Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames)

by Chris Cannon

  Valmont moved closer and put his arm around Bryn’s shoulders. “Clint, it might be time to change the subject.”

  “Good idea.” Ivy pointed at the stack of black leather books on the table. “Have you made any progress discovering a secret map?

  “No.” Bryn glared at the books. “Every time I line them up differently it seems like I’m on the verge of finding something, but it never comes together.”

  …

  The rest of the week flew by without any incidents, but by Friday night at dinner Bryn felt claustrophobic. “I realize we didn’t go to Dragon’s Bluff every weekend before the attacks, but knowing we can’t leave the campus makes me feel caged in.”

  Valmont’s mouth set in a thin line. “Believe me, the shopkeepers in Dragon’s Bluff aren’t happy about the situation, either. Last I heard, revenue had dropped by 40 percent.”

  “That’s not good.” Bryn pushed her plate away. “I wonder if we could organize a group trip to Dragon’s Bluff to increase sales.”

  Ivy leaned forward in her seat. “It might be time for you to play the Grandma card.”

  Would her grandmother help organize a shopping trip? “I don’t know if my grandfather would approve.”

  Clint pointed across the room. “Maybe you could have Rhianna organize something. She could set it up with Jaxon’s mom like you did with the Back to School Gala.”

  “Good idea.” Bryn stood. “Come on, Valmont, let’s go visit Rhianna and her eternally crabby boyfriend.”

  “As your knight, I’m supposed to guide you away from evil, and yet here you are, asking me to lead you straight toward it.”

  Bryn laughed and grabbed his hand. “Come on. It will only take a minute. And if he’s really obnoxious, you can run him through with your sword.”

  “Define ‘really obnoxious,’” Valmont said. “Because I’m not sure I’d recognize it given his normal behavior.”

  Joking with Valmont eased the odd weight of guilt she was carrying around on her shoulders.

  Jaxon glared at their approach, while Rhianna gave a small wave. They stopped at the table, and all conversation ceased.

  “I do love the warm reception I receive in your presence,” Valmont addressed Jaxon. “You always make me feel so welcome.”

  “I’m sure that’s due to the fact that your social skills are on par with Bryn’s. What do you want?”

  “I know this will disappoint you, but I wanted to speak to Rhianna,” Bryn said, “not you.”

  “Why don’t you come by her room, this evening,” Jaxon said. “Alone.”

  Bryn pointed at Rhianna. “Did you lose the power of speech, or is Jaxon being a Westgate?”

  Rhianna looked like she was trying not to laugh. “My voice is fine. What did you want to talk about?”

  “Valmont mentioned that the shopkeepers revenue in Dragon’s Bluff has dropped off since we aren’t allowed to visit anymore. I was wondering if you thought there might be a way to organize a sanctioned trip so a large group of students could visit together. Safety in numbers, and all that.”

  “That’s an interesting proposition,” Rhianna said.

  “It’s an idiotic idea,” Jaxon said. “Whoever went would be setting themselves up as targets.”

  “Maybe the merchants could come here to the Institute instead,” Rhianna said.

  “I like that idea.” Valmont’s single dimple appeared.

  “No,” Jaxon said. “That wouldn’t be allowed.”

  “I don’t believe I was asking your permission,” Valmont said. “In the future, you might have the power to decide who is allowed to do what, but you don’t have that power now.”

  Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. “Fonzoli’s just reopened. It would be a shame if a health code violation was filed, and the restaurant had to be shut down.”

  Valmont leaned toward Jaxon. “Given your pregnant mother’s fondness for our food and the fact that she cries at the drop of a hat, you’d be hurting her more than anyone else.”

  Rhianna gave a theatrical sigh. “Can’t we all agree to be civil?”

  Both males continued the stare-off.

  “Bryn, why don’t you call your grandmother, and let me know what she says,” Rhianna suggested.

  “Sounds good.” Bryn tugged on Valmont’s arm. “Come on. Clint and Ivy are waiting for us.”

  As they walked away, Valmont whispered to Bryn, “One of these days I’m going to wipe that smug expression off his face.”

  “No. You’re not. Because my grandparents would have a fit, and I’d have to deal with the fallout.”

  “Fine. Can I accidentally elbow him in the face?”

  Bryn laughed. “As long as you make it look like an accident.”

  …

  “I think a campus fair is a wonderful idea,” Bryn’s grandmother’s voice came through the phone loud and clear and far too early on a Saturday morning.

  “Really? Because Jaxon pitched a fit.”

  “He’s male. He doesn’t understand. I’ll set up a meeting with some of the merchants, and I’ll call you back when we have a plan.”

  Bryn hung up the phone and dialed Rhianna.

  “Hello?” Rhianna sounded groggy. Crap. She should have waited to call. It was eight in the morning on a Saturday.

  “Sorry. Want me to call back later?”

  “No,” Rhianna said. “Hold on.”

  Through the phone, she could hear someone griping. The voice sounded suspiciously like Jaxon. Bryn shivered. This was information she did not need to know.

  “All right,” Rhianna said. “I’m back. What did your grandmother say?”

  Bryn repeated what her grandmother said. “It looks like it might actually happen.”

  “I didn’t have a chance to call Lillith last night.”

  “Because you had company?” Bryn teased.

  “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” Rhianna said in a perfect upper-class Blue tone.

  “Right.” Bryn yawned. “I’ll let you know when I hear anything else.”

  By Sunday morning, Bryn’s grandmother had organized a Merchant’s Fair day for the next weekend. Merchants would set up stalls in different locations on campus. Fonzoli’s would sell pizza, and the Snack Shack would bring caramel popcorn. All week there was an excited buzz on campus as students discussed what they wanted to buy.

  …

  “I’m going to eat my weight in caramel corn,” Clint said the morning of the Fair.

  Bryn’s mouth watered. “Maybe we can buy extra bags and stash them in our rooms.”

  By the time the booths were set up Saturday morning, there were lines at every stall. Valmont grinned and waved at all of the friends and acquaintances he hadn’t seen in weeks because he’d been guarding her. Great. One more thing for her to feel guilty about.

  Their first stop was Fonzoli’s booth. Valmont’s family greeted him with open arms, literally. Bryn stood off to the side feeling awkward. None of his family gave her dirty looks, but they weren’t overly thrilled with her presence, either. At least his grandmother wasn’t there to give her the evil eye.

  Soon, the Fonzoli’s booth was swarmed with students forcing his family back to work. “We’ll visit when the crowd dies down,” Valmont promised his mother, kissing her on the cheek.

  “Come this way.” Valmont placed his hand on Bryn’s lower back and steered her toward a stall displaying jewelry. Talia, the owner of All That Sparkles, greeted him with a hug.

  “Valmont, it’s been too long.”

  “I’ve been otherwise occupied.” He pulled Bryn close. “I assume you two have met.”

  “Yes.” Bryn had met Talia when Zavien bought her the dragon locket she used to hide her protection charm. Since she no longer needed to hide the small key-shaped charm, and she’d chucked the dragon locket in a drawer at her grandparents’ house, maybe she’d buy a new piece of jewelry. To support the economy, of course.

  “What’s the prettiest piece of jewelry you brought here toda
y?” Valmont asked.

  Oh, crap. What is he doing?

  Talia pointed to a display of bracelets. “These are my newest products.” She picked up a silver bracelet, which wrapped around in a circle twice, and slid the bracelet on her own wrist, spiraling it around. “There are no clasps, and it warms to body temperature, giving each person an individual fit.”

  Valmont picked up a different version of the bracelet, which had silver and gold woven together. He slid the bracelet on Bryn’s wrist, twisting it around until it lay correctly. “What do you think?”

  She wanted to say he didn’t need to buy her anything. Due to her grandparents’ wealth, her bank account was far healthier than his. One look at the hope on his face melted her heart. “It’s beautiful.”

  “And so are you.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek.

  The kiss was brief, and to anyone else it would appear innocent, but the sensation of warm lips pressing against her skin didn’t fade. The guilt and fear she’d felt since she’d become sick due to the bond faded away. “Thank you. I love it.”

  “You’re wel—” His eyes narrowed, and he pointed at something in the sky. “What’s that?”

  Specks flew in a V formation in the sky. Her stomach dropped. “Please tell me those are geese.” Should she panic? Other students were also staring at the sky.

  “Take cover or take flight,” a male voice yelled.

  Bryn shifted and whipped her tail around so Valmont could climb onto her back. Even without the saddle, he settled perfectly in place. She shot up into the air along with the other students. Pumping her wings, she climbed, trying to gain a height advantage over whoever was approaching.

  The incoming dragons slowed their flight, stretching out their wings and treading air like a swimmer treads water, holding their place and not coming closer, to show they weren’t a threat.

  Four of the Red guards approached the strangers and lead them to the ground. So, maybe they weren’t attacking anyone. Bryn settled to the ground and Valmont hopped off her back. She wasn’t sure if she should shift back to human form yet. At least, not until she knew who these dragons were.

  The strangers shifted. Three men and two women nodded at the guards. They had the ivory skin, dark hair and dark eyes all Black dragons shared. Their leader, a man with wild eyes and leaves clinging to his hair took a step forward. “We come in peace.” He grinned. “Actually, we came to shop.”

  The lead guard scowled. “Next time you want to visit the campus, you need to enter through the check point at the back gate.”

  “My apologies.” The wild-eyed male gave a slight bow. “We did not mean to distress you.”

  Right. That’s exactly what they meant to do. The members of the Radical Revisionists, who lived in the forest in dragon form most of the time, liked nothing better than to play with people’s minds.

  “Shift back,” a voice near Bryn spoke in a commanding tone.

  She shifted to human form and then realized Jaxon was the person who had issued the command. Now she wished she hadn’t done it. A smart-ass comment was on the tip of her tongue, until she noticed how stiffly Jaxon stood, like he was ready for a fight.

  “Do you recognize them?” he asked.

  “I know who they are.” How could she forget when it was one of their members, Alec, who had tried to kill her, along with Jaxon and his mother.

  “Then you know to stay away from them.” He turned his attention to Valmont. “Be wary.”

  And then Jaxon melted back into the crowd.

  “What was that about?” Valmont asked.

  The official Directorate-sanctioned story had stated Alec had suffered an aneurysm while addressing the Directorate. Bryn and Medic Williams had tried to save him but failed. A far cry from the truth that Bryn had fought Alec while saving Jaxon and his mother, before Zavien had finished Alec off. What could she tell Valmont? She didn’t want to lie to him.

  “I’ll fill you in later when we’re alone. The gist of the story is those dragons are not to be trusted.”

  He nodded and stepped between her and the wild dragons who were coming their way. Not everyone seemed as creeped out as Jaxon had been. Something about the newcomers, the feral look in their eyes and the almost feline grace with which they moved, signaled they were different. The faded low-slung jeans and black T-shirts they wore made them look like a rock band. Around her, the other students acted in one of two ways. Some avoided the wild dragons, while others were drawn to them. The avoidance plan fit her fine.

  The booth for the Snack Shack selling caramel corn was at the far end of the field. “Let’s go get some popcorn,” Bryn said.

  Valmont followed her lead. Clint and Ivy were already in line at the booth.

  “I’ll buy some for all four of us if you’ll go snag a table,” Clint said.

  “Good plan.” Valmont put his hand on Bryn’s lower back and steered her to one of the picnic shelters with the protective metal roofs.

  The sweet scent of the caramel corn made Bryn’s stomach growl.

  “Does Clint know you’ll need your own extra-large bag?” Valmont asked.

  She laughed. “He should know me well enough by now.”

  “Time for caramel corn.” Ivy plopped down next to Bryn.

  Clint set a large container of popcorn between Valmont and Bryn.

  She inhaled the sweet, salty scent. “They should make that into perfume.”

  “I’m surprised they don’t have it at that smelly lotion store you girls go to,” Clint said.

  “It’s called Bath and Beauty,” Ivy said.

  “Nope. It’s now officially called the Smelly Lotion store.” Clint grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved the entire thing into his mouth.

  Ivy pretended not to see him. Instead, she took a piece of popcorn, tossed it up into the air, and caught it in her mouth.

  Valmont threw two pieces of popcorn in the air and caught both of them in his mouth.

  “It’s on.” Ivy threw three pieces of popcorn and managed to catch all of them.

  Valmont pointed at Bryn. “Do you want to play?”

  “You’re asking me if I want to do something which might result in me not eating food.” She arched a brow at him. “I’m pretty sure you know the answer to that question.”

  Ivy and Valmont battled it out, until he tried to catch five pieces but one bounced off his nose.

  Ivy threw her arms into the air. “I am the grand national popcorn catching champion.”

  “We should have that printed up on a T-shirt,” Clint said.

  For the rest of the afternoon, Bryn relaxed and enjoyed shopping with Valmont and her friends. She kept an eye out for anyone who might be a hybrid, although she had no idea how she’d recognize them. When it was time to close up the booths, she spotted Rhianna and Jaxon in a heated debate.

  “Uh-oh.” She pointed at the blond couple. “What do you think that’s about?”

  “Rhianna can hold her own with him,” Valmont said. “But if you’d like me to go over there and stick my nose in where it doesn’t belong, I’d be happy to do that, too.”

  “Since he doesn’t love you, how about I stick my nose in and you play back-up,” Bryn said.

  “It’s not like he loves you, either,” Valmont said.

  “I’m siding with Bryn on this one,” Clint said. “On a scale of irritated-to-I-want-to-shift-and-bite-someone’s-head-off, Valmont, you rank higher on the scale.”

  “Do I get a T-shirt for that?” Valmont asked.

  “Sure.” Bryn headed over to where Jaxon and Rhianna stood toe-to-toe. Both were red-faced and Jaxon’s jaw muscle was twitching double time.

  When she sidled up to Jaxon, he glared at her. “Go away. This doesn’t concern you.”

  She ignored him. “Rhianna, are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, but he’s delusional.”

  Jaxon pointed at a bracelet Rhianna wore. “It’s inappropriate for you to wear a gift from another male.”
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br />   “I told you.” Rhianna held out her arm to show off the silver charm bracelet. “Garret said all the injured students are wearing them as a symbol of solidarity. See.” She pointed at the small crystals hanging off of it. “Blue, red, black, green, and orange.”

  Laughing would probably result in Jaxon killing someone, but Bryn couldn’t help smiling. “Jaxon, if Garret bought bracelets for everyone, there’s no need to be jealous.”

  In slow motion, Jaxon turned and gave Bryn a look that could’ve melted steel. “It’s not about petty jealousy. It’s about loyalty and respect.”

  Rhianna’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not like I’m wearing diamonds from another male. It’s a symbol which happens to be a piece of jewelry.”

  “I don’t care if it’s a wooden bead on a piece of string. Wearing something from another male is disrespectful.”

  “You’re being ridiculous,” Rhianna shot back.

  Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. Frost shot from his lips as he spoke. “Let me make this simple. If you insist on wearing that bracelet, we’re through.”

  Rhianna sucked in a breath like he’d slapped her.

  And all of a sudden, this became way too serious. There had to be a simple answer.

  “What if it wasn’t a bracelet?” Bryn said. “What if she put it on the strap of her book bag, like a decoration to show she’s a member of a club?”

  Neither Rhianna nor Jaxon spoke. They just stared into each other’s eyes. Rhianna blinked like she was trying to hold back tears. “I’ll put it on my bag as a decoration. Does that work for you?”

  “I’d rather you throw it in the trash, but I can live with it on your book bag.”

  Rhianna unclasped the bracelet and slipped it in her pocket. “Then that’s what I’ll do, but you can’t hold the threat of abandonment over my head every time we argue.”

  Jaxon pressed his lips together in a thin line and nodded in agreement. She held out her hand to him. “Let’s go.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, he took her hand, and they walked toward the Blue dorm.

  “You should become a negotiator,” Valmont said. “That was brilliant. Jaxon is still an idiot, but that was brilliant.”

  “The thing that’s making me crazy,” Bryn said, “is I can kind of understand where he’s coming from.”