Original Author's Note: I was writing a section of this chapter on my omnicom (what I call a smartphone) when I feel asleep and accidentally erased it with no hope of recovery. And then I didn't feel like rewriting it... but I did! (does this ever happen to anyone else?) Anyway, I'm looking for a job with help from a (restricting) job placement center, it's alternating between blazing heat, mildly spring-weather and pouring rain and life isn't too bad right now... (knock on wood)

Waiting at your appointments is astonishingly inspiring for stories. (Also keep in mind, that although I have a computer I do not have internet to go with it. So, I have to make epic journeys to the library to get wifi and since I have found a library closer to my new place, that'll be easier. But still keep it in mind. Today, I have made the epic journey from my doctor's appointment to the library)

Anyway, enough of my ranting. I apologize for the chapter delay. Thank you for understanding and thanks to Mareq, Crystal Peak, LexiLopezi, the Fading Author, Alana Fox, and jameygamer for reviewing. Onwards!

Posted: June 21st, 2013 - Friday

Edited: February 24th, 2014, Monday

Chapter 10 – A Touch of Magic

James had helped Paco clean up the summoning circle, listening to the kickboxer's grumbles as he worked and then trotted along the walkways under the fallen twilight after a sulking Paco to the magic store rooms attached to the summoning room via the walkways, mentally reviewing the last few hours.

When they visited the Elves of Angel Island to use their summon space, Sable had sensed them and had to be petted and played with for at least an hour before she would leave them alone – for a wyvern she was awfully friendly – and then she kept bothering them while they were setting up the spell. And then he had to leave to talk to the Elven Council, leaving Paco to muddle through with the spell on his own.

James made it a mental note to prepare a number of quick-portals because the time it took to set up a summon from a mortal zone to a mystic zone was absolutely ridiculous.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Paco demanded suddenly, stopping so abruptly James nearly bumped into him.

"It doesn't matter – the only one who can get Jade to do anything without going through a huge argument is Xu Lin – with Simone a close second. 'Sides – even if Drago does betray us, Jade will annihilate him. You know how badly she takes betrayals."

Paco winced at the memory and then smiled. "Yeah."

"Besides, she called us and the Black Wyverns haven't face a problem we couldn't handle yet."

"Don't jinx it."

James paused, thinking. "Paco, why are you against giving a Drago a chance?"

Paco ran his hand through his hair absently and was silent for a few minutes. "When we were kids, it was a big adventure - discovering this whole hidden world no one else knew about - and with Jackie, El Toro, Viper, Tohru and Uncle, it seemed impossible for us to ever lose. It didn't hit me until we were older that anyone of us could have died. And we've been stung by demons too many times - I got possessed by one once - Jade more than once. If she were sane, she would've been more wary of him too."

James thought about that. "But what about me?"

Paco raised an eyebrow at him.

"Simone was attacked by Spring-Heeled Jack and then her grandparents blew into town to teach her magic. Nothing demonic there. But Xu Lin had to involuntarily transform to protect the Lotus Temple and Jade saw a future where I turned evil. She was possessed by demonic forces at least twice – maybe more, who's counting – but maybe that's why she's giving him a chance. Maybe she sees something there worth saving. Xu Lin believes - and when has she ever been wrong?"

Paco opened his mouth. "When it comes to things like this." James amended.

Paco closed and grinned ruefully. "Rarely, if ever."

"Exactly. Maybe it will come back to bite us - but at least we tried. It worked for Sable."

Paco laughed. "It's unfair to compare Drago to an excitable wyvern puppy."

"Maybe a little. But still. Sometimes, a little light is all someone needs,"

"You've been listening to the girls too much."

James just grinned at him. "Someone has to if we're gonna stay out of trouble."

X-X-X

"Drago's behavior is odd, don't you think?" Jade asked, pushing a tree branch out of the way. "His attitude seems to have completely changed."

"It has been awhile," Xu Lin said, keeping pace with her adopted sister.

"Well, yeah. But that's not the weird part,"

Xu Lin raised an eyebrow and paused in their trek; they could hear the whickers and brays of the horses and donkeys now but Xu Lin didn't move. "Zhi Tian," Xu Lin prompted, using Jade's Chinese name.

Jade sighed. "I feel like... this is normal for us. Or it could have been or it should be..."

Xu Lin gave Jade a confused look and Jade sighed.

"I mean – me and Drago, acting like this. It feels normal. But that doesn't make sense. I mean – Chinese New Year, a few years back, he crashed into my life and got left behind by my future self. But... look at me! I look exactly as she did – first future me – and that hasn't happened! I've been fired from Section four times now and we've been disavowed by the government!"

"Maybe...that time has been erased. Or split off." Xu Lin suggested, brow furrowed in puzzlement. But then again, she had never been expert on time travel. The only two who had ever experienced time-travel first-hand was Jade and James. Well...and the Enforcers. But they weren't really here right now. "I mean James didn't turn evil,"

"Turn. It's just – since Drago 'visited' us back in Britain, I've been getting these nightmares – sometimes it's of the Shadowkhan and sometimes they're not really nightmares. But other times, I feel like I'm seeing bits of a life I never lived."

"Go on."

"When Future Me and Drago were fighting she said 'I'm not the sentimental type'." Jade explained. She paused and stared into the sky. "I get the feeling that... they weren't – we weren't – always enemies."

"In that case, maybe that's why Drago's changed his tune about you now. Because he remembers. Before, he was full of rage but he never actually expended a great amount of effort towards killing you. Maybe he was holding back and now that he has time to cool off..." Xu Lin shrugged. "His aura seems positive at the moment – let's give him a chance. Sometimes, that's all a person – or a demon – really needs. You gave me a chance – James a chance, Viper, Tohru, me – you've got a good sense for these things

"But I did make a mistake once."

"Who knows? Maybe you were right about Hsi Wu too. But even if you weren't – you're only mortal. You've gotta mess up sometime."

"I love that you say 'mortal' and not 'human.'" Jade said as Xu Lin continued to walk.

"It's properly inclusive."

X-X-X

The work cleaning and packing up Xu Lin's shop area had gone quickly with Simone's magic and Drago's strength – Damon muttered crossly in good-temper about being the human servant going around with a bucket but scrubbed the floors and walls like a pro before Simone could magick them clean.

"You know I could have magicked them..." Simone said when they were looking at freshly waxed and cleaned walls and floors.

Damon threw her a look from across the room. "Do ye t'ink I woulda wasted all dat effort if I'd known dat?!"

"I guess all that training at the monastery was worth something," Drago chuckled. Damon threw a sponge in response; Drago batted it out of the air without flinching.

"Go eat your eyes!"

"That's gross, even for a demon," Drago deadpanned.

X-X-X

When they carried everything outside, Simone led the two boys to a storage shed; there were a few residents about but they didn't seem to think a dragon demon walking around was odd.

" An' ...tell me how we're gonna put all dis..." Damon waved a hand at the piles of stuff they had carried or levitated over to the shed. "In dat?" he pointed at the small shed.

"Magic," Simone said, brightly and no matter how much they put into the shed, there was always room left over.

"Ah, of course," Damon drawled. " 'A wizard did it' is totally a good excuse now,"

X-X-X

Damon and Drago were permitted to gather the food supplies while Simone disappeared to pack up the girls' personal belongings.

Damon groaned when a suitcase of books appeared in the kitchen with a note from Simone: 'I'm assuming you and Jade had these for research. You're in charge of them,"

"I feel like dat liddle lady is gettin' way too comfor'able bossin' us aroun'," Damon complained as Drago sniffed around.

"It's probably a good thing," the draconic demon mused.

"Why?" Damon demanded.

"Means she's lettin' us in - acceptin' we're gonna be part of this little team they've got. But don't get to cozy - I think she's got the sauce to take on Aione."

"Red sorceress. T'inks she's Circe?"

"That's the one. And - what's her name? - she - "

"Simone,"

"Yeah, she's got some questions and she wants answers," Drago scowled.

"Sorcerei* make ye uncomfor'able?"

"What do you think?!"

"Hey, hey, chill out, Gecko," Damon teased, provoking a snarl from the demon. "Jus' askin',"

"At least this one ain't got weird stuff floatin' 'round her..." Drago grumbled. He packed away Xu Lin's spices in the travel bags while Damon got the food into special packs.

"We're gonna havta resolve dis 'no meat' issue... oh look! I found...is dis goat meat?"

Drago chuckled briefly but he soon retreated into his thoughts, flicking his newly finned tail. It must have been the spell I used to get here... He hadn't been to thrilled about it but it was better than killing his body and then having Aione summon him into new body. The trigrams had been put in place to summon the remaining magic of the eight portals but clearly they had side effects...

I hope I don't start freakishly mutating like last time...

"You're less angry than I thought you would be," Simone had reappeared, carrying some of her bags over her shoulder and several in her hands.

"And what is that suppose to mean?" Drago asked.

Simone dropped her burdens by the outer door and paused. "Well, Jade told us you had a temper, you were always trying to kill her and her family..."

"He wasn't really trying that hard," Damon interjected.

Drago shrugged. "Where would be the challenge if I had no one to oppose me?"

"They foiled your plans to take over the world." Simone pointed out.

"Yeah – but then it would have been constantly red and fiery and then I would feel I like I'm going to set myself on fire. And it would have been boring anyway."

"So...you were just doing it for kicks?"

"No, I was trying to take over the world. Realized afterwards that it really wasn't my thing."

Simone looked at him doubtfully but let that line of questioning slide. "How did you put us to sleep?"

"Oh the dream dust? I got that from one my family's grimories."

Simone narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. "Why did you ask Jade for help of all people?"

"There's no one else I could ask," Simone pointed over his shoulder at Damon. "He's a minion," Drago said dismissively.

"I am not your minion!"

"Besides, Jade's good at this kinda thing,"

Simone continued to look at him doubtfully.

"You've never had an archnemesis have you?" Drago said, sounding as if he was talking to a confused child.

Simone bristled. "No, why?"

"Then I don't expect you to understand the ethics of an enemy-enemy partnership," Drago said.

"What?"

"It's an 'Enemy Mine' thing," Jade explained from the doorway and Drago wondered how long she had been standing there. "Very complex,"

"Uh, huh..." Simone said dryly. "Are we ready to go now?"

"Is the food packed?"

"Yup!" Damon called, packing the last of it away.

"The horses and donkeys are ready too," Paco called from the yard. "Hey!"

"No - Paco's sleeve isn't food," Xu Lin scolded the offending animal.

"Drago's gonna havta walk though," Jade said. "They nearly took off when they sensed him."

"Great," Damon grumbled, carrying the first packages out. "Den since I'm half demon apparently, I havta walk too,"

"I don't think they can smell that much..."

X-X-X

Jade was wrong - they tried to run when Damon got near them. Damon shoved his burdens at Jade and stalked off, to sulk in the doorway of the house

"Maybe it's a sign," Paco suggested, helping Jade load up the donkeys.

"Of your death, maybe,"

"Damon." Xu Lin said firmly. "Paco, stop antagonizing them."

Dusk had fallen in the hours since Aione's attack and the last of the sunshine was fading from the sky - few distant pinpricks of light from the village could be seen through the trees, indicating the wider village beyond Xu Lin's secluded area.

"Why doesn't the horses run away from Xu Lin or Jade if they sense badness?" James asked. "They use to be ... creatures,"

"I was Queen of the Shadowkhan," Jade corrected loftily. "Not a creature." Ruby curled around her legs, seeming to purr in agreement. "Oh, there you are silly cat."

Scruffy barked at a donkey edging away from the group, commanding it to stay put - it did.

"We can talk to them," Xu Lin pointed out. "And they know me."

"Then put in a good word for me!" Damon pleaded.

"I don't know why you're complaining," Drago said. "You didn't mind trudging through the Philippines,"

"Jus' shuddaup, yew,"

"Oh yeah - I forgot - the horses kept running away from you."

"Shuddaup!"

Drago just laughed as the humans separated everything into piles - personal belongings, cooking supplies, camping gear and loaded them onto the donkeys.

"Can't we magic all of this?" Paco asked.

"Yes - but the donkeys need exercise and I need one of my neighbors to watch them for me." Xu Lin explained.

Jade let her movements become automatic, tuning out Ruby and Scruffy as they prepped the horses and donkeys. Despite the fallen darkness, Xu Lin was determined to leave now. With an ex-Lotus Temple Guardian, a sorceress, chi wizard and one and half demons, they shouldn't meet too much trouble.

To her relief, Drago hadn't tried to flirt with her again though maybe that had to do with lack of proximity than his own choices. But despite Xu Lin's reassurances, she still questioned. Why did Drago come to her for help? Did he have control of her recent dreams? And, on, a side-note why was he growing fins of all things?

"Hey, Lin,"

"Yes, Tian?"

"Why can Drago walk around your house without a charm but Damon can't?"

She paused. "Probably because Drago gave Damon his chi so the wards are registering them both as wearing it. Next time I get a place, I'll have to fix that."

X-X-X

Lounging against a rock near Damon's leaning tree, Drago snapped his fingers, producing a ball of orange flame, beginning to juggle it between his hands.

"Quit it - you'll burn the forest down,"

Drago shrugged. "I'm not a dragonling," he said. "I jus' wanted to know if you wanted some extra power." He held up the large fireball enticingly - oranges and yellows with faint strands of pale blue and fainter strands of white.

Damon hesitated.

Last time he had touched dragon fire, he'd been on top of the world, a high that only last a few months before it had all come crashing down and he been tossed back to the bottom of the heap, farther than before. He thought it was over, those adventures, finding mystical artifacts and traveling the world (less than legally but still). Falling so far from so high was painful – all that power that had been lost in an instant – at his finger tips again.

"Not scared are, ye?" There was a grin in Drago's voice.

Damon glared at the demon through the flames, but Drago's gaze was serious, steady. Damon's eyes fell again to flames, which seem calming, welcoming.

"This time's different."

"I know." He didn't need extra power just to run through the woods – he could keep pace on his own but his ability to do that ... he wondered about how much of him had been changed while he was sniffing around the mystical and impossible.

Besides, going up a powerful sorceress wasn't going to be a cakewalk – extra power wouldn't be anything but helpful where he was going. And he'd missed it. The warmth sank through his skin, to his bones, instead of warning him off. By the time, he registered Xu Lin's voice calling out to him, he'd already plunged one hand into the fire and he closed his eyes as he was completely enshrouded in flames.

He and Drago were standing across from each other in the center of a spiraling wall of flames, warm instead of burning, pictures and colors flashing past.

"Well," said Drago blandly. "This is new."

"Just awesome," Damon sighed. "Why do I keep doin' dis to myself?"

Drago did not respond and Damon quickly recognized, Drago's 'buggin' out look' - the glazed, distant look he wore when he was vision-lost.

"Even better," he looked down at his hands, feeling a growing itch and discovered the steady but quick growth of the familiar olive green scales. Then, his vision abruptly cut out into a field of whiteness before steadying again. "Dafuq?"

His sight then gradually receded, his surroundings melting away before another scene appeared - a temple with a tall staircase had been built into the side of a mountain at the head of a snowy mountain valley. Surrounded by a wall, a number of stalls were set up at the base of the temple steps and a village surrounded the temple. A few monks wrapped in brown robes with blue sashes and people wrapped in warm clothes were visible.

A curtain fire arose between Damon and his aerial view of the valley temple - burning, warning - Damon shielded his eyes with his arm, squinting against the intensity of the flame as they turned a pale yellow, almost white. A woman's voice was speaking but the voice was at a soft murmur in an unfamiliar language; he could not understand her. As the voice continued, a shadow appeared in the flames - the shape of a winged dragon. And it seemed to be staring at him with expectant eyes he could not see.

He tried to speak but his words were stuck in his throat. He tried again but he could not speak. The shadow faded before he could formulate a sentence and a cold biting wind, rushed through him, dispelling the fire, leaving him in darkness feeling empty and bereft.

The night time forest returned as did Drago staring into the distance, unmoving. Damon was faintly aware of approaching humans and the crackling pops of burning wood but his fatigued muscles and tight scales were telling him to collapse - so he did.

Xu Lin ran to Damon at full speed, cheongsam flapping on the breeze with James right behind her. She skidded to his side just as he collapsed, growling deep in his throat and clutching his head, not noticing the ice mist around Xu Lin that would douse the burning tree.

"Damon! Damon, just breathe with me!" The turned demon gave no sign that he had heard her voice; Xu Lin fell to her knees beside him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shaking form as James hovered over them with a chi lamp in his hand. Immediately thick strands of orange & blue chi from Damon into the lamp, fire playing across his scales.

Simone and Paco kept tight hold of the frightened mounts, securing them to trees while Ruby sat on the neck of Jade's chosen horse, keeping it calm with a paw atop it's head and Scruffy circled them, barking authoritatively.

Drago seemed to be staring into space and Jade was striving to shake him out of his trance but poking, prodding, kicking, punching and pushing were having no effect. So she stomped on his tail and he came out of his trance with an angered roar and a plume of flame, yanking his injured tail from under her foot.

"What is wrong with you?!"

Jade pointed wordlessly at Damon who was thrashing in Xu Lin's tight grip, his growls nearly drowning out her whimpers of pain.

"What - What's wrong with him?" he demanded.

"I don't know!" Xu Lin said. "How much chi did you give him?"

"The same amount I thought – same as before but -"

"The tornado of flame was new," Jade said.

Xu Lin hissed in pain as Damon's scales scraped harshly on her skin. "Drago, you need to take him to the infirmary in the harbor city."

"He can't do that if Damon keeps thrashing around like a lunatic!" James snapped. "He's hurting you!"

"Damon's hurting more!"

Drago darted past Jade, pulling Xu Lin away from Damon, despite James' protests and took her place holding the pained ex-convict in place with one arm, holding a blue stone orb he had pulled from his vest in the other and crushing it. It fell into blue dream dust that dusted Damon's face and soon had his muscles relaxing and the fire fading as he slipped off to sleep.

"That's handy," James commented.

"Very. And put away that chi lamp! It's not helping."

"Yes, it is." James protested. "His convulsions aren't so bad now."

"Well, put it away and give it to me! He can't heal if he doesn't get use to the new chi," Drago snapped. James reluctantly obeyed and looped it around Drago's shoulder so he could carry it.

"Can't you fire teleport?" Jade asked as she knelt down to help Xu Lin tend to her scrapes.

Drago nodded. "Yeah but me and Damon are invulnerable to fire burns. Humans aren't."

Paco's voice sounded as if he was standing next to them but he was still across the clearing; no doubt Simone was using a spell. "We can't just let them go into town by themselves."

"Tell him to shut up." Drago said to Jade. "Damon's havin' a fit; we're not trying to play you or something!"

"We shouldn't split up," Paco amended with a scowl in his voice. "No one's gonna care who you are – as long as you don't burn down the town. I'm saying that it is night. This may be Magiate but night time means predators."

"It might not be wise to continue after dark without the extra firepower." Xu Lin agreed. "But staying where wraiths attacked isn't a good idea either. We'll go to the village; it's not far and we can continue to Arcana in the morning."

"That sounds doable." James said, gathering the rest of the supplies.

"I can handle them." Simone put in.

"I'm gonna go with Damon and Drago here." Jade added, lifting up her wristbands. "Magical resistance to fire."

Simone raised an eyebrow.

"I wish I had never given you those." Paco said ruefully.

"Too late now," she smirked. " 'Sides, if you take 'em back, Quetzalcoatl might take offense,"

Drago resolved to ask about that; it sounded like there was a story behind it. "My fire's alot stronger than plenty of magic. You might not want to do that."

"I'm coming."

Drago growled in frustration. "Don't blame me if you pass out, Amber." he warned, scooping Damon into his arms, the former human's light emerald scales a sharp contrast to Drago's own olive colored scales.

"Stay with Simone," Jade ordered her familiars as Xu Lin and James stepped back.

"We will stay in the village tonight and catch up in the morning." Xu Lin said. "The sooner we can leave the better."

Drago and Jade nodded as she grabbed onto his bicep. "Close yer eyes," Drago warned before they were gone in a flash of fire.

Sorcerei* - my plural for sorcerers and sorceresses. can also be used as a singular form to refer to a sorcerei of either gender.

So...reading over this, this chapter is a little weird. It bounces around. But yay, we're finally get to action! (I hope) Aren't you loving these updates folks? (And thank you for not reviewing the Author Note chapter. I appreciate it.)

So, thoughts? Too slow? Too much character interaction chapters? Any burning questions you need answered? (I'm feeling a little insecure here.) What do you think of the characters interaction with each other? What should I include more of? (keep in mind that not all of your suggestions will be seen but I will take them into account to make a better story.)

Until, next time my loyal reader, as I plow on with the 11th chapter! Expect it by the weekend, probably Sunday, June 30th b/c I have an appointment on Friday, folks. (and it'll take all day).

Please review and tell me your thoughts!