How to Lose Your Dragon (The Immortality Curse Book 1) by Peter Glenn (beach read TXT) 📕

she said slowly, placing the circlet on her head, “let the binding ritual continue!”

I peered through the haze and darkness over at Mei once more. There were about half as many chains holding her down as there had been before, but she was still held fast. This wasn’t good. I needed more time.

The evil queen took Grax’thor in her hands and raised it up in the air again, once more starting her chant. The words floated over the room like a song, filling every inch of the space. Dark energy started to emanate from her, flowing toward Mei with a sickening, icy glow.

“Wait!” I cried.

Boudicca spun around once more and looked like she was going to have my head for sure this time. “You little insect! What now?”

I nudged my head toward my waist. “Please,” I said through a wave of coughs. “Please, at least let me die a warrior,” I begged, “with my sword in hand.” I flexed the fingers of my sword hand a few times. My arm was bound pretty tight, but I could move my fingers if I tried hard enough.

“Pfft,” she spat. She looked down at my helpless little hand flailing about and almost laughed. “Fine. I suppose even a worthless warrior such as yourself deserves a warrior’s death.”

“Thank you,” I managed through gritted teeth. “My ancestors will be pleased.”

Boudicca huffed, but she took the bait. She walked over to me and picked up my katana, which had been sitting near my feet, looking like little more than a discarded piece of metal. She shoved the hilt of the sword into my palm with such force that I thought it would never come free, but I wrapped my fingers around the cold, leathery cords of the hilt anyway.

Heh. That had been too easy. Wouldn’t be much longer now.

The evil queen stared deep into my eyes and gave me a wicked grin. “There,” she said. “Now the little ant can die a warrior, as is proper. You may die with your pride intact, which is more than I offered my last victims.” She harrumphed. “If you even know the meaning of the word, coward.”

With a scoff, she turned back around to face the altar as if nothing had happened.

I was spent now. Completely out of ideas. I could only hope I’d given Sheila enough time to finish with Mei’s chains.

Boudicca raised Grax’thor over her head once more and threw her head back, letting the chants fill the room once more.

“Agus a-nis bidh sinn a ‘ceangal,” she said in her lilting tones.

The dark energy from before shot out from her once again, striking Mei right in the chest. I saw her wriggle and squirm and heard a small shriek as the magic went to work on her.

“Mei!” I cried. But no one heard me over the sounds of her screams and Boudicca’s chanting.

Waves of dark energy rolled off Boudicca as her chanting reached a crescendo, filling the whole room and plunging all of us into a deep, impenetrable darkness. I couldn’t even see my own nose, it was so dark.

Desperately, I clung to the sword at my side, hoping that somehow I’d done enough; bought enough time for Sheila to do her thing, and Rick to get in position. They were Mei’s only hope now.

The sound of Boudicca’s chants grew even louder until I swore it was the only noise in the room, blocking out my breathing and rampant heartbeat in their droning tones. My head thrashed as the noise penetrated my skull further, and I felt like my brain was on fire for a moment.

Just then, the queen’s chanting started to die down, and I heard a scream from somewhere in the room. That scream was followed quickly by the sounds of several more death wails from some of the other unlucky Iceni piled about.

I couldn’t help it. In spite of the pain and the torment, my lips curled into a smile. That was what success sounded like.

A spout of emerald flames burst through the air, lighting up the room not a moment later. In the eerie green light, I could make out the charred husks of a dozen or so Iceni warriors, their bodies already half turned to ash as all around them chaos erupted and weapons were laid bare to face the new threat.

And hanging in the air above them all, looking as amazing and elegant as ever, was Mei in her emerald dragon glory, floating mere inches above their heads.

Mei let out a mighty screech and another blast of hot green flames shot forth, engulfing another twenty or so Iceni and incinerating them instantly. It wasn’t often that I got to see Mei in her true form. It had only happened one other time that I could remember. But it sure was an amazing sight to behold when it happened.

Amazing, and also deadly. Part of me almost felt bad for her victims. Only a tiny part, though. They’d been eager enough to skewer me moments prior.

“What is this?” Boudicca howled. “Bring her down!” She pointed a bony finger at Mei.

Mei laughed, and the sound filled the room, beating back the dark waves of energy in the process and restoring light to the warehouse. Soon enough, I could see again.

Several Iceni howled and threw their weapons at her, but they bounced off her iron-hard scales like they were nothing as she laughed and scooped up a few hapless attackers, throwing them against a nearby wall. Their bodies hit the metal walls with a sickening crunch, and they fell slack to the ground.

In the same instant, I felt my bonds start to loosen.

“Miss me?” a sweet voice whispered into my ear.

I grinned from ear to ear. “Always, baby,” I told Sheila. “Always.”

There was a little more movement and rustling from behind me, then the chains fell to the ground, and I was free once more. I shook my sword arm a little, which had almost gone numb, to bring feeling back into it.

“Thanks, babe,” I