The Consumption of Magic (Tales From Verania 3)

“And can you feel Kevin that way?”

“Ye-es?”

“And why do you bring this up now?”

“What? Oh! That. Right. So, I couldn’t sleep last night, and I was tossing and turning and I was just so tired—”

“You have ten more words to use.”

I stared at him in horror. “For the rest of my life?”

“That’s six. Four left.”

A challenge! “Heard dragons last night. Ha! I did it! Suck on that, Randall! Wait. Shit.”

“You heard them… last night?”

“I assume I can have more words now? Good. Yeah. I think so? They kind of… whispered to me. No big deal.”

“It’s no big deal?” he exclaimed.

“Are you just repeating everything I’m saying right now? Because that’s really annoying.”

“Sam, I need you to listen to me.”

“Sure, dude.”

“Don’t call me dude.”

“Uh. Sure, man.”

“Gods, I am going to strangle—no. No, Randall. Just control yourself. Everything is fine. Everything is fine. Now. Sam. What did the dragons tell you last night?”

“You believe me?”

“I believe pretty much everything these days,” he said with a sigh. “Answer the question.”

“Oh. Um. They said they saw me, and that it would be soon.”

He gaped at me.

I shrugged. “I’m used to it by now. It’s kind of my thing. It goes with the whole destiny-of-dragons deal. And man, I really still hate that word.”

“Sam, I need you to promise me something.”

“Tell me what it is first before I agree.”

I thought he was going to smack me across the face. “You mustn’t do what the voices in your head tell you to do.”

“Wow. Because that didn’t make me sound like I’m crazy or anything—”

“I’m serious, Sam. You need the others here. You have never faced anything like them before. You cannot go alone.”

“Have you seen them?”

He hesitated.

“Holy shit! You have. Dude! You’ve been holding out on me.”