Sparks Fly: A Novel of the Light Dragons Read Online Free PDF Page B

suburb of London and headed in the direction of the main roads.
    “Not yet. I’d like to do some shopping first. Er…some special shopping.” I cleared my throat. “After that, I’ll be going to Aisling’s house, not the blue dragon pub. The meeting has been moved since Baltic had a hissy fit at the thought of it being held out in public where anyone might happen to sing a dirge and thereby blow up the building with us in it. Do you know where Aisling lives?”
    “Of course,” he answered, his light brown eyebrows rising. “We blue dragons make sure we know where
all
the wyverns live.”
    “That sounds like something Chuan Ren or another red dragon would have said, not the peaceful blues.”
    Ludovic shrugged. “It is the truth nonetheless. I’m sure you will realize this is not meant to shame or embarrass you, but we trust no one outside the sept.”
    “And yet you’re working for us,” I pointed out gently, not wanting to offend him. Ludovic was a nice young man, probably only a few hundred years old, with a personable smile, and a penchant for the latest in high-fashion clothing. He always looked as if he had just stepped off the runway, something I’d noticed had applied to most blue dragons—male and female—that I’d seen since my latest resurrection. “Surely Bastian wouldn’t have volunteered you to drive us around if he didn’t trust us.”
    He shrugged again. “It is not for me to question the wyvern; he gives the orders, and I follow them.”
    I kept silent but thought to myself that the easygoing Bastian ruled his sept with more of an iron hand than I had imagined. That or he inspired some pretty intense devotion from sept members.
    “Where is it you wish to shop?”
    I bit my lip, a little heat warming my cheeks. “It’s…uh…I’d like to go to a toy store. An adult toy store.”
    “Adult toys?” he asked, frowning in the mirror at me. “Electronics, you mean?”
    “No.” I took a deep breath. “Sexual toys.”
    His eyes widened, a speculative look in them.
    “Not for Baltic and me,” I told the look quickly. “Well, perhaps one or two things. But I have to replace Pavel’s toys.”
    His speculative look went into overdrive.
    “Not that I ever use them with Pavel. He and I don’t do that. Or anything, really. Nothing sexual, that is. We like to cook together….” I closed my eyes for a few moments, knowing I was just making things worse. “I need to find a store. You wouldn’t happen to know of one, would you? If not, I can call around to find one thatdoesn’t look like you’ll get a social disease by shopping there.”
    Ludovic spun the wheel and sent us out into the traffic heading for the main road into London. “As it happens, I know of a necromancer who runs a shop of the sort you seek. She has many specialty items.”
    “Specialty? Fetish, you mean? I don’t think Pavel’s into anything too extraordinary. Although there was that swing contraption, but I assume that was for…never mind. I’ll try your friend’s shop. Is it in London?”
    “Yes.” He glanced at his watch. “When is your meeting?”
    I told him the time and sat back, making a mental shopping list of things I wanted to purchase. By the time that was done, I had to face the sad truth that the inevitable could be avoided no longer….I called Dr. Kostich.
    “Good morning, this is Ysolde de Bouchier,” I said politely in answer to his terse greeting. “I hope I’m not disturbing you, but I have a matter of some importance I’d like to discuss.”
    “What do you want, Tully Sullivan?”
    I flinched at the zing of pain that followed the use of my human name. Members of the Otherworld frequently avoided the use of full names simply because names have power, and in the hands of people like an archimage, that power could be quite tangible. Not to mention painful.
    “I’d like to request your help with a necromancer named Thala. She—”
    “No,” he said abruptly.
    “Thala is