I wasn’t bashful about swordcraft, so I stepped onto the mats, picked up my scabbard.
“It’s heavier,” I said, and flipped the thumb guard, released the blade with a ringing whish of sound.
I hadn’t expected it to look different. I hadn’t expected the katana to have a soft glow, like a little CGI had been added to its edges so it gleamed.
“Hello, beautiful,” I said, and slipped a finger down the top of the blade, felt the answering call that sent a shiver down my spine.
“If only she looked at me that way,” Ethan said, then unsheathed his own sword. “My, my, my.”
Jonah’s reaction was pretty much similar, except that he kept getting distracted by glances at the gallery, where Margot sat with Lindsey and Katherine. And to my eye, she looked like she was working very hard to ignore him.
Catcher picked up a bokken, a wooden practice sword, tapped it against his hand. “You can take practice swings at me,” he said, “so you can get a feel for how they move.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d be wearing a dragon costume,” I said, extending one hand above my head and the other behind me. “With head and tail and the whole shebang.”
“That would probably make for a better simulation,” Catcher agreed. “But let’s use what we’ve got.”
• • •
The sword moved like air was, on its own, something to be cut through. But after half an hour of swinging it around, it started to feel natural.
And those scanty thirty minutes were all we could afford—all the time we could take to prepare ourselves for the coming battle. For the dragon hadn’t been content to sit on the lighthouse long. And it left destruction in its wake.
“Mallory’s got the bait,” Catcher said as we rode to Soldier Field. She was in the van with Jeff, my grandfather, and the crucible she’d use to lure the dragon toward us.
“I’ll be standing by, in case the weapons need a boost, or we need to use fireballs to keep the dragon inside the stadium. Mallory will set the bait and join me, and the field will be yours.”
Ethan nodded. “Let’s finish the mission and win the game.”
• • •
CPD cruisers and National Guard vehicles formed a perimeter around the stadium parking lot to keep curious humans away from the battle, and deflect the dragon, if necessary, back toward the stadium, at least when the dragon arrived.
In the meantime, it had roamed as it pleased. The National Guard had held its fire this time, fearing that loosing more mortars and missiles on the city would only wreak further destruction. I wasn’t sure they could have done any better.
The stadium glowed with light, sending up a yellow haze over the city. I wasn’t sure whether the dragon was attracted to light, but it couldn’t hurt in getting him to the right place.
Brody pulled the SUV up to the service entrance, where CPD officers waited for us. We climbed out with our quartet of magicked swords. The Ombudsman’s van pulled up behind us. Mallory hopped out, took the pitted ceramic pot that Jeff handed her, followed by Jeff and my grandfather.
Pierce and Wilcox walked toward us. For a moment, I was afraid the mayor had reneged on her promise, and we’d have to arrange our battle within their rules and parameters. That fear dissolved quickly enough.
“Everything should be ready,” Wilcox said, offering Ethan a hand. “The ops plan looks good.”
“I have a very capable team,” Ethan said, returning the greeting.
The rest of us exchanged the appropriate hellos.
“The helicopter’s waiting in case anyone needs an evac,” my grandfather said.
“Good,” Wilcox said. “We’re on standby out here, with guns ready in case the dragon needs to be pushed back toward the stadium.” He looked at my grandfather and Jeff. “You’ll be coordinating that from the van?”
“We will,” my grandfather confirmed.
Wilcox nodded and looked at our swords, brow lifted. “You sure that’s enough firepower?”
Ethan’s smile was thin. “We’re sure. You let us do what we do best, and we’ll end this tonight.”
“Understood,” Wilcox said.