Magic Kingdom (Dragon Born Alexandria Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

the city. Burning the bodies should take care of any lingering magic.”
    “Great.”
    “Wait,” Stan said quickly. “Save me a venom sample. And I want one of those bees. I’m going to dissect it to figure out how it ticks.”
    Yuck. “Ok.”
    “Make sure you transport the bee and the venom in magically-sealed preservation units.”
    “Yes, Mother, thank you. This isn’t my first time facing a Level 4 magic hazard.”
    “Killing hazardous creatures and transporting them safely are two entirely different matters.”
    “I’ll be careful.”
    He snorted. “Burn the other bees.”
    “I will certainly try, but you should know that the bees’ bodies absorbed fire like it was magic crack.”
    “They’re dead. Even if their magic isn’t decaying, their defenses will be weaker without a beating heart to pulse magic into the scales. You’ll just need to burn the fire hot.” Then Stan hung up.
    Alex tucked away her phone, then stepped up to the dead bees. While she’d been talking to Stan, he’d extracted a sample of venom and bagged one of the blue-bodied creatures. Now it was up to her.
    She stared down at the nearest bee, concentrating on the cracks in its armor. Flames burst to life all across the bee’s body, but the magic slid right off the hard armor, even fractured as it was. She focused the fire into a point, burning it hotter. Flesh sizzled beneath the scales. It was working. Hotter and hotter she pushed the fire, stoking the magic inferno. Sweat dribbled down her face and neck. The scent of burning hair singed her nostrils. As her magic drained from her body, her hands began to twitch. She was really starting to wish for dragon fire right about now. On any other beast, she’d have tried her magic-breaking ability, but that had already backfired horribly tonight. So she was stuck with trying to burn past its defenses.
    Finally, the blue sheen faded from the bee’s scales, and the creature dissolved in a puff of colorless smoke. Alex heaved a sigh of relief. She took a moment to catch her breath, then turned to stare down the second bee.
    “One down, forty-eight to go.”

    * * *

    One hour later, there wasn’t a single bee left on the ground, and Alex had burned away every drop of the monsters’ bright pink blood. The only evidence that the creatures had ever been there were the jagged cuts their stingers had sawed in the wooden house at the end of the street. Most of the besieged humans had left the area, but a few curious people had remained there to snap photos of Alex burning up the bees. The pictures were probably plastered all over the internet by now. More publicity—just what she did not need right now.
    Dissolving roughly fifty giant bees had left Alex’s body tired and sweaty. Her magic had fared worse; it felt like it had been body-slammed across the city. She plopped down into the passenger seat of Logan’s car and fell asleep.
    Sometime later, she opened her eyes to find Logan watching her, a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. They were parked inside Monster Cleanup’s underground parking garage, along with only a dozen other cars. On most nights, there were at least four times as many cars, as well as the full contingent of vans from the Disposal department. Everyone must still be out there in the city, fighting the flood of monsters.
    “How long have we been here?” she asked Logan.
    “A few minutes. I didn’t want to wake you.”
    Alex released her seatbelt. “After we get Stan his dead bee and venom, we have to get back out there.”
    “No.” Lightning fast, he caught her hand before she could open the car door.
    She tried to free her hand, but his grip was iron-clad. “The monsters are overrunning the city, Logan.”
    “And you can barely stand, let alone fight. You expended all of your energy burning the bees before their magic could spread. If you go back out there now, you will only get yourself killed. For once, please be sensible.”
    “I am being