The silence of the limo had become oppressive. No one wanted to say any longer than they had to. Bradly had suggested changing lunch to a restaurant he had seen on his way back. Unfortunately, that ment dealing with traffic. Both men had kept quiet after Frank described the afternoon events. Despite the heavy atmosphere, Nora seemed content. Staring out the window, she watched as people milled about, doing whatever it was that they were doing. The nervousness from the morning was gone. And despite the event at the memorial, she seemed happy, as if nothing had happened.
Frank and Bradly tried to discuss the events at the UN, but kept being interrupted by Nora's excited comments about different things outside. Bradly frowned. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to discuss the next action with Frank. Things may have been moving forward, but the incident may have set things back. Without details from Frank, he wasn't able to move forward, and Nora straight up refused to discuss it, acting as if nothing had happened.
Nora made another passing comment about a pedestrian, and Bradly exploded.
"ENOUGH!" His rage left Nora stunned. He paused to catch his breath. "Look, something happened, and I NEED to know what. If you're not going to tell me, at least let me discuss it with Frank. Or do you want this to fall apart, cause at this rate, that is EXACTLY what will happen." Nora kept her mouth shut.
"Right. Ok, so what happened?"
Frank held for a moment, contemplating the scenario.
"I believe she used some form of magic."
Nora's eyes grew wide. Magic? Was she actually capable of that?
"Right, I see. Well, then I'll need to add magic study to the list of things. Any idea what the effect was?"
"No. But whatever it was, it had a long range, likely several blocks."
"Anyone else notice it?"
"No. Or... Not in a way that mattered."
Bradly sighed. "And do we know what caused it?"
Frank looked toward Nora, causing her to recoil. Was he mad at her? Had she caused this? She wasn't even certain what had happened.
"It seemed to be an emotional response. Involuntary."
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"Hmm. We may have to cancel the rest of today's plans then. Cant have it happen again."
Nora immediately sank. Her one day out was already over? What did she do wrong? Her sudden expression must have been obvious, as Bradly quickly tried to consul her.
"You didn't do anything wrong. But if you're expressing magic already, then we have to be careful. Dragon magic is highly sensitive to emotion, and you... well. You don't exactly hide your emotions."
The old man said the same thing. Was she really that obvious? She sank deeper into the seat.
Bradly knocked on the window to the driver. "We need to head back to the hotel after all."
"Of course sir."
Bradly sighed. If her magic was coming back now, they would have to continue her tour after she had some training. It was unlikely that she even knew she had done something. Seeing her face, he felt compelled to do something. Everything was going well, things were working out, so why did it feel like it was already falling apart? A familiar, yet foreign, feeling fell over him. Like a cold blanket. Dread. Something was wrong. He banged on the window. "Stop!" The limo lurched. "Is everything alright sir?" But he didn't give a response. A single look to Frank told everything and the two quickly hopped out.
The feeling was still there, but no one was panicking. Was he mistaken? It had never failed him before. Nothing around them was out of the ordinary, and he couldn't pinpoint any magic sources. Perhaps his lack of magic access was preventing him from finding the source. Nora started to open her door.
"NO! Stay inside! Let us figure out what is going on." She complied.
"Sir, I believe something is suppressing the area."
"No shit! Do you at least have an idea of where it's coming from?"
"No. Whatever it is, it's hiding well."
Cars continued to move around them, several honking as they tried to pass the parked limo. "Well, we can't just stand here. Time to" He was cut off as a roar ripped through the air. Black wings filled the sky, and a jet of fire ripped between the buildings. Bradly stood in shock. "How the HELL did we miss that one!?"