Night Witch (Book 1) ✔️

1 - The Call

The green dragon wouldn't listen to sense and get off the roof of the dilapidated house. I'd been yelling at it for the past hour and it wouldn't budge. Of course, the owner of said roof, a dark skinned mix of pixie and incubus, was smirking at me with a look that said, "I tried that, too".

The little green dragon has shiny scales and one line of black protruding spikes running down it's back with bat like wings a dull green. It cocks its head at me and I'm reminded why I like dogs better than cats.

"Come on, you silly thing," I coo in a happy voice and hold out my arms as if to a baby.

It chirps back at me and shuffles to the edge of the roof.

That worked?

Stepping closer to the house, I make a few more encouraging noises and the dragon leans halfway off the roof. The reason for the call becomes evident as its large, talon tipped feet curl over the gutters while its head reaches towards me. The talons, black enameled things larger than my hand, punch through the asphalt shingles and definitely fit the animal it will grow into rather than the hatchling it is now.

Just as it reaches out a curious nose towards me my phone lets out a large trill. The dragon rears back and scrambles onto the roof again.

"Argh!" I curse and turn to answer my phone despite the hateful look the owner is giving me. "It's Sullivan, what do you want?"

"Is this Ms. Sullivan?" A cautious male voice asks. Only one place calls me 'Ms. Sullivan' and dread fills my stomach.

"Yeah, that's me. Who is this?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Sullivan. This is Morech from Downwind High School to inform you that your daughter Kit has been in a fight and you need to come pick her up."

Not another one. "Where's Denise? She generally calls the station and has them call me when I'm free."

"Denise retired last week due to health issues, Ms. Sullivan. I'm the new secretary here, Morech. Will you be by soon?"

I can tell from his voice that having Kit in the office isn't something he wanted to have to deal with this early in his new job. She's probably letting off some pretty strong emotions at the moment without meaning too. Young witches weren't exactly known for their control.

Sighing, I turn to look at the dragon. "I'll be by as soon as I can. I just need to finish up the job I'm on first." I hang up before he can say anything else.

I pocket my phone and place my hands on my hips. The black leather jacket I wear instead of my uniform coat clinks a little as the metal buckles sway.

"Okay, dragon, I've got places to be so we're going to make this quick." Taking a deep breath, I start to make kissy noises, though I'm secretly disgusted by myself for making those sounds in the presence of another person, and hold out my arms.

The green hatchling crawls closer, ever so slowly. When it's head, longer and larger than my own, dips over the side of the roof as if to sniff me, my right hand darts up to grab the back of its neck. I grip right behind the head spike and pull down.

Startled, the dragon trumpets as it follows its head, tilting forward until the large green body tumbles off the roof. I jump back out of the way once momentum takes over. Letting off disgruntled chirps, the dragon uncrumples itself and pops up onto all fours. It comes to my hip and shakes as if indignant that I'd just removed it from its perch.

With the dragon removed, I quickly step around it to pull out a small piece of cloth from my jacket and put it against the house.

"Menere." The sigil drawn on the soft fabric sinks through the cloth and attaches to the peeling paint on the house. When it touches the paint, a small wave of magic flows over the home and creates a barrier to keep unwanted critters off. I quickly pull the now blank cloth away and walk to the owner.

"Make sure to get your wards updated more often. I'll be back next week to take the sigil back." The sigil I'd applied had patched a hole in the larger, slightly more complex ward most homeowners used to discourage pests.

The half incubus sniffs at me and enters his house without so much as a thank you. So much for feeling gratitude.

I turn to the dragon, who narrows his eyes at me, and walk to kneel in front of it. I hold out a hand, which he regards suspiciously before giving in and sniffing.

"Hey kid, you shouldn't be this far into the middle realms alone. There are rules here."

A green head brushes against my palm. He didn't understand a word I said. Well, at his age – somewhere around one hundred and fifty given his height - he probably hasn't learned the human languages yet.

I pull a piece of paper and pencil from my jacket. Moving slowly, I draw a new sigil, one that let's me track its location. The dragon watches me carefully but lets me press the sigil to its neck just behind his head. The symbol flares a dark green before fading into the soft scales. Twisting his head to try and sniff the sigil, the dragon walks himself in circles like a dog trying to lick its own neck.

Standing, I pull out my phone and call a friend. My free hand lifts to grab the necklace I always wear - a silver chain with a silver star pendent.

"Hey, Mex, I need you to do me a favor."

A silky male laugh floats across the line. "I don't do favors, dear, even for you. What do I get in return?"

"Me not kicking your ass for cheating at cards last time we played," I shoot back. It's good to have some small transgressions saved up if you work with demons regularly.

Mexereal hums as he thinks. "As long as it's a small favor."

I can picture him nodding gracefully as he decides. Smiling, though he can't see me I lay out my favor. "I need you to visit the dragons' hell realm. I've got a dragon hatchling wandering around alone out here causing damage and need someone to claim it or at least lay out the rules in the next twenty four hours."

"I take it the poor thing doesn't speak human?"

"Not yet."

"I'll deal with it," the voice purrs back at me.

"No, Mex, you will not. You will visit a lower realm and find a dragon to deal with this. This hatchling is not becoming your personal toy or pet," I snap back.

I can hear him pout over the phone. "But Cassie, dear, dragon hatchlings make such delightful noises when you eat them!"

"That's the deal. You find a dragon that will take care of this. If a dragon doesn't take over or reach this hatchling or if it gets injured or killed I will consider our deal void."

He hums again. "Fine. Deal. How will I find the hatchling?"

"I've got a spell on it. When you have someone to deal with it I can let you know where it is." Mex has quite a few lesser demons working for him so I know it's unlikely he'll do the grunt work himself.

"We'll talk soon, darling," His voice purrs at me.

"I'm not your darling." I hang up on him before he can retort.

I push my hand up through my hair, ruffling the brown strands that were pulled back in a messy ponytail. "One problem down, one to go."

Striding to my car, a beat up silver sedan that blends in perfectly in the Downwind, I head to the only High School in this district to pick up my usually perfect kid sister who has somehow managed to get in three fights in the past two weeks.

***

Helloooooooo and welcome! I'm so excited to share this new world and realms that I've fallen in love with as I started this series.

Cassie's got her work cut out for her in this crazy new world. If you're ready to see where these two sisters end up, hit that vote button and read on!

~M