“What are you talking about? Another way for what?” I couldn’t see her nod. I could scarce see the small huddled shadow, sitting hunched in the back corner of her bed through the light material.
“For not having to use that for one. For Mr. Waverly not to have to treat you like the resident blood-sucker’s meal.”
I froze as an awful thought occurred. “Wait, those are real? Vampires, I mean? I thought everyone was joking!”
Fern ignored me. “See, when you talk to a witch there’s talk of spells and incantations and such, we are all about that. So, what if there were a way to poison them more than one at a time?”
I winced as my fingers brushed over a tender spot on the inside of my elbow.
“Well, sure. I’ll tell Jerry to just cook that right up and then he can kill them and the rest of us too while he’s at it. That’ll take care of the problem.”
I felt rather bad as soon as the caustic words left my mouth. Great way to make friends.
Several seconds passed, and I wondered if she’d given up on the rather strange conversation.
“Your blood is poisonous to all demons, and to certain demons, like the energy thriving Macu—deadly. It isn’t lethal to us, or you would have killed us all many times over on the practice field. You bleed a lot.”
I felt my eyes roll as I capped the cream and thrust it into the top of my bag. I used my bare feet to scoot my wheeled office chair across the room and retrieve an errant sock; the wheels screeching. I sniffed the stiff ball of cotton I’d snagged off the floor, my nose wrinkling. Laundry. I definitely needed to do laundry.
“Go on.” I put the sock on and began searching for the other.
“What for? Connect the dots, you’re smart. Poison the Macu, and maybe even take out a few Demon wolves as well. And don’t just hit a few of them at a time. Hit them all where they hole up for the night.”
“They don’t all eat the same thing. Energy Demon’s, remember?”
I heard a snort of disgust, as if Fern were the one talking to someone rather dim from beneath the netting. Her next words confirmed it.
“No dummy, not all poison has to be eaten or injected. They all breathe, don’t they? Get that crazy scientist of yours to develop a bomb that’s airborne. They breathe it, they die, get it?”
Oh, I got it alright.
“You know, you have no people skills. Not one.”
Fern giggled. “Thank you.”
I shook my head. Not a compliment, you weirdo.
But I kept the words to myself. Dressed, I packed my books and slung my pack onto my shoulders. I had time to snag a quick breakfast before my first class and I was starving.
The netting slid aside and Fern emerged, dressed, her own pack at her side. It confounded me how Fern always seemed ready to go when I never saw her change or get ready.
I glanced down at Fern’s bright orange sneakers, out of place when paired with the rest of her dark clothing and coloring.
She looked at me and shrugged; and wait, was that a slight smile?
Maybe Fern Mason really was a witch.
I SETTLED IN NEXT TO Kimmy, who ignored me; in an animated discussion about an upcoming test with one of her brothers at the far end of the table.
Thomas and Sirris sat down and I glanced at his plate and blinked. “What’s with the yogurt?” Fresh vegetables and fruit covered the rest of the tray. “Where’s the meat?”
Thomas glared at me with ill humor, shoving a large forkful of salad, dripping with dressing, into his mouth and chewing.
“Diet.” He mumbled around his greens.
This was something new. Thomas needed to lose some weight, but I also figured he would always hover near the stocky side. It was the way he was made. Besides, with his crazy strength and speed, I wondered if he had as much weight to lose as he thought. It had never seemed to bother him before, although some other students teased him for it. Maybe it bothered him, and I just hadn’t picked up on it.
I glanced at Sirris. “Hey, I wanna ask you something. Fern had this idea...”
Sirris snorted, and a bit of milk dribbled from the end of her nose. She grabbed a napkin, still snickering. I watched her pick up the better part of an entire fillet of grilled fish and shove a good portion in her mouth.
“Anyway, I thought what she said had some merit. She thinks we should try poisoning them a different way. Take them out all at once?”
Thomas looked up, his face turning the same color as his salad. He hated almost anything resembling a vegetable. Thomas, you are such an idiot.
Sirris was speaking. “Since when have we ever really listened to anything she said. Oh, wait, I remember. It’s because she says nothing when she does; she’s rude.”
I glared at Sirris smirk.
“You’re being rude now.” She just grinned at me and shoved another immense piece of fish in her mouth.
Thomas jumped in. “I gotta admit it; I like the idea. Take out a bunch of them at once, maybe catch them when they’re sleeping. If they sleep? Anyway, it would need to be airborne to get them all thought, right? Gotta make sure it doesn’t take us out too at the same time. Lot to consider.”
I nodded, finishing up my bowl of cereal. “I need to talk to Jerry.” I looked at Sirris, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of seeing her father. I thought of my father. It had been a couple weeks at least since we’d Skyped. I missed him.
I needed to talk to mom too. I realized I didn’t dread it near as much as I once had. Thanksgiving was only a few weeks away. It wasn’t the turkey or the entire week off I was looking forward to. Instead, I wanted to spend some time with her.
Thomas startled us both when he shoved his half eaten tray away in disgust, eying the last piece of fish on Sirris tray. With a smirk, I shoved my tray in his direction. He snagged the three pieces of bacon I hadn’t touched and shoved them in his mouth.
I looked at Sirris and we both dissolved in giggles.
Thomas scowled and chewed, ignoring us.
“So, you up for a field trip this weekend, Thomas?” she asked him.
He eyed us both and shrugged, reaching over and grabbing the last piece of fish on Sirris tray and taking a bite.
“Hey! That was mine, I’m planning to eat that.” Sirris complained.
Thomas nodded and took another bite. “Not anymore.”
I DROPPED MY BAG ON the floor beside Sirris bed. Thomas was in the spare bedroom down the hall.
Following her, we heard the creak of stairs and knew Thomas had beat us down them, heading the same place I was.
“Got anything to eat?” I complained, stomach grumping. I was starving. The granola bar I’d grabbed from the cafeteria on our way here had long since worn off.
“Yeah, let’s eat first.” In the kitchen, Thomas was already raiding the refrigerator.
He held up a container and shook it at Sirris. “What’s this?”
“Tuna. It’s delicious, I can make sandwiches...”
Thomas and I groaned and shook our heads. Having a mermaid for a best friend could be a downer. Did she ever eat anything else besides seafood?
He tossed the container onto the counter for Sirris and went back in, crowing in delight when he emerged with what remained of a store-bought rotisserie chicken in its carton. Opening the carton, his fingers were already reaching for a leg when I snatched the carton out of his hands.
“Plates, and share. I want some too. Grab the cottage cheese outta there too.”
He glared at me and went back in, grabbing the milk too.
We were just finishing up when a noise at the basement door made us look up and Jerry Waverly entered the room, stopping to plop a loud kiss on his daughter’s forehead on the way to the coffeemaker that was a staple in the Waverly household.
Coffee cup refilled and loaded with the five teaspoons of sugar he killed it with, Jerry turned and stared at all three of us, leaning against the counter.
“It’s great that you came to spend the weekend w
ith me. But how come I get the impression this isn’t just a social call?”
“Daddy, we always want to see you.” Sirris chirped, earning a smile from her father.
I was more direct. “Well, now that you mention it. We had an idea. Fern Mason’s, actually.” He started at the name, a frown furrowing his brow. “As part of the guard, we’ve all been working to contain the Demon wolves and Macu. But the more we do, it seems the less we accomplish. I feel like we’re really nothing more than damage control at this point.” There were just too many of them and they never stopped coming.
Jerry took a sip of coffee and said nothing. He didn’t look surprised, though.
“I mean, the serum you developed using my blood, well that works. But it’s not enough.”
“Fern mentioned poisoning them differently. What if... what if the poison were airborne, and we hit them where they congregated during the day? Could we create an air bomb?”
Jerry looked thoughtful as he turned to top off his coffee. “That’s a possibility.”
Thomas added around a mouthful of chicken. “And what about the Portal, though? Whoever is behind this keeps bringing more in.”
I jumped in, irritated. “It’s a start. You’re not suggesting we give up on it, are you? We don’t have a choice here.”
Sirris interrupted. “No, I don’t think he’s saying that at all. But we do need to look at the complete picture. What if we could send one of those bombs back through the portal and it exploded on the other side?” Sirris started putting things away as she spoke.
Jerry finished the thought. “That’s a lot of ifs. Even if I can make them, there are other factors to consider. For instance, someone has to get close enough to set those things off, amid a bunch of Demon wolves and Macu without getting killed. And the portal... a lot of them are only one way. We also don’t know what’s on the other side of that portal. We’ve seen what’s come through and no argument there; they need to die. But what else is there that we might kill? There might be innocents on the other side like us.”
Thomas reached for a cup from the cupboard and poured another cup of coffee and took a sip, grimacing at the bitter taste. He reached for the sugar. “I think it would be simpler to take care of what’s already here and then close the portal so no more can cross. Seems that would be a better solution, right?”
Jerry nodded. “Well, I am working on something else. I don’t feel good about using you the way we have been, Sadie.” He glanced my way.
“Nick Seul mentioned that maybe a synthetic blood source that mimicked the same properties as yours might do the trick. Maybe I could combine that to make it an airborne what? Bomb of sorts? That could be the ticket.”
I blinked. “Nick? Nick has been here talking about me? He didn’t tell me that.”
Jerry seemed surprised. “Well, yeah. He had some wonderful insight too. He worried about what we were asking you to do. I agree with him. We have to find another way. So far though, I have had little luck. You, young lady, are quite unique.”
He moved into talk about the chemistry aspects of my blood make-up, but I didn’t register much of what he said. I was too busy fuming.
Nick had apparently thought it would be okay to talk about me behind my back. I didn’t care about his good intentions. I couldn’t get past the part where he hadn’t told me about it before he just did it. I seethed.
“... check the effect on the rest of us.” I shook my head and tried to concentrate on what Mr. Waverly was saying.
“Sorry, now what was that again?”
Mr. Waverly frowned at me. “I said, I think if we can develop a synthetic version and combine it into an airborne bomb we might have something to do some damage. There are a lot of variables to address first, though. We just need to make sure it’s safe for everyone else.” He pushed away from the counter, arms moving about as he talked.
“You are already here, so that makes things easier. “I’ll need fresh blood samples from all of you. The guard too, and you get that back to me.” He nodded at Thomas to show he should take the lead on making that happen. All I could do was groan inside.
More needles!
Something else occurred to me.
“You too, Mr. Waverly. I think we need to make sure it won’t affect the humans in Breathless as well when that mist floats down the mountainside.”
He nodded and stepped towards the basement door, his mind already racing ahead to the possibilities. “Agreed. I’ll set things up. You kids make sure you come see me before the weekends up.”
After he left, I turned back to Thomas and Sirris.
We watched him race down the stairs and shared a smile. Sirris laughed.
“You know I won’t see him the rest of the weekend, right?”
Suddenly Thomas reached out and threw an arm around her shoulders and hauled her in for a squeeze that made her scream.
“That’s why you got us Sirris. Come on. This diet sucks and I want ice cream. My treat.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I was sure that Professor Chang in Sorcery and Enchantment hated me. Why else would he insist on pairing me up with the one person determined to kill me?
Nick Seul advanced on me as we squared off in a corner of Sutter’s field. He held his staff aloft in a two-hand grip as he moved in my direction. My staff, smaller and on loan since I didn’t have one of my own, felt awkward in my hands.
I danced sideways, trying to anticipate his next move, watching for the tell in his bright blue eyes.
“Concentrate Sadie. This isn’t about using the weapon; the staff is your portal. Use what’s inside you to control it.
I growled, crouching low. My physical ability to fight was what I excelled at and counted on. As far as I could tell, nothing else inside me was worth mention. What makes anyone imagine I have an ounce of anything magical in me?
I watched in alarm as Nick’s hands heated and started to glow. Uh, oh...
My muscles bunched as I prepared to leap out of the way. I might not have been attuned to whatever magical abilities I possessed—or didn’t, but I definitely moved faster than the average bear. My eyes bore into his, waiting for that tiny sign he was about to wreck my world. I still sported several bruises that hadn’t healed from the last time.
There! With a screech I jumped left and parried, swinging the staff around even as he moved to the right, his own coming down with a whoosh of air to plant tip first in the earth, sparks flying where it hit. But I was airborne and other than a sudden sense of vertigo, I escaped the effects of that shuddering ripple he sent weaving through the ground and that made my stomach roll. It was one of his favorite tricks and I hated it.
Instead, I landed on my feet even as I brought my borrowed staff around and gave him a hard thwack between his shoulder blades, sending him staggering forward. The impact doused the sparks and rendered the spell he’d cast useless.
He wheeled on me, his eyes blazing.
“Use your Magic dammit. This isn’t combat class!” he shouted. It wasn’t for the first time.
I grinned back at him. I’d poked the bear. Pinky check for me. Served him right, the interfering ass.
I glanced around. The entire class had paired up and spread out across the field. I spotted Fern some distance away, sparring with another student at least twice her size. He was totally outmatched. She was kicking his poor unprepared rear. I watched as he rolled across the level ground as if he were tumbling down a massive hill, end over end. Fern wriggled her fingers and something she held within them with a wicked grin, eyes focused on her poor helpless victim. I could just make out the words he yelled as he rolled. I giggled. Was he shouting uncle?
My attention returned to Nick just in time to feel a ball of energy slam into my solar plexus and bring me to my knees. I was glad I hadn’t eaten too much for lunch.
“Pay attention Sadie and it won’t hurt so much.” He yelled with a sly grin. My eyes narrowed, and I sucked in air, struggling to breath. So he wanted to pla
y? My fingers tingled, and anger flooded me to take the place of the pain. A flashback of unpleasant memories hit me in a wave I couldn’t stop. Dead guards, eyes wide and blank, Thomas as he fought to save Sirris, rescuing Marcus Tannon, and finally; Nick Seul going behind my back to talk about me to Jerry Waverly.
With a cry of rage, my hands were suddenly engulfed in fire. I gripped the staff and planted it in the ground with a shout of anger. An explosion of energy vibrated from the end in an outward spiral. I wanted to hold him down and shake him. I wanted to fling him halfway across the field... I wanted. I stopped as I realized he was screaming in panic. My eyes cleared and the tingle in my fingers along with the fire snuffed out.
I looked around. All practice on the field had seized as everyone felt the surge of energy slamming into them. Up close was worse. Nick lay on the ground writhing where my magic had flung him. Protruding from the ground and wrapping around him the entire length of his body were thin hair like vines, thousands of them encircling his body. Beneath him the ground had come alive, loose soil pooling around his arms and shoulders as if worked by an unseen hand. As I watched the crawling vines slowed and finally stopped. He resembled a brown and green mummy. With a casual flick of my fingers, I urged the vines to fall back and watched in amazement as they fell away and retracted into the earth at my command. Totally Cool!
“Oh, wow. Well, just a little magic?” I asked with a wobble in my voice and a huge grin. I was a Magical!
I reached down and offered him a hand. With a disgusted look he took it.
“I said to use your magic. Not kill me with it. What’s wrong with you?”
My eyes narrowed at his arrogance as he swiped at dirt and leaves. Blades of grass continued to trickle to the ground and he bent over and spat. Was that dirt?
I shrugged. “Nothing that the absence of your company won’t fix.” I flung back. I turned and began walking across the field towards the water station on the other end with ground eating steps, the staff shaking at my side.
I grabbed my water bottle and tipped it back. I realized I was horribly thirsty, and I had drained almost three-fourths of it before I stopped. Fern moved up beside me. I looked sideways at her and rolled my eyes. She looked amused.
Fire Born Dragon (Rule 9 Academy Book 1) Page 24
