Handlers of Dragons (Children of Ankh Book 4)

by Kim Cormack

  Zach interrupted her thoughts by saying, “Those newbies aren’t still in the tomb, are they?”

  Mike answered, “We thought it might be better for their mental well being to leave them in there until you left. You did kill them enough to take out six of us.”

  Zach corrected Mike, “That was Kayn and Lexy. Grey and I played good cop. We got a chance to know them rather well.”

  Aubrey met Zach’s eyes as she probed, “And the verdict is?”

  Zach’s expression darkened a touch as he replied, “Separately, they’re great people but they kind of despise each other. I’m afraid it didn’t do much to take Samid out of the mix.”

  Aubrey seemed to understand. She nodded without saying anything else.

  The door to the room slid open. Amar smiled and asked, “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long?” He waved Kayn, Zach, Lexy and Grey to his side, then directed his Healers to awaken the others.

  Good timing. She was feeling a little bit jittery. They followed the handsome dark featured Amar out of the room and down the long marble-floored hall while Grey gave Amar a blow by blow account of their attempt to train and attach the newbies headed for Testing. When all was said and done, Amar ushered them into the dining hall. Kayn had a good-sized meal slathered in hot sauce and she felt far less murdery as they headed back through the room to their continent.

  Chapter 6

  Let the Dragon Games Begin

  THE OTHER HALF OF THE group had left their clothing, toiletries and personal items behind within the tomb on their continent’s soil. The sight of her backpack gave Kayn a pang of guilt. They all searched through their belongings hoping for communication from their clan. There was nothing. Kayn unzipped the front pocket of her backpack and smiled as she removed the ring with the fake topaz birthstone Frost had given her from a bubble gum machine as a sweet gesture before they were together. She slipped it onto her finger and felt the weight of her mistakes slipping away. He knows who you are. He loves you anyway. She really wished he’d snuck a note into her bag. A message that wasn’t written in frustration as the last one had been. The foursome climbed the stairs out of the Ankh crypt and stepped out into the sweltering moisture of the jungle with their bags in tow. The chirping musical sounds of the jungle birds felt like they were being welcomed home.

  Zach nudged her as he asked, “Everything alright?”

  She smiled at her Handler, knowing there was no point in lying. Kayn revealed her feelings, “I was hoping there would be a note or something from Frost in my bag.”

  Zach placed his arm around her and whispered, “I had something weird in mine.”

  “Oh really? What?” Kayn quietly enquired as they wandered away from the crypt.

  “A half dozen Twinkies. Why would someone put Twinkies in my bag?” Zach questioned.

  Kayn shrugged suspecting it was Frost. She suggested, “They could have been shoving some random snacks in our bags. There were Twinkies in the RV.” They walked for a while longer as Azariah’s words replayed in her mind. The whole truth. She was supposed to tell her Handler the truth. Kayn looked at Zach and said, “Those Twinkies were probably from Frost.”

  Zach knit his brow as he questioned, “Why would Frost give me six Twinkies?”

  She decided to be completely truthful, “Let’s just say, it’s part of a game we’ve been playing.”

  Zach chuckled as he answered, “Say no more. I get it. Putting something in your bag would be too obvious.”

  A toucan called out grabbing their attention from a branch of a tree up ahead. She swatted some mosquitos off her arm, wiped the sweat from her brow and slowed down as the group passed the large brightly coloured bird. She paused and stared at it. It came back to her in a gut punch. When she was trapped in the jungle with Kevin during the Testing she’d seen a toucan and she told him that Fruit Loops used to be his favourite cereal as a child. He’d told her he would try it when they made it out of there. Had he followed through and sampled some? Did it even matter anymore?

  Zach had wandered off with the others but he came back and he was staring at the toucan in the tree. He commented, “So... this is what has you so mesmerized.”

  She admitted, “We used to love Fruit Loops when we were kids.”

  Without her having to explain, Zach knew what she meant. He clarified, “You mean, you liked Fruit Loops. Can I give you some unsolicited advice?”

  Kayn turned to look at her Handler, knowing what he was about to say.

  Zach wiped his hands on his shorts and laced his fingers through hers as he said, “I know it’s difficult for you to separate your mortal experiences from Kevin’s because he was always around but maybe if you altered your wording just a touch, everything you see wouldn’t lead you back to thoughts of him.”

  He had a point but that was easier said than done. “I wish it were that easy,” Kayn explained.

  “Well, maybe you need to make new Fruit Loop memories,” her Handler suggested. “When we get back stateside, we’ll get some.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Kayn replied as she allowed him to guide her away.

  They’d been trekking through the sweltering jungle for quite a while when Lexy swatted a mosquito off her arm as she called Grey back and pointed out, “We’re supposed to take the other trail.”

  Grey laughed as he explained, “I’m sorry the lights are on but nobody’s home. I’m dizzy from the heat. That could have gone badly.”

  He was preaching to the choir. Kayn used the back of her hand to wipe away the film of perspiration on her forehead. It was disgustingly hot.

  “Do you guys even know where we’re going?” Zach questioned.

  “Sort of,” Grey answered honestly.

  “I hope we’re not, sort of lost,” Kayn sparred as something large moved through the bushes close by. What might that be? Her cell was in her backpack. She wanted to google, large jungle animals of Mexico but there would be no service. She caught up with Lexy and asked, “Are there tigers in Mexico?”

  “That was a leopard. Don’t lag behind the group,” Lexy replied.

  They picked up their pace as they doubled back to the trail they’d passed. After five minutes of walking in the right direction, they saw a jeep parked on the path. Was this vehicle for them?

  Grey crouched by the wheel well and stood up with a little black box in hand. “Sweet ride Markus,” Grey proclaimed as he manually unlocked the passenger side door.

  Sweet, wasn’t the word she’d use. There was no leg room at all in the backseat. There was however, a day planner clipped to the netting on the back of the passenger side seat. Kayn opened it and flipped through the pages. Were they bloody serious? There were times and locations all over North America marked on a calendar with detailed instructions in the margins. Sixty days in brackets. Two months was highly optimistic. There was no way they were going to pull off these jobs in only two months. At the back in the address section, it read, join us when you’ve finished the starred jobs. Only the starred jobs were theirs. Well...Shit. There were only a dozen feats to accomplish. It could be done. Kayn passed the journal to Lexy without saying a word. As Lexy flipped through the day planner, she started to giggle.

  Grey reached for the planner as he enquired, “What do you have there?”

  Lexy passed the calendar to Grey. “It’s our schedule for the next couple of months. We’ll all be so burnt out we won’t know our own names by the time we’re finished,” Lexy remarked as she looked back at Kayn and added, “I’m sorry. Maybe if I hadn’t killed someone too they might have gone a little easier on us.”

  “Maybe, what you should take away from this moment is that murder sprees are bad,” Zach teased.

  “Oh, you have so much to learn my young hot friend, just follow along until you get it,” Lexy countered.

  Zach beamed as he clarified, “Did you just call me sexy Lexy? Ha, ha...That totally rhymes.”

  “I called you hot, not sexy... There’s a difference,” Lexy sparred
as she did up her seatbelt and shook her head.

  They made themselves comfortable in the Jeep as Grey turned the key in the ignition. He swore and remarked, “There’s no air conditioning. Open the windows.”

  “The windows are already open Grey. Can’t you tell by the mosquitos feasting on your face?” Lexy exclaimed.

  “Crap!” Grey said as he frantically swatted them away. Did anybody check the back for water bottles?” he queried.

  Kayn and Zach both gave each other a strange look. There was no back. There also appeared to be no water. Awesome. Kayn grinned as she took in her Handler’s pouty face. He was obviously still on a mission to win over Lexy. Kayn gave Zach’s leg a reassuring squeeze as she asked, “Where’s our first stop?”

  Lexy declared, “We’re off to Kansas.”

  The jeep lurched as they pulled out, beginning their Dragon Handler bonding road trip. Murder Spree. Kayn started to giggle as Grey began cursing up a storm under his breath.

  “I despise driving standard vehicles. Frost did this on purpose,” he complained.

  Lexy sighed and volunteered, “I’ll drive. I don’t care if it’s standard.”

  Grey peered over at Lexy. Her crimson locks were whipping around in the wind as he mouthed the words, “Three hours.”

  Three hours until their first rest stop. She could read between the lines. She tried to take in the lush brilliantly coloured vegetation as it whirled past her window. It was too hot to play tourist and sight see. Kayn rested her head on Zach’s shoulder and closed her eyes, intending to get some sleep. She drifted away to the sound of humming tires.

  Zach nudged her as he quietly said, “We found a motel with air-conditioning. We’re stopping for the night.”

  Kayn groggily opened her eyes and yawned, stretching her arms above her in the cramped backseat. It was already dusk. How long had she been asleep?

  Zach passed her a water bottle before she even attempted to get out. She felt sweaty and foul. When she was younger and mortal, she’d been naïve enough to romanticize life on the road. There was really nothing romantic about it. Zach helped her struggle out of the cramped backseat with sleepy spaghetti legs and then she took in her surroundings. They were back on the coast by the ocean at a fancy resort. The salty humid breeze fluttered around her hair at the base of her neck. It felt magnificent. Sometimes it was the little things that caused optimism to surface. After she had a shower and perhaps a swim, she imagined she’d be feeling much more herself. Kayn downed her water as she followed Zach through the air-conditioned lobby. It felt incredible. It looked like they were headed upstairs but instead, Zach used a key to unlock the door beside the staircase. She stepped inside the cool room, saw the two double beds, staggered over and flopped herself down on the closest one. She felt the pressure of Zach sitting on the mattress. He turned on the T.V as she mumbled, “Tell me there’s room service. I don’t even want to move.”

  Zach chuckled, “Hungry Brighton?”

  “Famished,” she countered with her voice slightly muffled from the mattress. She felt him moving around, some rustling and then the sensation of him tossing something on the small of her back. Kayn grabbed for it and laughed as she figured out what it was...Twinkies. She groaned dramatically. She missed Frost more than she should for only one day apart. What was she going to do with herself for the next couple of months?

  Zach sprawled out next to her, flung his arm around her and exclaimed, “If you’d prefer something heartier, go have a shower so we can meet up with Lexy and Grey. They’re already at the restaurant.”

  She got up so fast you’d think the bed was on fire and dashed into the washroom. After a luxurious shower, she put on a clean tank top and shorts. Kayn stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was absolutely covered in freckles. She shrugged as she wandered out of the bathroom to the strangely empty room. Why would he take off? “Zach?” she called out quietly.

  From the patio, his voice quietly answered, “You have to get out here and see this.”

  Intrigued, she strolled out onto the deck to see what the fuss was about. In the torch-lit courtyard, just beyond the privacy bushes, there was a group of people doing yoga. She knit her brow. This wasn’t that exciting.

  “Not that. Look up,” Zach whispered as he pointed at the first-floor balcony directly across the way.

  The lights were on in the room. Kayn squinted so she could see what he was looking at. Why was her vision so blurry? Kayn nudged Zach and said, “I can’t see that far. Somethings going on with my eyesight.”

  “You really can’t see them?” he questioned. “What are the odds they’d be here?”

  She rubbed her eyes and tried looking again. She really couldn’t see who he was talking about. “I give up, who are we stalking? You’re going to have to spell it out for me.”

  Zach rolled his eyes, took her hands and urged, “Go for it. You must need a hit of energy.”

  She hesitated for a minute before allowing her ability to do its thing. The heat caused by her Conduit ability channeled Zach’s energy up her arms into her chest and her vision instantly came into focus. This glitch was new. Kayn thanked him as she released her hold without taking any more than she needed. Now, she could see what he was talking about. It was Lucien. He was the head of the Lampir Coven they’d visited not too long ago with some of the others. It still felt strange to refer to them as Lampir when in her mind, they were Vampires. It looked like they were just chilling on vacation. It was strange that they’d find themselves in a resort in Mexico at the same time. Maybe this wasn’t a coincidence at all? Kayn’s heart leapt as Frost strolled into the room across the way. She hadn’t expected to see him this soon. She had to get over there. Just as she was about to rush over, Frost made eye contact with her and slowly shook his head.

  Zach whispered, “This must be a job. I thought our first job was in Texas?”

  “Kansas,” Kayn whispered.

  He whispered back, “This definitely isn’t Kansas. We’d better get to the restaurant and meet up with Lexy and Grey. Maybe, there’s been a change of plans?”

  They were about to go as their door opened. Someone had just come into their room. They spun around. Lexy motioned for them to get back inside. They ducked. It was a ridiculous move because they were trying to hide from people a floor above them. In her head, she heard Lexy’s voice ordering them to stand up and get back inside. Kayn darted into the room with Zach close behind her.

  Lexy shook her head in disapproval as she flicked off the light switch, hiding them in the cover of darkness. She closed the curtains. “We really can’t leave you two alone for a second,” she remarked as she waved them to the door. “Is everybody feeling focused enough to pay attention?”

  Rarely, Kayn thought as her heart pleaded with her to get over there. She had so many things she wanted to say, the first being to apologize for causing their abrupt split.

  Lexy stood in front of the door blocking her path. Her sister meant business.

  Attempting to reason with her, Lexy warned, “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t even try it. I will take you down.”

  Out of respect for their sisterhood of Dragons, Kayn backed down, looked at her immortal sibling and curtly said, “Explain.”

  Lexy grinned as she responded, “There’s been a change of plans. Grey got a text while you two were sleeping. The other part of our clan is meeting with the head of the Lampir to discuss information they’ve received. Part of Lucien’s crew has gone rogue. They’re trying to start a war between the hives. Once they’ve determined who is involved, the others will leave. We’ll be sent in to correct his crew and possibly him. We’ve had a long-standing treaty with the Lampir, so be forewarned, this promises to be a shit show.”

  They were still going to keep them apart. It felt like they were teasing her by having Frost in close proximity without allowing any contact. Kayn grabbed for the curtains so she could sneak a peek at him.

  “That’d be why gawking up there
from our deck might seem a little suspicious,” Grey clarified. “We probably have time to go to the restaurant and have a good meal before we figuratively clean house.”

  The foursome left the room and casually strolled down the hall to the restaurant.

  “What if they catch on to what they’re doing there and take them out before they have the opportunity to call us in?” Zach enquired.

  “If our symbols go off. We’re on. We’ll heal ours before we leave,” Lexy answered.

  That sounded simple enough. Kayn found herself secretly hoping they messed-up so she could be with Frost for five seconds even if he was unconscious. She might even be able to sneak him a note with her new number so he could get a hold of her during their forced separation. She should have grabbed a pen from their room. There was always a pen on the nightstand. With a little skip in her step, she followed the others into the colourful restaurant with worn looking red wooden chairs around the small round two seater tables. There was brightly coloured art on the walls and rust coloured uneven cobblestone flooring. This was not the place to be day drinking, she’d break her damn neck. Not that it mattered because she’d be healed before she hit the floor. Judging by the size of the tables, they were going to be sitting in different places.

  Grey looked at Zach as he suggested, “Come sit with me. Lexy can go over things with Kayn. We have a more observatory roll anyway. They’re the ones doing the job.”

  Zach glanced at Kayn and shrugged as he strolled away with Grey. Frost was over there. He was so close, she could still feel him.

  The two girls sat down and when Kayn peered up at Lexy she was grinning. “So, that’s all there is to the plan?” Kayn questioned, just as their waiter appeared to take their drink orders.