Free The Dragon Coin by Aiden James Page B

is diluting my sensory perception on all levels. It doesn’t help matters that we’re cramped into this tiny plane, but the deterioration had already started when we reached Budva yesterday afternoon. Maybe, as you advised, we shouldn’t have come.”
    Part of me wanted to tell my dear friend it wasn’t his fault and everything would work out for us. However, the bigger part of me already distressed, and on the verge of serious anger, begged to lash out at him. My gut had told me, at the very moment Margolise advised of my kid’s impulsive move to come find us, things were about to get bad… really bad. I hadn’t felt Dracul’s presence peering into my thoughts previously on our trip, but the very moment she advised that Alistair, Amy, and Beatrice were on their way to Rome, I felt a surge of elation. The feeling obviously didn’t belong to me.
    “We both sense the same thing, don’t we? He knows.” I watched Roderick’s response, looking for clues as to what he kept hidden from me. I mentioned the terror earlier, but something else was now taking place within him. He seemed to be shutting down emotionally, his natural defense when unsure of what was coming next. “Dracul knows Alistair, Amy, and Beatrice are on their way to meet us…does he not?”
    “Yes, I believe he does,” he whispered, turning his attention to the view of Italy’s coast, just beyond the wing’s edge outside his window. “I don’t know how he did it this time, but it appears his focus has been on stealing my ability to see the future, rather than pilfer your physical senses, as he has done in the past. If I’m right, then he sees what I would normally be able to foretell. And I see nothing.”
    What could I say in response to that? The implications were many, and all ominous. Dracul surely knew my beloved son and wife were on the way, and despite only possessing a handful of the crystals they owned, along with Amy’s, there would be enough shards for him to know if they could make a difference or not. The vampire would soon learn if he’d once again walk among mankind in broad daylight.
    If his experiment were successful, his henchmen would likely recover the rest of the crystals from my American home before Roderick and I could ever make it back to the States. But, if the crystals failed to make life easier for Dracul, then his anger would be fueled beyond the reach of mercy. I would lose everything. My beloved wife, son, and his cherished fiancée would face an excruciating demise before I could save them.
    Roderick wept for the duration of our flight to Rome. As for me, I sat in frozen silence. Too numb to comfort my immortal buddy, or even acknowledge the flight attendant’s offer of beverages to us. It wasn’t until the plane touched down that I managed to shake myself from my stupor as a myriad of appalling ‘what ifs’ floated through my terrified mind.
    Despite the urgency to get moving, we were forced to wait on our aged seat companion, who seemed to have all day to collect her book, travel pillow, and carry-on luggage. By then, nearly half the plane had emptied.
    As she gathered the last of her things, she smiled compassionately at us both and stepped into the aisle. But then she regarded us again while pulling out the handle to pull her bag behind her.
    “Well, it has been enjoyable listening to you two blubber on about your personal problems,” she said, her Italian accent thick as she addressed us in English. “But, you can take heart in learning one thing.”
    Her smile steadily widened.
    “He knows.”
     
    * * * * *
     
    The urge to strangle this woman was damned near overwhelming. Only Roderick’s determined grip kept me from going after her, and to our further amazement she carried a spring in her step to where she deboarded the plane before we could catch up to her. When I finally freed myself, I gave chase, nearly knocking over several people, including two flight attendants seeking to detain me, as I