The Imprisoned Dragon and the Witch Read Online Free PDF Page B

forwards, Esther reaching out to steady her.
    Peri took hold of her hands before catching her breath. “Wow! That was...weird!”
    Esther knew exactly what Peri meant, the feeling of moving between places was a little disconcerting. Especially the first time.
    Peri was very excited as she stood up straight unaided. “Okay, now how do I move others with me? Is it easy? Do I need to be touching them? Do they feel weird, like I did then?”
    Esther chuckled as Peri fired questions at her, wide eyed with wonder. “Calm down, Peri. Once you’ve mastered moving yourself, it’s very easy. As you cast the spell, instead of concentrating just on yourself, all you need to do is cast the spell a little wider to take in the area around you. Did you see it as you spoke it? To me it’s like a light cloud around me, so I just make sure the cloud encompasses those I wish to move.”
    Peri was nodding vigorously. “Yes! It was like a pinkish, swirling cloud. So all I do is make sure I have who I want within the cloud? It’s that easy?”
    Esther realized that this young woman was indeed as powerful as Ronan thought. If she thought the moving spell was “easy.” Esther had tried to teach it to many Witches over the years and only a very few ever mastered it. That this young woman had done so on the very first try was testament to how strong in magic she was.
    The older Witch was grateful this woman was on their side.
    Peri started to move her mouth, no sound emitting from it, though Esther could see that she was once more casting the spell. Again she wondered at the sheer power of the girl if she didn’t have to utter the words aloud to cast a spell. As this thought entered her head, Esther knew Peri was taking her with her this time – the familiar feeling of her body moving between two places overcame her, the slight shudder deep inside as they blinked out of existence in the bedroom.
     
    *****
     
    Peri and Esther appeared in the living room, right next to Gabe. Ronan cursed loudly. “ Cac ! Will you stop doing that?”
    Starr chastised her mate. “Ronan! Stop cursing in front of the baby.”
    Gabe burst out laughing as he grabbed hold of Peri, pulling her close and placing a small kiss on her nose. “I’m sure little Joe doesn’t know what Ronan is saying and hey, you,” he rubbed his nose against Peri’s, “you’ve learned a new trick.”
    Peri placed a hand on his cheek, gently caressing his face. “Yes, isn’t it cool?”
    Gabe snorted. “Yes, it kinda is.”
    Josef looked to Ronan who was now staring at the baby in Starr’s arms as if it was an alien from outer space. “Ronan, is that the mode of transport we will be using once we land?”
    Ronan turned towards his Sire. “Yes, afraid it’s the best way and will save us a lot of time and energy.”
    Josef didn’t look very happy but Ronan just couldn’t see Esther traipsing through the Rockies. It would be hard for any of them but the non-Vampires would definitely struggle. “The sooner we can get to the cavern the better, for the Dragon and for my men. They’re camped out not far from it but it’s damn cold and they can’t stay there indefinitely. They’ve already been on that mountain far too long.”
    Josef inclined his head to the side noting Ronan’s tone was sharper than he had intended. Ronan tried to relax and found it almost impossible. “That came out abrupt, apologies. I’m just a little uptight about this mission.”
    His Sire nodded once as Starr handed over the struggling child to Tania, who was hovering close behind her. Once free of the baby, Starr moved to Ronan’s side, one of her arms snaking around his waist and the other coming up to rub the center of his chest in a calming motion. As soon as she touched him, he did what he had failed to do for himself...relax.
    Starr looked around the room. “Okay, Peri, do you have warm clothing with you? The Rockies are gonna be real cold and you too, Esther. You’ll need to be wrapped up