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The women giggled, and one chirped, “He really is. He even talked me into this balloon ride!”
And probably into his bed,my dragon grumbled.
That was the thing with warlocks. No one seduced as effortlessly as they did. I doubted he was even aware of it.
Like Top Dog,my dragon muttered.Erin’s father.
I glanced over. She had to know about her father, right? And did she share his powers, or was she a mere relic?
She’s not amereanything,my dragon growled.And even a relic’s ancestral powers can stir to life.
So I’d been told, but confirmed cases only came about once every hundred years.
“They say there’s a whole hidden canyon farther back against the rocks,” Madden went on.
Erin was already so tense, it was hard to judge what her reaction to that was.
“Tell me more about this vortex,” Harlon said.
Hardy chuckled. “Well, that depends on who you ask.”
Harlon cut in, unamused. “Not vortexes in general. This particular one.”
Hardy didn’t seem to have an answer, but Madden did. Was he bullshitting — as usual — or did he actually know the facts?
“Everyone talks about the Big Four vortexes, but I’ve heard folks say there’s a fifth, more powerful one. It comes and goes, though. For long enough that people forget about it. Of course, that could all just be a story.”
I sure hoped so. Because a powerful warlock building a private complex atop a secret vortex was the kind of scenario that made folks at the agency blanch.
Erin looked like she was ready to bang her head against the steering wheel. And that was before Hardy chimed in.
“Even if it isn’t, it’s a hell of a location. Big enough to build your own personal golf course on too.”
Erin glared upward.
Just a relic,my dragon murmured a little mournfully.If she had any powers, they would be obvious about now.
True. Most of the relics I’d heard about had discovered their supernatural abilities at extreme moments when emotions ran high.
A little like now, and the balloon didn’t sprout a leak or crash spectacularly to the earth.
Too bad,my dragon grumbled.
“Well, we’re sliding away from it now. New heading, Three-thirty-six degrees,” Madden said. “Three-thirty-three…Three-thirty. Next wind shift.”
I glanced over at Erin, then quietly shook my head. If she could control the wind, she would have done so by now… Wouldn’t she?
Minutes ticked by with the balloon steady on its new course, and the guests’ conversation turned back to the usual things. The beauty of the mesas, the sighting of a javelina, then the oohs, aahs, and pictures snapped when someone spotted the balloon’s shadow on the ground.
“Oh! Everyone wave,” one of the women squeaked. “Look! Our shadows are waving back to us! Did you see that, Harlon?”
I didn’t catch his answer, but I’d bet he didn’t wave. Instead, I pictured him staring back at the lush green line of Painted Rock Creek.
“We’ll be heading for a landing over there, past the wetlands,” Madden said as the balloon slowly descended.
“Oh! I need a group picture first,” one of the women cried. “Can you take it, Bob?”
I snorted as they shuffled around. Poor Hardy was definitely not in with the cool kids.
