can hold Chuan Ren, but assuming it does, I’m thrilled that she’s out of our hair.”
Gabriel appeared at the door, Tipene at his side. “Are you all right? There was a horrible explosion—half the chapel came down.”
“Is Maata all right?” I asked, concerned.
“Yes, we had moved her out before the second wall came down. What has been happening here?”
He and Tipene gawked at the site of destruction.
“I had to close a portal. Chuan Ren kind of got in the way of it and…er…fell in.”
His gawking changed to an outright goggle of astonishment. “She what?”
“It’s a bit of a long story—”
“One which you will tell later. Sit,” Drake ordered, pointing to a convenient piece of stone.
“Sweetie, I’m fine!”
“Sit!”
I sat, smiling to myself as he quickly explained what had happened to Gabriel. I smiled through the quick examination he insisted Gabriel conduct on me, and I was still smiling when, a half hour later, we made our way out of the crypt and up into the relatively fresh air of London.
Nora met us as we skirted the destroyed chapel. Emergency crews had the area cordoned off, but several ambulances were pulled up next to the remains of the building.
“Have you seen Paula and my uncle?” I asked Nora as she rushed toward me. A familiar man was at her side. Evidently Nora had called in the bigwigs. “Are they all right?”
“Your family is fine,” she said, giving me a hug. “Everyone is. Rene got everyone away from the church before the first bomb blew. I had no idea there was a second one, but I can’t tell you how worried I was that it had…but you’re here, and now I’m going to embarrass us both by weeping.”
“You’re not going to be the only one,” I said, tearing up as I hugged. Drake murmured something about being right back and went to help Pál take István to the ambulance.
I smiled at the man next to Nora. “I’m sorry, Mr. Battiste, you’re bound to think us a couple of silly women.”
“On the contrary, my opinion of both of you holds nothing but admiration. Am I correct in thinking that the bomb has temporarily blocked the portal?”
I shook my head. “That wasn’t a second bomb. It was the reverb from the portal sealing.”
His brown eyes widened slightly at my words. Nora gasped. “Aisling, you didn’t!”
“Yeah. I used a variation on the Merseburg Incantations. I figured if the portal was so old that normal wards and spells wouldn’t work on it, then something with a bit more age might. And it worked!”
“Good lord,” she said, glancing at the head of the Guild.
He was silent for a moment, his eyes examining me carefully. My happy glow of success faded as I wondered if I had done something horribly wrong.
“I wish to be sure I understand the situation completely. You closed the portal?”
“No. I sealed it. There’s a difference, right? Closing means it can be opened again from the Abaddon side, and sealing means it can’t?”
They both nodded.
“OK,” I said, relieved. “I was worried I had it wrong. The portal is sealed. The big round stone seal that sat on top of it was reforged when I spoke the incantation. I tossed on a couple of wards just to give it a little extra oomph, and they were there when I left.”
“You sealed the portal,” Caribbean Battiste repeated.
“Yes. I have a horrible feeling that you’re going to tell me I’ve done something wrong. Wasn’t I supposed to seal it?”
“No,” he answered. My heart fell.
He shook his head. “I misspoke. Yes, you should have sealed it, but no, you should not have been able to seal it. You were an apprentice when you left the Guild. Am I correct in thinking you’ve had no formal training in the care of portals?”
“You are correct. There was no time for me to do more than show her the portal I guard,” Nora said. There was a glint of laughter in her eyes, and something else, something warm and fuzzy that looked a whole lot like pride.
I laughed, much to Drake’s shock. “Sweetie, I’m a tough cookie. It’s going to take more than being knocked onto an imp…ew! A pile of imps! Oh, my god, my whole back is covered in imp goo! Argh!”
“Be thankful they were there,” he answered, frowning as I got to my feet. “They cushioned the force of your landing. I don’t like you moving before a doctor can see you.”
“I’m fine. I wouldn’t move if something felt wrong, but nothing hurts except the thought of my back being covered in imp guts.”
He frowned again at me. I kissed the tip of his nose, my back twitching at the uncomfortable wetness. “I’m not going to look, I’m not going to look,” I muttered, then immediately had to look.
I don’t know how many imps there were, but they were squashed flat into an Aisling-shaped mound, the sight of which I doubted I’d soon forget.
“I’d demand a shower, but I guess we have a few dragons to take care of,” I said as he helped me over a chunk of fallen tomb. To my amazement, the room was empty of red dragons. “Where did they all go?”
Drake understood what I was asking. “They left as soon as they saw Chuan Ren go into the portal.”
“You’re kidding! They just turned tail and ran?”
He shrugged. “My dragons would not run if I fell, but the red dragons…they are different.”
“Bunch of weenies,” I muttered, taking a quick look around to assess the damage.
Pál sat next to István, whose arm hung at an unnatural angle. Kostya stood at the portal, an odd expression on his face.
“You threw Chuan Ren into Abaddon,” he said finally. “You sealed her in there.”
“It seemed like too good an opportunity to miss,” I said as Drake and I picked our way over to the portal. I looked with no little amount of pride at the stone circle, once again intact, the wards glowing with faint golden auras. “Two birds with one stone, if you’ll excuse the unintentional pun. I’d say I’m sorry that it messes up your plans for getting into the weyr, Kostya, but to be perfectly honest, I’m not at all sorry. I don’t know if Abaddon can hold Chuan Ren, but assuming it does, I’m thrilled that she’s out of our hair.”
Gabriel appeared at the door, Tipene at his side. “Are you all right? There was a horrible explosion—half the chapel came down.”
“Is Maata all right?” I asked, concerned.
“Yes, we had moved her out before the second wall came down. What has been happening here?”
He and Tipene gawked at the site of destruction.
“I had to close a portal. Chuan Ren kind of got in the way of it and…er…fell in.”
His gawking changed to an outright goggle of astonishment. “She what?”
“It’s a bit of a long story—”
“One which you will tell later. Sit,” Drake ordered, pointing to a convenient piece of stone.
“Sweetie, I’m fine!”
“Sit!”
I sat, smiling to myself as he quickly explained what had happened to Gabriel. I smiled through the quick examination he insisted Gabriel conduct on me, and I was still smiling when, a half hour later, we made our way out of the crypt and up into the relatively fresh air of London.
Nora met us as we skirted the destroyed chapel. Emergency crews had the area cordoned off, but several ambulances were pulled up next to the remains of the building.
“Have you seen Paula and my uncle?” I asked Nora as she rushed toward me. A familiar man was at her side. Evidently Nora had called in the bigwigs. “Are they all right?”
“Your family is fine,” she said, giving me a hug. “Everyone is. Rene got everyone away from the church before the first bomb blew. I had no idea there was a second one, but I can’t tell you how worried I was that it had…but you’re here, and now I’m going to embarrass us both by weeping.”
“You’re not going to be the only one,” I said, tearing up as I hugged. Drake murmured something about being right back and went to help Pál take István to the ambulance.
I smiled at the man next to Nora. “I’m sorry, Mr. Battiste, you’re bound to think us a couple of silly women.”
“On the contrary, my opinion of both of you holds nothing but admiration. Am I correct in thinking that the bomb has temporarily blocked the portal?”
I shook my head. “That wasn’t a second bomb. It was the reverb from the portal sealing.”
His brown eyes widened slightly at my words. Nora gasped. “Aisling, you didn’t!”
“Yeah. I used a variation on the Merseburg Incantations. I figured if the portal was so old that normal wards and spells wouldn’t work on it, then something with a bit more age might. And it worked!”
“Good lord,” she said, glancing at the head of the Guild.
He was silent for a moment, his eyes examining me carefully. My happy glow of success faded as I wondered if I had done something horribly wrong.
“I wish to be sure I understand the situation completely. You closed the portal?”
“No. I sealed it. There’s a difference, right? Closing means it can be opened again from the Abaddon side, and sealing means it can’t?”
They both nodded.
“OK,” I said, relieved. “I was worried I had it wrong. The portal is sealed. The big round stone seal that sat on top of it was reforged when I spoke the incantation. I tossed on a couple of wards just to give it a little extra oomph, and they were there when I left.”
“You sealed the portal,” Caribbean Battiste repeated.
“Yes. I have a horrible feeling that you’re going to tell me I’ve done something wrong. Wasn’t I supposed to seal it?”
“No,” he answered. My heart fell.
He shook his head. “I misspoke. Yes, you should have sealed it, but no, you should not have been able to seal it. You were an apprentice when you left the Guild. Am I correct in thinking you’ve had no formal training in the care of portals?”
“You are correct. There was no time for me to do more than show her the portal I guard,” Nora said. There was a glint of laughter in her eyes, and something else, something warm and fuzzy that looked a whole lot like pride.
