by Katie French
“What the hell?” Trent’s stunned voice brought me back to the moment. He was squinting into one of his monitors, looking as if he’d just seen Santa and his reindeer on the radar.
“What now?” Tom asked.
Trent scratched his head. “A signal from your mother.”
“Signal?”
Leaving his chair, Trent crossed the room to the door. “We have to go outside.”
“Wait, is she out there?” I asked, hating the fear in my voice.
“No. It’s a message. Dragon grapevine.” Trent exited the bunker, apparently heading down the tunnel.
“No way,” Fang said. “There hasn’t been one of those in decades.” He rushed after Trent—Ki and Santiago nipping at his heels.
I glanced at Tom. “What are they talking about?”
An astonished expression etched his handsome features. “C’mon, I’ll explain.”
He grabbed my hand, then pulled me along. I staggered forward, willing my rubbery legs to do their job. I could tell Tom wanted to run after the others, but he seemed to understand I wasn’t at my best.
“What is the dragon grapevine?” I asked when Tom didn’t offer an explanation.
He shook his head, snapping off whatever thoughts had sidetracked him. “Well, it’s like this public telepathic channel accessible to all dragons. According to Dragon Creed, it can only be used to deliver important messages that concern all dens. When a dragon sends a message on that wavelength, all other dragons that are nearby retransmit it. Then those dragons do the same and so forth. That way the message gets to everyone.”
“Really? That’s wild. But if it’s a message for all to hear, why did Tara send a signal through the computer?”
“The bunker is protected against any magic, so the message can’t get through to us.”
“Will I ever cease to be amazed?”
“Maybe,” Tom said, a smile in his voice.
When we reached the ladder, he allowed me to go first. The exit at the top seemed to stretch away as I climbed. The world swam, and I felt as if I would fall, but I focused on my breathing and kept going.
Outside, the air was fresh and immediately cleared my stupor as I stuck my head out of the hole. The scent of pine needles ushered me the rest of the way. Tom jumped out after me, hurried ahead, and joined the others. He stood next to them, matching their frozen poses, head cocked to one side.
Their backs were to me, five dragon shifters, tall, strong, and steadfast.
I strained to listened, but I wasn’t a dragon, so I heard nothing.
But what if…
I tuned in to one of their minds, trying to listen to their thoughts. My body gradually shifted to Santiago. Dark curls tickled the back of his neck, and I knew just how they would feel if I touched them. Pure silk.
Reaching out for his mind, a wavelength that was all Santiago, I concentrated. At first, there was nothing, then, without warning, the memories of our intense kiss filled my every sense. As if in a vivid dream, I was transported and felt as if I were kissing him again. Heat filled my chest and climbed, invading my neck and face.
I bit my lower lip, having to stifle a gasp.
God, it was almost as good as the real thing.
As I enjoyed the sensation, it slowly morphed, fading and leaving me grasping for something to hold on to, something to keep the connection. Then the thread of a thought flashed before me, and I mentally snatched for it. What I caught wasn’t made of words, though. It was more like a feeling, a flash of emotion.
Fear.
That was what I received from Santiago.
More specifically, fear for me.
But why?
Why would a message through a dragon grapevine have anything to do with me?
My spine turned to ice. I took a step back, and nearly fell into the hole we’d just climbed through.
Santiago turned first, his eyes downcast. It took several beats before he forced his gaze to meet mine. His lower lip trembled as he approached me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Amor…” He offered me his hand.
I took it, and he pulled me into his arms. He pressed his cheek to the side of my head, burying his nose in my hair.
“Please tell me,” I said.
The others turned, having finished listening to the message. Their faces matched Santiago’s.
“It was a message from Tara,” Santiago whispered in my ear, still holding me.
I had suspected as much, but my dread redoubled all the same.
“A message for you,” he added.
I pulled away. “For me?”
Santiago nodded.
“She wants you to come to Mirror Island. If you’re not there in two hours, she says she’ll feed your father to the untamed.”
Chapter Nineteen
During the flight back to Mirror Island, I was in a daze. Everything felt surreal. The entirety of my life narrowed to a pinprick. Everything I was, everything I had been, would soon cease to be. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I lay limply on Tom’s back as the wind buffeted me. Being lashed to him gave me the ability to disconnect. As he flew, I let my eye focus on the horizon, on the green treetops and deep blue twilight sky. I let my hands slide over his scales, the smoothness under my palms soothing me the way rocking would soothe a child.
I tried not to think about what would happen when we landed.
All I knew was that I would see my father again soon. That I could save him by sacrificing myself.
I didn’t think about what Tara would do with my body, with my consciousness trapped inside it. It was too much. My brain couldn’t process it, so I pushed those thoughts away.
Of course, the boys had tried to reassure me before take-off. They would fight. The dens that remained loyal would side with us despite the odds. They wouldn’t allow Tara to take me. What I hadn’t told them was that I’d never let them lay down their lives for me when there was no chance we would beat her. If I could save them and my father in one fail swoop, that was how it would go down.
I would surrender, and the dens would swear allegiance. Then no one would get hurt. My father would not be eaten alive by the untamed.
With a visible shiver, Ki had explained the term soon after the dragon grapevine message. The untamed were wild dragons, those without dens who followed no creed and lived solely by instinct. They were like wild animals with no qualms on what they ate. According to Ki, they were also on the dumb grapevine side, which made them particularly susceptible to Tara’s controlling magic.
So, in other words, meeting them would be a really fun time.
I turned my eyes to the sunset, soaking in the pinks and oranges, the wind tugging my hair back from my face. The sky was achingly beautiful. Tom turned his dragon head back to peer at me with a large blue orb of an eye.
Rubbing his neck scales, I shot him a telepathic message. I’m okay! Honestly.
I didn’t tell him that my vision was worsening so things were blurring and sharpening like I was peering at a digital camera screen trying to find its focus. Or that my limbs felt so weak I wasn’t sure I could stand when we landed.
That I could feel myself changing inside.
I forced a convincing smile for his benefit.
He responded with, How can you be so calm?
I shrugged, not really wanting to talk. I wanted to enjoy this ride. One last time.
When Summers Lake and then Mirror Island came into view, the knots doubled in my stomach. The boys did a loop around, spiraling over the island. At first glance, there were at least one-hundred dragons waiting below. I recognized the Longtail Den and the Backdraft Den, and a few new dragons with them. They had come! My heart swelled with gratitude.
On the other side of the beach, there were twice as many, with Tara at the head of them. Good Lord, she was as tall as a four-story building and as long as a football field if her menacing tail was counted. Was the power from the beacon making her gr
ow? She could eat me and Tom in one bite.
So, yeah, things were going well already.
As we angled past, I noticed a feature that hadn’t been on Mirror Island the last time I was here. A large pit had formed in the grassy section between the beach and once-beautiful forest Tara and her ilk had burned. Leaning against my ropes, I peered down, squinting at the small object at the bottom. It was shapeless and dark. I took it for a large tree root or maybe a few sacks of something.
Then the object shifted. It was alive. The last bits of daylight reflected off two small circles I soon understood to be glasses.
“Dad!” The word came out as a strangled sound at the back of my throat. I leaned forward as much as the rope around my waist would allow, calling for him over and over.
“Dad. Daddy!” I screamed until my throat was raw.
It’ll be okay, Tom said, his voice in my head, strained and wavering. We’ll get him free.
I wiped away tears. So much for cool and collected. Why was he in a pit? What had Tara done to him?
We circled back around, landing behind the wall created by the large, mature dragons of Backdraft and Longtail. All five juvenile dragons skidded to a stop in the sand, creating a dust cloud that swirled around us for a while before settling. I focused on freeing myself from the rope and controlling my tears while I ran over my plan in my head. If only I could have the strength to make it happen.
Sliding off Tom’s back, the sword taut against my spine, I was relieved to find my legs held. My vision stabilized enough, and I was able to walk without bashing into things.
Once on the sand, I felt like a mouse among elephants. Everyone was in their dragon shape, avoiding vulnerable human forms during this tense situation. I moved between them, slipping around massive legs and lashing tails to get to the front.
I quickly spotted Santiago and Ki’s parents huddled with a couple of squat green dragons I didn’t recognize. It was obvious serious dragon conversations were going on without me. Although I’d love to hear what they were saying, there was little that would change my outcome.
For a moment, a twinge of regret assaulted me. I wished I could’ve said goodbye to Pickles. Hugged him one more time. Maybe I should have also texted Mercedes to tell her what a good friend she’d been. Wiping at my eyes, I chastised myself.
No more waterworks, Lila. Get your shit together.
At the thought of my loved ones, I searched for my aunt and the other wardens. None in sight. I wanted to be mad, but how could I? Coming here would’ve meant death. Had they fled after all? I wouldn’t blame them.
A huge fireball blasted into the sky, drawing everyone’s attention with its heat and light. Jimmy, huge and fiery red, stood next to Tara like last time. The white and emerald dragons were also there as well as many others that were not here the last time, probably members of Frostfire and Bentclaw.
Jimmy shot two more huge fireballs into the sky. They arched over us and dropped into the lake, sizzling. When Tara had her audience, she stepped forward. The ground shook under her weight.
To my surprise, her form began to shrink until she was, once again, the stately but naked woman I’d come to hate. Except this time, much of her features were dragon-ified like I’d seen at Trent’s underground bunker—slitted eyes and scales climbing over her body, so she looked more like Mystique from the X-Men. Her skin seemed to crackle with electricity, reminding me of her son, the one she kept in a hole in the ground because she was ashamed of him.
Irony much?
“Where is she?” Tara’s voice boomed forth like it was amplified by giant speakers. Her eyes sifted through the dragon bodies, searching.
“I’m here!” I marched forward as fast as my weak legs would allow, but it wasn’t fast enough. In a flash, four juvenile dragons made a blockade between Tara and me. Shoulder to shoulder, Tom, Ki, Santiago, and Fang made a formidable wall. My heart swelled at their affection for me, but this was not how it was going to go down.
Guys, stop, I broadcasted. There’s no reason for you to be—
Tara swung her hand from left to right like she was tossing a pitch. In that instant, all four of the dragons blasted sideways, hit with an unseen force that propelled them like twigs in hurricane-force winds. Tumbling against each other, they rolled on the sand, a couple of them splashing into the waves as claws dug into the earth and wings beat, trying to right themselves. When their bodies stopped rolling, they lay in a tangled heap, unmoving.
“No!” I cried, watching in horror. Behind me, three dragons roared and stamped their feet, but I couldn’t worry about them. My gaze snapped to Tara as I rushed up to her. “Leave them alone!”
Electric blue eyes latched onto me like a tractor beam. An ice-cold smile spread her red lips. “There you are,” her voice boomed for all to hear. “The girl who caused all this trouble. The girl who could not leave well enough alone.”
Of course she would pin it on me. Well, I didn’t give a shit about her agenda.
“Let my father go and stop hurting them.” I pointed to my boys. “I’ll come willingly.”
Tara laughed, a terrible villainous sound like she’d been watching too many Disney movies. “Of course you will. Now that you have no choice. And to think this could have all been avoided.”
When I glared at her, she cocked her head. “You do remember I gave you a choice, right, Lila? I told you what your curiosity would uncover.” She let a cruel smile creep up her face. “Pain.”
At the last word, her hand shot forward. Like a Star Wars sith lord, electric sparks shot out from her fingertips, hitting me in the chest.
The pain was immediate and immobilizing. Pain like being ripped apart. Pain like frying against a powerline. Raw, snapping, vibrating pain. A scream tore from my throat. My body fell to the sand, and I shook. My teeth clamped together repeatedly, hard enough to break them.
And then the current stopped. I lay in a heap, panting and shaking. When I looked up, Tara stared at me with a satisfied expression on her face.
“Mother, stop this!” A form jogged up, standing between Tara and me.
Trent, in human form, faced his mother, tossing back his shoulders and standing tall. “That is enough.”
Tara’s face went from smug self-satisfaction to surprise. “Trent, what are you doing here?”
“Saving you from yourself,” he said, his voice laced with real concern that shocked me. “Stop this. Turn back before it’s too late.”
She studied her son in confusion. Finally, her eyes widened in realization. “Tom got to you. And now he’s turned you against me.” She searched for him in the lump of immobilized dragon bodies on the beach. Her arm shot out.
“No!” Trent raced to throw himself between his mother and brother.
The bolt of energy was already unleashed. It slammed into Trent’s chest like a lightning strike. He was blown back, his body skidding across the sand. He lay there motionless, his chest smoking like the charred remains after a storm.
“Trent!” Tara screamed. She ran to him, kneeling and grabbing his shoulders. Trent’s body was limp, his head lolling lifelessly to the side. The front of his shirt smoldered, curls of smoke lifting into the air.
The emotion on Tara’s face was raw regret. Then her eyes snapped to me.
Letting go of her son, she stood, making a beeline in my direction. My head rested on the ground as I lay on my side. Sand kicked into my face when she stopped in front of me.
“You did this!”
She grabbed my shirt, dragging me across the ground with no apparent effort. I was too weak to do anything other than allow my body to bump over the sand and then onto the grass. Would she roast me alive like Trent?
“Leave them alone,” I croaked. “You see what your vengeance causes? You killed your own son.”
She let me go, dropping me on a ridge of freshly uncovered dirt.
“No,” she said, her voice raw. “Now you will see what my vengeance causes. Release the untamed.”
/> My eyes shot up in time to see several dragons tearing out of the trees. They were small and wiry, all black in color with dull charcoal scales and long front legs. Their eyes were rabid and their mouths foaming.
They were barely more than skin stretched over huge bones like they’d been starved, driven half-mad, and then set forth to devour me. I cringed, my eyes on their sharp teeth, the claws that tore at the dirt as they raced toward me.
Closing my eyes, I waited.
Only, they didn’t come. When I opened my eyes, they were veering right. In three galloping strides, they climbed over the ridge of dirt and disappeared.
If they weren’t going to eat me, what in the hell were they doing?
I crawled up the dirt pile, a scream in my throat as the realization hit me square in the chest.
When I could see over the ridge of dirt, a vast pit lay before me. The pit where I’d seen my father. The pit those foaming, snarling monsters had just plunged into.
Chapter Twenty
“Dad!” I screamed, scrambling over the ledge of the pit while I tried—but failed—to draw the sword at my back.
The dirt under me shifted as I clambered up. It was like moving through quick sand, up until the moment when the loose earth gave way and I tumbled into the pit, rolling head over feet. My bones seemed to crack with every flip I took, sending electric pain up my spine. I gained speed like a boulder down a mountain, rocks jabbing me in my endless descent.
Some part of my mind felt like I would go tumbling forever as the world spun and I struggled to find top from bottom. Then my side slammed against something hard, and I came to an abrupt halt.
A loud screech split the air.
