Scales and Flames

by Catherine Banks

  She sat down and tried to pry her hand through the metal cuffs. The sharp edge of the cuff bit into the base of her thumb. She would have to slice part of her hand off to get it over her hand. With a wince, she released the pressure and instead inspected them. Each heavy cuff was forged from a dull black metal, but the inside was plated in gleaming silver. She could just make out the hint of angular engraving inside. An intricate star-shaped lock secured the cuff to her wrist. She searched the room for something to pry it open, but found only dust bunnies and a couple of dead roaches on their backs. Gross.

  The voices from outside were muffled and low. Her father had been quiet for a while, and she was afraid of what that meant. And where was Mama? Dad had been firm about telling her to go find her mother. Was that just to protect her, or because he thought Mama could come and save him?

  A digital clock on the wall read 7:52 pm. Allana’s stomach turned. Thursday was her late day, so Mama would just be getting out of her classes at the Academy. Would she know what had happened? Mama was the one who said it was her job to protect her family. So, where was she?

  They’d had an argument last night, a repeat of one they’d had at least a dozen times in the last year. Mama insisted on knowing Allana’s phone password, and a condition of keeping the phone with unlimited data was handing it over when Mama asked to make sure she didn’t have any inappropriate apps or text messages.

  “It’s not fair,” Allana said. “You should let me have my privacy.”

  “When you’re ready to pay one hundred and forty-seven dollars a month for your own plan, you can have your privacy,” Mama said.

  “I saw on the Internet that snooping in someone’s phone is controlling and borderline abusive behavior.”

  Her mother’s eyes had gone wide. “Skymother’s breath, Allana, I’m just trying to protect you.”

  “I’m not going to do anything bad! I’m not an idiot.”

  “It’s not your behavior I worry about,” she said. “It’s other people who would take advantage of an innocent fifteen-year-old.”

  “I’m not that innocent.” Her mother’s eyes went wider. “I mean, I am! But I’m not dumb. Come on.”

  “It’s still my job to protect you,” Mama said. “And I don’t snoop in your phone. How often have I made you show me anything?”

  That was a fair point. Last month she’d had to do a search for WhoTalk, a new app that Mama had heard people were using to solicit teenagers for nude pictures. And once before that, she’d been convinced Allana had a secret boyfriend after she spent all day Saturday in her room with the door closed. A quick look revealed the reality: a Netflix binge during which she watched an entire season of Vampire Diaries in one weekend and ate an entire pizza by herself. Scandalous stuff.

  She knew her mother meant well, even if she hated it. But she also had never thought Mama would be the one who could really protect her. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t, not in the menacing way that Dad could. But he was badly hurt, and with the chains and the drugs they’d injected into his veins, he might as well have been on another planet.

  So maybe Mama was all there was.

  She pressed her ear to the door to listen for Dad. Alec and Vienna were talking quietly, like they knew someone would be listening. Keys jangled, frighteningly close, and the door swung open. She jumped back in surprise.

  Alec sauntered in with a small leather case clutched in one hand. “Have a seat.”

  “What’s that?” she asked, eyes drawn to the case. It was about the size of an iPad, but much thicker.

  “Sit down,” he said, his voice taking a sharp edge.

  She backed into the chair, sitting down suddenly as she watched him. His brow furrowed as he opened the leather case. The lid opened wide to reveal a glass bottle full of glowing green liquid, along with a huge syringe. A cold sweat broke out on her neck.

  “What is that? You don’t have to drug me, I’m not fighting you,” she said, staring in horror at the large needle.

  “She told you that you’re special, right? This is when we find out how special,” he said.

  “What does that mean?”

  He removed a cork from the bottle, then put the needle in the bottle to fill it. His eyes followed the motion as he filled the syringe with green liquid. “I hope it works on you. And if it doesn’t, I’m sorry.”

  “Huh?”

  He lunged forward and grabbed her forearm. She struggled against him, kicking out with her unrestrained foot to catch his knee. He groaned in pain, but didn’t loosen his grip.

  “No!” she bellowed at him, still trying to break his grasp. “Daddy!” she screamed, desperation clawing out of her throat. There was no answer from him.

  “Just hold still!” Alec hissed. There was a clatter as he dropped the syringe next to her and used the newly freed hand to grab the back of her neck. She twisted in his grasp, trying to make herself small to get away. But he was too strong, and his broad frame trapped her against the table.

  She let out a quiet, wordless cry. She’d never felt so helpless in her life.

  Keeping her pinned, Alec stabbed the syringe into the side of her neck. She cried out as the icy bite spread from the injection. His hands were suddenly gentle, lifting under her arms and settling her back into the chair. He knelt in front of her, his eyes creased in concern. “I hope you’ll be fine. Just sit and try to be calm.”

  “What did you do?” Her heart was beating so fast now. An icy tingle spread through her veins.

  He gave her a sad look. “We need you for this war. Or people like you. I know it’s not fair to do this without your permission, but we’re past the point of politeness now.”

  “What did you…” she repeated, lips feeling thick and useless. Her tongue wasn’t responding like it should have. “Ugh.”

  At first, she thought the tearing noise and ensuing roar was in her head, a side effect of the green liquid he’d shot into her. But when Alec’s gaze shot upward, she followed it to see the ceiling had been ripped off. Shards of concrete, bristling with rebar, flew upward and into a dusty whirlwind. His eyes went wide and he thrust out his arms to either side, forming a protective dome around them. Even within the dome, the noise was deafening, like she’d stuck her head in a jet engine.

  “Oh my God,” he murmured.

  A huge, pale-blue dragon hovered overhead, with the dying orange of sunset gleaming off its huge wings. Its eyes burned white beneath the thick, horned brow. The dragon roared, sending a shuddering chill down Allana’s spine. Gleaming talons wrapped around the twisted frame of the building as it tossed its head. A wall of wind twisted around it like a tornado.

  Something in her sang out in recognition. She’d never seen this creature, but she knew it. It was familiar somehow. Its icy-blue scales, as much silver as blue, were curiously like her own.

  But it couldn’t be.

  The black-clad woman who’d drugged her father when they arrived let out a scream and hurtled upward toward the dragon, caught in the whirlwind like a piece of debris. She disappeared, a black speck arcing away against the sunset.

  The light was blotted out then as the dragon slammed to the ground, shaking the building. It roared again, so loud it hurt Allana’s ears. Her vision sharpened then, and the colors of the world seemed to brighten, too intense and vivid for comfort. Her head ached from looking at it. The roar of the dragon seeped into her bones, shaking her from the inside. It was too much sensation all at once. The strength went out of her, and she slumped against the table.

  “Oh shit,” Alec said. He gritted his teeth, maintaining the barrier around them. “Don’t die on me.”

  He’d barely finished speaking when a huge claw ripped through the metal door like paper. A snuffling sound filled the room, and the blue-scaled dragon let out a clicking rumble. Its head dipped low, peeking over the twisted architecture. “Give the child,” said a rough, familiar voice.

  Alec’s eyes went wide. “Back off, bitch!�
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  The blue dragon’s claw plinked against the barrier, producing a crystalline sound like a fork on a wineglass. The dome shattered like thin glass. Alec screamed in pain as the barrier broke. The pale blue scaled foot batted him out of the way like a cat toy, and he flew across the room, slamming into the defunct monitors. Two of them shattered on impact, and he fell prone on the table below.

  Fear gripped Allana as she stared up at the burning blue eyes. “Who…Mama?”

  The dragon smiled, baring a mouth full of vicious, gleaming teeth. Then she closed her claws delicately around Allana and launched into the air. She couldn’t help screaming in surprise as she was carried away by a dragon for the second time that day, but this time, she was hauled away from the danger.

  It was dusk now, and the familiar lights of home glowed on the horizon. There was a white car she didn’t recognize parked close to the main road. Her stomach went into a freefall as the dragon dove toward the ground, then landed gracefully on its back feet next to the car.

  “Mama? Is that you?”

  “I…here,” the blue dragon said. The huge, rumbling voice bore no resemblance to her mother’s soft, rich voice, but she recognized it even so. How was this possible? “Stay.”

  As Allana leaned against the car, staring up at the strange creature, another wave of nausea washed through her. The world brightened, and the dull orange-red of the desert blazed fiery red, like an endless expanse of molten rock. The dragon growled and sniffed at Allana, her scaled head so close that the hard scales caught her hair. The massive eyes flared bright white for a moment, and then she backed away from Allana and launched into the air.

  “Wait!” Allana yelled. Her voice felt thick and tight. Her mind was tangled in a snarl of confusing emotions. She was relieved at being out of the building, but afraid of what the injection had done to her.

  But the blue dragon ignored her plea and headed back toward the building where she’d been kept. Had Dad survived? And now that she’d seen Mama…what would happen to the people who’d taken them if he hadn’t?

  Nine

  She’s safe. Find him.

  The familiar scent of her partner was powerful now, drawing her forward like a silver thread. She’d glimpsed him, had even been careful to drop a shimmering shield over the bound figure in the middle of the main room, but she’d put Allana first. He would understand.

  The roar of the Elegy in her head was louder now, seeming to pulse and rise in intensity with each burst of power. With it came a rising fear, an unfamiliar quickening of her pulse and a twisting in her belly. Her bones seemed loose, like they would pop from their joints at any second. She didn’t care. There was the glorious feel of air under her wings and the crackling energy of the wind all around her. Sheer force of will would carry her to finish this task, even if she fell into its grasp once it was done.

  Mentally preparing to shield Will again, she dove down toward the warehouse. The roof of the building was torn off, rippled like thin paper. She growled in satisfaction. Flickering interior lights combined with the dim light of dusk to illuminate the inside of the building.

  Will was restrained in the center of the main room, his limbs chained to a large stone table. The sight of the ritual space made her heart pound. She could smell him; his comforting, familiar scent was entwined with blood, sweat, and the worrying smell of something sharp and foul, as if an internal organ had been damaged.

  He seemed to be alone. A roaring engine from outside caught her attention. She followed the sound, whipping her head around to see a black vehicle turning in a wide circle. A cloud of dust spewed up from its tires. She would grant no quarter. No escape.

  Dyadra propelled herself off the edge of the warehouse and flew after the vehicle. She snagged the roof with her sharp front claws. The weight was too much to carry far, but she managed to flip it over. There was a terrible squealing sound as the engine struggled to spin the wheels, and a pulsing roar as the driver tried in vain to regain control.

  With a deafening roar, Dyadra tore the passenger door off and reached in. A sharp pain pierced her foot, chilling her blood. But it was like stepping on a thumbtack. Annoying, but hardly a threat. She grabbed a wriggling figure, feeling the crunch of bone in her claws, and pried it out of the car. Clutched in her grasp was a woman in black, hybrid by the smell of her. Light pooled around her hands, coalescing into sharp, dagger-like bolts. Dyadra closed her eyes and turned her head. The ice shards bounced harmlessly off her scaled jaw.

  She turned slowly back to her prey and roared. The woman screamed, covering her face. She brought the woman close. Breathing her in, she smelled Will. His blood stained her clothing. She wanted to so badly to kill the woman, but she wanted to know first what she knew. Killing could wait. Instead, she dropped the woman back into the upended vehicle, then creased the twisted frame back together to seal her in. There was a grotesque satisfaction in the woman’s muffled cries of protest.

  Leaving her quarry behind, Dyadra flew back toward the warehouse. Will was still there, unmoving. Dyadra roared in anguish as she took in his still form. Her vision was fractured and blurred, and she couldn’t tell if he was breathing. She landed, casting him in deep shadow. As carefully as she could, she raised a claw to break through the chains. Touching the metal sent a shuddering chill through her. Her muscles felt weaker than they should have. She’d never seen this, but the deathly smell of the magic was familiar. She carefully snagged the chain on his wrist and broke it.

  The hard scales armoring her body had little sensation. She couldn’t feel his skin beneath her claws, but his scent filled her, nourishing her like precious oxygen. The room smelled of blood and pain, and the pervasive stench of blood magic. Sohan’s suspicion of the Raspolin having returned was confirmed. This was their magic. A hundred years later, and she still couldn’t be finished with them.

  That smell awakened the terror in her, and she felt the agonizing sense of her bones pulling apart once more. The thundering of her heart was overtaken by the echo of the Elegy, lurking in her bones after all these years. She gritted her teeth, snapping through the remaining chains binding her love.

  With his body freed, she nudged him with her snout. He didn’t move. Stoked by anguish, the fear intensified, and she couldn’t hear anymore. Only the Elegy was there, resounding in her mind. She let out a mournful cry as her entire form shuddered.

  She had to turn back before she lost control. With her whole body shaking, she began to shift back. She imagined a small human form once more, compressing the presence of the dragon into the smaller vessel.

  Nothing.

  It was like the dragon had become its own entity, separate of her will and determined to remain. When she wrestled it for control, something snapped back at her, pushing her out of the way. This was what her mother had warned her about, hundreds of years ago. She was a stranger in her own body.

  It felt like sinking into water, deeper into darkness. The harder she fought it, the deeper she sank. Her mind was consumed in the endless resonance of the Elegy, that echo of fear and despair that still rang clear after a hundred years.

  She was lost.

  Then something changed. In the maddening whirlwind, a thread of silvery-white pierced the darkness. “Dee?” a familiar voice said. Layered in the rich, comforting voice was a harsh, accusing voice. Which was real?

  The dragon growled, and for a second, Dyadra regained control. Her vision cleared. Will’s eyes were open, one hand outstretched to rest on her face. She wanted to shrink back into herself and curl into his arms, but instead, she growled menacingly and backed away. Her claws clacked against the stone, ready to slash at him if he came too close.

  With a wince, he sat up, holding his hands out. “I know it’s you,” he said in a calm voice. “Come back to me.”

  She tried again, but she was trapped. Let me go! she thought desperately. The silver thread broke through the madness again as Will sat up and put his hands on either side of her face. The smell of
his blood surrounded her, compounding the chaos.

  “Come back to me,” he murmured. “I’m okay. I love you. I’m not afraid of you. Come back.”

  Her form shuddered, and she felt her bones slipping. She tried to picture herself grabbing onto that silvery thread, like a life rope. No. This was what she had always feared would happen. This was inevitable. It was the price she had paid. She tried to back away, but he dug his fingers into the hard scales on her jaw, and followed her step for step, refusing to release her.

  “Come back,” he said again, repeating himself like a mantra. “I need you. Allana needs you.”

  The silvery thread twined itself around her, and strength surged through her. As she released the hold of the dragon form, the force of his will surrounded her and pulled her upward, like hauling her from choppy water. Her vision was white as pain swept through her body.

  Then strong, familiar hands were gripping her shoulders. It took her a moment to adjust to her normal vision as someone tilted her chin up. Her husband’s face was there, perfect even through the bruises and cuts. He smiled. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she croaked.

  “You did it,” he said. “Are you all right?”

  Her body hurt like it hadn’t in a long time, and she still felt like she might vomit from the nausea rippling in her belly. But he was here. Allana was safe. “Yes. Are you?”

  “I am now,” he said. He frowned. “Where is she?”

  “Allana?” He nodded. “Outside.”

  Ten

  Everything hurt. The world was too bright and loud. Her blood felt like ice, and when she raised her hands, they felt like heavy wooden implements connected only by strings. Her heart was beating too fast, making her head swim.