The Adventure of the Jigsaw Dragon, Page 3

softly.

  She sprinted over to Eile. "Are you okay?"

  She spat slobber out of her mouth as she fought the urge to vomit. "Yeah. Remind me never ta rescue any more damsels in distress."

  White-Lion giggled.

  "So, what do we do now?"

  "Help me move her."

  They picked up the countess and carried her over to the dragon-lady.

  "Lay her on top."

  They did so, and then White-Lion stepped back. Anxious, Eile retreated behind her.

  White-Lion took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

  She frowned at the uncertainty in her voice. "Are you sure this will work?"

  "No. Now, be quiet, I have to concentrate."

  Butterflies dive-bombed her stomach as she watched in trepidation. The success of their mission depended upon that one action.

  White-Lion raised her arms, closed her eyes, and began chanting. Nothing seemed to happen at first. Eile didn't know how long the spell would take to work, and she wasn't sure if she just felt impatient, but every moment that went by with no change made her all the more anxious. Then she smelled an odor like ozone, and moments later she heard what sounded like the crackle of static electricity. White-Lion's hair floated in serpentine locks around her head as her face shined and her eyes glowed. Meanwhile, St. Elmo's Fires danced along her fingertips.

  She became distracted when she noticed that the two unconscious bodies began to glow. Clouds of actinic blue mist that flashed with multiple, tiny sparks surrounded and obscured them before merging into a single mass. It wavered and pulsed as if alive, then stabilized. It split into two separate nebulas, which gradually faded, revealing two bodies as before. Except they appeared to be completely woman or dragon, not a mix of both.

  White-Lion fell silent and started to slump. Eile caught her before she collapsed and held her until she regained her senses.

  She gripped her head as she got her feet under her. "It's okay, I'm fine now."

  "Are you sure? It looked like that spell took a lot out of you."

  White-Lion stretched and took a deep breath. "Yeah, but it worked. Let's get her away from that thing."

  She didn't feel completely convinced. White-Lion sometimes overstated her wellbeing so that she wouldn't worry, but she could do little about it except keep an eye on her.

  They carried the countess back to the head of the stairs, and laid her against one of the pylons.

  "Cripes, she feels like she weighs a ton."

  White-Lion giggled. "She must be a healthy eater!"

  Eile looked over at the dragon. "What do we do about that?"

  White-Lion made a spitting noise. "It'll be out for hours. You hit it pretty hard, and I used my strongest sleep spell."

  "And what happens when it wakes up?"

  "By that time we'll be long gone."

  She looked down at the woman again, as a sinking feeling came over her. "How long will she be out?"

  White-Lion shrugged. "I'm not sure, at least several hours."

  "Can we wake her up?"

  "Nah. Like I said, I used my most powerful..." She let her voice trail off as her eyes and mouth widened into huge O's.

  "So we're gonna hafta carry her all the way down the mountain."

  "Eeep!"

  "How much did the count say he'd pay us?"

  "Twenty gold ducats."

  She shook her head. "It won't be nearly enough. Next time, let me do the negotiating, okay?

  White-Lion nodded, looking chagrined. "Yeah, okay."

  She sighed. "Alright, you take the legs, I'll take the shoulders. And take it easy! The count won't pay if we return her with a broken neck. And if you break yer leg, I can't carry you both. Cripes, after this I probably won't be able ta move for a week."

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  For more information on Eile and Sunny, Team Girl, see the official site [https://www.teamgirlforever.com/].

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  About the Author

  Kevin L. O'Brien was born with a pen in his hand.

  Well, not quite, but he has been writing for as long as he can remember, at least since First Grade. Writing has always been his first, true love, but it hasn't always been his career. He worked for 15 years as a biomedical researcher, then for 3 years as a web designer. However, after 30 years of trying to be published in print with little success, he has decided to try his hand at self-publishing. Most of his works will be sold as ebooks through various online retailers, but he also plans to make some available for free exclusively on Goodreads.

  He writes primarily speculative fiction--fantasy, science fiction, horror, and their sub-genres--but he also likes to try his hand at thrillers, suspense, mystery, and even westerns. However, his stories tend to have a fantasy element, no matter how subtle.

  Most of his stories involve the following three main characters:

  Medb hErenn [https://www.medbherenn.com/]--One-time queen of Ireland, she is over 3500 years old. A warrior and a sorceress, she cannot be harmed by any weapon made by the hand of man.

  Eile and Sunny, Team Girl [https://www.teamgirlforever.com/]--They are two adorable, vivacious, fun-loving young women whose motto is ONWARD TO ADVENTURE!!! Yet trouble follows them like a love-sick puppy wherever they go.

  Sir Differel Van Helsing [https://www.sir-differel.com/]--The descendent of Abraham Van Helsing and King Arthur, she heads the Caerleon Order, the premier monster-hunting organization of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. She commands Dracula, the most powerful vampire extant, and the greatsword Caliburn, better known as Excalibur.

  He also writes a series of sword & sorcery stories set in an alternative universe known as the Lands of the Dreams of Men.

  Kevin lives in Denver with his family and 4 cats.

  For more information, see the Songs of the Seanchai [https://www.seanchaisongs.com/].

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  Discover other titles by Kevin L. O'Brien:

  A fidus Aranea, Adventurer's Honeymoon, Barbarians R Us, The Beast of Exmoor, The Christmas Vampires, Dark Vengeance, A Deliberation of Morality, Desperate Acts, Disposable Commodities, Do Unto Others, Far-Sight, Feline Savior, Felis ex Machina, The Golden Mushroom, Gourmand Hag, Gratuitous Crossover, Gruff Tolls, Immanuel, In an Octopus's Garden, Inseparable, The Lions of Inganok, Man Friday, Masie's Mind, No Torrent Like Greed, Oak Do Hate, One-Percenter Vendetta, Post-Traumatic Redemption, The Price of Folly, Pride and Fall, Pyrrhic Victory, Redshirt, Rhapsody in Orange, Sacrificial Offering, Shenanigans, The Steel Gazelle, The Temple of Ubasti, A Typical Friday Night

  Enjoy these other titles at fine ebook retailers everywhere.

  Available on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/story/list/20075368

  The Denver Walker, The Differential Damsel, Dribble & Maggot in the Land of Dreams, Fun 'n' Games, A Little Hospitality, The Peril Gem, Road to Hell, The Surrogate, Survival and Sacrifice, We Deliver, Youthful Indiscretion

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  Connect with Kevin L. O'Brien Online:

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/KLOB_writer

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.l.obrien.1

  Website: https://www.seanchaisongs.com/

  DeviantArt: https://teamgirl-differel.deviantart.com/

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Kevin_L_OBrien

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  Sample Excerpts

  From "A Typical Friday Night"

  Eile and Sunny walked through the open door of the tavern, but hesitated as they looked around the crowded common room. A number of patrons glanced at them as they entered, and Eile noted that more than one pair of eyes lingered as they examined them closely, and probably undressed them. She figured that was to be expected. Though they liked to go pub crawling in their leisure time, they were probably an unexpected sight. The establishment did not look like the kind of place two adorable young girls would frequent, unless they were "working girls".

/>   Eile glanced at her partner as she searched for a couple of empty seats. Sunny wore a sleeveless doublet over a shirt and trousers, with boots; essentially men's attire, except her ensemble appeared finer, being decorated with brightly colored embroidery, lace, and frills, while the boots had spiked heels. However, her garments possessed more accessories than could be seen: the doublet had mail and metal scales sewn into the lining, and the tight-fitting pants were made of leather reinforced with strips of cuir bouilli stitched into the thighs. She wore the same; it served as their standard casual city dress, giving them freedom of movement and good protection while still looking like haute couture. However, the clothes clung tightly to their bodies, accentuating rather than obscuring their figures, which for Sunny was soft and voluptuous. She doubted her own thinner, tougher, more athletic frame held the same interest for their observers, but she could see how the two of them might resemble hoes looking for customers. Especially since they weren't armed; adventurers bore arms, trollops didn't.

  Sunny interrupted her thoughts by pointing at the trapezoidal bar. "There!"

  Eile followed her direction and saw an open spot along its front face. "Come on, let's grab it before someone else does."

  They hurried over and crowded in between two bruisers. Once they had made room for themselves, Eile looked around some more. "You sure this is the place?"

  Sunny reached down and pulled a folded piece of paper out of her belt. She opened it and flattened it out on the smooth stone countertop, then