like to be ordered around, because I didn’t even have a chance to get my glare really warmed up before he lifted one hand in capitulation. “Pax. I will speak with the wyverns as
“Fair enough. But no antagonizing the situation, not that we’re sitting horribly pretty at the moment, but there’s no need for everyone to get riled up again.”
With a noise of impatience, he rose to leave the room, standing aside when May and Aisling entered. He shot me one last penetrating glance before Pavel and he followed Jim out the door.
“We’re good, if you guys want to take a little break,” Aisling told the three guards. Maata and Tipene exchanged glances, hesitating.
“We promise we won’t do anything but talk,” May added with a smile. The two silver guards nodded and left the room, leaving us with Mikhail, who still watched me with fascinated anticipation.
“Boo!” I told him.
He jumped a good foot in the air.
“Shoo. We want to be alone,” Aisling said, holding the door open for him.
He gave me a big berth, but left the room.
“Finally,” Aisling said with a sigh, sitting across from me. “Before we get started, I wanted to ask you about Jim.”
“I’m really sorry, Aisling. I’ve tried everything I can think of to change it back.”
“Is it your magic gone”—she waggled her fingers in the air—“wonky?”
“I think so. Nothing seems to be coming out right.”
“I thought having the Grace of the Magi put on you was going to correct that,” said May.
“I thought so, too, but it hasn’t. Obviously, something else is messing with my ability to draw the magic correctly. You tried to order Jim into doggy form?” I asked Aisling.
“Several times. And although it changes to its normal form, it pops right back to the human one after a couple of minutes. It’s like whatever you did is overriding its choice of form.”
“That’s just bizarre. I have no idea what happened with my spell to do that to it.”
Jim, who had come back into the room in the middle of the discussion, gave me a pathetic look. “I’m not going to have to stay this way, am I? This form totally sucks. I can’t pee on things in the yard, I can’t lick my own package, I can’t slobber on Cecile’s adorable furry little ears. . . . It just sucks.”
Aisling shot it a quelling look. “Go sit with the others.”
“Why?” it asked suspiciously. “You going to talk about something racy? You going to compare techniques, or sizes, or the way—”
“Go!” Aisling ordered.
Jim went, slamming the door behind it.
“I can’t believe I’m suggesting this, but it does seem to be in distress,” May said, once the demon was gone. “Can’t you talk to Dr. Kostich? Maybe he could help you.”
“He wasn’t very happy with me when I saw him last. But . . . oh, what the hell. It’s not like he can do anything else to me, right?”
The room was uncomfortably silent as not one single person in it met my eyes.
I sighed. “Yeah, he could. All right, I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I think it would be best if Jim came with me, though, in case Kostich can lift the spell, or whatever it is I’ve done.”
“He’ll meet you at the hotel,” Aisling promised.
“Maybe if you came with us, Kostich might be more prone to fix things?” I suggested.
Aisling made a face. “There’s no love lost between us, but I’ll go with Jim if you think it would help. Speaking of Dr. Kostich and your job, though, May told me only the barest of information about it. What exactly is it you need help with?”
I gave them a succinct description of my meeting with Violet and her father.
“Dr. Kostich has a granddaughter who’s a dragon?” Aisling’s jaw sagged for a few seconds before she gave a hoot of laughter. “Oh, I can’t wait to tell Drake! To think that Kostich has a dragon in the family—that’s rich. That’s really rich. But who are the ouroboros group this granddaughter is hanging around with?”
“I have no idea. I was hoping that perhaps you two might be able to tell me more about ouroboros dragons.”
“I don’t know much about them,” Aisling admitted, leaning back as she thought. “We ran into some in the aerie in Nepal, but Drake wouldn’t tell me anything other than they didn’t belong to any sept.”
“Yes,” I said slowly, thinking of the vision with a sense of dread that clutched my stomach with cold, clammy fingers.
May watched me with interest. “Is something bothering you?”
The door opened before I could answer, and two pairs of arms shoved Jim inside the room before the door was slammed shut again.
Aisling raised her eyebrows.
Jim grinned. “They kicked me out of their meeting. Something about not contributing to the discussion in a manner that was helpful. Man, those dragons are a pushy lot. Literally. You guys hatchin’ a plan to take down Kostich?”
“Good lord, no!” I said, startled by the idea.
“Crap. That would’ve been fun. So, what are we doing if not taking down Mr. Important?”
“I was about to tell May and Aisling about the vision I had.”
“Did I miss another group one? I’m gonna be pissed if I did, because those are always fun. Cold, but fun. So what was this one about?”
I hesitated for a few seconds, then carefully picking my words, described the scene at the weyr.
Aisling looked confused for a few minutes. “That must have been right when Kostya was imprisoned. But who was the woman? And you said there was a ghost who was her servant? Why would a woman with a ghost be interested in capturing Kostya?”
“That’s a really good question.” I glanced at Jim doubtfully. “You’ll keep quiet about what’s said here, right, Jim?”
“Of course it will,” Aisling answered for it, leaning forward toward me. “Spill.”
I took a deep breath. “I can’t think of any reason someone would be interested in Kostya unless that person was also a dragon. Thus it makes sense that the woman who was in charge of the ouroboros group had to be a dragon, and I can think of only one person who is a dragon and yet has the ability to raise ghosts.”
“Kostich’s granddaughter,” May said, her eyes widening as she thought it through.
I nodded. Jim whistled.
“This Maura person is responsible for Kostya being confined in his aerie?” Aisling asked, her brow wrinkled. “Why? What would she gain from it?”
“I have no idea. That’s why I hoped you two could tell me about this group of dragons.”
“Tribe,” May said absently. “Gabriel told me that ouroboros dragons form tribes, led by a chieftain, instead of forming septs. The question is, why would Maura’s mother make it sound like the tribe is holding Maura against her will if she’s really their leader?”
“Another good question. The Akashic League said she would be in touch with me, but I haven’t heard anything yet. I plan on telling her that I’d like a dragon resurrected, in order to meet with her in person and assess the situation. I have no idea what I’ll tell Dr. Kostich if it turns out she’s leading the band of dragons that’s plaguing him.”
“Yes, that might do very well,” Aisling said slowly, lost in thought. “Resurrecting a dragon is a good excuse, because it’s such an involved act, and it takes time to prepare, which would give you some space to figure out what Maura’s role is in the whole shebang.”
“What dragon?” Jim asked, plopping itself down on the couch next to Aisling.
“I don’t know. Does it matter?” I asked.
“Sure it does. A little itty-bitty dragon wouldn’t be much trouble. What you want is a big dragon, someone important, someone who is going to give this Maura chick some trouble. Someone like Constantine.”
I stared at Jim. “Constantine? Why him?”
