Dacia Wolf & the Dragon Lord

by Mandi Oyster

  Finding my voice, I screamed, “No! I’ll never give him to you.” As if emerging from a dark tunnel, light seeped in through my eyelids. Unsure where I would find myself, I blinked back the brightness. I laid in bed. Cody stood on my ladder, leaning over me. His blue eyes stood out against his pale face. When my gaze met his, he closed his eyes and sighed.

  “Is she awake?” Sarah stood at the base of my ladder with Samantha.

  “Yeah.” He brushed my hair back with a trembling hand. “Scared me.” Cody’s voice was ragged. “What happened?”

  I pressed my hands against the bed to sit up, but pain pinned me in place. I whimpered. “Dragon attacked,” I said through gritted teeth. “Passed out.”

  “How bad?” Cody asked. “Can you move?”

  “No.” I forced the word out. “Clawed my back.”

  “Cody, can you roll Dacia over, so I can look at her back?” Sarah asked.

  “I’ll try not to hurt you.” The look on his face told me that if he did, it would hurt him just as much. His movements were delicate like he was afraid I might break. Waves of pain crashed over me, but I tried to hide it. “Dacia.” Cody gasped. “This is awful!”

  “Not … helping.” The words came out strained. I chewed on my cheek to try to keep from crying.

  “Sorry. This looks bad, really bad.” Emotion left his voice raspy and his words forced.

  “Let me see, Cody.” Sarah stepped onto the ladder and gasped. “Oh, my. You lost a lot of blood. I think we’re going to have to get you a new mattress.”

  “Still not helping.” My hands shook. Trembling overtook my muscles. I clutched my pillow, and a sob escaped with the sudden movement.

  “I’m sorry,” Sarah said. “After what Nefarious did, I never imagined anything could be worse, but this is.”

  “But … Nefarious actually hurt Dacia,” Samantha said. “This was a dream, and she usually heals faster from dreams.”

  “That’s true,” Sarah agreed. “Let’s hope that’s the case.”

  Sarah cleaned my wound, and the room spun. Pain was all I knew, all I felt, all that existed. It stole the breath from my lungs, took control of my muscles, forced a scream from my lips. The room darkened and sound faded.

  Then blessed numbness sought to destroy the agony, holding it at bay. I released my pillow, and blood returned to my fingers. My energy spent.

  Exhaustion pulled at my eyelids, but there was something important, something I needed to tell them.

  Cody climbed the ladder and brushed his hand over my cheek. “Want turned over?”

  “No.”

  “Take some of my strength.” He set his hand palm up beside mine.

  I slid mine over the top of his, and he laced our fingers together. “I’ll try.” Nothing happened. I spread my fingers so he could pull away, but he squeezed tighter.

  “Don’t give up.” He rubbed his thumb over mine. “This is all I can do for you. Let me help.”

  Nodding, I concentrated on healing. Warmth spread up my arm and across my back. Cody’s eyelids drooped, and I pulled my hand away. “That’s enough.”

  He climbed down the ladder and slumped in Cookie Monster.

  Sarah patted his shoulder. “We should all try to get some rest.”

  “Wait.” My voice sounded weak. “After I was attacked, someone talked to me.”

  “Who?” Sarah asked. “What did he say?”

  “I don’t know.” I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting this to be happening, not wanting to admit another fight rose before me. “He wants Nefarious.”

  “How …” Samantha’s voice faltered. “How does he know about that?”

  “Don’t know.” My body seized as I tried to roll onto my side. I sucked in a deep breath and held it until the spasm eased. “He’ll use his dragons to get Nefarious.”

  Cody sat up. “His dragons?”

  “Yeah.” Emerald scales danced in front of my eyes. “I can’t beat them.”

  Chapter 5

  Change Of Plans

  A deep, dreamless sleep enshrouded me. I woke to the sun streaming in through the windows and stretched like a cat before sitting up. When I looked down at my bed, the events of last night hit me. My sheets were covered in dried blood. Panic washed over me, and my hand shot up to feel my back. Blood crusted my torn shirt. My pulse quickened. My fingers pressed against unmarred skin—healed. I let out a relieved breath before I descended the ladder and gathered my clothes. I was about to sneak out to take a shower when Cody woke up.

  “Hey—” he stifled a yawn “—you’re up. Better?”

  “Yeah.” I turned my back to show him, then took a step toward the door. “I need to hit the showers before everyone else.”

  “Good idea.” He stood and pulled me into his arms. “Glad you’re okay.” He brushed my hair back and hooked it over my ear, then rested his forehead against mine.

  A warm blaze spread through my stomach. “Yeah, and here we go again.” I nodded at the door. “I really gotta go.”

  Sunday mornings in the dorm were pretty lazy, so there was a good chance I would make it to the showers without being seen, but I put my robe on before I headed out the door—just in case.

  The hallway was like a ghost town, but much to my chagrin, I heard voices as I approached the showers. I stood outside the door for a moment trying to decide who was in there. One of the voices belonged to Cassandra Nightshade. She tended to bring out the worst in me and was one reason I’d needed to learn how to control my powers. Nefarious had controlled her and used her to capture me the night I defeated him. According to her, she didn’t remember what had happened, but she was the last person I wanted to run into in this condition.

  I strolled into the bathroom, pretending to be confident and in control. Cassandra stood in front of the mirror putting her make-up on. She held a mascara brush in front of her face, and her hand trembled. I wonder if she remembers me freezing her hands together. A blonde girl straightened her hair a couple sinks down from Cassandra. She smiled at me in the mirror as I walked past.

  After showering, I shoved my pajama shirt into my bag, hiding it from any prying eyes, and went back to my room. Sarah and Cody sat in the chairs, talking in hushed tones. I grabbed a bottle of milk and stood beside Cody. “Hello.”

  “Good morning, Dacia.” Sarah studied me like a sample under a microscope. “You look much better.”

  “Yeah, but”—I waved my arm at my bed—“I don’t know what I’m going to do about that.”

  Sarah pursed her lips. “I’ll see if I can scrounge up a different mattress for you.” She returned her focus to me. “I came here to see if you’d be interested in enrolling in summer classes.”

  I nodded and closed my eyes, grateful for an excuse to stay away from home. “That’d be great.” I pulled my hand through wet curls. “Hopefully, Mom and Dad will be okay with it.”

  Cody’s chin jutted out. “If Dacia stays, so do I.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything else.” Sarah chuckled. “There are nine days between semesters. You’ll have to decide what you want to do then. You can stay here or go home.”

  My gaze settled on my bloody mattress. “I can’t go home now.”

  “I’ll probably—” Samantha yawned “—see if I can, too, but I’d like to go home.”

  Cody looked up at her loft. “Didn’t know you were up.”

  “I’m not.” She rolled over to go back to sleep.

  Sarah looked from me to Cody. “Without Samantha here as a chaperone, I can’t let Cody stay in your room.”

  “Noth—”

  Sarah cut Cody off. “I’m sorry.” She stood. “We’ll have to figure something else out. Dacia, don’t keep us in the dark. We can’t help if we don’t know what’s going on.”

&nb
sp; I looked down at my feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to …” I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I didn’t want to admit it was happening again.”

  Sarah patted my shoulder. “Trust me. Trust your friends.”

  “I do.” I bit my lower lip. “Having you know about my nightmares makes them real.”

  “I’ve got to get going.” Sarah strode to the door. “I’ll stop by later to see what classes you want to take and if your parents will let you. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. You should get out and enjoy it, as long as you’re ready for your tests.” She shut the door with a soft click.

  “Life’s too short to spend it studying.” I sat on Cody’s lap and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. “I never know when a dragon might swoop down and eat me, so I might as well get out and enjoy while I can. Right?”

  Cody’s grip on my waist tightened. “Don’t say that. You beat Nefarious. You’ve got this.”

  “There was one Nefarious.” I cupped his cheek in my hand. His eyes locked with mine. “There are so many dragons and someone controlling them.”

  “Don’t give up.”

  “In my nightmares, I’ve only had to face one at a time.” My voice lowered. “What if they gang up on me? There’s no way, Cody. Besides, you said that was the worst injury you’d seen so far. What if it really happens? I can’t do this!”

  “You thought that with Nefarious, but you did.” Cody set his jaw, and determination flared in his eyes. “You’re strong and smart. You can do it. I wish you’d see that.”

  “I suppose I should call my parents.” Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I stood by the desk and took the phone out of its cradle. My hands trembled. I dialed their number three times before I got it right. “Hello, Mom.” I fought to keep my voice from shaking. “How are you and Dad?”

  “Pretty good.” Mom’s voice had a nervous edge to it. “I’m glad you called. I wanted to talk to you about this summer.”

  “Okay.” I rocked back and forth, heel to toe.

  “Your dad and I decided to take a vacation. We’re going to the coast—” she cleared her throat “—for almost a month.”

  I jerked my head back. “Oh.” Since when do my parents take vacations?

  Her next words came out in a rush. “We thought about taking you along, but we decided since we never had a honeymoon or vacation with just the two of us that this would be the year.” She paused, and I wondered if I should fill the silence somehow. “You’re not too upset, are you?”

  I shook my head. Other teenagers had acne. I had dragons. So much for getting closer to my parents. I plastered a phony smile on my face, hoping she would hear it in my voice. “No, Mom, I’m not. I’m glad. I was calling to tell you that I decided to stay here. If I take some classes this summer, I can graduate sooner.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful, dear.” She sounded relieved. The rest of the conversation was spent discussing the weather, Cody, Samantha, and my parents’ upcoming trip.

  When I got off the phone, I turned to Cody. “All set. They’re going on vacation for a month, so they don’t care.”

  “Great, Dacia,” Cody said. “I’ll call mine later. They’ll be okay with it.”

  Samantha woke up at 10:30. Her brown hair was a tangled mess. She climbed out of her loft. “I’m going to shower.” A silly grin lit her face. “Then I’m going to talk Dan into staying. I’ll get to spend most of the summer with him.” She squealed and practically skipped out the door.

  I slumped forward, holding my head in my hands. “He’ll want to know why. I don’t want anyone else to know about me. I don’t want to lose his friendship.”

  Cody rubbed my back. “She won’t tell him.”

  My stomach was tied in a thousand knots. I wanted Dan to stay, to be here for Samantha. But, I wanted Dan to leave and not know about me. I didn’t want to have to worry about another friend getting hurt.

  “Let’s go to Falcon Lake,” Cody said.

  “Sure.” I sat up and stared out the window. The sky was bright blue. “After lunch.” I pointed at my book. “I need to study more.”

  Cody scrubbed his hand over his hair, making it stand on end. “I gotta get cleaned up. You’ll be okay?”

  “Yeah, go ahead.”

  Samantha returned before Cody. She clapped her hands. “Dan said he’ll stay.”

  I kept looking at my book, afraid of what my expression would show. “That’s great.”

  “He wanted to know why the sudden change. I told him there were some openings, and it would be nice to spend more time with him. So, I guess, as long as our parents are okay with it, we’re staying.” She shrugged. “I didn’t lie, just sort of bent the truth a little and left out the part about you.”

  “I appreciate it, Sam. I’m sure you’re right about Dan, but I’m not ready for him to find out yet.”

  Her lips turned up in a sympathetic smile. “I understand, but he’ll find out … eventually. It would be best if he heard it from you.”

  A dark feeling swept over me. I knew what Samantha was getting at, but I hoped she was wrong. When I faced Nefarious in battle, he had done extensive damage to me. If it weren’t for my healing abilities, I doubt I would have the use of my right leg. Unlike the injuries I sustained in dreams, that one took a long time to heal. If something like that happened again, it would be hard to keep Dan from finding out about me.

  There was a knock on our door, and Samantha let Cody in. “Dan staying?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She wiggled her butt and swung her arms in a happy dance.

  I clutched the hair above my ears. “I’ll have to tell him, but I don’t know how … or when.”

  Cody walked up behind me and massaged my shoulders. “Freeze fire. He’ll be so amazed he’ll forget to be scared.”

  “That might work,” Samantha agreed.

  “I don’t know, maybe. I don’t really think the day before finals is a good day to drop a bomb like that on anybody, though. We should wait until they’re over.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Samantha said. “But, you should tell him soon … before he stumbles on it by accident.”

  “Cody and I are going to Falcon Lake. Do you and Dan want to come along?” I asked.

  “I would love to, but no,” she answered. “I’m shutting myself in here and studying all day. I should have started as soon as I woke up this morning.”

  “Well” —I flipped my hands up— “you could have if you hadn’t gone to see Dan. He’s a bad influence on you. You should call it off.”

  “Shut up, Dacia!” Samantha picked up her pencil and threw it at me.

  Chapter 6

  Green-Eyed Monster

  The trail to Falcon Lake wound through the forest behind the dorms. Pine trees stretched toward the sun, standing tall and proud. Their roots jutted from the ground. Ferns, mushrooms, and pinecones littered the forest floor. Squirrels yelled at us from high up in the trees, and chipmunks skittered for cover. Sunlight dappled the ground.

  Cody and I stepped from the trees into a clearing. The mountains behind Falcon Lake reflected in its clear, deep water.

  The lake was all but deserted. Most students were holed up in their rooms or in the library, cramming for finals.

  “I’m glad they didn’t come.” Cody squeezed my hand. “It’s nice to be alone.”

  “I shouldn’t’ve invited them without asking you.” I tugged on Cody’s hand, leading him to the lake. “I just don’t want Samantha to think I don’t want to be around Dan.”

  “She won’t.”

  We walked along the beach. “So much has changed in the last day.” Staring out at the water, I dropped Cody’s hand and wrapped my arm around his waist. “I was looking forward to going home.”

  C
ody draped his arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer.

  “I thought my parents would be proud when they saw my control. I was nervous about my nightmares, but I thought I might be able to hide them.” I lay my head against his chest. His heart drummed in my ear. “After last night’s ...” I let my voice trail off, not knowing how to finish my thought.

  “I was, too.” He pulled away, picked up several rocks, and skipped them across the lake one at a time. “My brothers’ve been pestering. They had plans.”

  My hands fell limply to my sides. How can I be so selfish? Why didn’t I realize that Josh, Dawson, Brandon, and Britny missed their big brother and were excited he was coming home? I didn’t have any siblings to think about, and guilt ate at me for not thinking about his. “Cody, you can’t stay here with me. You need to go home. You need to be with them. I can handle things. Sarah and Samantha will be here. I won’t be on my own.”

  He turned to face me. “They’ll be fine. I’ll see them after. You need me.”

  “If you stay here …” I bit my lower lip pulling it into my mouth. “Sarah was killed because of me. You ended up in the hospital for helping me.”

  “You saved Sarah and healed me.” Another rock bounced across the surface of the lake.

  I hugged my arms around myself, holding in my fear and guilt. “What if I hadn’t gotten there in time? What if something happened and I couldn’t save you? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself! You should go home, Cody. Your family needs you. You keep telling me how tough I am and how I’ll be fine, so you should go spend the summer with your family. You can come see me on the weekends.” I turned away from him so he wouldn’t see me cry.

  He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. “I’m staying. You can’t talk me out of it.” He ran his fingers up my neck, tilting my head back. “You’re tough. You’ll get through this, but you’ll need a shoulder to cry on, a friend to talk to. You’ll need me to help you through those times.” His thumbs swept my cheeks, soft and tender. “I want to be a part of your life forever. I won’t abandon you when you need me the most.”