by Julie Wetzel
“That’s what she claims.” The look that covered Daniel’s face mirrored Kyle’s doubt.
“Do you think she’s sincere?”
Daniel let out a long breath and rubbed his hand over his face. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “She gave me some story about a fight with her college roommate. She claims she left school and came home to find her father holding a function. What I don’t understand is why she would choose to go sleep in the barn versus going to the house. I can think of a dozen ways to get into a house without being seen by party guests.”
“Her father was holding a function?” Kyle asked.
“She said there were cars lining both sides of the driveway when she got home.”
Kyle nodded and rolled things around, trying to put all the pieces together. He could see how Angela may prefer the barn to some formal function her father was holding, especially if she’d had a hard day. There had been several times in his life where he’d gone to uncomfortable ends to avoid some court function his father had held. He met Daniel’s eyes again. “And what do your instincts tell you?” He hated to ask that question, but his instincts were horrifyingly quiet and he needed more input to make an educated guess.
Daniel swallowed hard and looked away as he answered. “I’m cautious about trusting her, but I’m stressed out and have been jumping at everything,” he admitted. He turned back to Kyle. “She did seem genuinely distressed over the situation.”
A knowing smile turned up the corners of Kyle’s mouth. “You’ve got every reason to be suspicious, considering what you’ve been through.” He picked up his cup and stared down into the cold coffee as he decided what to do. “You’ve done enough, for now, let me deal with Angela.” Picking up his cup, he drained the last of his drink and set it on the table. “I think it’s high time I properly met my savior.”
8
The sunlight shining through the leaves felt good on Kyle’s skin. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back to enjoy the warmth as his feet carried him down the worn path. It had been a while since he’d been out to Patrick’s training grounds, but Kyle had stayed with Patrick often enough that the trail was still familiar.
Throwing his arms wide, Kyle relished the pull of tight muscles across his back and the pain it brought. He was alive. Joy from that fact alone gave his steps a little more pep. Countless troubles waited for his attention, but, for the moment, he let those things go and just enjoyed living.
Opening his eyes, he relaxed and reveled in nature. The rustle of leaves and the crunch of the path helped to clear his mind of the problems he’d discussed with Daniel. The sound took him back to better times when he’d come out with Patrick to inspect the new men being trained for Eternity’s ranks.
Patrick had always been a good judge of character, but it had been a few years since he’d taken on a new flight of dragons. Kyle worked his memory trying to come up with the reason his brother had asked for the break in duty, but the answer eluded him. Pondering the question, Kyle let his feet take him down the side path that led from the main trail to the cabins where the men would stay during training.
A flash of movement in the corner of his eye made Kyle freeze. He turned his head to focus on the dark shape rustling in the bushes near the path. Patrick had a passel of wild hogs that roamed the ground. They made great sport while on wing, but they could easily hurt a single adult on foot.
Kyle let out his held breath when the bushes parted and a small black dragon scampered out. He should have known that the movement wasn’t a pig. The clearing for the cabins was only a few more feet down the path and the wild game usually didn’t come close to the buildings. He let the tension ease from his shoulders and went to the small dragon. “Good afternoon, Byrd,” Kyle said as he crouched down to greet him.
Byrd sat back on his haunches, wrapped his tail around his feet, and chirped.
The air in Kyle’s chest caught again. He knew the dragon had addressed him, but the high pitched squeaking didn’t make sense. Fear rippled through Kyle as he stared at the small dragon. The world spun in odd ways. Kyle reached down and rested his hand on the ground to keep from falling over. He’d never been unable to understand dragon speech.
Byrd cocked his head and chirped at Kyle again.
Color flashed in the corner of Kyle’s eyes as panic set in. Byrd’s chirps still held no meaning for him. The total lack of understanding drove home the horrible truth. Kyle had indeed lost his dragon. Emotion closed up his throat as shivers racked his body. He clutched at the dirt as he tried to speak. “I…” The word squeaked from Kyle as he struggled to voice his distress.
The black scales of the little dragon rippled as he rushed towards Kyle and shifted into human form. “My Lord,” Noah said as he caught Kyle before he could collapse to the ground.
“I…” Kyle gasped again and leaned into Noah. Turning his head, he stared at the side of the mage’s head with wild eyes. The man’s hair was a beautiful red that rivaled Patrick’s. The last time Kyle had seen Noah, the man’s hair had been bleached white by the magic he used. Noticing that small detail was enough to pull Kyle back from the edge. Memories of how wild Byrd had been rushed over Kyle and he connected that to how impressed he was with Byrd and Noah’s progress.
That thought broke through his panic, giving Kyle the ability to pull in air again, but it did not alleviate the entire attack. “I…” he muttered as thoughts of his missing dragon paralyzed him again. He clutched to the naked man.
Noah tugged him to his feet. “Come with me.”
Kyle clung to Noah as he pulled them both up.
Grabbing Kyle’s arm, Noah wrapped it around his shoulder and helped Kyle down the rest of the path and to the steps of the first cabin in the clearing.
Kyle nearly fell as Noah sat him down. He stared up at the mage, unable to respond to what was going on.
“Let me get Kara,” Noah said as he backed away from Kyle.
Staring at him in horror, Kyle watched as Noah shifted and raced off through the woods shrieking loudly. Kyle wanted to call out to the small dragon to come back, but Byrd was gone before Kyle could protest. Left alone, Kyle did his best to regain control. He drew in great gulps of air, but it felt as if he’d been running and couldn’t catch his breath. He stared down at his hands. They trembled uncontrollably. Never in his life had he felt so overwhelmed. It scared him, making his problem worse.
Balling up his hands, he tried to find his calm center. It had always been there before. It wasn’t there today. The tremors from his hands made his entire body shake. Closing his eyes, Kyle tensed up, trying to make the shaking stop, but it only made it worse.
“Are you ok?”
The soft voice behind him broke into Kyle’s concentration and the tension released from his muscles making him rock in his seat. “No,” he managed to answer without opening his eyes. The weight of a hand touched the back of his neck. Its warmth pushed back the hard edge of the terror racing through him.
“Is there something I can do?” the woman asked as she kneaded the back of his neck.
Kyle shook his head not knowing what the woman could do to help him but the feel of her fingers on his skin soothed some of his panic. “Sit with me,” he begged. He didn’t understand why her presence was comforting, but it was just what he needed right now.
The weight of her hand moved from his neck and the tension raced up his back again. He held his breath trying to keep calm as the woman came to sit next to him. Her warmth at his side soothed him again and he concentrated on taking deep even breaths as she rubbed small circles on his back. After a few minutes, his panic eased and he was able to take normal breaths.
Relaxing, Kyle opened his eyes and turned to look at the young woman comforting him. She was pretty. Her round face was framed by wisps of blonde hair that had pulled loose from her high ponytail. Her blue eyes were tinted with concern. Something in Kyle’s chest fluttered, and he opened his mouth to breathe through the strange sensation.
After a few bre
aths, the feeling settled and he was able to refocus on the girl. “Thank you.”
Giving him a worried smile, she drew her hand away from Kyle’s back. He shivered at the loss, but she did not bring it back. “Are you better now?” she asked as she folded her hands between her knees.
Amusement lightened Kyle’s mood and a vague hint of a smile softened his eyes. “No,” he admitted. “But I am calmer.” Concern creased the woman’s brow triggering Kyle’s memory. This was the woman that had saved him. Angela. He watched as she glanced around the clearing. Kyle looked up too, but no one was in sight.
“Should I… get someone?” Angela asked as she moved to stand up.
Kyle rested his hand on her leg and shook his head. “Someone has already been called.”
Settling back to the steps, Angela stared at Kyle. He was much better than he had been last night, but he still looked horrible. She’d been leaning on the front window sill, enjoying the cool breeze and thinking about what had happened when Noah had rushed from the woods dragging Kyle. She’d been surprised to see the mage running around naked, but not as shocked as when he dropped Kyle on her steps, shifted, and raced off making enough racket to wake the dead. A million things burst through her mind but the most important was the welfare of the man trembling on her steps.
Angela looked down at the hand Kyle had rested on her thigh. It made her insides flutter in alarming ways. Relaxing back to the steps, she tried to put the feelings out of her mind as she set her hand over his and tried to comfort him. “I’m sure they will be here shortly.”
The smile that spread across his face made his eyes twinkle. “I’m sure they will,” he said as he turned his hand over and took hers. “I’m Kyle, by the way.”
“Angela,” she said as she curled her fingers around his. It wasn’t really a handshake, but she squeezed his fingers in greeting.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Angela said uncomfortably. She really hadn’t done anything special.
“For everything,” he added and raised her hand to his lips.
Angela squirmed in her seat as he kissed the back of her hand. Being in college, she was used to public displays of affection and flirting, but this felt more intimate than anything she was ready to deal with. Giving him another you’re welcome didn’t seem right. “Umm,” she replied, trying to think of something better to say.
Her heart jumped when he lowered her hand and met her gaze again. His eyes made her breath catch. For a moment, they swirled like liquid gold and she was sure his pupils elongated into those of a cat’s. Or a dragon’s. She blinked in surprise and stared, but his eyes were the same rich gold as they had started out. Drawing in a breath, she tried to think of something to break the intense atmosphere building around them, but nothing came to mind.
“My king!”
Letting out the air, Angela turned to find Kara hurrying across the clearing between the cabins. Byrd raced around Kara’s feet, nipping at her to move faster. Kyle dropped Angela’s hand, drawing her attention back.
“I told you they were on their way,” he said as he stared at the approaching woman.
Angela studied his profile. She could still see the effects of his panic attack around his eye, but he seemed much calmer now. She stared at him, wondering what had caused his distress.
Kyle stood up and went to greet the pair racing towards them “Mrs. Rose,” he called in a cheerful greeting. “I see Byrd found you without issue.”
Kyle seemed confident as he spoke, but when the small dragon started chattering, Angela could see the tension run back up his spine. Standing up from the steps, she went to join the group. Her hand brushed against his lower back as she moved to his side, and he paused to look her way. She could see the relief in his eyes before he turned back to Kara and Byrd.
Taking a knee, Kyle addressed the anxious dragon. “Byrd,” he called, “calm down. I’m fine.”
Byrd chattered and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
Kyle shook his head and reached out to his friend. “I don’t understand you.”
The small dragon froze as Kyle scratched him along the jaw.
Angela watched the exchange. It took her a moment to put things together and realize what had caused Kyle’s distress. “They took your dragon,” she said as everything fell into place.
Kyle glanced up at her. Pain filled his eyes.
“Without his dragon, he doesn’t have the instincts to understand dragon speech,” Kara explained. “I’ve seen this before. It usually happens when there’s a split between a person’s two halves. If the subject’s dragon withdraws, they may lose their ability to shift. And, if the split is extreme enough, they can lose the ability to understand other dragons.”
Angela could hear the worry in Kara’s voice. She looked back and watched Kyle scratch the boned frill at the back of Byrd’s head. Her heart hurt for his plight.
“Can it be fixed?” Kyle asked.
Holding her breath, Angela looked back at Kara and waited.
Kara chewed on her lip for a moment before answering. “With the proper therapy, a subject can be made whole again, but I’ve never worked with anyone who’s had their dragon removed.” Her eyes darted to the small dragon. “Except for Byrd.”
Kyle let out a sigh and patted the dragon once more. “But he’s a special case,” he said as he stood up and dusted his pants off.
Byrd took a step forwards and chattered at Kyle.
Angela could see the stress building up in Kyle’s shoulders again, but his distress didn’t drop him into another fit. Angela laid her had on his arm, giving him what comfort she could. She glanced at the dragon before addressing Kara. “What did he say?”
Kara licked her lip as she listened to Byrd repeat the series of chirps and squeaks. “Byrd is positive that the problem can be healed by bringing the two halves back together,” she explained as she turned her gaze to Angela and Kyle. “But we don’t know where to find Kyle’s dragon.”
“I know where it is,” Angela said, drawing their attention. The words slipped out before she could check them. Anger bubbled up inside her as she named the man responsible. “Eugene took it.” They may have been friends at one time, but she was going to kill him if she ever saw him again.
“But does he still have it?” Kyle asked.
Angela let out a forlorn sigh.
“And where would he keep it?”
She considered how to answer his question. Visions of the box Eugene had used to contain the crystal flashed in Angela’s head. She drew in a breath as she recalled where she’d seen that puzzle box before. “You know,” she said as she chewed over what to say. “If he’s still got it, I might know where he’s keeping it.”
Hope lit Kyle’s face.
“But getting to it is going to be the issue.”
9
“How can she do that?” Terra cried, waving at the news broadcast.
Angela agreed with the indignation in Terra’s voice. The ticker scrolling across the bottom of the screen was unbelievable. The reporter was grim as she commented on the short message from the leader of the dragon world: the king of dragons was dead. Angela glanced over to where Kyle was sitting to see how he was taking the news of his untimely demise.
While he did seem calm, Angela could tell that the news had hit him hard. He sat on the front edge of the cushion with his elbows resting on his knees. His breathing was deep and even, but it looked too measured to be natural. It was clear he was doing his best to accept the news without breaking down.
Pulling in a deep breath, Kyle sat up, rubbed a hand over his mouth, and stared at the screen. “She had to,” he said. Resignation gave his voice strength.
“No, she didn’t,” Terra snapped. She glared at the repeated image of Carissa declaring Kyle lost, announcing his funeral, and making arrangements for her coronation as the new ruler of dragon kind. “This is an outrage!” she yelled waving at the screen again. “You’re not dead.”
Kyle let out a long sigh and slumped in his seat. “Yes, but she doesn’t know that,” he explained.
“Then tell her,” Terra demanded.
Angela rubbed her hands up her arms and nodded her agreement. A simple call to Carissa would clear all this up.
Agitated, Kyle stood up and started pacing around the chairs where the group had gathered. It had originally been their intention to discuss getting Kyle’s dragon back, but the breaking news had chirped across Kara’s phone and they had all stopped to watch. “It’s not that easy,” Kyle explained as his feet worried the floor. “I could call my sister and let her know what happened, but she would still have to take the crown.”
Angela’s brow furrowed in confusion and she stared at Kyle as the rest of the group looked away. She waited for someone to ask the question burning in her mind but no one did. After a few moments, she spoke up. “Why?”
Kyle stopped and stared at her. Pain raced across his eyes. “I can’t be king.”
She raised an eyebrow, irritated that he would be so hard on himself. “Because they took your dragon?”
“Exactly,” he said as he came over and perched on the high stool next to her. He took her hand and toyed with it as he spoke. “King of Dragons isn’t just a title I was given because I was the heir to the throne. It’s a job with some very complex responsibilities.”
Angela cocked her head and thought about it. “Something you can’t do without your dragon?”
Kyle nodded. “Do you know much about dragon history?”
Dragon lore wasn’t something taught in schools yet, so she only knew the basic stories that circled around the web. She drew in a considering breath before speaking. “Only the myth about a king being granted the power to turn dragon to protect his people.”
“That’s only part of the story,” Kyle admitted. “The tale is more complex than that.”
Angela waited for him to go on.
He drew in a breath and let it out before beginning. “Everything started in a small valley behind the village where my great-grandfather grew up. At one end there was a massive pile of stones that resembled a dragon.”
