Dragon Blood 1: Pliethin

by Avril Sabine

  “We’ll see if you feel the same way if my cousin comes across any information.”

  Anger coursed through Amber. Her hands became fists. “Ronan would be willing to answer any question I ask him.”

  Kade grasped her by the shoulders, refusing to let her shrug him off. He forced her to face him. “You will stay away from him.”

  “I’m not one of your people.”

  “I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to choose you.”

  Amber refused to let him see how those words hurt. She tried to pull away from him. He held her too tight. She did the only thing possible. She became a panther, leaping away from him, streaking through the bush, ignoring the direction of camp. In this form she could easily find her way back. She sensed Kade behind her, trying to force her to listen to his thoughts. She pushed his mind away, running faster.

  The ground was a blur, made of places to step and places to avoid. Gum trees and shrubs rushed past her in the dark. Scents bombarded her. Tantalising scents as the night brought out the creatures that avoided the heat of the day. Suddenly Kade was above her, skimming as low as possible through the trees. Ahead was open ground. Amber veered off, aiming for thicker scrub. As she did, a startled hare leapt out in front of her.

  Instinct took over and she pounced. The hare was caught mid-stride and her momentum carried her forward. She came to a stop, dropping the limp body onto the ground. Hunching over her kill, her senses were alert for any who’d steal it.

  “Amber.” Kade walked slowly towards her, hands held open in a gesture of peace. He stopped when she growled. “Equal exchange of information.”

  Amber shook her head and growled.

  “What do you want then?” Kade took another step forward.

  Amber crouched, ready to spring forward.

  “Run!” Maira’s words screamed through their minds. An image of Brann pinned on the ground, while Ronan stood over him, followed the words. One of the people holding Brann down struggled to put grey metal chains on him.

  Amber snarled, leaping past Kade. She raced for the campsite, the hare left bleeding on the ground. Kade flew after her.

  “Amber! No! Don’t go back there. You can’t help them. Stop!”

  All she could think of were the words Flinn had spoken earlier. ‘Warriors are dispensable.’ Kade hadn’t corrected him. Well they weren’t. She wasn’t letting them be harmed because she could throw some stupid fireballs.

  “Amber, I know you’re in the area,” Ronan broadcast.

  She slowed as she came close to the camp.

  Kade dropped down ahead of her, becoming human. “Don’t do this. We’ll get them back.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Amber leapt past him. She slowed to a stop as she reached the trees before the campsite, forcing the panther to retreat. Running the back of her hand across her mouth, she was surprised at the blood on her face. “Let him go.” She could see Brann on the ground. He was a dragon, his front limbs chained. Ronan wasn’t in sight. Two other men were.

  “It’s not up to me. You’ll have to wait until Ronan comes back.” The man who spoke had dark hair and his chest and upper arms were covered in a swirl of black tattoos.

  Amber opened her mouth to speak. A blade at her throat stopped her words, an arm around her chest pinned her arms to her side.

  “Surprise, surprise.” Ronan’s mouth was at her ear.

  The scent of him surrounded her. Until that second, she hadn’t smelt him or even felt his mind. The blade was cold and sharp. She stayed perfectly still. “What do you want?”

  “We tried to do it the easy way. I guess you prefer the hard way. Now move.” Ronan pressed against her back so she was forced to walk into the clearing.

  Amber’s eyes met Brann’s. She tried to reach out to his mind and talk to him. It was as if he wasn’t there. Panic filled her as she wondered what they’d done to him. Was it permanent?

  “Come out Kiani’s boy. I have your mage and one of your people.”

  Kade entered the clearing from the other side of the campsite. “It’s Kade. I left my parent’s home years ago.”

  “Give yourself up or I’ll kill your mage.”

  “He’s bluffing. He needs me,” Amber called. She stopped breathing when the blade pressed harder. She felt a trickle run down her throat. Sweat or blood, she wasn’t sure.

  Ronan laughed. “There’s still a lot of harm I can do without actually killing you, mage.”

  “What will giving myself up do? It won’t get her released.” Kade took another step into the campsite.

  “You can all go free once I have my lands back.”

  “I have to be home by Sunday night.” Amber nearly groaned at making such a stupid comment.

  “Think again, mage. It’ll take longer than that just to do the planning.”

  “Stop calling me mage. My name’s Amber.”

  “Quit stalling. There’s no help coming. The other dragon’s still in the area. I can smell her. And no calls for help have gone out. I’ve made sure of that. Now give yourself up before I kill your warrior over there.”

  Brann faced towards Kade, pressing himself to the ground. He closed his eyes.

  “Get him up!” Ronan roared. “Now!”

  The two men kicked at Brann but he didn’t budge. Amber winced at every blow. Brann remained as still as stone even though it must have hurt. She saw him tense with each blow.

  “Stop it! Leave him be!” If there hadn’t been a blade against her throat she would have been across the clearing and dealing with Ronan’s warriors.

  “It looks like it bothers one of you at least.” Ronan laughed. His grip loosened slightly.

  Amber used that slight lapse to become a panther, turning on Ronan, claws and teeth sinking into him. The knife dropped to the ground. Ronan changed into a dragon. Claws skittered across scales and Amber leapt back warily. Ronan came for her again, his mouth open in a roar, his claws outstretched.

  She leapt out of the way, spinning to face him as he came at her again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kade take flight. She knew he wasn’t as large as Ronan. She didn’t know how he’d fare, but didn’t think it’d be good. She turned human, hands raised, balls of fire aimed at the wings. Ronan was forced to dodge. Kade retreated.

  “Amber!” Kade’s warning came too late.

  Amber landed face first in the dirt. Two bodies pressed her down. She struggled, getting a glimpse of tattoos. She’d forgotten about the two warriors guarding Brann. All her attention had been focused on Ronan. They flipped her onto her back, one of them holding chains similar to those on Brann.

  “They’re to deaden dragon power. Don’t panic when you can’t hear me,” Kade warned. “And Amber, I didn’t mean what I said before. I was angry. I would choose you.”

  The shackles snapped over her wrists, the chains between them dragged at her. She struggled to her feet the moment the men let her go. She didn’t feel any different. She reached out towards Kade with her mind, careful to avoid Ronan. “Can you hear me?”

  “Yes. Keep it to yourself though. And don’t change while you’re chained. We can use this.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  Ronan came to stand in front of her. “Call your dragon over mage. Or I’ll kill the warrior, regardless of his offer to die, and then I’ll start on you. Toes are only needed if you plan on walking.”

  Amber forced herself not to throw fire at him. She could feel every one of her toes in the boots Brann had made for her. She glanced first at Kade and then at Brann before her gaze returned to Ronan. She didn’t know what to do.

  “There’s no need for that. I submit.” Kade walked forward, his hands outstretched. He shook his head when Amber opened her mouth to protest. “You have to get away as soon as you can. Don’t worry about the rest of us. Escape. Ask Flinn to tell my clan. Tell him it will be my brother favour.”

  Amber watched as chains were put on Kade. He instantly became a dragon
and she could no longer sense him. She tried to run towards him. Ronan stepped in front of her.

  “Call the other one in. Tell her if she wants her Gold Warrior to live she better come immediately.”

  Maira stepped out of the trees, her hands held out the same as Kade’s had been. “I’m here.”

  Amber fought back tears as Maira was chained. She refused to cry. It did nothing. She wasn’t weak. She had to figure out a way to escape this. A way for them all to get away, not just her. As if he knew what she thought, Kade lay on the ground facing her, eyes closed. She tried to yell no at him, but it was like he wasn’t there. She clenched her teeth together. He wasn’t going to do this. She wouldn’t let him.

  “You’ll ride on Tory.” Ronan pointed to the man with the tattoos.

  “Who’s the other one?” Amber looked at the man with the shaved head.

  “Hound.”

  “I have a saddle for Tory to wear. Unless of course you want to risk me dying when I fall off him.” Amber pointed towards the saddle, her handbag on the ground beside it.

  “Tory. Change. Let the mage saddle you.”

  Tory shot her a look of disgust before he moved to stand beside the saddle and became a dragon. Amber walked over, picked up her bag and the saddle and threw it over him. She stepped around to the other side of him and pulled her mobile phone out, slipping it into the single pocket of her pants. It was difficult to do up the saddle with her hands chained together, but at least she was able to move them further apart than handcuffs would have allowed.

  “What about my backpack? I can’t live in the same clothes non-stop.” Amber pointed to the item near one of the tents that had been set up.

  Ronan strode over and opened it up. He rummaged through her stuff then handed the bag to her. He pointed to her handbag, holding out his hand. Amber reluctantly gave it to him. It came in for the same scrutiny before he handed it back. She shoved it inside her backpack and closed it. She would have liked to have worn it properly, but that was impossible with the chains.

  Kade snorted and Amber looked over at him. He shook his head then stared at her. She smiled, almost able to see him telling her not to be stupid. She raised her chin. She didn’t know how long it’d take her to escape, but she wasn’t going days in the same clothes. Let him complain as much as he wanted. He shook his head again and his tail flicked back and forth. Those chains looked like they might be handy to have around sometimes. She glanced down at them and then returned her gaze to Kade’s eyes. He snorted as if he knew exactly what she thought.

  Ronan stepped between them. “What’s going on?”

  “He’s annoyed with me for some reason. It’s your fault I don’t know why.” Her hands went to her hips, the chain tight across her stomach.

  “Too bad. Get on Tory. I want to be home before dawn.”

  The ride to Ronan’s home was nothing like the ride to the campsite. There was no excitement, no playing. She held the backpack on her lap, the strap over one of her arms as she held onto the leather loops at the front of the saddle. Leaning forward, she closed her eyes so she didn’t have to watch her three friends fly nearby, their front paws chained together. They might be able to fly, but there was no point in them trying to escape without a means to remove the chains that stole their powers from them. They had no way of communicating and would be unable to fight.

  Hours later, Amber opened her eyes as they started to descend. She caught a glimpse of Brisbane spread out below before she was amongst it. They landed in an industrial area. There were few lights, many windowless buildings and no traffic. She wondered if that changed at dawn.

  Hound became human, pulled a key from his pants and unlocked a padlock. He swung open a large metal door and they all followed Ronan in. Amber dismounted as Hound shut the door behind them. When she removed the saddle, Kade snorted and she looked over at him. He lay on the ground and looked from the saddle to his back. Amber walked over to put it on him.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Ronan grabbed her by the arm.

  “I’m not about to carry it around.” Amber gestured towards Kade. “He’s stuck as a dragon so I might as well put it on him until I need to use it again.”

  Ronan stared at her a moment longer before he turned to Hound. “Lock up and get this lot in the back room.” He strode to a set of stairs on the right side of the large open room.

  Amber finished doing up the saddle before she looked around. The floor was stained concrete, the walls metal and the underneath of the roof was visible through the metal rafters. At the end of the room was another large metal door. Stairs at the side of the room were the only other exit.

  “You heard him. Get in the back room.” Tory gestured towards the metal door. He walked ahead of them, swinging it open.

  The same stained floor, open rafters and metal walls greeted them. There were no lights and no windows. The door swung shut the moment they were all in the room. Amber heard the click of a padlock closing. Ignoring the sensation that caused in her stomach, she turned to Kade, throwing her arms around him. The chain caught between them. He rested his head on her shoulder for a moment before he pulled back. He stared at her. His tail flicked back and forth then he pushed her away with his head.

  “Okay, I know what you’re saying. Give me a break,” Amber said irritably.

  Kade head butted her again.

  “Will you stop that? You’re not the only one who can get stubborn when being ordered around and threatened.” She stepped further into the room and froze. She felt a hum in the air. “Pliethin,” she murmured. It couldn’t be anything else. She looked around. It came from the direction the steps had led to. She crossed the room and placed her hands against the metal wall. The hum increased. She could feel the energy. She turned back to Kade. “Do you feel it?” She frowned when he shook his head.

  Kade rose on his hind legs, holding up his chained paws.

  “Oh. Okay.” Amber pulled out her phone and turned it on. Ignoring the snort from Kade, she set it to vibrate mode and put all the other sounds to off or vibrate. That done, she checked her coverage. Perfect. Slipping it back into her pocket, she turned her attention to the chains. There was a keyhole on each shackle. Kade snorted again. Amber looked over at him. “You know, that sound’s getting really annoying. Can any key open these or is it a special key? Or can they be cut off? And don’t flick your tail at me. If you’d given me all the information you knew I wouldn’t be working blind here.”

  Kade nodded and then shook his head.

  “Right. Yes and no questions. Can any key open these chains? No? Okay. So I take it that means a special key.”

  Kade nodded. At the side of the room Maira paced. Brann lay on the ground. Amber frowned as she noticed how little he moved. Had they hurt him that bad when they were kicking him earlier? She ignored Kade’s snort, walking over to Brann. He flinched when she rested her hands on him.

  “I’m sorry,” Amber whispered.

  Brann shook his head slightly, tensing at the movement.

  “Stay still.” Amber felt the energy build in her hands. Surely there must be something she could do. If she could fuse skin together then other healing must be possible. She didn’t know what was wrong and it wasn’t like she could x-ray him. She smiled wryly as she wondered if you could get an x-ray machine large enough. Maybe one suitable for an elephant. Kade snorted behind her again. “Oh shut up, Kade.” Would she make things worse if she poured some of the healing energy into him?

  “Brann, I don’t know what I can do, or if I’ll make it worse. I don’t even know what’s wrong. But I could try and help. Are you willing to let me?” When Brann nodded, Amber closed her eyes. She felt the energy build up. It was like pin pricks against her palms. She focused on healing and wholeness. She didn’t know what else to think of. She let the energy go. She bit her lip at the sudden flare of pain in her palms. Brann recoiled. Her eyes opened to see blue points of light dance across the chain between his paws. Healing and wholene
ss? Had she just tried to cure the communication problem?

  A wave of exhaustion washed over Amber and she sat on the ground before her legs gave out. That hadn’t happened last time. Kade nudged her back and she turned to face him, pressing her palm against his head. Brann nudged her shoulder and she looked at him. He stood. He raised his head and then dipped it, his body pressing against the ground. Amber had the impression of being bowed to.

  “Did that help?” She grinned when Brann nodded. Her grin faded when Kade nudged her again. “Oh, stop being so impatient. I’m thinking.” She thought it was best not to tell him she’d probably overdone things by healing Brann. “I forgot to ask, is there any way of getting these chains off without a key?” Amber frowned when Kade shook his head and then nodded. “Well, that wasn’t helpful.” She rose shakily to her feet as her phone vibrated. It was a text message from Crystal.

  Did you go camping to get out of having me visit?

  She returned her phone to her pocket. She’d talk to Crystal later. Right now she had to find out where she was. She wished she knew someone who could track her down by using her mobile phone. Obviously she didn’t know the right kind of people. Or she was hanging out with the wrong kind. She glanced between the three dragons then stared at Kade.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Does Flinn have a phone I can reach him on?” Amber swore when Kade shook his head. There went that plan. She sat down again. Kade nudged her and she swatted at him. She couldn’t ring her brother. She didn’t have the time to convince him not to tell their parents. Crystal and Angela were both still sixteen and had no transport. “Stop pushing me!” She glared at Kade again. He glared back. “Ten minutes. Give me ten minutes to think.”

  When Kade nodded, Amber closed her eyes. She had to figure out where they were. She reached out with her mind. There were people on the street outside now. Grinning as she realised she could sense all of them, she ranged further away. She wondered where Crystal was. She felt a tug from one of the directions. She followed it, picturing Crystal as she did. She tried to focus on the direction she took. It was difficult. Then she found her. She almost shouted in excitement, but managed to hold back. Now maybe she could find Flinn.