How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (Dragon Kin #6)(129)

Izzy, losing her grip on the tail tip, flipped back, rolling down the dragon’s spine until her head hit the ground and everything went black.

Fed up with arguing with her daughter, Elisa stormed away. But Haldane followed her, still arguing, as was her way. And yes, it did cross Elisa’s mind to turn her daughter into something that slithers but she fought the urge. It would be a very bad precedent to set.

She did, however, stop, spin around, and yell at her daughter to, “Shut the f**k up, Haldane!”

“I will do no such thing!”

“Elder Elisa!”

Sighing, “What is it, Akila?”

“The dragons are back.”

“Tell them to come back tomorrow. I don’t have time—”

“They’re ripping up the floor of the Great Hall!”

Elisa locked eyes with Akila. “They’re what?”

Éibhear raised the hammer again and again, ramming it into the thick marble floor. With each piece he loosened, one of his comrades tore out the marble and tossed it aside.

“What the holy hells do you think you’re doing?” Elisa yelled up at them. The Mi-runach had all shifted to their natural form so that they could do this as quickly as possible.

“He’s doing what you asked him to do,” Aidan explained calmly.

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s rescuing Vateria.”

“From under our floors? Is he insane? Are you?”

“I wish he was,” Aidan sighed. “But I assure you, we’re not here to harm you. Trust me, my lady. You want us to do this.”

Éibhear brought the hammer down again, hit the marble, and lifted it away.

“Éibhear!” Caswyn said, digging harder. “I think we’re through.”

“Through?” Elisa demanded. “Through to where?”

“To the Cult of Chramnesind’s hiding place,” Aidan told her.

“I told you before, you big oaf. They’re in the desert.”

“No. They’re not.”

“And you know this how?”

Éibhear looked down at Elisa and answered, “From the goddess Eirianwen.” When the witches only stared at him, he added, “Beat that.”

“You mean they’ve been under us all this time?”

“Leeching your power to increase their strength,” Aidan explained.

Éibhear focused on Haldane. “But know this, witch, if Iseabail dies because you were a bitch to her, I’ll be coming back for you.” He nodded at Elisa. “Call your witches from their beds. Anything that comes out of here that’s not us . . . kill it.”

Éibhear focused on the pit his comrades had dug. “Move,” he ordered. They did.

Unfurling his wings, Éibhear took to the air, going up to the tall ceiling. He flipped over and raced toward the floor. As he neared it, he unleashed his flame, and burst through to the chamber beneath.

Izzy woke up when she felt someone shaking her shoulder.

“Izzy. Wake up.”

Looking up, Izzy smiled. “Rhi.”

“You need to get up. Now.”

“Just let me sleep a little longer.”

“Please, Iz!”

“Ssshhh.”

Izzy rolled to her side and tried to get back to sleep, but someone strong grabbed her shoulder and rolled her to her back.

“Oy! Cousin!”

“Talwyn?”

“Time to wake up, bitch.” Then her cousin slapped her. Hard.

Izzy sat up, the sword that had been aiming for her head, ramming into the ground instead.

Raising a brow, Izzy snarled at the human acolyte over her, “Missed me.” Then she swung her fist, knocking the bastard out. Getting to her feet, she yanked the sword from the ground. The thing with the tentacles, which Izzy was beginning to believe was once something human, had drawn an hysterically screaming Vateria close to its gaping maw, blood, drool, and shit pouring onto the floor around her.

Disgusted but not having much choice, Izzy charged forward, ducking under dragon tails and Minotaur fists and centaur hooves in an attempt to reach the bitch she absolutely hated.

She was nearly there when she saw dirt and rock pour down from the ceiling. It distracted her for a moment, a moment she desperately couldn’t afford.

A dragon tail swung out and rammed into her, sending her flying to the side. She waited to hit a wall but instead flew into one of the zealot dragons.

It sniffed and smiled. “Aaaaah. Iseabail,” it whispered as she dropped to the ground in front of it. “Daughter of Talaith, favored among Rhydderch Hael’s worshippers.”

Crawling backward, Izzy tried to get to her feet. But she was weakening fast. Losing her strength from the battering her body was taking. She feared she wouldn’t last much longer if she didn’t find a way to . . .

Thinking fast, Izzy recalled something she’d heard her mother chant once. She got to her feet and raised her hand.

“I call upon the powers of . . . um . . . Rhydderch Hael,” she screamed up at the zealot, shrugging at invoking that idiot’s name.

“You?” the zealot snarled. “You dare try to put a spell on me? You have no power here. Among us. With our god!”

“Oh . . . uh . . . Rhydderch Hael. Bring destruction down upon these . . . uh . . . bad people.”