by Avril Sabine
She searched out in the direction she though Hicksville was in. The sensation of people grew weaker. Eventually she could sense nothing. Next plan. She thought of the handful of people she knew in Hicksville. Her mother and grandmother, both not an option. Jessica and Justin Chambers. Not the best of options, but at least a chance. She dialled the operator and asked for their home number. Seconds later she was ringing their house, butterflies diving in her stomach.
“Yeah?”
“Jessica?”
“Yeah? Who’s this?”
“It’s Amber. Kade asked me to ring you. He’s trying to get a message to Flinn.”
“Tell him I’m not a messenger.”
“He really needs someone to take a message to Flinn and get him to ring back on this phone.”
“So? Not my problem. Bye.”
“Wait!”
“What?”
“Is Justin there?”
“No.” The phone clunked down.
Amber swore. She wanted to strangle Jessica. She needed to figure out another plan. When Kade nudged her again, she swatted him. His answer was to nudge her harder. “Give me a break. I’m trying here.”
Maira pounced in front of them. She looked back and forth between Amber and the door. Amber heard the sound of the padlock being opened and quickly shoved her phone in her pocket.
“Brann, lie down again,” she hissed before the door swung open.
Hound threw a dead kangaroo into the room. “You can’t say we don’t look after you.” He smirked.
Amber rose to her feet. “I can’t eat raw meat.”
Hound shrugged. “Not my problem. Anyway, Ronan wants to see you. Move it.”
Kade moved in front of her when she took a step forward. She rested her hand against him. “I’ll be back shortly.” His tail flicked back and forth as she walked away from him. She stared at the three of them as the door swung shut and the padlock was slipped into place again. Her eyes were drawn to the door at the other end, which was now padlocked from the inside.
Hound pointed towards the stairs. “Don’t have all day.”
As if reminded of her lack of sleep, Amber yawned. She walked towards the steps, conscious of Hound behind her. The door at the top of the stairs was a flimsy wooden one. It opened into a room with sturdy, medium brown carpet on the floor. A black leather lounge suite was gathered around a timber coffee table in the middle of the room and the walls were lined and painted an off white. There were no windows, only two doors on the opposite wall.
Ronan was sprawled in one of the armchairs. When Amber entered he gestured to the one across from him. “Take a seat, mage. We have things to discuss.”
Amber sat on the edge of the chair, her eyes drawn to a carved wooden box in the centre of the coffee table. The air crackled with the energy coming from the box. “Your decorating skills are a bit on the bare side.” Her eyes travelled around the empty walls. She wanted to draw his attention away from how long she’d stared at the box. Why did he have a Pliethin?
Ronan shrugged. “We never stay anywhere long. It’s best not to draw attention to ourselves. Can I get you something? A drink? Food?”
“Pizza.” She hoped deliveries counted as attention they didn’t want.
Ronan pulled a wallet from his pants, drew out some money and waved it towards Hound. “You heard her.”
“But-”
Ronan sat up straight. “Never argue with me.”
Hound nodded, took the money and left the room. Ronan tossed his wallet on the coffee table and leaned back again.
“You’re hard on your people.”
“Sons.”
“And I thought my parents sucked.”
Ronan laughed. Then he grew serious. “Can you heal? Is that one of your abilities?”
Amber shook her head. She didn’t plan to share any more information than necessary with him. “Why?”
“Your dragons damaged one of my sons. He’ll be out of action for at least a month. So what abilities do you have?”
“The fireballs aren’t enough for you?”
“Don’t take me for a fool. I’ve known several mages before. And they’ve always had more than two abilities.”
“What happened to the mages you knew?”
“You mages are more frail than us dragons. I’ve only known one that didn’t die in battle. He even outlived his dragon by about a decade. But he was a bit younger than the dragon and one of his abilities was shielding himself. Now, back to the original question, what are you abilities?”
At least now she could stop worrying that she might die if Kade did. “If you let some of my friends go I’d be more cooperative.”
Ronan laughed mirthlessly. “Don’t take me for an idiot, mage.” He rose to his feet. “I’ll take you back to your friends.” He spoke the last word like it was something disgusting. “Maybe spending some time with them will remind you of what you will lose if you don’t follow orders.”
Amber rose to her feet, walking towards the door without urging. She managed to keep her eyes off the carved box. She didn’t want to alert him to her interest. The trip downstairs was made in silence. Ronan took a key from his leather pants and unlocked the padlock. He pulled the door open enough for Amber to slip in.
“Hound will bring you your food when he returns. Cooperate and we’ll make life easier for you. There’s no need for you to spend your time in this room.” Ronan pushed the door closed and locked it.
Amber stared at the door a moment longer. A nudge at her back drew her attention. She turned to see Kade. She had to come up with a plan now. Hound was gone, but she didn’t know for how long. There was an injured dragon upstairs, which was probably why Ronan only had two dragons with him this time and she guessed Tory wasn’t about or Ronan wouldn’t have taken her back to the room. He didn’t seem the type to do the drudgework.
Her nose wrinkled. There was a strange smell in the room. She followed the scent to the kangaroo the dragons hadn’t touched. “Don’t eat that.” She pointed to the carcass. “There’s something wrong with it.” The dragons dipped their heads. Satisfied they’d leave it alone, she pulled her phone out, dialling Crystal’s number. “Are you alone?”
“How about letting me get in a hello?”
“No time. Remember I told you about a life and death situation? Well, we need your help.” As she spoke, Amber reached out with her mind to find Crystal. This time it was easier. “Stay still.”
“What?” Crystal’s voice was shrill.
“Hey! My eardrums.”
“You can see me?”
“No. Now take five steps in one direction. No, wrong one. Try a different direction. Nope, the opposite one.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“Stop asking questions. There’s an industrial estate in that direction. Take note of the direction. Ring Jay. Tell him I’m in really bad trouble and he’s not to tell our parents. Tell him I’m not joking and it’s extremely important he doesn’t tell anyone.”
“You’re scaring me, Amber.”
“Good, because I’m terrified too.”
“You don’t sound it.”
“Do I ever?”
“No. That’s me I guess.”
“Hurry, Crys. Time’s running out.” She hung up. If anyone could convince her brother not to tell their parents, it was Crystal. Kade’s tail flicked back and forth. She could almost feel the anger pour off him. She returned his glare. “Your mate isn’t contactable. Mine is. Live with it. Ronan’s got a Pliethin upstairs in a box. I can’t reach Flinn with my mind. I don’t know if I normally would be able to or if these chains make it hard.” She frowned, eyeing the shackles that sat loosely around her wrists. Within seconds she was a panther and the chains slipped off her as she changed. As soon as she was human again, she tried to reach out to Flinn. It was no different. She didn’t have that range.
She supposed the next step was to get out of here. Turning, she faced the door. How hot did metal have to be
to melt? She guessed she was about to find out. Calling up a ball of fire, she increased the heat, holding it against the door where she thought the padlock was. Nothing. She increased the heat further. Sweat poured down her face and she stepped back, her arm outstretched as far as possible. The door began to twist and glow near the fireball. Amber wished she had something she could push through it. There was no way she was going to touch the hot metal with her hand. Just because the fire didn’t hurt her didn’t mean the metal wouldn’t. She heard a pop as the latch the padlock was on, let go of the door and a clatter as it hit the ground.
Closing her hand she extinguished the fire. She pushed the door open, the metal at the middle of the door hot against her palm. The room was empty. Relief hit her and she grabbed her backpack, pulling it on as she ran to the door. She pushed on it slightly. It wasn’t locked. Turning, she found Kade next to her.
“Guard this door.” She tried to head for the stairs, but he was in front of her. “I have to get that Pliethin.” Kade shook his head violently. “Yes. Don’t stand here arguing with me, or we’ll get caught.” She headed for the stairs again. She had no clue what she’d do with the Pliethin, but it was obviously valuable to dragons if the way Kade and Flinn had tried to get it was any indication. Halfway up the stairs, her phone started to vibrate. She checked the display. It was Crystal. “Yeah?”
“We think we know which industrial estate you’re talking about. Anything else?” Crystal asked.
“Yeah. Tell Jay to hire the largest enclosed trailer he can.” Amber waited for Crystal to pass along the message. She smiled as she heard her brother swear in the background.
“Okay. Anything else?”
Amber reached out with her mind. They were heading in the correct direction. “No. Just hurry.”
“We are.”
Amber hung up and slipped the phone back in her pocket, cautiously making her way up the rest of the steps. Reaching out with her mind, she checked the room. Finding only the Pliethin there, she eased the door open. All was clear. Dashing inside, she grabbed the carved box, hesitated, then grabbed the wallet too. She hoped there’d be enough money in there to pay her brother back. Hurrying down the stairs, she shoved the box and wallet in her backpack. The three dragons waited by the exit for her.
She peered outside. Vehicles were parked along the side of the street and people walked on the concrete footpaths. There was no way she could take three dragons outside. Not and keep them hidden. Panic rose up and she beat it back down, along with the panther that wanted to escape. There had to be a way. She could see freedom. It was centimetres away. Behind her Kade snorted. She turned back to him. His tail still moved back and forth in an angry cat fashion.
“I’m not leaving you here.” She ignored his violent nod and turned back to the gap in the door. She reached out with her mind. Crystal and Jasper were still too far away. Amber stepped into the street. No one paid her any attention. She bet that’d soon change if one of the dragons followed her. Several doors away was another building locked up tight. Reaching in with her mind she found it was empty. That is if you didn’t count the mice. Hurrying to the empty building, she kept her back to the handful of people nearby and called up another fireball.
This time she tried to keep it small and concentrated. The padlock popped open with the heat and Amber quickly removed it, dropping the hot metal on the ground, biting back a yelp when she touched it. She opened the door and kicked the padlock inside. Now she had to find something to cover them with. A quick scan of the room showed it was empty. She didn’t have time to search the entire building.
Amber closed the door and slowly walked back towards where her friends were being held. Her eyes scanned the area and she spotted a painter’s ute. A pile of drop cloths were folded and sitting in the back. The painter was standing at the front of his vehicle talking to someone.
A deep breath and she hurried over to him. “Excuse me.”
The painter turned towards her, irritation on his face. He pulled his cap off, rubbed the sweat from his forehead and replaced it. “What?”
“I have some trolleys of stuff I need to move a few buildings along and I forgot to bring the covers. The stuff is light sensitive. I’m wondering if I could borrow your drop cloths. It shouldn’t take me more than ten minutes.”
“What is it?”
“Stuff belonging to the photographer who’s working in that building.” Amber pointed to where they’d been held. “I just can’t afford to lose this job and I don’t have enough time to return with the cloths before my boss gets back.” She held her breath, hoping he’d say yes.
The painter sighed. “Need a hand with it?”
Amber shook her head. “No. Some of it’s really fragile. I guess I’d better do it myself.”
“Ten minutes. Then I’ve got to hit the road.”
“Thank you.” Amber couldn’t resist a grin. She walked to the back of the ute with the painter and was surprised at how heavy the two drop cloths were that he handed her. “I’ll be as quick as possible.” She hurried back to the building and slipped inside.
Chapter Nineteen
The three dragons stared at Amber. She was still grinning. Now if only her luck would hold a little longer. “Who’s first? I need you to hold your tail on an angle suitable for the handle of a large trolley. I’ve got a building to hide you in until my brother can find us.”
Kade pointed towards Maira, who shook her head.
“Quit arguing or I won’t be able to get any of you out of here.”
Maira stepped forward. Amber quickly draped the paint splattered cloths over her and then holding onto her tail, waited until Kade nudged the door open further before pushing against Maira’s tail.
“Go in the opposite direction of where I move your tail, unless I’m pushing forward,” Amber whispered. “Just like a trolley.” She stopped talking as she stepped out into the light and held her breath as they moved slowly along. The slight breeze that ruffled the drop cloths masked the walking motion and she sped things up a little, pulling back on Maira’s tail once they reached the building she’d broken into. Then she guided Maira in. As soon as they were inside, she pulled off the drop cloths, closed the door on Maira and rushed back to Kade and Brann.
With every minute that passed, Amber became more anxious. She had to stop herself from continually looking around. Instead she searched the area for dragons with her mind. It continued to stay clear. She didn’t search Ronan’s building since she didn’t want to risk alerting anyone. She had no idea exactly how her abilities worked and if anyone would notice what she was doing. Once all three dragons were hidden she returned the drop cloths and grabbed the chain from their cell. Shoving it in her backpack, she shut the door behind her and left Ronan’s building for what she hoped was the last time.
Taking note of the number on the front of the building, she stepped inside with her friends. She stopped in front of Kade. “Ronan can’t find your minds while you’ve got these chains on, can he?” Kade shook his head. “That’s what I thought. You know I can’t stay here with you, don’t you?” Kade nodded. “Let Jay and Crystal help you, please. Let them get you out of here.” She pulled out the wallet, her jaw dropping open when she saw all the fifty-dollar notes inside. She took several hundred out for herself and checked for ID. There was only the money. “Give this wallet to Jay. He can use it to help you escape.” She couldn’t resist smiling. “It seems fitting to me.” She threw her arms around Kade. “Be careful.”
Before she chickened out, Amber slipped outside and glanced around. There was still no sign of Ronan’s warriors. She hurried down the street and hoped she wasn’t heading in the direction they’d come from. Taking note of the name of the street as she turned the corner, she pulled her phone out.
“We’ve only just got a trailer now,” Crystal said.
“Good. You’ll need large cloths too. Like painter’s drop cloths.”
“How many?”
“Six should do.”
“What are we picking up?”
There was no way she could explain it over the phone. It was something that needed to be seen to be believed. “I want you to keep an open mind and to ring me before you try to move the… ah… items.”
“Where do we have to pick these items up from?”
Amber gave her the address. “Make sure you ring me first.”
“Okay.”
“And tell Jay I’ve left money there to help cover the cost of moving the… items.”
“Aren’t you there?”
“Not anymore.”
“Amber-”
She spied a taxi and waved it down. “I have to go. Ring me when you arrive.”
“Okay.”
“Where to?” The taxi driver asked as she hopped in.
“Roma Street train station.” She sat her backpack on her lap. Now that she could relax for a few minutes, her mind seemed frozen. She wasn’t sure what to do next. Did she try and return home now? What if Ronan caught Jay and Crystal while they were trying to move the dragons? Then her mind went blank again. Sleep. That’s what she really needed. She struggled to ignore her body’s requirements. Her stomach rumbled and reminded her of another need. She might have better control over her panther, but it wasn’t perfect. She needed food.
At the train station, Amber first used the bathroom and then grabbed a strong coffee and a sandwich. Since she only had more dragon-leather in her backpack, she bought a shirt plastered with advertising to pull on over her leather vest and then studied what destinations were available to her. When her phone rang, she nearly dropped her coffee. The display read Crystal.
Amber answered the phone. “Have you arrived yet?”
“What the hell is going on?”
“Jay.”
“Don’t Jay me! There’s… there’s… shit!”
