Emergence of Fire

by Holly Hook

  Wouldn't it?

  Other dragons might have seen the pendant I wore.

  My pendant.

  As he pulled over, I got it out from under my shirt and let the tiny sword hang over my tank top. He put on the hazard lights as we got out and circled the car, trying our best to ignore the traffic that zoomed past us at incredible speeds. Out here, the land was open, leaving us exposed. I hated the feeling.

  Sven eyed my pendant as he kneeled down to look under the car. "That's been in my family for generations."

  "You gave it to me," I said. "Because I'm your girlfriend."

  "Maybe I did," he said, taking it and turning it over in his hands. The pendant radiated heat. "I've never felt it this hot, though."

  It was progress. Sven looked at me, questioning. For the first time, he doubted that Tasha was his girl. I hated that I was putting him through this and that Adler had thrown him into a world of confusion.

  But then he said the worst thing.

  "Well, I don't think you're a dragon here to trick me if I trusted you enough to give that to you," he said. "I must have told you they can look human until it's too late?" Then he got on his back and slid under the car, barely fitting as he looked around. "Check the wheel wells, can you?"

  I tried to distract myself by doing so. There was nothing strange inside, and I stuck my fingers inside the hubcaps to feel around, knowing the hot rotors wouldn't hurt me. I felt nothing inside, but then Sven shouted underneath the car and I jumped.

  "Found something," he said. "Someone stuck a GPS tracker near the muffler. I can't believe this."

  I watched as Sven slid out from underneath the BMW, a small black box in his hands. He clutched it with hatred and then chucked it into the field.

  "So the dragons are relying on technology," he said, glaring in that direction. "That might throw them off. Felicia, I can't remember why I drove to the beach or what I did before that. I can remember school today, but tell me what happened during that time and who could have placed the device on my car while I wasn't looking."

  His blue eyes turned serious. There were gaps in his memories that he knew about. I told Sven that he had arrived at my house while I was packing and about our fake breakup. Then I told him we met again in town and that I'd had to lug my stuff there alone. He had his car parked there unattended, right there in downtown. Anyone downtown at the time would have seen him climb out. A BMW would attract attention in small-town Olivia, making him hard to miss no matter how careful he was. He would have walked past the Freezer and other stores on his way to meet me in the secret garden.

  The mystery was deepening.

  And so were my lies.

  "We shouldn't stay here," I said. "The device might broadcast to the dragons right now. And don't leave your car parked anywhere outside your garage again."

  "Noted." He nodded, accent strong. Nerves were taking over. He waved me to the car, and we got back in, taking off as fast as we could.

  "Are we going back to your house?" I asked. "The device might have been on your car at that point. Otherwise Adler wouldn't have followed us. They know you were there."

  "Yes," he said. "My sister is there. Father told her to get cleaning done today. If your things are there, we might need to grab them and change location. Felicia, have I showed you our weapons yet?"

  I shuddered. "Yes." So he was accepting that I might have been his girlfriend. It was more progress, but we weren't there yet. There was still no way I could tell him the truth.

  "I don't think the dragons will try to attack during the day, since the Water Company has a lot of workers around," he said. "Even the ancient ones have limited mind powers. I doubt the one at the beach will be able to wipe all their memories. It takes one worker escaping to reveal to the world that there's a den under Olivia. I'm assuming that what you told me about the caves is true."

  I breathed out a sigh of relief. It was likely that the Olsens' house wasn't erupting into flames yet. Being on the Water Company's grounds might protect his family for a little while. There were too many witnesses for a crime to happen, unlike the secluded beach.

  But until Sven trusted me a hundred percent again, I couldn't reveal the truth about myself. He kept his shoulders hunched up and kept stealing glances at me as he sped down the freeway. All he had was what I'd told him and I knew that. Any smart Slayer wouldn't put trust in anyone after a memory wipe. But once we got back to his house, his sister would have to help back me up. She knew I was into him and that Tasha wasn't his girlfriend.

  But she didn't know what I was becoming under my skin, either.

  One thing at a time. I had to take this one thing at a time.

  Maybe there was a way to get Sven's real memories back. Without that, we wouldn't have a chance at being together the way we were again. And without it, we wouldn't have that shot at peace he was hoping for.

  War would continue. People would die.

  It seemed to take forever to get back to the Water Company. We both breathed sighs of relief as we got back into Olivia and realized that there was no smoke rising from the property, anywhere, nor were there any dragons putting the place under siege. Even though it was evening and the sun was getting low in the sky, workers milled around as they changed shifts. The night people were set to begin. People worked at the Company twenty-four seven. They were witnesses and Adler didn't like those.

  And the workers were likely people that the dragons of Olivia knew. Therefore, they were folks that the dragons didn't want to hurt or alarm. Sven had a point. A full-scale attack on the Water Company would hurt the dragons more than help them.

  "Nothing's happened yet," I said.

  "I didn't think it would. But my family will be very careful when we're not on the property." Did he sound angry?

  Ready to fight?

  Cringing, I watched as Sven pulled us into the darkness of his driveway and closed the door with a button mounted on the side of the wall. He unlocked the door, and we stepped inside the cold space that made up the Olsens' kitchen.

  "Sven. Where were you?"

  Mr. Olsen stood in the middle of the kitchen, decked out in a black suit. His bright blue eyes were sharp, experienced, and merciless. He'd heard Sven pull into the garage with the stolen car. The man glared at me and an overwhelming sense I shouldn't be there swept over me. Had Sofia told her father about Sven taking me to the beach? She wanted to "help" him get out of the family and go start his acting career. But his twin sister was nowhere in sight.

  Sven paused right there and shifted. He hadn't expected to get caught. His father wasn't supposed to be home this early.

  "The dragons know where we live," he said. "I was out investigating the area, and I found a tracking device on the car. That was right after a purple dragon found me on the beach."

  "You were on the beach?" Mr. Olsen asked. His angry gaze shifted to me. "Why do I have the sense you weren't out doing your job?" The Slayer's tone dropped to a dangerous level. He suspected what Sven had been doing with a girl on the beach and it wasn't looking for dragon shifters. The man was only half right.

  "I was," Sven insisted. "How better to do it than look like I'm not?"

  "Sven," I whispered, hoping that he wouldn't take this any further.

  Sven no longer remembered that he didn't want to impress his father. This nightmare had become his world again. Even from the side, I detected a child in his eyes. It was a son who wanted validation from the one person in his life that mattered. He wanted worth and love.

  And he didn't know he'd already found it.

  Holding back tears, I took his arm, hoping that I could support him through this. Mr. Olsen shook his head at me, but it only made heat fill me again. Exhaling, I held it back before I burned Sven or showed my powers in this dangerous place. If I didn't, I would die. We both might.

  "A purple dragon?" his father asked. "None of us have seen one in centuries. That color is associated with mind powers. Are you sure that's what you saw? The monster cou
ld have addled your brains. Not that it would have mattered."

  "Yes," he said, swallowing. "I believe that shifter might be the principal of my school. Adler is her name." He straightened into an official posture. "She had a red glow in her eyes the other day and my Gem activated. It also activated today when I visited the office. I lured her out to the beach."

  No.

  He was giving out the identity of a family friend. Adler might have ripped apart our relationship, but she didn't deserve to die for it. Neither did the rest of the den. Finding Adler would lead Mr. Olsen to Steve and the others, whoever they were.

  It might lead this heartless man to my parents. Did Slayers kill those who associated with dragons, too? The look in Mr. Olsen's eyes was intense. Hateful. Greedy. This was a man who had cut down dragons in the past, stealing their treasure and amassing a fortune.

  The air thickened, and I struggled to breathe. Mr. Olsen stared right at me. His gaze sent an ice pick down my spine. His suit ruffled as he took a bold step towards me. "Leave," he ordered. "You've come into this mess enough. My son isn't supposed to discuss dragon slaying in front of outsiders. I'll be discussing that with him. If you value your life and want to stay out of this dangerous task, go home. And don't return here."

  Sven gulped. "Felicia, you'd better go for now."

  The uncertainty in his voice made me want to stay. But terror squeezed my chest, propelling me back to the door.

  Sven was once again a dragon Slayer. Now I would have to fight him. He would fight me. And some of us would die.

  Leaving my stuff in the guest room of the Olsens' house, I backed into the garage, heart racing. The world had gone dark and turned into a nightmare. Tears stung the corners of my vision.

  But I lingered in the dark.

  My life and Adler's life depended on it. Trying to gather rational thoughts, I opened the side exit to the garage and slammed it again, making it sound as if I had left. Silence fell, and I crept back to the door, hoping that Mr. Olsen wouldn't check the yard to make sure I was leaving. I hoped he was so angry at Sven that he wouldn't bother.

  Then I pressed my ear to the cold kitchen door.

  Silence dragged out. Would my senses increase as I got closer to maturing? Right then, I hoped that was the case.

  And then I heard something that twisted the knife already in my heart.

  A slap.

  And then more silence.

  "Irresponsible," Mr. Olsen said to his son. "Outsiders are not to know about the Wiglaf Society."

  "She saw the dragon," Sven said. "I had to tell her about it." He struggled to stay together. His words sounded rehearsed as if he had taken many of these lashings before.

  "And why?"

  "What other explanation did I have for the tracking device under the car?"

  "You shouldn't have taken my car. You are not yet a full member of the Society. Those privileges are reserved for those of us men who have fulfilled our duty." He emphasized men. "Let's say that, theoretically, you have found a dragon and know the beast's identity," Mr. Olsen said. "What are you going to do about it?"

  "I will slay her," Sven said without hesitation. "I'll pass my test. Then I will make a career of slaying dragons. I'll be a protector of humanity."

  "Only then will you enjoy the riches of the Society," his father said, "and gain my respect. Until then, you are a child under my roof."

  "Understood," Sven said. "I will slay my first dragon as soon as I can."

  Chapter Six

  I thought nothing Sven said would be unbearable.

  But now all I could do was run from his words.

  Our magical connection was gone, and I had no idea how to get it back. The surrounding world darkened as the sun slipped below the horizon. I was alone in the world. Adler had done what she wanted. She'd driven a wedge between us with one horrible mind trick. The book I'd read earlier hadn't mentioned a way to cure it. What if this was permanent?

  I could go back to the Olsens' house, but his father would never allow it. And I couldn't stay in that house now. It was too painful.

  Did I have magic that could reverse what had happened? Adler said I was full of ancient magic and from an even more ancient line than she.

  But who could I ask about it, other than Adler herself?

  After jogging myself to death, I stood the mouth of Olive Road, panting. Far down it, the sign for our family farm stood out of the greenery, inviting. Another pang went through me as I thought of my parents, trapped underground until I matured.

  Where else did I have to go?

  Tasha was out now that she'd severed our friendship and tried to steal anyone who dared try to associate with me. Would she have let me stay with her before that? I knew, deep down, the answer would have been no. There was always an excuse why she couldn't help me out with something or some other long explanation.

  I thought of Dirk. He lived the next road over, close to the quarry entrance. Since my house would offer nothing but silence and painful reminders that my parents wouldn't be making dinner tonight or asking me to pick olives, I turned away and continued to jog. He would let me in. A passing thought hit that I still needed to help deliver papers. The guy had come through for me more than once. I hated asking for favors—Tasha had trained me well to feel bad about it—but this was an emergency.

  The Olive Plantation's printing press had a light on inside. Machines hummed. I realized it must be Friday, and they were printing the papers I'd need to help deliver tomorrow. Until now, I had forgotten about my new job. Breathing out, I approached the open door of the press to find Dirk's parents, the Machers, working around the small press.

  "Hi," I managed.

  "Felicia." Dirk's mom smiled at me. "Eager to start work early?"

  "Where's Dirk?"

  She gave me a warm smile that felt welcoming. For the first time, the knife in my chest loosened, and I felt like I still had somewhere to go. But then she exchanged a glance with her husband as if asking a silent question. Tension built. Something was up.

  "Oh, he's in the back," Mr. Macher said. "I think it's okay to let you see him."

  "In the back?"

  "Just so you know," Mr. Macher said, "He won't be able to accompany you to work tomorrow. You must do the route on your own. Are you comfortable with that?"

  "Yes." I'd return to the Olsens' house tomorrow morning. But would Sven remember that? Sofia might. "Is Dirk well enough to see me? He said he wasn't feeling the best earlier."

  "I believe so," Mrs. Macher said, retrieving a stack of papers off the press. Ads for local businesses covered the pages. "Why don't you see him? I think you'll cheer him up. He's back around the barn."

  Dirk might be sick, but I had the sense I was developing a robust immune system. Germs were the last thing I had to worry about. Maybe I couldn't talk to Dirk about the whole memory wipe with Sven, but I could talk to him. Unlike Tasha, Dirk was a good friend. He deserved to have me there.

  Tucking my pendant back under my tank top, I circled around the Machers' house, ducking underneath the green trees and into the vast backyard. The Machers' property bordered the gravel quarry on one side, but like most of the properties out here, it was huge. This was the reason Adler's rumor about me and Dirk ducking into the quarry shed to make love worked so well.

  "Dirk?" I called, eyeing the backyard. Why wasn't he in bed if he was sick? Maybe his parents had him doing light work around the barn. I'd been over here lots of times to play with Dirk as a kid, so I knew the area well, and couldn't think of any light work his parents would have him do. So I walked past the row of beehives the Machers kept and into the deepening gloom. The barn looked like a dark square against the first stars.

  "Dirk? This is a bad place to be sick."

  Straw snapped in the barn.

  And it was otherwise silent out here.

  An instant feeling of dread hit me and I froze in the grass, right in between two bee houses. The barn doors stayed closed, but the sound came from in t
here. No birds chirped, and no animals scurried around in the weeds. Even the bees were silent. I didn't detect a single fuzzy bug flying around anywhere.

  The bees weren't active at night, but it was still unnerving.

  The shuffling sound came from inside the barn. My heart raced as adrenaline pumped into my veins. The noise was familiar—too familiar.

  "Who's there?" My throat dried, and no one responded. "If this is a joke, Dirk—"

  A bizarre thought hit me and propelled me towards the barn doors. I checked to see if the Machers were following me, but they had given me permission to come back here. If...they knew...and Dirk...

  Hooking my hand around the first barn door, I slid it open. The smell of fresh straw greeted me. A single light was on inside the barn, a hanging sodium one that gave off a yellow glow.

  And I froze.

  A massive shape the size of a bus took up half the barn. Bronze scales shined in the weak light as the dragon kept its spiny back and tail turned to me. It lay there, facing the opposite wall as if ashamed to face me. The dragon let out a forlorn breath.

  A part of me wanted to run, but I blurted out one shocked word.

  "Dirk?"

  Chapter Seven

  There was no other explanation. I stood there, staring at the dragon who didn't want to face me. Dirk's illness today roared back into my mind. How he'd gone home, thinking he was coming down with something like the flu.

  And then this happened.

  Had he known beforehand?

  I had the sense he hadn't, and a burst of fiery anger filled me for his sake.

  There was no excuse. I knew Dirk's parents were his bio parents. They all shared the same blond hair and stocky build. They knew about this and hadn't told their son what he was facing. Why else was he in distress? If my parents had their way, I would have been in this position in just a few months. I wondered if Dirk had noticed strange things happening to him and hadn't known what to think.