Hidden Gates

by D T Dyllin

  “Yes. More than anything, Mom,” I sobbed.

  She smiled at me through her tears. “Then don’t let anything stand in your way. Our people have forgotten many things, forgotten that love is more important than anything sometimes, because life is short—too short.” She wrapped her arms around me again. “We’ll always be with you, peanut. We both love you more than I can say.” She sat up and looked off into space as if she were seeing something somewhere else, and who knows, maybe she was. “I have to go now. I love you.”

  “Mom, no!” I reached for her, but she was fading away right before my eyes. “I need more time!” And then she was gone. “No!” I screamed. “No!”

  I sat straight up in bed and blinked my eyes open to the dim light inside of my and Bryn’s room. Bryn opened his sleep-encrusted eyes and reached for me. “Peej,” he whispered, “What’s wrong? She’s gone. Don’t worry.”

  “We have to save them now! Before it’s too late!” I stumbled out of bed in a panic.

  Bryn slid out of bed and caught me by the elbow before I could do a face-plant. “Who? What are you talking about?”

  “Our families of course! Who the hell else?”

  “Did you have a vision? Tell me what happened.”

  I stopped and turned to look into Bryn’s worried face and let everything that my mom had just told me fully wash over me. My lower lip trembled as I talked. “We’re not going to be able to save them, Bryn. It’s going to be too late. My mom—” I stammered. “My mom said they’re going to exterminate all of them—soon. It could be happening now.”

  Bryn’s whole body went rigid, and then he slumped back onto the bed with a vacant gaze. “I just thought—maybe hoped—that they would try to ransom them or something, give us some time. Oh God—all of them?”

  I nodded numbly.

  Bryn abruptly stood, determination replacing the empty look of sorrow that had been in his eyes just moments ago. “I’m going to go gather everyone together for a meeting. Get dressed and I’ll see you in the common room in ten,” he said as he pulled on sweatpants and a T-shirt and stalked from our room without another word.

  I didn’t know what he hoped to accomplish with the meeting, but at least we’d have everyone in one place so I could tell them the horrific news I’d just received.

  Everyone was already assembled in the common area by the time I got there about ten minutes later. Judging from the tension in the room, Bryn had already filled them in on what I had told him.

  “What are we going to do?” Jenna blurted out before I could even settle down beside Bryn.

  I bit my lip and tried not to let her expectant face tear my heart out. She really thought that I had a plan or an answer of some sort. “There’s nothing we can do.” I cringed at my own words.

  “What? You’re just going to let them die? You can’t mean that!” Jenna stared at me in shock.

  “This is about more than just us, Jenna. I wanna save them just as much as you do—God damn it!” I swore, letting my anguish and frustration take control of me for a moment before I calmed down. “My mom came to me in my dream. Told me what they were planning. I got the feeling”—I swallowed at the lump that had formed in my throat—“she was saying goodbye. They’re probably already dead.” The truth of it washed over me, and I started to shake. “They let my mom reach out to me when they haven’t before so we’d be in a hurry to get to them. But we won’t find them alive if we go.”

  “We have to try!” Jenna cried out in anguish as she collapsed against Macon, who wrapped his arms around her.

  “We have to save this world—our world—from the Riders. We really are this dimension’s first and last hope. Before, when we found out everyone but us had been captured, we knew everything fell on our shoulders, but there was still a chance for reinforcements—still a chance that we might get help.”

  “Now we really are alone,” Bryn chimed in, his voice flat.

  “You’re not alone. You have the support of the Red Dragons.” Khol’s voice echoed through the room loud and clear and plucked a note of hope deep inside of me. “We can’t let their deaths be in vain. We can beat the Riders. I know we can.” Khol placed his hand on my shoulder, and I looked up into his eyes. “We will succeed.”

  I nodded once tightly in affirmation of his promise. “What about the other Dragon factions? Do you think they’d be willing to help?”

  “I can guarantee you the Black will,” Bitch Dragon said as she strolled into the room as though we’d been expecting her.

  I must have noticeably tensed, because Bryn slid his large warm hand over to cover mine, and I moved closer to him and out from under Khol’s touch. This was war, and sometimes you had to work with allies that in normal times—well, I don’t know—let’s say who you might want to burn to a crisp. I loved Bryn and I knew he loved me, and that’s what really mattered. We’d have our little talk about what happened while he was away later—and in private.

  “I’ll send a messenger out to the Gold and Silver factions immediately,” Khol informed us before he disappeared.

  I stood and walked over to where Macon was still holding a sobbing Jenna. I reached my hand out tentatively to touch her but let it fall without contact. “Jenna,” I whispered. “We’ll make them pay. I know it won’t bring them back, but we’ll make them pay.”

  She hiccupped once and then abruptly stopped crying. Her head lifted up just enough from Macon’s chest so she could meet my eyes. “Good,” she croaked.

  We stared at each other for a few moments, neither one of us saying anything aloud, but we reached a silent understanding. We were on the same page with this. The Riders would pay for what they did, and we would be the ones to deal them their hand of justice.

  I turned to look at Jeremy next, who also met my gaze with the same grim determination as Jenna just had. It was good to know that despite his feelings of bitterness towards Bryn and me, Jeremy would have our backs where it counted.

  “Tomorrow, after we’ve all had a chance to rest as much as we can, and after Khol has hopefully heard back from the other Dragon factions, we’re going to come up with a concrete plan of action. No more waiting around. We can’t afford to for one second longer.” With that, I strode back over to Bryn, took him by the hand, and headed towards the door. When I got close to bitch Dragon, I flipped my new shorter hair and turned my nose up at her. She could covet my Bryn all she wanted, but he always had, and always would, belong to me.

  As I lay in bed sprawled across Bryn’s bare chest, I let my thoughts wander. I knew there was little hope for any real sleep for me, and I could tell Bryn wasn’t really sleeping either, but I was too tired to talk, and I knew he was, too.

  There would be a time for me to question him about bitch Dragon, but it wasn’t now. And maybe it wouldn’t be for a long time. We were at war, and who knew how long we’d get to be together before something happened to one or both of us. Everything was unstable and uncertain about our future, all of our futures actually, so we had to take refuge in all the small comforts as they came our way.

  I tried not to think about the fact that our families were dead. I just tried to think of them as being somewhere far away from us, somewhere that didn’t get U.S. postal service or long distance phone coverage. I knew I wasn’t coping and was in some sort of denial—or maybe that was my way of coping. I knew our cause couldn’t afford for me to have any more emotional breakdowns. Somehow I had taken on somewhat of a leader position in our little group, and with that came greater responsibility. So instead of shattering into a million pieces like I really wanted to, I thought of my mom, and took inspiration from one of her favorite movies.

  “After all, tomorrow is another day,” I said into the dark with a small smile on my lips.

  Oh yes—the Riders would rue the day they messed with me.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMEN
TS

  Well this is the part where I get to thank all the people who made this book possible. I really hope I don’t leave out someone important. *internally cringes*

  First I’d like to thank my amazing Hubby, who is supportive and patient beyond the realm of what I imagine any normal man is . . . dah dah da duuuh . . . Super Hubby!

  Next I would like to thank my parents for encouraging my love of reading and crazy imagination during my most impressionable years. Carnegie Library rocks!

  Then of course there’s my lovely squad of beta readers for this book: Joy A. Ball, Kristin Bingham, Kellee Fabre, Tiffany Mahaffy, Laura McGee, Jillian Omerine, Erin Rathbun, and Lauren Reidy. Thank you so much for all your feedback and support! You ladies rocked it . . . beta style!

  Of course I need to thank Lindsay Tiry for her amazing cover design, and Jordan P. Fremgen for his amazing logo designs for The P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy. Both artists extraordinaire!

  Lets not forget Monique Larroux, who took my awesome author photo. She clearly is very talented, as evidenced by her getting a quality photo out of me without a beer in my hand or my making a funny face.

  I also need to thank my editors Kenya Wright, Kelly Hawkins, and Greta Maloney. You ladies rocked it as well!

  Of course I’d like to thank Dragonfairy Press, Kenya Wright and Alicia Wright Brewster to be specific, for believing in me and my book, and for putting up with me during this whole process. I love you guys!

  And last but certainly not least: thank you to all the Book Bloggers and fans who keep me going! I wouldn’t be anywhere if not for you guys! I love each and every one of you!