Dragon Blood 3: Surety

by Avril Sabine

  With a nod, Shylah disappeared into the Void.

  Amber stared at the place she’d been, wishing she could see into the Void like Crystal could. She looked at her phone in her hand and decided it was probably past time to send Ronan a message. Sitting on the edge of the fountain she typed in the message, deleting it several times before she was happy with what she’d written. As soon as it was sent, she returned her phone to her pocket, continuing to sit on the edge of the fountain.

  She closed her eyes, listening to the fall of water. It should be a soothing sound, but it only reminded her of secrets. Dragon secrets. Damn dragons ruined everything. Rising to her feet, she started to walk away, freezing and turning round, her hands raised with fireballs at the ready. Ronan stood by the fountain and he didn’t look happy. She closed her hands, extinguishing the flames before she lowered them.

  Ronan held up his phone, the text from her displayed. “What is this meant to mean? You leave it a day to inform me and you don’t even bother ringing. What game are you playing at?”

  “None. I was surprised, that’s all. And I didn’t want to interrupt your interrogation.”

  “You don’t let anyone take you by surprise. You need to be more prepared than that. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  Amber shook her head. Maybe she should have sent him a message last night.

  “Or do you think you can keep running to me every time you’re in trouble? I’m not your warrior.”

  “I don’t think that.” Or at least she wasn’t about to admit it to him, not with how angry he looked.

  Ronan grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her close. “You are not to make any more mages. Are you trying to help our enemies? Look what happened when you let Shannon in on some of the secret. You nearly got us killed.”

  “Did you find her?”

  “She’s dead. They killed her because she couldn’t tell them exactly how to make mages.” Ronan let Amber go, taking a step away from her.

  Thinking he was about to leave, she reached for him, being dragged into the Void and to a room she didn’t recognise. “Where are we?” She mentally searched the area, but nothing seemed familiar and the tug of her family and friends was faint. She began to think he wasn’t going to speak.

  “I’ve outlasted them all.”

  There was only one exit, a large timber door with metal hinges reaching halfway across it. The stone walls were covered in small brass plaques. Amber crossed the room to get a closer look. She ran her fingers across the name before she turned to face Ronan. “Where are we?”

  He stared at her silently for several minutes. “My family crypt. They’re all ashes. Not a single one of my family became a Knight trophy. And I’ve outlasted them all. My grandparents, their parents, my parents and my sister. Sons that failed me, my uncle, even he I wouldn’t leave for anyone else. There’ll be more. I won’t end up in here.” He pointed a finger at her, anger in his tone. “I won’t let your decisions put me in here.”

  “Sons that failed you? How?”

  “By dying.”

  “I don’t plan on dying.” How could she? The moment she was dead all her friends and family were in danger.

  “Humans are such insignificant creatures. If you weren’t useful we wouldn’t bother letting you live.” He stalked across the room, coming to a stop in front of her. “I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay alive as long as you have.”

  “Because I’m too stubborn to die.” She met his hard stare. “I have too many people to take care of to let myself die. You might see them as a liability, I see them as the reason I survive.”

  “You won’t be making any more mages. When we take out the ones Shannon was forced to make, and those with the knowledge, there’ll be no others that aren’t completely ours.”

  Amber shook her head. “I will agree to that only until your lands are captured.”

  “So you’ve made up your mind. Why did you bother asking for my advice?”

  “I need to know more about my uncle and his clan before I can make a proper decision. But I’m not spending the rest of my life as a rare commodity. If every clan had a Dragon Mage then things would be different. No one would have an advantage and we’d cease to be hunted.”

  “Fool.” He sent her a look of disgust. “You will always be hunted. The strongest always are.”

  She shrugged, not bothering to argue with him. “Where did they get the people from to turn them into mages?”

  “A convention for, as the prisoner put it, fantasy geeks. Whatever that is meant to mean.”

  “That makes sense. They’re people who wish they could be mages.”

  “They are weak and useless. Saying the word torture was all it took for one of them to spill all his secrets along with every boring detail of his extremely uninteresting life.”

  “Who made him?”

  “He doesn’t know, but if I take him to his home he’ll be able to get everything he needs to create their images and that of the castle he was held at. His computer with some drawing programs and a drawing tablet. He calls himself an artist and yet he can’t use pen and paper.”

  “I want to see him. Both of them.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “They’re pathetic creatures. I’m not having you feel sorry for them.”

  “I want to see them. They don’t belong to you.”

  Ronan smiled his predatory smile. “But they are in my keeping.”

  “I won’t be the only one who’ll want to see them.”

  “You have more than enough people to protect. You don’t need any more.” Ronan grabbed hold of her arm, taking her through the Void and back to the fountain. He pointed a finger at her as he stepped away. “No more mages.”

  This time he vanished before she could stop him. “Bloody dragon,” she muttered as she stalked back inside. She mentally searched for him, smiling grimly when she found his direction. He couldn’t live in the Void and she knew how to find him. After school tomorrow she’d start. He wasn’t keeping her from seeing their prisoners. She wasn’t an idiot. She wasn’t about to adopt anyone else. There were more than enough people for her to look after already. And she wasn’t about to let him think he could ditch her whenever he felt like it. She would find him no matter where he went.

  Chapter Twenty

  Amber glared at Kade as they came out of the Void into a dimly lit park. “That took us further away. It was completely the wrong direction.”

  Kade growled. “What did you expect? I’ve barely started learning the pathways through the Void. Did you think it’s automatic? Do you know the streets of every town in your country?”

  “Of course not. That’d be impossible.”

  “Then why would you expect me to know paths to everywhere through the Void?”

  “Sorry.” She looked away from him. “I just don’t want to waste the time we’ve got. We’ve already wasted two days.” Her mother hadn’t wanted to let her out of her sight so they’d enlisted Gary’s help. He’d been reluctant, but Amber had told him she’d be going anyway and there’d be a big argument. He’d agreed to take her mother to dinner Wednesday night and Friday night. She was hoping they’d only need tonight to find Ronan, but so far it was taking a lot longer than she’d expected.

  “We could force him to take us to the prisoners.”

  Amber shook her head. “I want to show him I can find him. I want him to know he can’t hide from me.”

  Kade laughed softly.

  “What?”

  “Dragon.” He said the word affectionately.

  “I’m not. I’m human.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Take me back to the last place. At least it was closer to Ronan than this is.”

  Kade took them through the Void to the last place they’d been. An empty alley with overflowing industrial bins. “He won’t be happy to have you track him down. It might even turn him against you in the long run.”

  “He thinks he can disap
pear when he no longer needs me and I won’t be able to go to him for help. I want to show him that’s not an option. I’m not some weak human he can ditch when I’m no longer useful. He needs to learn that now.”

  Kade chuckled. “I think he’s already starting to realise you’re not weak. Just be careful tonight. He won’t be the only one there. He’ll have guards.”

  Pulling out her phone, she checked the time. “Fly me. Going through the Void isn’t getting us there quick enough.”

  “I thought you wanted to be back before your mum gets home.”

  Amber shrugged. “So I’ll be in trouble again. This is more important.” It was probably a crazy idea to track Ronan down, but she wasn’t about to let him tell her what she could and couldn’t do. It was a matter of survival. She thought of her brother and Crystal and everyone else who was important to her. She didn’t have a choice. Not if she wanted to keep them safe. Ronan had to believe she was just as strong as him. “Come on, fly me there.”

  “We don’t have a saddle.”

  “I’ll manage.” She grinned. “Besides, if I fall I can always turn into a goshawk.”

  Kade shook his head and stared at her for a moment before he turned into a dragon. Amber scrambled up onto his back, leaning forward to hold on with her arms, pressing her knees into him. He took to the air and Amber directed him, as she continued to search out Ronan. It took several hours to reach their destination, a warehouse on the Sunshine Coast, in an industrial area.

  Amber slid off Kade’s back, her arms and legs trembling from holding on tight for so long. Using her healing ability, she stopped the trembling while she checked who was in the area. It was quiet and dark, several people inside the single storey, aluminium clad building. Two humans, four dragons and Ronan.

  “What’s the plan?” Kade asked.

  “To not get killed.” She pulled out her phone and dialled Ronan’s number.

  He answered on the first ring. “No.”

  “Why are you in such a bad mood?”

  “Did you actually have something decent to say or did you ring to pester me again?”

  “I’ve come to see the prisoners. Can you get someone to let me in?” She stepped up to a metal door and knocked on it. The phone disconnected and she spun as she felt Ronan appear behind her.

  “How did you find me?”

  Grinning, Amber slid her phone into her pocket. “I told you I could.”

  “Can you find anyone you want?”

  She shook her head. “Only people I know well.”

  Ronan pointed a finger at her. “You don’t know me.” He reached out, grabbed her arm and took her inside the building through the Void.

  “What about Kade?”

  “I’ve sent someone for him.”

  Amber was relieved when he appeared in the room. The relief was short lived when she saw it was Alsandair. He was smiling, Kade wasn’t. “Are you okay?”

  “Just get it over with, Amber. Gary sent me a message to say they’re home and your mum’s livid. Expect a call from her any minute.”

  She quickly pulled out her phone and turned it off before returning it to her pocket. She faced Ronan. “I want to see the prisoners.”

  With a single nod, Ronan strode from the small plywood clad room and into the large open space of the warehouse. On the other side of the warehouse was another plywood clad room, Tory standing guard at the closed door. He opened the door before they reached it, stepping out of the way.

  Inside, one of the prisoners sat with his head bent over a computer as he worked on drawing a face using his drawing tablet. It was the mage who’d formed a ball of ice for the official the day they’d captured him. His desk was a stained timber table, the chair a fold out one that had peeling vinyl hanging in strips. In the corner, on the floor, sat the other prisoner, his arms wrapped around his legs as he rocked back and forth.

  “I’ve nearly-” the man looked up from his computer, his words stopping abruptly when he saw them. He scrambled to his feet, backing away as his eyes flickered to each of them. A skinny man with long black hair tied at the nape of his neck and fear in his brown eyes. “I can’t go any faster. But I’m nearly there. You promised me. You promised.” His gaze momentarily darted to Ronan before it returned to Amber.

  “What did you say to him?” Amber demanded of Ronan.

  Ronan grinned. “Apparently you give him nightmares. He has a bit of an issue with you letting him fall to his death.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Amber asked.

  “You promised me.” The man couldn’t back away any further. He was against the wall, the other prisoner at his feet continued to rock back and forth.

  “I told you that you couldn’t see them. You wouldn’t listen.”

  Amber tried to keep the anger from her voice when she spoke to the man pressed against the wall. “I’m sorry, but it was a battle. This is different. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Unless he tries to escape,” Ronan said.

  Amber shot Ronan a glare before she turned back to the prisoner. “What’s your name?”

  “Cooper.”

  “And your friend?”

  Copper looked down at the man at his feet. “I never knew him before they brought us all together. That’s Miles.” He continued to remain pressed against the wall.

  “What do I say to him? How do I make him stop being afraid?” She sent the thought to Kade.

  “You’re asking the wrong person.”

  Amber held back a sigh. “Look Cooper, I don’t plan to kill you. We just need to know everything you know about the people who recruited you. I’m only here to make sure that you’re being treated okay. Dragons don’t always know how to deal with us humans.”

  “I didn’t know. None of us knew. We didn’t expect this. We though it’d be fun. When they turned into dragons we were amazed. It was like a dream come true. Then it became a nightmare.”

  “We? How many of you were there?” Amber asked.

  Copper came away from the wall slightly. “Six. The first one they put the blood on his hands. His palms were red with it when he took the Pliethin. Shannon kept saying they didn’t take that much blood from her. That she could smell it on Jasper, but not that much. It didn’t work. They were so angry they slit his throat in front of us and there was blood all over the floor. I don’t even remember his name.” He shuddered, falling silent.

  “Why did they only send four of you against us if they had five?” Kade asked.

  Copper shook his head. “They gave him too much dragon blood to drink. That’s what they tried next. Within minutes of drinking it he was on the ground clutching at his stomach, screaming. He started coughing up blood, still screaming. Then he was quiet.” Copper covered his face with his hands. “They still made us drink it. Shannon kept saying you only took a couple of drops from her. This time it was a teaspoon instead of half a glass. I waited for it to kill me, but it didn’t. They kept asking her how you’d made the mages and she kept saying she didn’t know. Kept telling them she was blindfolded.” He uncovered his face. “Don’t make me go back there. Please.”

  Amber tried to feel nothing for Cooper, but she ached to comfort him. She hated when Ronan was right. “I-”

  Ronan interrupted. “I’ve already told you. Until the ones who made you are dead, you belong to them. Get the drawings done and we’ll deal with them.”

  “Then I can go back to my old life? I can forget all about this and go home?”

  “How many times do I have to tell you that your problems will be over once they’re dead?” Ronan asked irritably.

  Amber’s gaze narrowed. “You better not be planning to kill him.”

  “You can’t have him. You can’t adopt every single stray.”

  “I don’t want him. But I’m not going to let you kill him.”

  “You can’t let him go back to his old life. He might tell someone.”

  “He won’t. I’ll make sure of it. Both of them will be helped to
return to their old lives.”

  “What’s wrong? Why isn’t anyone saying anything?” Cooper asked. He looked at each of them.

  “I was thinking,” Amber said. “How old are you?” She sent her thoughts to Ronan. “I’m serious. No killing either of them.”

  “Miles has already tried to kill himself twice. I don’t know why Cooper bothered saving him. A waste of time,” Ronan told Amber.

  “Twenty.”

  He was only two years older than her brother. Barely an adult. She had no idea how to save him, not if Ronan really wanted to kill him. She couldn’t afford to claim another one. Eventually Ronan would say enough and then there might be someone else she needed to protect even more. “Where do you live?”

  “In Brisbane. In my parents’ home. I’ve got an older brother who lives with us too.” He sounded defensive.

  “Ronan’s right. We need to find out who will be looking for you. Without names we’re working in the dark. We’ll do everything possible to help you get your life back to normal, but you have to know that some things are going to always be different.” She looked down at his hands. Lifting her own she momentarily called flames to them. “Some things can’t be undone.”

  Cooper seemed to sag. “I just want it to be the same as it used to be. I want the nightmares to end and I want to forget this ever happened. And I want Miles to stop staring into space and rocking like that all the time. It’s driving me crazy. He’s a couple of years older than me. Why can’t he cope?”

  “Age means nothing,” Kade said. “You won’t end up like him.”

  “How can you know that?” There was fear and a sound of desperation in Cooper’s voice.

  “Because you’re talking to us right now.”

  Cooper stared at Kade a moment before he nodded his head.

  It was another couple of hours before they were finally able to leave. Cooper had wanted more reassurances and Ronan had wanted Kade to see if any of the images Cooper was in the process of drawing looked familiar. None did. Before they returned to Kade’s room, Amber warned Ronan once more not to kill their prisoners. The predatory smile he gave her didn’t reassure her in the least.