Hellhound Blues Read online

  “You’re going to feed it? Really?”

  “Yes. Meat please,” the dragon said. “Bring enough.”

  “Enough?” Cole asked. “What does that even mean?”

  “Upwards of ten pounds,” Frank answered. “Unless you’d like to donate an arm or leg to his meal?”

  I really liked the dragon.

  “Since when do you speak hellhound?” Cole said. “Do those things even have a language?”

  “They can be understood,” Frank answered. “I’d try explaining it to you, but that would require a working brain.”

  “Ha, ha, hilarious,” Cole said, stepping out from behind the bar, keeping his eyes on me, and heading to the back. “I hope he eats you, but it would probably poison him.”

  “Did you say meat?” I asked as Cole stepped out of sight.

  THREE

  THE SMALL DRAGON paced back and forth on the bar, looking down at me every time he turned. Bright sparks flew off his body whenever he shook his head or tail.

  “Someone cast a Babel spell on you,” Frank said. “This tells me a few things.”

  “A what?” I asked, curious. I’d never heard the term before.

  “The way you spoke and Cole understood you, nearly giving him a heart attack,” Frank replied. “That can only happen with a Babel spell.”

  “That was the cold girl,” I said. “She touched me.”

  “The cold what?” Frank asked, stopping his pacing. “Wait” —he looked around—“where is the destructive duo?”

  “Simon is gone.”

  “Did you eat him out of house and home?”

  “I don’t eat all the time,” I said with a chuff.

  “Of course you don’t,” Frank started, “only when you’re awake.”

  Cole came in, placed a large bowl of meat in front of me, and stepped back slowly without giving me his back. I don’t know why he was scared. I took a few moments to examine the bowl. It was full of tasty meat. This meat wasn’t as good as the place, but it was good.

  I began to eat it slowly. Simon always tells me not to eat too fast, it’s bad manners. I tried to make sure it lasted longer than my usual. I also didn’t bite the bowl…much.

  I’m positive Simon would’ve been proud.

  Frank stared at me after I was done.

  “That must have been what? Seven seconds?”

  “I made sure not to hurry,” I replied. “Simon says it’s bad manners to eat too fast.”

  “That was you taking your time?” Cole asked, looking at Frank. “We don’t have enough meat if he’s planning on staying here longer than an hour.”

  “You have more meat?” I asked.

  “Where did he go, hound?” Frank asked, getting my attention by shaking his tail. “Do you know?”

  “Who?”

  “Simon? Your bondmate,” Frank said. “Did you see where he went?”

  “I didn’t. He touched the lines on his hand, I saw the light, and he was gone.”

  “What do you mean the ‘lines on his hand’?”

  “Whenever things are very bad,” I started, “he sometimes touches the lines on his hand, and he goes.”

  “He goes?” Frank asked, looking at me. “Hold on a second, how did you find me?”

  “I smelled you.”

  “Are you saying I smell?”

  Cole gave a short laugh from behind Frank, and then went back to cleaning up the glass when Frank turned to stare at him.

  “Yes,” I said. “Your energy smells like you.”

  “Smell…you mean energy signatures? That’s how you know where everyone is?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I can find anyone by their smell.”

  “But right now, you can’t smell Simon,” Frank said slowly. “Right?”

  “No,” I said. “I can’t smell him. Our bond is breaking.”

  “Breaking? That can’t be good.”

  Frank looked around at the shattered bottles and the empty bowl of meat. He must have sensed what I was thinking.

  “Another bowl of meat would be good,” I said.

  “Another what?” Frank said, shaking his head. “We need to get out of here before Grey comes back with his deranged sword and Koda, who makes the sword look sane.”

  “Does this mean the meat is finished?” I asked, a little disappointed.

  “Really?” Frank said. “When you get focused, you’re like a dog with a—oh, nevermind. No. We can’t be here when Grey and Koda get back. He’s homicidally irritable on his good days. After he sees those bottles—well, it won’t be pretty.”

  “At least I didn’t destroy the wall,” I said. “Simon says restraint is important.”

  Frank stared at me for a few seconds and then looked at Cole, who had just finished cleaning up the glass, and was now mopping the floor.

  “That’s you showing restraint?”

  “Yes, I’ve been practicing.” I said, puffing out my chest. “My bark was soft this time.”

  “Now, I know why people fear for their property around you three,” Frank answered. “Speaking of massive destruction—where’s Montague?”

  “The angry man went to see the old man with the big sausage and his bird.”

  “That sounds so wrong on so many levels,” Frank said with a shake of his tail. “We’re going to need help.”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “We don’t need helldog help,” Frank answered. “Who cast the Babel spell on you if it wasn’t Montague?”

  “Hound,” I said with a low growl. “Hellhound.”

  “There’s a difference?” Frank asked.

  “Are you a lizard?”

  “Point taken,” Frank replied. “We need another mage—someone with skill.”

  “I know. I’m here to take you to help.”

  “Take me to who?”

  “The cold girl and the beautiful dog.”

  Frank stared at me for another long time. At least I think it was a long time. Simon says I live in the eternal now and that I’m very Zen that way. Whatever that means.

  “We’re going to have to work on improving your vocabulary,” Frank said, jumping off the bar and landing on a nearby table.

  “That would be bad.”

  “Cold girl and the beautiful dog sounds like some new age music group,” Frank said. “Music you couldn’t pay me to listen to.”

  “The cold girl is special, like you.”

  “Like me?” Frank asked. “You mean she’s a mage?”

  I chuffed. “A cold one.”

  “That might work.” Frank took another look around. “In any case, we need to be gone. Grey isn’t just cranky, he’s mostly anti-social. He hates everyone equally.”

  “Simon says everyone loves dogs, especially the small ones.”

  “Which you are not,” Frank said, looking me up and down. “What’s bad about getting you a better vocabulary?”

  “If my vocabulary gets better, that is a bad thing,” I said. “It means I am approaching Peaches XL.”

  “Peaches XL?” Frank looked around my body. “What’s that?”

  “If my bond with Simon is broken, I will take on my battlemode and grow.”

  “Oh, this just keeps getting better,” Frank muttered. “This battlemode…how big?”

  “Big enough to destroy this city.”

  “Cole,” Frank yelled quickly. “I’m going out.”

  “Good,” Cole yelled back. “Take the demon dog with you.”

  “Hellhound,” I corrected. “My name is not demon dog.”

  “It has a name…really?” Cole asked, looking from me to Frank, who nodded. “Of course you do. What’s your name?”

  “My name is Peaches.”

  Frank’s body crackled with blue energy.

  “Peaches, I think you better take me to your friend now,” Frank said, looking at Cole. “Tell Grey I’m over at Montague’s dealing with a…situation.”

  “Will you need an assist?” Cole asked. “Or”—he stifled a laugh�
��“do you and the hellhound have everything under control?”

  Frank shook his tail. “Did anyone ever comment on how funny you are?”

  “Not really, no,” Cole answered. “Can’t say I’ve been called funny.”

  “Good,” Frank answered. “No need to break the trend then.”

  Frank jumped on my shoulder, and we stepped in-between.

  FOUR

  WE RETURNED TO the cold girl’s home, but something was wrong. I smelled a familiar energy filling the space. Rags and the cold girl were in the room, but I couldn’t see them.

  “You sure you didn’t need to take a left at Alberquer—?” Frank started and leaped off my back as a blast of black energy crashed into the wall above me. “What the hell?”

  On the other side of the room, behind a wall of energy, I saw Rags standing in front of the cold girl. She growled when she saw me. The cold girl looked scared and angry.

  “Be careful, Peaches!” Cece called out. “Those are bad dogs!”

  “They followed you, hellhound,” Rags said, growling again. “Why are they after you and what is that creature?”

  “Hey, I’m not a creature,” Frank snapped. “I’m a dragon.”

  The snarl from behind me got my attention. I turned to face one of the few creatures that could hurt me.

  “Shadowhounds,” Frank said with a voice of disgust. “Well, that was unexpected.”

  Shadowhounds were like wolves, except much bigger. Simon warned me about their claws and fangs, which would hurt me and make me sick. He said they were designed to shred everything, especially hellhounds.

  “These are bad dogs,” I said with a growl. “We must stop them from hurting the cold girl.”

  “Astute, but not entirely helpful,” Rags answered. “They arrived shortly after you left, hellhound.”

  “What the f—?” Frank glanced over to where Cece stood. “I mean, what the heck is going on? You didn’t say anything about Shadowhounds. Those things are a pain in the”—another glance at Cece—“rear to deal with. And what is that with the little girl—a bear?”

  “I am the Miss’s guardian,” Rags answered. “My only responsibility is to keep her safe from harm. The Shadowhounds will not get past my shield.”

  Frank stared at Cece. “You didn’t just hit the hellhound with a Babel spell,” Frank said. “You are a Babel spell. Did you know she was a magical facilitator? Either that, or I’m hallucinating, and I can hear that bear speak.”

  “I am not a bear, and yes, the Miss creates an area of clairaudience around her person,” Rags said. “Mage Montague is trying to help her get her abilities safely under control.”

  “How about letting us get behind your shield?” Frank asked. “That way we can all be safe?”

  Rags growled at Frank. “In order to allow you behind my shield, I would need to drop it first,” she said. “If that occurs, they will attack. The answer is no.”

  Three Shadowhounds closed in on us.

  “Your bear friend isn’t very friendly,” Frank said, stepping close to me. “Now, what was it that stopped these things?”

  “She’s not a bear,” I said glancing at Rags. “She’s a guardian.”

  “Oh no,” Frank said, shaking his tail. “You have a crush on the bear? Are you kidding me right now?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, confused. “I would never crush her. Have you seen how beautiful she is?”

  “Yeah, sure, whatever,” Frank answered, waving my words away. “She’s going to be lunch if we don’t stop those hounds.”

  “I won’t let that happen,” I said with a low growl. “I will keep them safe.”

  “It’s been forever since I faced one of these things,” Frank said mostly to himself, running under me and moving to the wall next to Rag’s shield. “What stopped them again?”

  “Lizard,” Rags said as Frank leaped over me and away from the teeth of a Shadowhound. I jumped back and avoided a swipe from the closest hound.

  “Eldritch rain, eldritch frames?” Frank said to himself as he dodged another bite from one of the Shadowhounds. “Hey! I’m thinking here!”

  “Eldritch flame,” Rags said from behind her shield. “Or light, specifically concentrated light.”

  “Light?” Frank asked. “I can do light. Watch your eyes.”

  Frank shook his tail and closed his eyes. He started glowing and exploded in blue light a second later, making it hard to see.

  The Shadowhounds growled and snapped at him, but stayed back. Frank became too bright to look at, as blue energy jumped off his body and filled the room.

  I still smelled the Shadowhounds. Whatever Frank was doing wasn’t working.

  “Stop, Frank,” I said, shaking my body and feeling the energy inside. “Your light isn’t working.”

  “I said ‘concentrated’ light,” Rags said. “Not illuminate the entire building.”

  “Your grouchy bear needs to relax,” Frank said as he stopped glowing. “I don’t see you trying to stop these hounds. What can you do besides give bad instructions?”

  “I am not a bear, I’m a garmr,” Rags answered. “I’m doing what I’m supposed to do: protecting the Miss.”

  The Shadowhounds were moving again now that the bright light was gone. I felt an energy shift inside, and red beams of light shot out from my eyes.

  “Whoa!” Frank yelled, leaping to the side, and ducking under my baleful glare. “A little warning next time!”

  I focused on the Shadowhound closest to me. The red beams from my eyes went through its body and into the wall behind it. The Shadowhound disappeared in a black cloud of energy. The other two sank low to the ground, growling. They were getting ready to pounce.

  I looked to the side, making a deep hole in the wall. Closing my eyes, I rolled to the side and felt a Shadowhound jump next to me. I opened my eyes and the baleful glare hit Rag’s shield and bounced into one of the remaining Shadowhounds, erasing it. I closed my eyes again and stepped in-between.

  The Shadowhound followed me. I opened my eyes, but my baleful glare was gone.

  FIVE

  “SOMEBODY DOESN’T LIKE you,” Frank said next to me. “I haven’t seen Shadowhounds in decades.”

  I looked down and realized that Frank had stepped in-between with me. The in-between was always empty, it was the first time I’d seen someone that I hadn’t carried there myself. It wasn’t dark or bright, and there was no way to find a top or bottom. It was in-between everything. This was the first time I saw someone in-between with me.

  “How did you get here?”

  “You aren’t the only one that can teleport,” Frank said, wagging his tail and pointing at the snarling Shadowhound. “What happened to your laser beams?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered, looking at the Shadowhound. “Don’t let it bite or scratch you.”

  Energy crackled around Frank’s body.

  “Wasn’t planning on becoming anyone’s lunch today,” Frank said, sending energy in every direction. “Let’s take down tall, dark, and ferocious before we figure out who wants to erase you.”

  Frank disappeared and reappeared next to the Shadowhound who leaped at him. I jumped forward and bumped my head into the Shadowhound’s body.

  I have a very hard head.

  The runes on my sides gave off a red glow as I clamped my teeth around the Shadowhound’s neck. It tried to shake free, but I clamped down harder.

  “Can you use your light?” I asked Frank. “Not bright like before, but like my eyes. All the light in one place.”

  “I’m a dragon, not a hellhound,” Frank snapped back. “I don’t fire laser beams from my eyes.”

  “Do you have dritchy flame?”

  “Eldritch flame? No, I’m not that kind of dragon. But I can try and focus my electrical energy.”

  “That would be good. This bad dog wants to get free,” I said, trying to hold the squirming Shadowhound in one place. “Can you do it now, please?”

  Frank began glowing a
gain. “This is either going to work, or we are all going to explode,” Frank muttered. “Fifty-fifty chance.”

  “Do it,” I said without releasing my jaws. “Now.”

  Frank glowed even brighter. The glow traveled down his body and into his tail. He turned and aimed his tail at the Shadowhound. The Shadowhound I held in my jaws.

  “Hold still, and don’t move around too much,” Frank said, closing one eye and pointing his tail. “I’ve never really done this before.”

  “In two seconds, I’m going to open my mouth and let this bad dog chew on you,” I said. “Shoot…the…light.”

  “I’m trying not to hit you, you dumb hellhound,” Frank shot back. “Now, hold…still.”

  The blue glow became even brighter. A beam of bright light shot from Frank’s tail through the Shadowhound and into me.

  SIX

  I OPENED MY eyes in the cold girl’s home.

  “You’re much tougher than a Shadowhound,” Frank said, looking down at my face. “My tail beam, however, was spot on.”

  “You hit me with it,” I said, getting to my paws slowly and shaking my head. I felt different.

  “After I hit the Shadowhound,” Frank said. “I told you to stand still. By the way, have you been putting on weight?”

  “Putting on weight?” I asked. “I have not altered the density of my body—why do you ask?”

  “Altered the density—?” Frank asked. “Since when do you speak like a professor?”

  “The bond has grown weaker,” Rags said, nudging Cece away from me. “Don’t get too close, Miss. He may become dangerous.”

  “Peaches would never hurt us,” Cece said. “Right, you wouldn’t hurt us?”

  “As far as it is in my capacity to keep you from harm, I will do so,” I said. “But your guardian is correct. It would be best if you kept your distance from me. Proximity to my battlemode may cause you to become collateral damage.”

  Cece ran over and hugged me by the neck.

  “You won’t hurt us, no matter what happens to you,” Cece said, her face buried in my neck. “You’re good. Not like those bad dogs.”

  I noticed that she didn’t need to crouch as much to wrap her arms around my neck. I was growing, which meant I was running out of time.