by E. G. Foley
“A little help?” he rasped.
Derek turned to Maddox. “Care to do the honors?”
The older boy nodded, crouched down briefly in a sprinter’s stance, then exploded into action, racing across the lawn like an arrow shot from a bow.
Troll Boy didn’t even see him coming.
In the next heartbeat, Maddox ran up the hulk’s broad back and hooked his arm around Ogden’s thick throat in a wrestler’s move, cutting off his air.
“Let him go,” he ordered in a menacing tone.
Bloody embarrassing, Jake thought, annoyed to find himself, the would-be hero, in need of a rescue. He kept kicking Ogden, at least, while Maddox tightened his hold.
Og waved his free hand around angrily behind him, trying to knock Maddox off his back.
“I said let him go,” Maddox repeated.
“Can’t…breathe!” Og choked out.
“Makes two of us,” Jake wheezed. He sent Derek an impatient scowl. Care to help here?
The master Guardian arched a brow, watching with a look of amusement and pride.
“Last chance,” Maddox warned Og through gritted teeth, while Jake started seeing black spots float across his field of vision.
Great. Now I get to faint like a little girl again in front of everyone.
“Get off me!” Ogden yowled.
“Wrong choice,” said Maddox. Then he gave the troll a wrench with his arm, and Ogden’s beady eyes rolled up into his head.
Og’s grip on Jake’s throat released as he crashed to the ground, out cold.
“Hooray, Maddox killed him!” Dani cried triumphantly as she came running over.
“Nah, he just fainted,” the young Guardian said, dusting off his hands, while Jake crawled out of Ogden’s reach, coughing and gasping for air. Then he sat on the grass, disgusted, and rubbed his half-strangled throat.
“Thanks,” he croaked.
Maddox nodded, eyeing the distance between where Jake sat and the unconscious hybrid. “You might want to move farther back. He’ll be awake again shortly.”
“No worries,” Derek interjected as he came strolling over. “Nice work, lad.” Then he crouched down and waited the few seconds until Og woke up.
Thus, the first thing Troll Boy saw when he came-to was the steely eyed Guardian looming over him and looking none-too-pleased.
The difference between the boys’ skill levels and his was that Derek did not have to say a word. Did not have to make a threat. Did not even have to make a fist.
He only had to stare for a long moment into the confused troll’s eyes, his own slightly narrowed.
Og seemed to shrink several inches in size. He whimpered slightly and slid backward away from Derek, crab-walking on his hands.
The Guardian watched his every move, still silent.
Maddox stood a short distance behind Derek, clearly ready to attack again on his trainer’s orders.
Isabelle had tiptoed over to stare at her idol, but Jake paid her little mind, loving every minute of seeing the oversized bully show his true cowardice.
A safe distance from Derek, Og jumped to his feet and knuckle-ran off in the direction of the zoo.
Dani started to jeer loudly after the fleeing brute, but Derek laid a finger over his lips and chided gently, “Shh. No need to heap coals on your enemy’s head, my little Irish brawler.”
“Sorry,” Dani muttered. “But that was great!”
Archie, marched over to Jake and offered him a hand up; Jake clasped it, and his cousin pulled him up off the grass.
“Quite a day we’re having, what?”
“I’ll say,” Jake agreed, his voice still sounding froggy from semi-strangulation.
Archie then turned to Maddox. “You were brilliant!”
Jake’s pride could hardly endure his being rescued by his rival, but as Archie proceeded to laud the older boy, Dani made matters even worse by running over to Jake and fussing over him like a mother hen.
“I’m fine!” he said, brushing her off while his cheeks flamed.
“Thanks to Maddox!” she retorted.
Jake scowled, but Derek chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” he exclaimed.
“You are, Jake,” Derek said with a knowing look.
“You wouldn’t be laughing if you were here when that thing nearly killed Archie!” Jake huffed, desperate for a change of subject, anything other than his needing to be rescued by the Guardians like a blasted damsel in distress. “He should be kept in a cage if that’s how he’s going to act! Who ever thought it was a good idea to try to tame a rock troll, anyway? Vicious cannibals. We’re lucky he didn’t eat us.”
“I’ll bet he was thinking about it,” Dani said with a nod.
“I say, could you perhaps teach me that trick you did to make him pass out?” Archie asked Maddox hopefully. “How’d you do it? Constrict the carotid artery?”
“Huh?” Maddox asked when Archie poked him in the arm. He had been gazing at Isabelle like he was in a trance.
“Will you show me how to do that?” Archie repeated.
“Oh, er, that’s not going to be the best strategy for somebody your size. No offense. If I were you, I’d look to figure out what particular strengths you have to fight him with if he comes back.” Maddox shrugged. “My approach won’t necessarily help you ’cause everybody’s different.”
Isabelle actually sighed at his kindly advice to her brother.
Oh, please. Jake shook his head and looked off into the distance, trying to rein in his annoyance.
Maddox froze, wide-eyed, as she stepped closer to him. Something like a raging troll on the loose did not shake him in the least, but he looked almost terrified of delicate, gentle Isabelle. Jake shook his head.
“Thank you so much for saving my cousin, Mr. St. Trinian.”
“Er—it was nothing, Miss Bradford,” he forced out.
“It was to me,” Jake chimed in with lavish sarcasm. “Hullo, strangulation?”
But even Dani ignored him this time. The carrot-head wore a grin from ear to ear, glancing from one smitten youth to the other.
Ugh, thought Jake. “Well! Now that that’s over, can we get out of here, please?”
“That’s actually what I came to talk to you about, Jakey, old boy,” Derek spoke up, giving him an affectionate clap on the back. “I have a birthday present for you! And it’s much better than nearly getting strangled by a troll.”
“Half-troll,” Archie reminded him.
“A present, you say?” Jake asked, mollified. “You didn’t have to get me anything, Derek.”
“Well, you don’t turn thirteen every day, and besides, this one’s special, since it’s the first birthday in your whole life that you knew of in advance. I have to make the trip anyway, and I got permission for you to come along, thanks to certain connections of mine.”
“A trip?” Jake echoed.
“Aye, but you have to do as I say the whole time—I mean it,” he said sternly. “Understood? No exceptions. No running off. You follow orders. Those are my terms. Agree to that, and you can come along.”
“Of course! Where are we going?” Jake asked eagerly.
“Romania. Come, follow me. Tempus fugit, boys.” Derek started walking away.
“Romania?” Jake stood there for a moment in confusion. “What, right now? We’re leaving in the middle of the Gathering?”
“No worries, we’ll be back in time for supper,” Derek said over his shoulder.
Jake’s eyes widened. He suddenly gasped. “Derek! Hold on!” He ran after him in amazement. “Do you mean—?”
The big warrior paused and turned around with a warm smile. “That’s right, Jake. I’m taking you into the Grid. Like a real Lightrider. Special treat for your birthday.”
“Yes!” He hugged the big man like a crazed sports fan and went mad with rejoicing for several seconds, jumping around like the winner of the London lottery. Then he had a hundred questions. “Are you serious? But why Romania?
We can go anywhere, right? Why are we going there?”
Derek finally confessed the rest of his surprise. “There’s been an outbreak of the dragon pox among the dracosaurs up in the mountains there.”
“Dracosaurs?” Dani breathed, for the others had followed, listening to everything.
“A very important species, very ancient,” Derek said. “The forest-dwelling Dracosaurus silvanus is believed to be the missing link between dragons and dinosaurs.”
“Whoa,” Archie breathed.
“They’re protected in a huge remote valley the Order owns in Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, we just received word that one of the females is showing signs of dragon pox. It can be very contagious. As rare as this ancient species is, Dr. Plantagenet wants to go right away to treat the infected reptile, before the pox spreads to the rest of the colony. He’s asked for extra protection since Green Men have no defenses against fire. Fire-breathing dragons…kind of a phobia with Green Men. So a couple of us are accompanying the good doctor on the trip for protection.” He looked at Jake. “Thought you’d like to tag along.”
He nodded eagerly, but his friends started whining.
“Aw, why does he get to go and not us?” Archie protested.
“Settle down! It’s his birthday,” Derek said. “Maybe you can go some other time.”
“Well, it sounds a little dangerous, anyway,” Dani mumbled.
“Dracosaurs are relatively peaceful in the daytime. Besides, the doctor has stinkberry bracelets for all of us to wear once we get there. All dragon species hate the smell and stay away from it.”
“Dragon repellent?” Archie asked.
“Precisely. Dragons know the berries are poisonous to them. Wearing some of the dried berries makes it safe to work around them—though it does smell awful. So, what do you think, Jake? You want to go?”
“Yes!”
Archie heaved a sigh. “Have fun, coz.”
“And don’t get eaten,” Dani added with a pout.
Isabelle smiled. “Come back in one piece.”
“Hold on!” Archie said suddenly, reaching into his tool-bag. “Why don’t you take some pictures of the dragons for us?” He pulled out his miniature subcompact camera, a newly invented gadget normally used by real-life spies and private investigators.
It had worked well on their trip to Giant Land. Archie had managed to snap amazing pictures of the Norse giants and their village.
Jake accepted the camera with a nod and tucked it into his coat. “I’ll try to get some good ones.”
“Right, then! Come along, you two,” Derek ordered. “Let’s get moving. Best not to deal with any breed of dragons after dark.”
You two? Jake wondered, but then he realized Maddox was following Derek, too. His jaw dropped for a second. Oh, you have got to be joking!
Hurrying ahead of the Guardian-in-training, Jake caught up to Derek and walked alongside him, keeping his voice low. “Derek, why does he have to come?”
The warrior sent him a quick frown. “I think he earned it just now, don’t you?”
“Hey, I know how it looked, but trust me, I had it under control!” Jake insisted.
Derek chuckled. “Not so easy without Red to help you, is it?”
He scowled. “Fine. So the kid saved my neck. Still, it’s my birthday!”
“And you are being granted a special privilege because of it. Listen, just like you are being considered for the Lightrider program and would do well to get your first look at the Grid, Maddox also needs to join us as part of his apprenticeship in learning how to protect a Lightrider on a mission.”
Jake scoffed rather violently. “I don’t need protection,” he muttered, ignoring the troll incident, which he told himself was obviously an exception and didn’t count.
Derek shrugged. “Someday you might.”
“Yes, but that’s why I’ve got you. Isn’t it?”
“For now, of course,” he replied. “But one day, I’ll be old and decrepit and too slow to keep up with you. If they make you a Lightrider, protocol requires you to have a Guardian accompany you on your more dangerous missions. You know that. It’s better to get familiar with a particular Guardian or two. It makes the missions go smoother.”
Jake stopped walking. “Wait a second.” Archie’s words from last night after they had left the blacksmith’s forge echoed in his ears. He had suggested exactly what Derek was all but saying now. “Don’t even tell me the Order is thinking of assigning St. Trinian to me. Like, permanently?”
“Well, I could tell you that, Jake. But then I would be lying.”
“Oh, you cannot be serious! I don’t want that kid shadowing me! I don’t even know him! He’s way too full of himself! Plus, he’s boring!”
“I can hear every word you’re saying, you know,” Maddox spoke up from a few yards behind them.
Jake looked back at him with only a smidgeon of regret.
The older boy tapped his ear, looking amused by his rude protests. “Extra-sharp Guardian senses, remember?”
He heaved an irked sigh. “Sorry,” he forced out.
Derek chuckled and then rumpled Jake’s hair. “Come along, my brave young heroes!” he said wryly. “Let’s go see some dragons. Do try not to kill each other along the way, hmm?” He strode off ahead of them.
Jake glanced at Maddox in annoyance and followed.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
There Be Dragons
Considering it was his birthday and that he was about to have the experience of a lifetime, Jake decided not to ruin it for himself by being in a bad mood over Maddox coming along. The Guardian kid had saved him from the troll boy, after all, as much as it galled him to admit it. So, he gave up his vexation and found he felt better immediately.
As Derek led the boys out to the same green expanse of lawn where the portal had appeared yesterday, Jake was delighted to spot the tall, lanky cowboy waiting for them there, hands in pockets, chewing on his toothpick.
Tex looked decidedly intimidating as he stood there in stillness, his face shadowed under the brim of his hat, his duster coat blowing ominously in the wind.
Dr. Plantagenet was with him, dressed in his white lab coat, with his black doctor bag in hand, and a curious pile of equipment gathered into a large sack made of rope netting on the ground beside him. The Green Man looked nervous as the breeze rippled through the twigs on his head.
Seeing the zookeeper reminded Jake to report the troll boy’s vicious behavior; after all, Dr. Plantagenet seemed to have charge over Ogden. But as they approached, Maddox caught Jake’s eye and shook his head in a discreet request not to bring it up, at least not yet. Jake frowned at him uncertainly.
Tex tipped his hat as they joined him. “Stone. Boys. Y’all ready to go?”
“Ready? We may have trouble holding them back,” Derek replied as he greeted Tex with a hearty handshake. “Good to see you on your feet.”
“Healers fixed me up right quick.”
“You two know each other?” Jake remarked in surprise, glancing from one man to the other.
“Aw, we go way back,” the cowboy said.
“Appreciate you doing this for the boy,” Derek said.
Tex nodded and sent Jake a wink. “Kid’s old man was my friend, too.”
“You knew my father, Mr. Munroe?” Jake echoed in amazement.
“And your ma. We were in the same graduatin’ class.”
Jake absorbed this in shock while Maddox introduced himself to Dr. Plantagenet. Jake and the Green Man had already met, of course, but he jarred himself out of his daze in time to say hello.
He made no mention of Troll Boy’s attack—but not because Maddox said so. It was obvious the Green Man was already on edge about having to go and give medical treatment to fearsome dracosaurs.
Jake nodded to him. “Thanks for letting me come along, Dr. Plantagenet.”
“I’m not sure your Gryphon would approve,” the veterinarian answered with a rueful smile.
Jake
grinned. “Red hates dragons.”
“And that, my boy, makes two of us,” the Green Man said in a taut voice. “At least this time, I don’t have to give them any shots.”
“Blimey!” Jake couldn’t even imagine how the dracosaurs’ caretakers managed that.
“Hey, Stone, you wanna get that bag for the doc?”
“Sure.” Derek picked it up and slung the rope sack over his shoulder. “I’ll go first.”
“Yep. Stone first. You, Guardian kid, you go second.”
“Yes, sir. Maddox St. Trinian. Pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise. Greenie goes third. Then Jakey boy. I’ll go last to close the door after us.” As Tex spoke, he pulled up his left sleeve, exposing once more the strange tattoo on the inside of his brawny forearm—an intricate geometrical shape rather like a sunflower with layered petals, but inscribed with all manner of arcane sigils.
On the points of the tattoo, tiny bits of glass or crystal glowed like buttons on one of Archie’s gadgets.
“What is that?” Jake exclaimed.
Not looking over, Tex began punching in particular chips of the glass with the pointer finger of his opposite hand. He’d seen him do it yesterday. “Didn’t that dad-gum wood elf teach you young’uns nuthin?”
“He didn’t mention a tattoo!”
“Tattoo?” Tex turned to him indignantly. “Boy, my sweet ol’ mamma would whup my behind if I ever got a tattoo. This here’s a navigational device.”
“Device?”
“That’s right.” Tex held out his arm and showed him. “Go on. Feel it. Your daddy had one just like it. But don’t touch none of them shiny buttons or we might end up in Timbuktu.”
Jake eyed him warily, then stepped closer to ogle the four-inch disk embedded under the skin of Tex’s forearm.
When he lifted a hand and cautiously touched it, he felt a bump under the skin—the rounded edge of a hard circle about four inches wide, implanted in the Lightrider’s arm.
He drew back with a blanch. “That’s disgusting.”
He laughed. “Beg yer pardon.”
“I, er, w-were you born with that, o-or did they put it in your arm by surgery or something?”
