Awakening of Fire

by Holly Hook

  And if I didn't, I knew what she'd do to Sven. It was clear Steve wasn't as valuable as me. He might even be one of the sterile dragons she mentioned. Guard duty was his domain, but was vital for nothing more.

  Steve handed me the bag of food without peeling away from the door.

  "Does she boss you around?" I asked, accepting it.

  "Adler? Oh, all the time." He grinned.

  "No. I take it she has the highest rank?"

  "Dragons don't follow ranks. That's a human institution. But there is more respect for those whose generations are closer to the ancients."

  "But it seems like she's the boss."

  "She's the oldest and likes to think she's the boss. Even dragons can be proud."

  "But what if she's so proud that she's willing to break rules?"

  "What do you mean?" Steve asked, lifting one eyebrow.

  I opened the food bag, ravenous. He'd bought me a bunch of those breakfast sandwiches that Mom never let me touch. I took a bite, savoring it. It was best to not appear too eager. Steve was still somewhat of a mystery, but maybe I could get to his psyche. I knew about not getting treated like a full member of society.

  "Well, breaking the law, as you said yesterday."

  "That's human law. My grandmother doesn't care about that."

  I almost spit out another bite of the sandwich. "She's your grandmother?"

  "Hey. There aren't very many of us left," Steve said. "Dragon dens tend to be closely related. And trust me, she's taken a vow to protect you. Vows are important to dragons."

  I couldn't tell on Adler to Steve, then. She'd retaliate against me. Steve was no doubt much closer to her than to me. Then I realized how stupid she'd be to leave another dragon in charge of watching me if they had any potential to tell the rest of the den about her going above the code. Steve was loyal to her. Even if I said something, he'd never let it slip to the others.

  Principal Adler was twenty-five hundred years old. She'd know things.

  I finished eating and Steve took the bag from me. "A vow?" I asked, spirit crushed. "What, exactly, did she vow to my parents?"

  "That she wouldn't allow anyone who's hurt you or plans to hurt you to get close to you," Steve said.

  "But Sven won't hurt me!"

  "She believes that he will." Steve didn't betray his opinion.

  "Then what's she going to do? What is her exact trap?"

  "She wouldn't tell me. I'm not to return and open the quarry again until tomorrow."

  "Figures," I said, tossing the bag onto the floor. "She wants to treat us both like objects, then."

  "Hey. Don't get depressed," he said. "You'll only have to stay in the caves for a week or two after you mature. Once you learn how to regain your human form, you're free."

  "I'm worried about Sven," I admitted. "Your grandmother thinks he's going to kill me. He's not. I know it. I understand she had a bad experience in the past, but Sven isn't like that. He doesn't even want to kill dragons or steal their treasure." I pumped conviction into that last line. It was true. I felt it.

  Steve hesitated. "Well, it's terrible to be him."

  And then he left, slipping out through a narrow opening in the door and closing it behind him.

  * * * * *

  The day crawled on. No one brought me a lunch, but I still had plenty of fast food sandwiches in the fridge. I stood on the cot every five minutes, watching for Sven, but he didn't show. He'd be at school, maybe wondering where I had gone. So would Tasha and Dirk. I wished one of them would show instead of Sven. Adler didn't want to kill them. Maybe.

  But why would they think I'm out here?

  Sven would know something was up. Adler wouldn't make the trail obvious. He might try to look at my house first, cutting class to do so. There was even a chance he'd find my parents and figure out that Adler had taken me elsewhere.

  But that wasn't what she wanted. He'd try to go into the caves after me.

  Between checks, I sat on the cot, eyes closed, trying to reach out to the sky and summon another rainstorm. I wasn't sure what good that would do and it was a remote hope that Sven would see another random storm as a warning to stay away, but I wasn't sure what else to try. I injected all my fear and pain into the sky, but each time I opened my eyes, the sun streamed through the window. We were back in full drought mode.

  Why had it stormed before? I'd only been trying to run from Principal Adler. I might not have been close enough to maturity to have much control over what I could do yet. Whatever magic I had might be reserved for life and death situations that only involved me. Well, Adler hadn't been life or death, but it felt that way.

  "Come on," I said. "This matters for Sven."

  Nothing. The sun continued to mock me through dust.

  I lay back down on the cot once the light got long and tired. Maybe he wasn't coming today, either, or he was already dead.

  The thought weighed me down. But just as the light had faded, and I had to turn the bulb back on, faint footsteps sounded outside the door.

  My heart almost leapt out of my chest as I sat up.

  "Who's there?" I asked after drawing a sharp breath.

  "Felicia?"

  Sven had arrived as I predicted.

  "Go away," I said. "You can't be here."

  "So, you do come out here with Dirk." Hurt filled his voice.

  "What? No. Who told you that?"

  "Tasha."

  Crap. My fake necklace confession had come back to bite us both in the butt. "Look, I lied to her about that because I didn't want word spreading about us. It was the most believable lie. And I told her not to say anything." Confusion exploded. This made little sense. Tasha was the last person to want to lead Sven into a trap. She had nothing to do with this. "Look, you need to go."

  "Is he in there with you now?" Sven asked. "If you're with him, I understand. It would be less complicated." His accent came through strong. He was nervous. Hurt. I hated it.

  But if he didn't leave, he'd be dead. Why wasn't he already?

  In one horrible click, I understood.

  Adler wanted to give me the chance to drive him away. This was my input. She had planted the seed. She could have mentioned in front of Tasha that she'd seen me with Sven and Dirk. Adler might have hinted that me and Dirk were sleeping with each other in the quarry shack, away from prying eyes. Maybe she'd glimpsed us walking into the quarry together. My gossipy friend wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut about that. And since everyone knew how much she was throwing herself at Sven, Adler would know she'd go to him with the news. Tasha wouldn't blow a chance like that.

  Then Sven, thinking this was an ordinary drama, would want to see for himself.

  Adler knew the students of Olivia High, and I couldn't think of a less obvious trap for Sven. She'd succeeded by taking herself out of the picture.

  It was that or Tasha was also a dragon. But that was doubtful. Jens hadn't tried to kill her. Just me.

  Furious heat rushed to my skin. Sven was right I needed some new friends. Why hadn't I seen it until now?

  "Felicia?" Sven asked.

  I trembled. The heat gathered in my hands, begging to burst free.

  Adler was giving me a choice. That was the reason Sven wasn't dead yet. I could drive him away forever and give him a chance to live. Or I could sacrifice my freedom and do whatever Adler wanted.

  If I told him to stay, she'd kill him.

  And if he left, I'd go to the caves. After that I might get forced to fight him and his whole family. I'd killed one of the Olsens and I might do it again. We'd be enemies. We might even fight each other to the death.

  "Sven." I choked out his name, even though I wanted to grab onto it with all my being. "This is a trap. Adler set this up. I'm not with Dirk. She might have told Tasha to tell you that."

  "I knew it." Something shuffled. "Back away from the door," he ordered. "Now!"

  I did. The intensity of his voice was undeniable. Backpedaling, I hit the small dorm fridge as Sven
fiddled with the door handle. Things beeped as his footfalls hammered away. Then I thought better of even facing the door and backed into the bathroom. A thought tried to form about what was about to happen, but it didn't have time to complete itself before a loud boom shook the building, making metal squeal and scream. The acrid scent of smoke filled the air as a gray cloud spread over my cot. I pulled my tank top over my mouth. Could smoke hurt me? I wasn't mature yet.

  He'd set off an explosive.

  The night breeze wafted inside. The door was open. I was free. Despite thinking this was a drama, he'd come prepared. I had underestimated Sven's training.

  "Felicia," he said, bursting through the swinging metal door. Whatever he'd used had blasted it off most of its track.

  "You knew I was trapped," I said.

  Then I saw him.

  Sven wore an iron chest plate and his quiver of arrows, which was full and bulging at the leather seams. He also wore a metal helmet complete with a visor that he had lifted away from his face. A long sword hung from his leather belt. His crossbow pointed at the floor as he took me in, checking the shack for any signs of Dirk. But he didn't sigh in relief. Instead, he nodded. "I'm sorry. I thought this might be an Adler trick, but I wasn't sure."

  That was partly my fault. I'd let Dirk put his hand on my back and spent time with him. Fair enough. I'd ask Sven for the whole story later. We had to leave. Outside, things fell silent. No bats squeaked. No birds chirped. Even the insects had gone quiet. I'd never heard outdoor Olivia sound like that before, even in the dead of winter. The silence was unnerving, and Sven glanced outside as if he had noticed it, too.

  It was as if a predator were in the area.

  "She will kill you," I blurted.

  "I know she will." He nodded to his chest plate and his crossbow. "I bet she didn't think I'd come prepared."

  A sick feeling filled me. Sven was ready to slay his first dragon.

  "But I thought you didn't want to fight," I said, I said, grabbing his arm. My mind turned to his harsh father, who wanted this. His fear. His promise he wouldn't hurt me or Principal Adler. "She was just trying to protect me!"

  "I must defend myself."

  The silence dragged out. An urge to run and never return to Sven or Olivia swept over me. But I stayed, trembling. Why didn't Sven let them make me mature faster if it would happen, anyway? He didn't have to risk his life for me. It wasn't as if they would kill me. What did he see in me that no one else did?

  "We can run," I said.

  Agony constricted his eyes. "Felicia, if I don't have to, then I--"

  Gravel hissed.

  Something dug into the earth with a horrible crunching sound.

  And a low growl filled the air.

  Sven froze, pupils widening in fear. I scrambled over and turned the shack light off, but it might already be too late. My mind spun, thinking of the forest cover around the quarry, but it was too far for Sven to run and make it. Principal Adler had chosen a natural arena to face Sven and rip him away from me forever.

  "Felicia, stay back," he said. "I'll try to escape. But if I can't, I'll have no choice but to fight."

  Chapter Nineteen

  I could hear the truth in Sven's words. He didn't want to slay dragons. At least, not after meeting me. But he also didn't want to die. If he couldn't make it to safety, then Principal Adler would duke it out with him. One of them would end up hurt or dead.

  I couldn't let that happen.

  Adler might have locked me in here, but she'd done it because she feared for my safety.

  "You're not going out there alone," I said.

  A wing flapped. Due to the darkness outside, I could see nothing. The sound came from the gravel pit. The explosion had alerted Adler to his presence. Maybe she'd been counting on him using it.

  She'd planned this well.

  "She's coming out of the pit," Sven said. "There must be a cave entrance down there. If I run around the shack, I might get a head start to the tree line."

  "Sven, she won't hurt me." I felt bad for suspecting he was going back on his word. "I'll run behind you."

  "You probably won't get hurt by fire. She'll go through you to get to me."

  My knees buckled as silence fell again. Adler was waiting to launch an ambush attack. I knew she was watching the shack exit. There was only one door. She knew Sven was in here with me. She should attack right now.

  "I'll go out first," I said. "Stand behind me. Don't shoot her unless you have to."

  I let go of Sven's arm. The heat had died.

  I'd face all of my reality for the first time.

  But I held my breath and crept towards the door. The stars were out in full force tonight. A large, waxing moon cast a pale light on the quarry.

  And then I saw the huge, dark figure standing at the edge of the pit, waiting.

  My knees almost went out from under me. The dragon looked like a living shadow, perching like stalking big cat on top of a gravel pile. She stood twenty feet tall from legs to horns, with a hulking body and folded wings with vicious points. Adler did nothing, which was more terrifying than a full-on attack. Why was she waiting? If she was convinced that Sven would kill me on the spot, then she shouldn't—unless she feared hurting me by mistake. Adler couldn't be sure I was resistant to fire yet. My parents might not have told her about the grease fire.

  A bad taste rose in my mouth.

  Now this was real.

  I would vomit again. I couldn't pretend that I wasn't part of this anymore.

  Then I ducked back into the shed. "She's on the gravel pile outside. I don't think she saw me."

  "Keep the lights off," Sven hissed.

  "She knows you're in here." How well could full dragons hear? "Can she fly?"

  "Yes."

  "Crap."

  "But it's dark," Sven said. "Her vision won't be much better than mine. But dragons can sense body heat."

  Adler remained silent. I struggled to connect her name with the monster outside. "We can't stay here. Move along the side of the building and--"

  "I took a hidden trail here," Sven said. "There was one along the junkyard that Tasha told me about."

  That explained why Adler hadn't attacked him yet. The trail might have saved Sven's life. "Then we take that," I said. The area behind the junkyard was the place where kids sneaked off to smoke, so I hadn't taken it much. I hoped that I knew how to get to it in the dark. And there would be more cover in the junkyard if Sven had to do the worst. "Can I hold your hand?" Every inch of me wanted to defy Adler and everyone else.

  Sven swallowed. "Yes. Just so you know, I've never seen a full dragon before."

  Neither had I. After this, we'd be even.

  We slipped out of the shack. My back prickled. Could Adler sense our body heat like a snake? The two of us slid along the wall, saying nothing in the oppressive silence. I didn't dare look back at the dark figure. Neither did Sven. It was as if he didn't want to see the truth.

  We slipped around the corner of the shed, putting it between us and the dragon.

  Gravel toppled as the beast moved.

  Sven cursed. He maintained his grip on my hand with his free one, but notched the crossbow. It clicked, sharp and deadly.

  Wings flapped, blasting the quarry with a stiff breeze.

  "Run," I shouted.

  We broke into a sprint around the building. Sven hadn't brought a flashlight—another thing that might have saved his life—so we ran blind, weeds slapping against our pant legs, as the dragon took flight behind us.

  It was impossible not to notice. Wind snapped my clothing. A dark shadow fell over us as Adler sailed over and across the quarry, blocking the stars. For a moment, it looked as if she were leaving, perhaps to get backup, but then the form of the dragon turned in midair, wings snapping, to circle back around.

  "She's moving to get a good shot," Sven shouted.

  My mind filled with fire. "The junkyard. Go!"

  I pushed Sven, sending him around the ne
xt corner of the shack. Moe's Junkyard was on the other side of the pit. What was I thinking? We wouldn't make it. The two of us ran as air whistled. It rushed backwards, towards the approaching dragon as she sucked in one huge breath. I knew what was coming. Sven would die. I'd watch and then Adler would imprison me all over again--

  I seized his arm and pulled him to the side of the building facing away from the dragon. My strength was improving. The two of us pressed against the metal wall as flames roared and sailed off the corrugated roof above. Heat blasted across my skin as the fire missed us by one or two feet. Sven seethed in the incredible heat and curled his body, trying to protect himself. Adler flew over, and in the dying firelight I glimpsed shining purple scales and black wings.

  The fire died with nothing to latch onto. Adler flew away to maneuver again. Dragons had such big bodies they weren't very nimble. It would take her time to launch another attack. The small building wouldn't shield us forever.

  "Go!" I shouted, pulling Sven away from the wall.

  I guided him to the next cover, another pile of gravel, as Adler circled back around to deliver another burst of fire. She must realize that fire couldn't hurt me. Sven and I ducked behind the gravel. He closed his eyes, waiting for the flames.

  Even in the face of death, Sven wasn't trying to fight her. Why didn't Adler see that?

  Instead, wings flapped as Adler slowed herself down.

  "Sven?"

  Gravel rained on us. She'd landed on top of the pile.

  He opened his eyes and looked up. I joined him to see the dragon perched above us, snakelike neck curled as she studied our forbidden romance. Even in the pale light, I could see she had eyes like gems and not catlike as I expected. They were red—a deep, ancient red and full of hatred.

  "Adler!" I shouted, shoving Sven off the gravel pile and spreading my arms to protect him. "Don't hurt him. If he wanted to kill me in the shack, he would have. You don't have to fight."

  "She won't listen!" Sven shouted. Another click sounded.

  Adler growled and opened her jaws. Sven had come in Slayer gear. He met her expectations.