“I am sorry, my dear,” he murmured.
Ember cried out as he put a hand to her head. She scrunched her eyes shut and pulled her knees to her chest, making herself as small as she could. Xanath pushed his fingers harder into her skull, and a soft glow emanated from his fingertips. Ember began to sob in earnest.
“Do not fight it,” the sorcerer said, his voice a scratchy whisper. “It will only make it worse for you.”
She trembled and shook her head. The minutes passed excruciatingly slow. Ruari began to pace back and forth across the room, taking the five steps it required to reach one end to the other. Aidan had thought his brother might leave when Xanath arrived, but he appeared determined to stay and find out what information Ember had to divulge. Was Ruari as guilty as the female shifter?
Ember began twitching hard and fell onto her side on the bench. This lasted for half an hour while the sorcerer whispered chants, thickening the air with his magic. Then the screams began—loud piercing wails that went on almost without end. That was the sign Xanath had breached the most intimate parts of her mind. He kept one hand on her head, and the other braced on the table. With every minute that passed, the fatigue on his face grew.
About the time Aidan was convinced they would all suffer permanent hearing loss, the screams broke off, and drool spilled from the corner of Ember’s mouth where she lay sprawled across the bench. The expression in her eyes turned vacant. There was nothing left of her mind, and it was unlikely any part of it would ever return. If only she hadn’t fought the sorcerer so hard, she might have kept some semblance of herself. What could make a person sacrifice themselves in such a way? Aidan couldn’t begin to comprehend it.
Xanath looked at Ruari. “You feared you would be the cause of what she did.”
Aidan’s brother gave a short nod. “But I never wanted any of this.”
“Not to worry. You may not be a complete innocent, but she had her own reasons for what she did that had nothing to do with you—at least not directly,” the sorcerer replied.
“Then why?” Phoebe asked.
That was the question they all wanted to be answered.
Xanath clasped his hands together, and his sleeves fell to cover them. “It was for your other brother, Zoran. Ember was in love with him, but he wanted nothing to do with her. After he refused her many times, she asked if she ensured he became the next pendragon if he would reconsider.” The sorcerer sighed. “He gave her the impression that he would.”
“Did he know what she was doing?” Phoebe moved toward Xanath. “Did he order her to do these things?”
“Not precisely. He told her who he wanted out of his way, but he did not explicitly state how she should go about doing it.”
Ruari stared at Ember dumfounded. “But she said she wanted to help me.”
“She was spying on you for Zoran. Everything she said and did in your company—including the most intimate of acts—was for him. She cared nothing for you at all,” Xanath said, shaking his head. “This woman was not of sound mind, and she was obsessed.”
Phoebe rubbed her neck. “Well, I guess it’s time to go talk to our father and tell him the news.”
“There is more I must tell the pendragon,” Xanath said, his shoulders stooping. “But it should be done in private. I will go with you.”
Aidan and his siblings exchanged curious looks. What more could there be?
“Very well.” Phoebe opened the door. As the sorcerer went through, she glanced at Aidan and Ruari. “I’ll have the guards move Ember to a cell. You two can try to catch the end of midnight meal if you want.”
The four guards they had gathered earlier were still standing in the tunnel corridor, waiting for orders. Aidan was glad they had not let them go yet. He wanted no part of touching the drooling mess that Ember had become. She probably wouldn’t live more than a few weeks, but others would have to care for her body until it died naturally. It was the way their toriq always handled such things, which thankfully did not occur often.
“Let me know how it goes,” Aidan said.
Phoebe nodded. “I will.”
As she left the room, Ruari came up beside Aidan. “What else do you think Xanath discovered?”
“I have no idea.”
Chapter 28
Bailey
I parked the truck in the corner of the YMCA parking lot next to a row of trees, and everyone piled out of the vehicle. At a quarter-mile away, it was as close as we could safely get to watch the airport hangars where Javier said the children had been taken.
All the roads leading to the airport were surrounded by flat open fields with few trees and buildings to break up the landscape. Even to get as close as we did, we’d had to wait for a flying green dragon patrol to pass as it headed to the south. Most of the beasts were asleep at ten o’clock in the morning, but a major lair like this had to have extra security. It left me on edge.
“Here,” Conrad said, handing me a pair of binoculars. “I don’t see any movement, but you can look for yourself.”
“Thanks.” I peeked through the binoculars.
The Max Westheimer Airport only had two main runways, which we couldn’t see from our position, but it used to get a decent amount of traffic before D-day. Dozens of hangars and administrative buildings dotted the area, some with gaping holes and scorch marks. I only spotted a few small planes and most of those were half-burnt shells, useless to humans. The beasts had taken over and made the place their home.
A light breeze kicked up from the west, and Aidan sniffed the air. “There are many dragons nesting in there.”
One of the reasons we’d chosen to come from the east was because of the wind direction. The last thing we needed was for our scent to give us away, but the shape-shifters could use our position to their advantage. I just prayed that Oklahoma’s wacky weather didn’t do anything to mess that up, or we’d be in trouble.
“It is like a small jakhal,” Phoebe said, also taking in the breeze. “I am thinking there must be seventy or eighty dragons in there.”
Aidan grunted in agreement.
I scanned a few more buildings with the binoculars and caught a glimpse of a green dragon inside a hangar, sleeping with its head tucked into its tail like a cat. The beast didn’t appear to have a care in the world—and why should it? Anger rose inside of me, and I clutched the binoculars harder. My feet itched to run toward the dragon and slay it right where it lay.
Aidan touched my arm. “Calm yourself. This is not the time.”
“I know,” I said, dropping the binoculars and handing them back to Conrad. It was safer if he did the observing. If I lost control of myself and went into attack mode, we’d wake the whole nest and end up dead in minutes. My sense of smell didn’t rate up there with the shifters, but I could almost “feel” all the dragons near us. It was like an angry buzzing in my head. I hadn’t considered being even this far from the nest could trigger my instincts, but it was good to know for future reference. If only I could figure out which building held the kids, and how many dragons I’d have to get past to reach them.
I glanced up at Aidan. “Any idea where Matrika would have stashed the kids in there?”
“Certainly closer to the middle,” he said, frowning. “If she is treating them like her own young, she will want them well protected.”
“Check it out!” Conrad hissed.
I jerked my gaze in the direction he pointed and caught sight of a green dragon coming out of a white hangar. It was barely recognizable at this distance, but the way it moved was familiar enough. Why would she come out this early?
Aidan stiffened and held out a hand. “Let me see those.”
Conrad handed the binoculars over, avoiding my questioning look. He helped adjust the lenses for Aidan, whose lips thinned as he observed whatever activity I couldn’t make out. A few seconds passed before I noticed a second green dragon walking across the pavement in front of the hangar.
“What’s going on?” I asked, grabbing
his arm. A part of me wanted to jerk the binoculars out of his hands.
“She is bringing the children out.” Aidan hesitated. “There appear to be six of them.”
“Give me those!” I demanded.
He shook his head. “No. You won’t be able to control yourself.”
“Dammit, Aidan. I have a right to check if they’re okay.” I gave him a frosty glare. “We wouldn’t even know they were here if I hadn’t risked my life to get the location.”
“They appear to be fine. I do not see signs of obvious injuries on any of them,” he said, keeping his tone calm and reassuring.
I shot a desperate look toward the airport, unable to spot their small figures—only the large dragons around them. The children were so close and yet so far away. It was almost like I could touch them. All I had to do was run over there, slay two dragons, and take the kids home.
Strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me off my feet. I hadn’t even realized I’d begun to move, but as I took a look around, I realized I’d passed the trees we’d been using for cover. Aidan dragged me back to Phoebe and Conrad.
“Please,” I begged. “They’re right there.”
“Which tells us where to find them when we come back with reinforcements.” Aidan set me down on my feet, keeping a firm grip on me. “But that time has not yet come.”
“We’ll need the support of the clan to manage this,” Phoebe said.
Conrad knitted his brows. “How you gonna do that if Bailey is involved?”
Aidan appeared to mull it over. “We’ll attack first. While everyone is busy fighting, she can rescue the children.”
“By herself?” Conrad asked.
“No,” Phoebe said, glancing at me. “I will be with her. Everyone else will be too busy fighting to notice what we are doing, and I may even be able to convince my father the children need rescuing since it will improve relations with the humans.”
Conrad frowned. “But won’t they wonder why Bailey is with you?”
“I will say I must give the children to someone.” Phoebe shrugged. “She will just need to cover her warrior garb and weapons so no one will suspect she is a slayer.”
With Aidan keeping me facing away from the dragons, my head cleared enough to get the gist of their conversation. “Why would you help me?”
“I’m not helping you,” Phoebe snorted. “I’m helping the children and ensuring you don’t get distracted and kill any shifters.”
I wanted to be offended, but she had a point. “My control is getting better.”
She narrowed her gaze. “But not good enough.”
“You must continue to practice over the next few days,” Aidan said, loosening his hold on me. When I didn’t move, he let go altogether, though he didn’t step away. I was keeping my attention away from the dragons, which helped.
“She’s taking the children back inside,” Conrad said, giving us an update while looking through the binoculars. “Why would she have brought them out, anyway?”
“Matrika is treating them like she would her own young,” Aidan answered.
Phoebe elaborated further, “Even young dragons need time outside to exercise and feel the sun. Mothers usually take their children out in the mornings when it is quiet, and they can play without getting in the way of the adults.”
“How do the children look to you?” I asked Conrad.
His expression darkened. “They don’t look hurt, but they mostly stood around so I couldn’t tell for sure. One of the dragons just sort of prodded them with her nose to get them moving.”
“Wouldn’t that have burned them?” I asked.
Aidan shook his head. “Our noses are cooler as long as we aren’t blowing steam from them. It shouldn’t have harmed the children.”
“Matrika may be talking to them, too,” Phoebe said, staring toward the airport. “I did not scent any fear from the children, which should have been strong if they had been hurt at all.”
“Talking? Like Aidan did with me in my head?” I asked.
She nodded. “If she thinks of them as hers, she might be able to do it.”
I shuddered. “Wouldn’t that freak the children out more?”
“I don’t know.” Phoebe frowned. “This isn’t something I’ve seen for myself before.”
“We have to get them out of there right away,” I said to Aidan, giving him an imploring look. “They might not be hurt now, but it’s only a matter of time.”
His lips formed a grim line. “I promise we will, but we must gather the clan first.”
“Aidan!” Phoebe hissed, a warning in her voice.
I cast a glance over my shoulder and my blood ran cold. A man walked toward us, coming from around the other side of the YMCA building. He had the same yellow eyes as the shifter keeping a tight hold on me. His stride was just as predatory, too.
“Well, well. This is the last thing I expected to find my brother and sister out doing. Consorting with a dragon slayer?” He honed in his gaze on me. “And it’s the same little girl who attacked me not long ago.”
“Ruari,” Aidan said, speaking the name like a curse.
Oh, shit. This wasn’t good.
Chapter 29
Aidan
He could almost see his future flashing before his eyes in that moment. Aidan had no doubt Ruari would use Bailey against him and Phoebe—maybe even see them executed. They had been so careful to ensure no one followed them, and yet his brother found them anyway. How had he managed it? Ruari was good at getting into other people’s business but not this good.
“What are you doing here?” Aidan asked through clenched teeth.
“Father’s task.” Ruari stepped up next to Bailey’s truck and leaned his back against it. His expression was one of a dragon who had just discovered a treasure chest full of jewels. “He assigned me to locate any large dens in the area. The Thamaran lair wasn’t too difficult to locate—small as it is—but I’ve been searching for days to find where the Shadowan have been hiding themselves. If I hadn’t caught your scent on the breeze, I might still be searching. I suppose I should thank you for that.”
So not only had Aidan and Phoebe given their brother a way to ruin their chances for becoming pendragon, but they had also helped Ruari finish his task. In a way, his brother had found a treasure chest filled with shiny, golden information he could use. Aidan’s relief at locating the children’s whereabouts and his anticipation of the impending battle they would fight to get the kids back was gone. He and his sister were now at Ruari’s mercy and likely about to lose everything. The best Aidan could hope for was that Bailey did not go down with them.
Phoebe composed her features. “Ruari, this is not what you think. We are with the slayer for a very good reason.”
“Oh really?” He gave her an amused look. “And what could possibly be worth getting charged for treason?”
“They have taken human children, and they’re holding them in those buildings over there.” She pointed toward the airport. “We have to get them back to their parents,” she said, speaking calmly despite the nervous tension rising around them.
Ruari cocked his head. “Did the humans come to us for help? I am certain I didn’t hear anything about this.”
“No. I did,” Bailey said, stepping away from Aidan.
“A dragon slayer seeking help from dragons?” Ruari asked, skeptical. “How is it you’re even able to be around us without attacking? That kind of discipline could only have come with a good deal of help and exposure to us.”
Bailey balled her fists. “Maybe I should remind you that if I hadn’t been working on my control, you’d be dead right now.”
Ruari rubbed at his chest, as if recalling the wounds she’d given him there. “True, but I still felt the sting of your blade.”
“If you do something to get Aidan into trouble,” Bailey said, a fierce expression on her face. “I swear I won’t hold back the next time I see you. I will cut you into little pieces and string them around town
for everyone to see.”
Ruari straightened and closed the gap between them. Aidan started to intercede, but his brother shook his head, and Bailey waved him off. He glanced at his sister, whose face reflected fear. If it came down to it, could he kill Ruari to save them all? Aidan didn’t want that sort of blood on his hands, but neither did he want to face the alternative.
“Perhaps you and I can make a deal, slayer.” Ruari lifted his brows. “Something that could satisfy us all.”
“What?” Bailey asked in a biting tone.
“I will tell no one about your friendship with Aidan and Phoebe. In fact, I’ll even propose to my father that we attack this den as soon as possible so that you might rescue the children, but my brother and sister must give me something in return.”
Bailey drew in a breath. “And that is…?”
“They will forfeit their claims to become pendragon.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Bailey gave him an enraged look.
He shrugged. “If I tell my father about what I’ve discovered today, my brother and sister may very well be executed by sunset tomorrow, and you will be hunted and slaughtered. I think this is a rather fair trade.”
“I could kill you right now,” Aidan growled, coming to Bailey’s side. “And no one would ever know.”
“You could try, but I promise that every dragon in that den over there will hear me scream,” Ruari said. The threat in his gaze was proof he would do it.
Aidan stilled. “You’re mad.”
“You have always thought that about me anyway,” Ruari sighed and glanced at their sister, including her in that statement. “I might as well bring us all down at once if that is the only option left to me. But of course, you could let me leave now—without delay—and join me at the fortress for first meal. We can speak to father together about our plans, and no one has to know anything about your relationship with the slayer.”
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