Dragon Horn Read online

  My phone rang right before I left. Caller ID said, Raymond Crenshaw. The Mayor of Pittsburgh.

  I took a deep breath, trying to settle my fragile emotions. “Hello, Mike Merlino.”

  “Hi Mike, this is Mayor Crenshaw. I just wanted to thank you again for saving me yesterday. I wouldn’t be having this conversation if it weren’t for you.”

  My dog rushed up to me and mashed his head into my calf. He never wanted to be left out. “I wish I could have saved more people.”

  “You and me both. However, this does seem like a problem that might take your area of expertise to solve. I just got off the phone with the President and he suggested military strikes with fighter jets and drones.”

  “No. You can’t do that.”

  “I told him that. We still have citizens trapped in our city. On top of that, it will completely decimate Pittsburgh. The enemy basically has hostages that can’t leave, insulating themselves from attack. We kiboshed the strike, but I need to come up with a plan.”

  I paced back and forth. “I have some firm footing to go on, but this isn’t something that can be taken care of in a few days. I have to go on a special mission that is our only chance. This trip will take at least a week though. On top of that, I don’t even know if it will be the ultimate solution.”

  “We’re desperate. If you can solve this situation within a fortnight, we are prepared to pay you handsomely to return our city. How does one million dollars sound?”

  I was stunned. Words eluded me. The mayor countered his own offer, “All right, how about two million?”

  I was a better negotiator than I thought. The Silent Assassin. “That sounds great, Mister Mayor, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

  “I realize that but I just want our city back. I know that isn’t a wild amount considering you are saving a city, but with the amount of rebuilding that will be necessary, I think it’s fair.”

  “It’s definitely fair. I just don’t want to get your hopes up.”

  “I hate to say it, but my only hope lies with you or this mage named Felix that my aides keep telling me about.”

  I knew Felix would accept that deal in a nanosecond. “I’ll take your offer. But as I said, there’s no guarantee on results.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Merlino.”

  “I’ll call you when I have updates to report.”

  “I appreciate that. Bye now.”

  “Goodbye.”

  I hung up the phone, unexcited. What did money mean if I had nobody to share it with? I could be the sleazy guy at the strip club. Or the crazy cat guy living alone in a big house? Confusion clouded my head.

  Why had she done it? Was it really Princeton, or was it me? Was there something wrong with me? Was I cursed in finding happiness with a woman?

  I wallowed in misery, taking a few more pulls from the Jameson bottle and came to a quick realization. Even though one girl had ripped my heart out, I couldn’t be cruel to another, demon or not. Time to free the woman in my office closet.

  Chapter 6

  The rambunctious demon booted me in the chest with the soles of both her feet, jostling me backward. I yelled, “Hey. Didn’t you hear what I just said? I’m trying to let you go, you stupid demon.”

  She growled, “I tend not to trust kidnappers. And I’m half-demon.”

  “What?” I deactivated the wards on her bungee cords and started unraveling them. A ward was a magic spell created to lock something.

  She clarified, “I’m half-demon, half-human.”

  “Why didn’t you say that from the start?”

  She rolled her wrists around as she spoke, “You were too busy being a high and mighty human for me to tell you. Don’t you have a little demon blood running through you?”

  I helped her up to her feet. She wobbled at first but held on to my forearm for a few moments until she straightened out.

  “You’re crazy. This is one hundred percent human wizard blood.” I held my arms out at my sides, showing off my six-foot-three frame.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Do you even know anything about Merlin?”

  “How do you know about that?”

  After being cooped up in the closet for a day, the demon bounced up and down and stretched out her arms. “I know a little about Merlin. And the Red Cavern knows a lot about you.”

  “How?”

  “The same way you know things about them.” She started playing with her hair. “People talk. You do know that Merlin’s father was an incubus, right?”

  Honestly, I was ashamed about the fact that I’d been thrown into the job of the magical guardian of Pittsburgh and hadn’t learned about my background. I didn’t know much about the famous wizard whose blood I shared.

  I’d read a few accounts but Alayna had told me not to believe those stories. She said that she would tell me the true story of Merlin and our connection when the time was right.

  I spoke defensively, “That’s just a rumor about Merlin being part demon. Most historical accounts are wrong.”

  She cracked her neck. “How do you know that your historical account is correct?”

  I grinned. “Because I know people that were around when that stuff happened. I’m pretty sure my ancestor wasn’t half-demon.”

  The demon chuckled. “Pretty sure? So you freely admit that you don’t know.”

  I didn’t like being cornered by the truth and changed the subject. “Stop this nonsense. I’m trying to be nice to you. I saw your friends, the Jersey Devil and Aka Manah earlier today.”

  “So that’s it?” Tears pooled in her eyes.

  “That’s what?”

  She sniffled. “You’re only letting me go because they are waiting outside for me. I should have known.” She lowered her head and marched toward the door.

  I put out my arm and stopped her. “Will you let me finish?”

  “So sorry for interrupting you, your highness,” she stated perfectly and completed the sentiment with a mock curtsy. She had no shortage of moxie.

  I took a deep breath. “You’re making it awfully hard for me to be nice to you. They made me an offer. You for the knife that could save my life.”

  “And you said...no?” She tilted her head to the side in confusion, jaw wide open.

  “I did.” I nodded proudly.

  Her mouth was still agape. “Why?”

  “Because I’m not a monster. Despite every action you’ve seen from me, this isn’t actually who I am. I want to talk to you for a little bit and if I feel you are safe, I’ll let you go.”

  She shook her head and backed away. “I can’t help but think this is a setup.”

  She wasn’t naïve. I held up two open palms. “And I can’t blame you for thinking that. But it’s true.”

  “What are you going to do about your knife?”

  I scratched the top of my head, unsure of a proper plan. “At this point my only option is to kick open the door to the Red Cavern and take it back by force.”

  She laughed. “I advise strongly against that. Unless you have a death wish, that is a stupid plan.”

  “I know it’s a stupid plan, but right now—it’s my only option. I just need time to figure out something.”

  She bounced from foot to foot, seemingly restless. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

  I turned it around on her. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Okay.” Her eyes lit up. “If you were just released from prison on another planet, what place would you visit first? I want to see all the great sights before I die.”

  I stroked the stubble on my chin. “Tell you what. Why don’t we go back to my house and talk about that? Make sure you stay in human form when we go outside. What’s your name, anyway?”

  “Burn.”

  “Burn? Like a fire?”

  The demon nodded. “Exactly. It’s short for Burnette, which is short for Burnadette. I prefer Burn.”

  “Burn it shall be. Ready?” I gestured with an extended arm toward the front door.<
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  As we were walking the twenty yards to my apartment, Burn pointed to the road. “What’s that? It’s pretty.”

  I peered at the reflective grease spot on the street. “That’s just gasoline or motor oil that leaked out of someone’s car and is causing a rainbow reflection from the sunlight. Just chemicals.”

  Sunlight. The storm had passed, taking the dark clouds with it and letting the sun come out to play. I reflected on Burn’s observation. Most people would just see that brilliant image and dismiss it off hand, but she saw the raw beauty of it.

  We got to my apartment and I ushered her inside with an open, inviting palm. Upon entering, she exclaimed, “Books. I love books. You’re a bibliomaniac.”

  Burn wandered over to the bookshelves in my living room. The small room housed a brown couch and matching loveseat. A rectangular coffee table sat in the middle of the room. Four bookshelves lining one of the walls completed the floor furniture. Above one of the bookshelves hung my Pablo Picasso painting of Mother and Child. It had been given to me by Jonathan Rickleshaw and I loved it more with each passing day.

  My sneakers squeaked on the hardwood as I spun around to close the door.

  “Sort of. I don’t officially own all these books. They’ve been lent to me by my mentor. Those are my shared, but also prized, possessions there. Do they have a lot of books in the Red Cavern?”

  “Yeah,” Burn confirmed and smirked. “They steal books from the humans. And we have our own originals. If they can’t get their hands on physical copies, they will have the text typed into a database that keeps digital copies. Demon women basically have the duties of a housewife. Cooking, cleaning and raising the children. Surprisingly, it leaves a lot of time to read and learn.”

  She spoke with an air of intelligence so that made perfect sense. “I guess we have to get you fed. I’m not familiar with demon dining habits. Are you omophagous?”

  “No, I like men,” she said with an awkward giggle.

  I cocked my head to the side and scrunched my eyebrows. “No, I meant do you eat raw meat?”

  “I heard humans like to joke.” Her ugly smile faded. “Guess not.”

  I wasn’t in a comedic mood right now. “Not true. We just enjoy good jokes. So, about the food?”

  Burn scrunched up her nose and shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I’m going to keep trying with the jokes. I need practice. Let’s see—my dining habits are varied. I can eat raw meat, but I prefer it to be cooked.”

  We went into the kitchen and I made her a huge meal of breakfast sausage, eggs, toast and home fries. I grabbed a red plate about the size of a frisbee and loaded it up, assuming she wasn’t still full from the beef jerky I’d given her.

  Peeking out of my peripheral, I noticed her inspecting the fork I’d given her. I barely had time to lay the plate in front of her before I nearly lost a finger. She attacked the meal with vigor, scarfing down the full plate of food in less than two minutes.

  She hadn’t given me the chance to introduce her to the wonderful world of Heinz Ketchup. I finished my meal, feeling emasculated by her impressive eating habits.

  We moved into the living room and seated ourselves on the couch. She said, “I can’t believe you cooked a meal for me.”

  “Why not?”

  Burn explained, “Because it would never happen in the Red Cavern. The demons believe in a very paternalistic society. They breed dependency on the male to survive. Women are simply viewed as empty vessels to serve the needs of the men.”

  “On earth, you’ll find a lot of role reversals in the gender game. Some men up here do the same exact things you do in the Red Cavern.”

  She picked a chunk of sausage out of her teeth as she nodded, and said, “Very interesting. I’m still trying to fully learn the American culture and all of its nuances.”

  “How do you learn about American culture? I assumed the devils would burn those kinds of books.”

  “They do. I try to get to them before that happens.” She shifted around on the cushions. “We also have the internet, which is where I do most of my research, but it isn’t exact. The funniest thing I’ve seen are the videos individuals post on...what is it called...me tube?”

  “YouTube.”

  Her visage bounced around like a bobblehead doll. “And a YouTube to you too.” She giggled again, this time not sounding as awkward as the first effort. Demons enjoyed stupid videos and jokes too, who knew?

  I realized she probably didn’t get much time to laugh and be merry in the demonic underground known as the Red Cavern. The relaxed conversation continued, but all I could think about was Satoku. Had we really broken up earlier today? Was that just a dream?

  The aroma of burnt orange and toasted sesame wafted into my living room. I instinctually got up from my couch and followed my nose to the kitchen. My special candle on the kitchen counter was burning. How?

  I poked my head back into the living room and pursed my lips, deep in thought. “Do you like to drink alcohol?”

  Chapter 7

  “I’ve only drank alcohol a few times,” Burn said shyly and rocked her head back and forth in a wishy-washy way.

  “That’s a yes. I’ve got a special treat for you.” I poured a few rocks glasses of Jameson and returned to my living room.

  Burn took a tiny sip and her eyes shot open like she’d just mainlined a pot of coffee. She fanned her mouth with her right hand and spoke in a low, gruff pitch, “Ironically, it burns.”

  I chuckled.

  She rolled her eyes. “Really. A stupid pun about my name is funnier than those golden jokes from earlier?”

  I nodded, starting to forget about Satoku. “Much more humorous.”

  She playfully slapped me in the chest. “You never told me a location I could visit to see the wonders of earth. Seeing and hearing about them in books and computer screens just isn’t the same.”

  I sank back into the couch, feeling comfortable with the demon. “I’m probably not the best person to ask that. I haven’t done very much traveling in my day. Plus, I’m going to be headed to a little place called Sleepy Hollow soon.”

  Her eyes widened and the silver flecks in her irises danced with excitement. “The land of Fae? You should take me with you.” She nodded rapidly, trying to influence my decision.

  I took a sip of my beverage and thought about it for a moment. “Not going to happen. They don’t take kindly to demons from what I’ve heard. Also, my mentor is a faerie and she is biased against demons too. Not only that, but there is a good chance you will get killed.” I punctuated the point with a stern look as I tapped my fingers against the rocks glass.

  “That’s exactly what I want.” Her pupils widened with wanderlust. She said excitedly, “A wild adventure where I can see new and wonderful things. Don’t you need someone who has a strong grasp on magic to go with you?” She winked.

  Burn wasn’t making terrible points. I said, “It would create too many complications for the trip.”

  “I bet I can talk you into it.” She poked me playfully in the side.

  Squirming away, I finished my drink and set the empty glass on the coffee table. “You are certainly free to try. But taking a relative stranger on a special mission like this isn’t a wise idea. You should go to New York City. I hear there’s tons of sites to see.”

  “Tons.” She giggled.

  “What?”

  She stopped laughing and set her drink on the table. “Ton is a unit of weight measure.”

  I disagreed, “It also has the informal definition of a large number or amount. Look it up if you want.”

  She sat up quickly and shoved her hand into the cushions of my couch. She pulled out Satoku’s red master lock. My ex-girlfriend had apparently dropped it on the couch when the power went out. “I’ll take your word. I’ve seen the images of New York, but I want more of a natural world history. Not a bunch of metal stacked on top of metal until it reaches the heavens. I’d feel trapped in that city the same as I did in the Red C
avern. I want to wander freely.”

  I thought for a moment. “I’m going to talk to my friend later on tonight. I’ll ask him about where you should go.”

  Burn picked up her drink, took a tiny sip and set it back down. “Why would he know of good places?”

  “He’s a six-hundred-year-old vampire who’s traveled the world many times over. It’s amazing he settled in Pittsburgh. What do you plan to do, just travel around by yourself?” I helped her finish her drink by taking a few big gulps of the sweet nectar.

  She played nervously with the master lock. “I have a somewhat silly dream that goes with this plan of travel. I’m in love with the idea of being in love. After what I’ve suffered at the hands of the demons, I’ve never felt anything but shame when it comes to men. This idea of a man loving and respecting someone like me is probably a silly dream.”

  I reassured her, “No it’s not. Not up here. Being part demon complicates your plan a touch, but even with that, there are men who would line up to take you out on a date.”

  A glow of relief washed over her freckled face. “What about you?” She toyed with a lock of hair.

  “Well, you seem like a nice person, but I don’t think it would work out between us.” I was flattered, but still raw from the breakup.

  She smiled and went back to fiddling with the lock. “No. I meant do you have someone that you are in love with?”

  “I did.” I checked the imaginary watch on my wrist. “As of a few hours ago. She dropped me to go to a school in another state.” It was high time for a refill. I grabbed the empty glasses off the table.

  “She fell in love with an inanimate object?” Her face contorted in confusion and she stared at the lock.

  I smirked. “No. It’s just that we will be separated for an extended period of time. She thought it would be best if we didn’t stay together.” I headed into the kitchen.

  “What do you think?” she yelled, much louder than necessary.