The Scepter Heist (The Dragon Rogues Book 2), page 26
The power he detected was significant. Potent.
And he didn’t know whether he would be able to resist it.
“What is it?” Matthew whispered.
“I think Heziah is here.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Matthew slipped something into Jonathan’s hand. Jonathan glanced down briefly, realizing that Matthew had handed him several El’aras charms. Jonathan put on the bracelet and two rings, but he still didn’t feel as well protected as he needed to be.
“I wish I had another sword,” he muttered.
“You and me both,” Matthew said.
Jonathan took a deep breath, trying to brace for whatever they would be dealing with, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he looked down at the scepter in hand. Throughout the fight, he hadn’t lost it. He had nearly done so, though.
“What are we going to do with it?” Matthew asked.
“Well, I can’t give it to him, can I?”
“No. Not Heziah,” Matthew said softly.
They moved forward, and a tingling sensation prickled Jonathan’s skin. He rubbed his arms and swept his gaze around him, but he didn’t see anything. They had planned to make a swap, but he wasn’t sure they would be able to do that.
A burst of cold washed over him. The force of it was powerful enough that Jonathan could scarcely move—or breathe. It reminded him of what Jayna had done when she’d used her overwhelming surge of magic around him. This amount of magic was so much that he wondered if he could even deal with anything like it.
Heziah approached. He was alone, but Jonathan doubted that he was truly alone. Knowing Heziah, he probably had others watching in the shadows to make sure he was protected. Jonathan didn’t know what kind of men Heziah would hire, but he believed that Heziah probably had some thugs to keep him safe.
Jonathan looked over to Matthew. “Well?”
“Let’s do this,” Matthew said.
They walked toward Heziah.
Heziah glanced at the scepter in Jonathan’s hands. “Jonathan Dragon, successful at the impossible. You have truly earned your name, have you not?”
Jonathan flicked his gaze along the street, looking for any sign of additional attackers, but he saw nothing. “How many men do you have with you?”
Heziah pushed down his hood and smirked. “How many do you think I need? I figured your friend Matthew would’ve scouted the street by now.”
“Matthew was with me.”
“He was not. I believe you did the job with the other two, surprisingly enough. You took a unique approach, which, again, I was intrigued by. I thought you would have found a direct way to do it. I certainly gave you enough help.”
Heziah’s eyes darted to the charms that Jonathan wore. Had he been responsible for the El’aras items? Gods, had they fallen into another trap? More importantly, Heziah had known how they’d pulled the job. Jonathan hadn’t thought that anybody had followed them into the Society house given the circuitous route they had taken, but if anybody would’ve been able to, it was Heziah.
“Where are they?” Heziah asked.
“They didn’t make it out,” Jonathan said, trying to sound remorseful.
“That doesn’t sound like the Dragon. I don’t believe that you would leave any of your people behind. So perhaps you have not lived up to your nickname.”
“I wouldn’t leave anyone behind,” Jonathan said, letting anger fill his voice. When it came to Heziah, the anger was real. There wasn’t anything he could do about it. He felt impotent when it came to carrying out any sort of vengeance. And now that he had learned that Heziah might have been responsible for their learning about the El’aras charms, he felt even more like he could do nothing.
“How were they captured?” Heziah asked. He glanced over to the Society house, though Jonathan still had the feeling that Heziah was watching him, as if trying to determine how much Jonathan would share.
It was almost enough to make Jonathan smile. He didn’t mind Heziah’s distrust. He needed to find an opening, though he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. He had to delay, to buy himself some time. And if Heziah saw Elizabeth and Leland leave the Society, he might go after them.
Jonathan still had to find a way to protect them.
“Didn’t you hear the explosions?” Jonathan asked.
Heziah turned toward him, almost lazily. “I didn’t need to hear them. I felt them.”
“Then you should know what happened.”
There was something strange about the way Heziah regarded Jonathan, yet he wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Could it be possible that Heziah didn’t know about the El’aras jewelry? Maybe it wasn’t him. Perhaps they could still mask the magic. That was all Jonathan needed to do to give the others a chance to sneak out.
“I did feel considerable magic,” Heziah said. “I wasn’t expecting for you to make it out, but then again, you are the Dragon. I suppose that if anybody could escape the Society house, it would be you.”
Jonathan smirked. “I should take that as a compliment.”
“Take it as you want.”
Jonathan held the scepter up. Heziah had been eyeing it this whole time.
“What is this?” Jonathan asked.
“Something that does not matter to you.”
“You had me break into the Society. I think I deserve an answer.”
Heziah scoffed. “You deserve what I’m willing to share with you.”
“That’s how it is?” Jonathan said. “All I want is to know what this is.”
Heziah glowered at him. Then he lunged.
Jonathan—and, more importantly, Matthew—had anticipated that.
Matthew hurriedly triggered his enchantments, setting off barriers all along the street that separated them from Heziah. Multiple layers formed in between them. Heziah pressed his hands against the thick barrier, frowning in concentration as he tried to rip through the enchantments.
“You will find that we have prepared these enchantments well enough even for you,” Jonathan said.
Heziah’s brow darkened. “Do you think you can hold this long enough to escape from me? Do you think you can stay ahead of me? Once I come after you, I will—”
Jonathan held up the scepter. “All I want is to know what this is. Then you can have it.”
“What will that change?” Heziah said, glaring.
“It will change—”
Somebody attacked the barrier behind them. Matthew spun, unsheathed his sword in a fluid movement, and sliced through a burst of enchanted magic. The man coming at them had dark eyes and olive skin, and he was dressed in black. He moved stealthily and seemed to be holding several different enchantments.
But he had to face Matthew.
Matthew lunged forward with a sudden speed and fluidity that was incredible. He slashed his sword and carved through the man’s chest, leaving a gaping wound. The man gasped and dropped a handful of items.
Jonathan strode over to him and scooped the enchantments up, but they began to disintegrate in his hand.
He turned to Heziah. “I presume you made these?”
Heziah glanced briefly to the fallen man before turning to Matthew. “I am surprised you have decided to operate so openly. There are more and more like you these days,” he said, irritation flooding his voice.
“There’s nothing open about what I’ve done,” Matthew said.
“I’m also surprised you would risk the king discovering that he has El’aras within his borders.”
Jonathan held the scepter and tapped it against one hand. “He isn’t El’aras. At least, the El’aras don’t consider him to be one of them, and that is all that matters.”
“Hand it over, and this can all be done,” Heziah said.
“Until you share with us what we’re dealing with, this won’t be over. Just tell me why you had me take and why it was so important that I be the one to go after it, not you.”
Heziah growled. “Fine. It is the Scepter of Liandar.”
Matthew stiffened. Jonathan glanced over to him, but he just shook his head slightly.
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Jonathan asked Heziah.
Heziah shrugged. “No. It shouldn’t. The scepter is inert. There are some who fear that it might still have some magical qualities, but unfortunately, as I’m sure you have ascertained, there is nothing remaining of the scepter that carries any magic. It is, as I said, inert. It is a relic of a time long gone.”
“If it’s inert, then why do you care about it?”
“Consider me curious,” Heziah said. “I’m someone who likes to understand items from the past. It is simply the curse of someone like myself, a sorcerer of some power.”
What Matthew had claimed about Heziah came back to Jonathan, and he knew that it was not simply a matter of his sorcery. Heziah was something else. Perhaps something worse. That was what they had to be careful with now.
“Why?” Jonathan asked. He needed to buy time.
“Partly because of the jewel, as there aren’t many like it.”
Jonathan eyed the jewel on the end of the scepter. There was no doubt that it was valuable. Then again, it was probably the least valuable part of it, especially if there was still something magical to it.
“And what is the other part?” Jonathan asked.
“My curiosity.” Heziah flashed a wicked smile. “Even though it’s inert, the Society still views it as important, which tells me that there is something about it that must be studied. I have decided to be the one to do the studying.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s all that should matter to you, Jonathan Aguelon.”
There came another surge of magic. It was faint, but it was enough for Jonathan to recognize that it was moving near him. He glanced over to Matthew and nodded. Another man dressed in black started to creep toward them with enchantments in hand. Matthew slashed at the magic coming from him, then quickly cut him down.
Jonathan turned his attention back to Heziah. “I don’t know how many more of these men you have with you, but we both know they won’t pose a danger to Matthew.”
Enchantments began to explode around him. He could feel the magic outside the barrier.
Jonathan looked back at Heziah. Amusement glittered in the sorcerer’s eyes.
“You were saying?” Heziah said.
“I thought you wanted the scepter, but this was never about me getting it for you. This was about me.”
Heziah smiled darkly. “I don’t forget.”
“No?” Jonathan said with a smirk. “But you did make a mistake.”
“What mistake was that?”
“Telling me your weakness.” Jonathan nodded. “You see, back when you were working with us, you admitted that you were not particularly fond of certain things. I take it as my responsibility to get to know my team, especially people who are new to me. Since you were new to the team, I went looking for information, to better understand how you might—”
“Get on with it,” Matthew snapped.
“I’m getting to it,” Jonathan said, then turned back to Heziah. “What you said was that you struggled when you were first learning magic with a particular aspect. Then I remembered something my sister had told me. Struggles during the first stages of magic are often the same struggles with later stages of magic.” Jonathan looked at Matthew. “Do it.”
Matthew disappeared into the darkness.
Jonathan eyed Heziah again. “It’s just the two of us now. Is there anything you want to say?”
Heziah watched him. “In a few moments, when your friend fails, my people will converge upon you. Your enchantments will fade, and then I will have the item.”
“I never intended to keep it from you.”
Heziah hesitated. “You did not?”
Jonathan grinned. He took the scepter and flicked it toward the barrier. It parted the magic, rolling through it and coming to rest at Heziah’s feet.
Heziah grabbed it and held it up. “How is this a weakness?”
“It’s not,” Jonathan said. “Anyway, there you go. The job is over. Take your scepter and leave me.”
Another explosion sounded, and then another, and then another. They came rapidly, and Heziah turned in place, circling as he focused on Jonathan.
“Oh,” Jonathan said. “I suppose you thought I was working on my own. I did ask the Society to help.”
Heziah’s eyes narrowed. “You would not have.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Are you willing to take a gamble on the possibility that I wouldn’t have asked for the Society’s help? Perhaps you think you can overpower several sorcerers. You have made it quite clear that you are so strong,” Jonathan said, adding a note of mockery to his voice, “but what about a half dozen? A dozen? More than that?” He paused. “My sister?”
The explosions continued to crackle, more and more slamming toward Heziah. He used a barrier of his own, but Jonathan saw the hesitation in his eyes. It brought a smile to Jonathan’s face.
“This isn’t over, Aguelon,” Heziah said.
“Oh, yes it is.”
Heziah stretched his hands out. With a burst of white light, he was gone. Explosions continued to thunder, before finally beginning to ease. When they did, Jonathan stepped away.
The facade shielded Matthew, along with Elizabeth.
“He’s gone?” Matthew asked.
“He’s gone,” Jonathan replied.
“And will the Society go after him?”
Jonathan frowned, glancing toward the Society house. “I hope so. The enchantments we exploded were merely to draw their attention. Once they realize that the scepter is gone”—he had made certain to leave a particular trigger inside to get them to notice its absence—“they will go after it, as well as the one responsible for it.”
“And then what?” Elizabeth asked.
“Oh, I don’t think we have to worry about him.”
“Why not?” Leland asked, striding out of the darkness.
“Because I really did know his weakness.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
When Jonathan stepped into Vileforn’s palace, he started toward the small figure crouched on the ground in front of the hearth before realizing it wasn’t Elizabeth.
“Jayna,” he said. “Why am I not surprised to find you here?”
His sister looked up and pushed the hood of her black cloak back. A bit of smoke swirled around her, something he had seen frequently in his interactions with her. He wondered if that was the power she had claimed she’d been dabbling in. He didn’t expect her to tell him or share anything about what she was involved in, but maybe it was good that she was here.
“Did you take it for him?” she said.
He regarded her for a long moment, and his mind worked through what he had experienced. He’d been used by his sister before, but he hadn’t expected her to use him again. In fact, this time, she’d tried to talk him out of the job. Still, she also didn’t look altogether surprised.
“You wanted me to take it, didn’t you?” Jonathan asked.
Jayna got to her feet, and she glanced past him to Matthew. Matthew had one hand on the hilt of his sword, and he stood ready. Leland was behind Matthew, avoiding her gaze.
Jonathan coughed, and Jayna looked back toward him. “Well?”
“What makes you think that I wanted you to do anything?” she said.
“Only because you seem so motivated to tell me not to do anything. Then, all of a sudden, we had access to other items. Ones that led to our success.”
He had started to think that Heziah might have been responsible for the El’aras items, but now he wasn’t as certain. It made as much sense for it to have been Jayna as it did for it to have been Heziah, especially given that she was here waiting for him after he had just completed the job.
“Why do you think it was me?” Jayna said.
Jonathan crossed his arms. “It wasn’t you?”
Could he be wrong? No. Jonathan watched his sister, and though he didn’t know her the way he once had, he recognized the hint of a smirk and the slight edge to her that suggested she knew all about this.
“I didn’t want you to break into the Society house,” she said. “It couldn’t be done.”
“Apparently, it can,” Jonathan said. He headed into the room and took a seat, motioning for her to sit across the table from him. Jayna joined him, and she sat tense, her hands clasped in her lap. “If you didn’t want us to do the job, then why are you here?”
“Because I knew that somebody broke into the Society.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Jayna said. “I can feel when that kind of magic is used.”
“And what kind of magic is that?” Jonathan asked.
“The kind you used tonight.” She nodded to him. “You have enchantments on you now.”
“You can detect them?”
Jayna shrugged. “That is one of my talents.”
Jonathan flicked his gaze to Matthew, then back to his sister. She knew about him, then. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I’m not trying to surprise you. I’m simply telling you,” she said.
“Fine. I went into the Society house.”
“How many sorcerers did you kill?” She asked the question softly, dangerously. Magic tingled along his skin, and Jonathan had a sense that if he answered this wrong, not only would his sister be angry with him, but there would be consequences.
“None,” he said.
She glanced over to Matthew. “None?”
Jonathan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “None. Why would we have killed any sorcerers?”
“To get in and out of the Society house, there would be—”
“We didn’t kill any,” Jonathan repeated. “I know better than to do anything like that. I value my freedom far too much.”
She arched a brow at him. “I felt the nature of that magic.”
“A distraction. Nothing else.”
“That wasn’t the kind of magic used for distractions. I know it too well.”
Was she talking about the kind of enchantment he had used, or the kind Matthew had used? Jonathan suspected that Matthew had added some aspect of his own ability into the enchantment, though he couldn’t be certain. It was the only explanation that made sense given how powerful those enchantments had seemed when Matthew had saved him from the sorcerers.
