“There’s not much to see,” Patrick said, moving to stand by his side. “Nature reclaimed what was there. The cave is all that remains.”
“Let’s take a look.” Thorn turned around and the two men walked back toward the others. Delving into his backpack, he took out a flashlight. The others did the same. “After you, Patrick.”
“This way.” Patrick shone his flashlight into the deep dark of the cave and took a step forward. Emilia hung back, not sure if she had the courage to follow.
“Hey.” Thorn took her hand and squeezed it. “Are you okay?”
“I have an aversion to caves.” She stared after the others as they went inside. “Especially when that amulet is close by.”
“You think Patrick will use it?” Thorn asked, picking up on her concern.
Emilia shrugged. “Would he trap himself inside with us?”
“I doubt it.” Thorn took the satellite phone from his pack. “I have a good signal. We can always call Harlan if something happens. And the only way the amulet can trap us is if we are backed into a corner and can’t get past the barrier. If we were trapped inside the barrier, now that we know how it works, all we have to do is shut it off.”
Thorn’s words made perfect sense, but the fear of enclosed spaces haunted her still. With her mate by her side, Emilia found the strength to take a step forward and then another, until she entered the cave.
The others were some distance inside, and she could hear their muffled voices, filled with a sense of wonder. Thorn, who still held her hand in his, increased his pace, eager to see what the others had found.
“Look!” Magnus beckoned her to him as they entered a large cave with a high domed ceiling and smooth walls. “Dragons.”
Emilia and Thorn joined Magnus. “That’s incredible,” Thorn said in awe of the ancient cave paintings that filled the walls.
“We never told anyone about this,” Patrick told them. “We were never sure how authentic they were.”
“You never told anyone because you didn’t believe,” Lupe replied. “I never told anyone because I didn’t want our valley filled with people tramping over our land. There is something sacred about these paintings. But they tell of a time when dragons, wolves, and bears lived in disharmony and that’s not the world any of us want. Is it?”
Patrick stepped forward and drew the amulet from his pocket. Emilia stiffened, ready to pounce and grab the amulet from Patrick. If she had to, Emilia would fight him for it, no matter what the cost. But before she could move, Thorn’s hand gripped her arm and held her back.
“After you gave me this, I thought about the past and I pictured the future. A future where we all work together and live in peace.” Patrick looked at his granddad and then nodded.
“We no longer believe dragons are a threat.” Lupe sighed and then mumbled, “I’m sorry I tried to shoot you down.”
“Apology accepted,” Ruby responded solemnly.
Patrick looked down at the amulet in his hand and then stepped forward with his arm outstretched. “Since this trapped you, Emilia, we believe it should be your choice what happens to it. We have no need for it anymore.”
Emilia’s hand shook as she accepted the amulet. “Thank you, Patrick. Thank you, Lupe.” The amulet was warm in her hand, and she resisted the need to place it on the hard stone floor of the cave and stamp on it until it broke into a hundred pieces.”
Magnus turned his flashlight back to the cave paintings. “This one shows a battle between two dragons. One green, one red.”
They all gathered around and studied the faded drawings. “The red dragon kills the green.”
“Do you think that was our father?” Emilia whispered.
“The green dragon was defending a village. The Stone Claw symbol appears in several paintings.” Thorn pointed to the small houses depicted on the cave wall. “The people fled to the cave. This cave perhaps?”
“Look at his one!” Ruby’s exclamation echoed through the cave.
“Our mother,” Emilia sobbed and covered her mouth. “The Stone Claws sent the dragon children away.”
“Why?” Magnus asked.
They stared at the drawings on the wall, the last drawing showed a ship on the sea, and then there were no more, the story of the Stone Claw Clan of the River Run Mountains ended.
“But your stories lived on,” Thorn said gently.
“Mother never spoke of this and we were too young to remember. She left here and went to Bear Creek all alone.” Emilia’s heart wrenched at the thought of her mother forging a new life with two young children and no family to support her.
“It explains how Chin Shan knew all about dragons. He might even have approached Perry with the news.” Thorn put his arm around Emilia’s shoulders. “Was your mother Oriental?”
Magnus shook his head. “Perhaps she and my father lived in these mountains before the Stone Claws ever arrived.”
“So much of the past is hidden from us,” Lupe said quietly. “But so much is before us. You, young people, have the chance to make the world anew every day.”
Thorn turned around to face Lupe. He placed a hand on his shoulder and on George’s. “But we need the advice and the wisdom of those who have gone before.”
“Don’t tell Fiona that, or she’d never let me forget it,” Ruby’s comment softened the moment.
“Come on, before it’s too light. We need to get down the mountain and clear those rocks for you.” Thorn gave Emilia a wink and then guided them all out of the cave.
They flew quickly, gliding on silent wings back down the mountain and stopped at the head of the valley, where a large collection of boulders had made a huge dam. Behind the dam, water swelled to rush down over a ledge, spilling into a deep pool, before disappearing into an underground cave.
“Have you ever followed the water system?” George asked, looking down into the deep chasm.
“We can only get so far, then it gets too deep. We had an underground survey carried out many years ago, but the water flowed too deep underground for them to glean any concrete knowledge,” Lupe answered. The two men discussed the situation for a few minutes before returning to the dragons. “We’ve agreed that we should feed off a small amount of water to flow down into the valley. If you don’t mind coming back soon, we can reassess it over time and get some expert advice.”
Thorn nodded. “Good idea. Today should be a symbolic act, the last thing we want is to deprive another community of water. Animal, plant or human.”
“Agreed.” Patrick directed the dragons, as they slowly removed a channel of boulders to allow the water to flow down over the dam and into the valley below. What started as a trickle soon became a stream and a sense of accomplishment filled Emilia.
Today had been a good day, and it was only sunrise.
Chapter Nineteen – Thorn
“Are you sure?” Thorn asked as he stared down at the Jewel of Avantar, which Emilia held in her hands.
“Absolutely.” She shrugged. “It isn’t mine.” His mate swapped the jewel into one hand and then plucked the amulet out of her pocket. “I also need to decide what to do with this.”
“What do you want to do with it?” Thorn asked. Her brow creased, and her arm sagged as the amulet weighed heavy in her hand and on her mind.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Should we destroy it?”
Thorn took the amulet from her and held it in his hand, weighing up the damage it had caused. Was there any safe way to keep it from ever hurting anyone again? “I don’t know.” He had no real answer.
“I’m scared it will suddenly open and trap me, or you, or anyone else. What if something happens to it and the barrier gets stuck around us?”
“The River Wolf Clan used it to keep them safe. We shouldn’t see it as evil. It’s an object, just like any other. Yes, it trapped you, but we don’t know if that’s what Perry meant to use it for, or if he used it to protect you.” Thorn smiled gently at his troubled mate. “You know, Perry m
ight have known you would figure out how to shut it down.”
Emilia stared at the amulet, reliving days in the distant past, long before he was alive in this world. “You’re right. I shouldn’t live in fear.” She placed her hand under his and then closed his fingers around it. “I trust you to do what’s right with it.”
“What if I wanted to put it in the museum?” he asked, unsure if that was where it belonged.
“That is up to you.” Emilia looked up at him and a smile teased her lips. “Although I think that might be a little unadventurous.”
He frowned. “Unadventurous?”
“Yes. What if you are stuck in a desert storm and this is all you had for protection?” Emilia turned and grabbed her pack off the bed. “Or if you were being chased by a pride of lions.”
Thorn strode to the bed and caught the strap of his pack and threw it over his shoulder. “You want me to use it.”
“I do. You’re right, it was made to protect people. So why not use it for that very purpose? And if on your travels you find a village that needs protection from dragons, give it to them with my blessing.” She waited while he closed the door behind him. They had spent the day in the River Wolf village, celebrating the seemingly impossible return of water to the valley. The villagers had told stories of the countless times they had tried to clear the boulders away, but never succeeded. As the evening closed in, they had sat with their feet in the new stream that should bring back life to the valley.
“It’s hard to imagine how starved of water the town was,” Emilia commented as they left the house to join Lupe, Hetty, and Patrick in the garden at the back of their house.
“It’s a long way to pipe water up the mountain,” Lupe said. “We have enough to drink, and wash, and for some crops, but with this new flow of water, eventually we should be able to irrigate the land and grow crops. The cattle will drink from the stream. It was a good thing you did.”
“You are welcome.” Ruby hugged everyone and kissed their cheeks. “Come visit us in Bear Creek.”
“We will,” Patrick promised. “Are you sure you all don’t want to stay another night?”
“No, thanks, we have something we have to do.” He grinned at Emilia. “This treasure hunter has to do something he’s never done before.”
“We’re going to return the Jewel of Avantar,” Emilia told them, showing the jewel to the others.
“This is going to be an interesting night,” Ruby said as they said one last goodbye and walked back to the place they had landed only last night. Darkness crept in from the east as the shadows chased the sun from the sky.
“Thorn,” George touched Thorn on the shoulder, his voice thick with emotion. “I want to say thanks for bringing me along. And thank you to all the dragons here who have made me feel like one of the team. It’s the most fun I’ve had in years.”
Ruby put her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. “You aren’t just one of the team, George, you are one of the family.”
George wiped his eyes and said, “Thanks, Ruby. I’m an old man who lives on his own. It’s been a long time since I had a family.”
“Don’t, George, you’ll make me cry.” Ruby turned away and wiped her eyes.
“When this is over, don’t be a stranger,” Magnus told George.
Emilia looked at George shyly, she had been suspicious of him, but she knew he would keep her secret safe. “You are welcome in our home always. When we have a home.”
“One thing at a time,” Thorn told his mate. “We should go, it’s a long way.”
Emilia stretched. “I’m ready to fly.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her head. He liked the idea of a home with Emilia, and as soon as they got back to Bear Creek, he would start to work on making that a reality. But right now, adventure beckoned.
Ruby and Magnus shifted and George climbed onto the big male dragon’s back. Together the two dragons launched themselves into the air and flew toward the mountain range. Emilia kissed Thorn on the cheek and walked away from him, leaving him longing for her touch, but eager to see her shift. He’d still not gotten used to seeing and touching a real live, fire-breathing dragon.
She stood magnificently before him, and he watched her for a moment, his heart beating rapidly at the thought that she was his, mind, body and soul.
And we are hers, mind, body and soul, his bear reminded him.
Thorn mounted Emilia’s dragon and she took off into the night to climb so high he thought they would touch the stars that came out one by one above their heads. He’d never been so connected, both with another creature and the world below.
Over the oceans and land, they flew. When they crossed the coast, Thorn used his GPS to guide the dragons to the heart of the Amazon Jungle, where the Jewel of Avantar had once been a symbol of power and protection to a long-lost tribe. The cave was still a place of worship, and getting in unseen might be tricky.
Although, landing three huge dragons might prove more difficult.
Gliding in a circle above the broad-leafed trees, they searched for a place to land that didn’t involve breaking down trees. The idea was to get in and out without being seen, or heard, and to leave no trace of their ever being here.
“There.” George pointed to an overhang next to a waterfall that cascaded a hundred feet or more into a deep pool below.
As Ruby angled her body and dropped down vertically toward the ledge, Thorn hoped dragons were known for their precision flying along with their firebreathing capabilities.
The other two dragons and two humans collectively held their breath as she spread her taloned feet out wide and placed them gingerly down on the ledge, poised to take off again if the large slab of rock gave way. It held, and she shifted in an instant then yelled, “Piece of cake.”
Magnus landed next and then Emilia, whose strength and power seemed to grow with each day that passed. The pale-faced weak woman who had left the cave was replaced by an energetic beauty who glowed with health and life.
“What next?” Emilia asked, her eyes sparkling.
“We track through the forest for half a mile to the cave, place the jewel on the altar and get out of there,” Thorn answered simply.
“A good plan,” George said with a grin and adjusted his pack. “I’ll sleep for a week after this.”
“Let’s do it, we should be airborne in a couple of hours and back in Bear Creek in time for breakfast.” Ruby looked around. “There’s no trail, is there?”
“Nope. But you have a bear to lead the way.” He shifted into his bear, brushing against Emilia as he set off through the forest. Her fingers laced in his fur before he pulled away and set off in a direct line for the well-worn trail that led to the cave. If he was right, they only had about two hundred feet of dense forest to get through before their journey became relatively easy.
Shouldering the tall fronds of foliage out of the way, he led them off the ledge. When woody stems were too thick, he chomped on them with his large teeth, like a panda bear chomps on bamboo. Yes, he might look funny, but this was serious business to his bear. He had to prove himself as a worthy mate, since so far in their relationship she’d been doing all the heavy lifting. Or, at least, heavy flying.
When he broke out onto the main trail it was with some relief, although his bear did not show it.
One by one the others joined him. Battered by the jungle but in one piece, they huddled together, brushing leaves and bits of jungle off each other. After a quick rest and a drink, his bear led them toward their destination.
Stretching his senses out as far as possible, he searched for any other life. Animal or human or shifter. Early in his career, Thorn learned that shifters were everywhere in the world, on every continent and in every country. Some were more secretive than others. Some were persecuted more than others.
It was safe, the nearest human was far enough away not to cause them a problem, although there was a big cat of some kind l
urking in the dense undergrowth somewhere along the trail.
“How much further?” Emilia asked, placing her hand on his broad back in a very distracting manner. Thorn scanned the immediate area one last time before shifting back into his human form.
“Not far.”
“What’s wrong?”
He wasn’t aware anything was wrong until Emilia asked, then he realized something odd. “There’s no one guarding the cave.”
She looked straight ahead and fell silent. “You’re right, I can’t sense anyone. Except two big cats just off the trail. I can’t tell what they are.” She lifted her head and inhaled. “Shifters.”
“So that’s how they guard it,” Thorn told her. “Clever. I couldn’t tell if the big cat I sensed was a shifter or not. Now that there are two of them, I’m guessing more might follow.”
“What do we do?” George asked nervously.
“We see what happens and deal with the situation.” Thorn picked up the pace. If they acted quickly, the shifters might not have time to call in too much backup.
“Why don’t we just hand over the Jewel of Avantar to them?” Ruby asked, swatting away a large colorful butterfly that flew into her face.
“I’d rather not have to give any explanation as to where we found it,” Thorn replied. “This needs to be as low profile as possible.”
“Yeah, even to a shifter, knowing there are dragons in the world is going to come as a shock.” Ruby batted the butterfly gently away and it fluttered into the trees to rest on a large leaf. She stopped and stared at it.
“It’s very pretty,” Magnus told her, watching the butterfly as it fluttered its delicate wings.
“Do you think it’s a shifter?” Ruby suddenly asked, and they all stopped in their tracks to stare at the butterfly.
“No.” Magnus turned his head to take a better look. “Do you?”
Emilia joined them and stared up at the butterfly. “It did kind of look as if it was listening to your conversation.”
Treasure Bear Page 16
