Dragon Guard

by Kit Bladegrave

  Had I told her too much? I barely touched on the horrible things I witnessed. No, it had to be something else and after a quick shower to cool off, I tracked down Amelie. She was working with a few other witches, learning more healing spells that would come in handy, though I prayed she would never have to use them.

  “Can I steal you for a moment?” I asked her.

  “Sure, give me one second…” she added one more ingredient to the potion bubbling in her cauldron and the color changed from black to a calming green. “Perfect. What’s up?”

  I guided her a bit out of the way. “Everest. Did something happen I need to know about?”

  Amelie started to shake her head, then stopped with a grimace. “Well, it wasn’t something that happened really, but her magic’s been a bit funky the past couple of days.”

  “Did she say why?”

  “No, and she hasn’t told me anything happened.”

  Great. If she hadn’t even told Amelie, I doubted she’d be up for telling me. “Thanks, you seen Jared around?”

  “Hmm, he was here a while ago working on his magic, but then he went to grab some food, I believe. You think there’s really something wrong with Everest?” she asked me quietly. “As far as I know everything’s good, right?”

  I smiled, not wanting her to worry over nothing, though I doubted it was nothing. “Yeah, think it’s just been a hard few days. She’s probably just worn out. I’ll see you later.”

  The Underground was more crowded than I’d ever seen it, and I kept myself busy helping move cots around to make more walking room, as well as getting out fresh supplies and folding some blankets, anything to keep my mind off Everest. I kept an eye out for Jared, and eventually saw him walking around with Fredwin. Figures, the two Hollow Wells would stick together. I shouldn’t hold grudges against them, but after so many years, it was hard not to. Especially when Jared’s sister was the reason my sister died. I whistled loudly, and Jared turned towards me. He said something to Fredwin then hurried my way.

  “Hey, Amelie said you were looking for me,” he said. “What’s going on?”

  “You talk to Everest today?”

  “This morning, yeah. But not for very long.” His brow furrowed, and he looked around worriedly. “She wasn’t exactly herself. Thought it might have to do with her parents, but she wouldn’t tell me anything and brushed it off.”

  I spotted Aiden and Mahlia about an hour ago talking to Jenny and Preston. They’d all seemed in a very serious mood, but not upset. Preston told me they were working on a plan to get someone inside the Black Diamond fortress, somehow without being detected, to see if we could get any more answers. He said they’d keep me posted. Did Aiden volunteer himself maybe? That’d probably be enough to upset any daughter just reunited with her father.

  “Did you want help with this pile?”

  “Huh?” I glanced at the massive number of blankets one of the women had dropped off for me to fold and grimaced. “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

  “Beats any more training for at least a little while.”

  We folded in a strange comfortable silence, simply watching others at their chores. The Underground might be filled with refugees and fighters, but this place continued to function like a well-oiled machine. We were the largest outpost in the northeast, and I wondered how many more we could take in. At one point, Jenny mentioned moving more refugees farther north, but the chances of them being caught moving so many were high, even with a portal of some kind. We had witches, but Radnak had Blood Moon Priests, with unknown abilities. For all we knew, they could intercept the portal, and we’d lose everyone we just saved. Bad enough we opened a portal right into the Underground to save us the first time.

  If the other end had been anywhere except in a realm not controlled by Radnak, we would’ve been attacked already. As it was, those who understood the danger were still on edge, wondering if any second now the Black Diamonds would launch a full-scale attack against us.

  “You know,” Jared said, pulling me from my ever-darkening thoughts, “Everest is an incredible person, she’s got a lot of promise for being a witch.”

  I nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

  “I like her, she’s got this way that just draws people to her, and she doesn’t even realize it,” he went on.

  I was making an argument in my head, ready to tell him in no way was I looking to be involved with her, not that it was any of his business, but what he said next made it hard to say anything.

  “But I see how she looks at you, how much she cares for you and I’m not about to get in the way of that. You know, bro code and all,” he said with a laugh.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.

  He only laughed more. “You can say that, but we both know how she looks at you. Just remember, she is still my friend, and if you break her heart, I’ll kick your ass,” he warned.

  The idea of him managing that made me smile, which was the wrong thing to do. He winked, and I groaned.

  “Seriously, man, I’m not looking for that.”

  “Who said anything about looking? You can’t sit there and tell me you have no feelings for her whatsoever?”

  “As a friend and my charge, nothing more.” Because there shouldn’t be anything more was what I wanted to add. She was my duty. I was meant to protect her, and the second emotions got in the way, everything would get complicated; I would not act the way I should in an emergency situation.

  And part of me was scared to care like that again.

  “Keep telling yourself that,” he told me, patting my shoulder. “I’m going to go back to my magic training with Amelie. Promised I’d show her a thing or two.”

  He was quite good with his magic already, and his fighting skills improved immensely. Even Fredwin had agreed to fight, and he went from professor to warrior as soon as he hit the training room. At some point, we were going to have to use them to start recruiting to other Hollow Wells, make them see the truth, but not until we had proof to show. A captured Black Diamond would help.

  Or Radnak himself.

  I finished the pile of blankets and searched the Underground for any sign of Everest, but she was nowhere to be found. Panic started to grow, wondering if she’d up and left with no one noticing, when I passed by the training room door and spotted her dark head of hair. Not making a sound, I stepped into the room, watching as she shook out her hands and lifted them before her.

  “Come on,” she whispered to herself, but I couldn’t see what she was trying to do. “Come on.”

  A puff of violet mist appeared over her shoulder, but then it quickly disappeared. She did it again and again, but each time, she couldn’t get the magic to hold out for long. Her shoulders sagged, but she kept trying. Each time was like a physical hit to her, and when she sank to the mats, I was at her side in a second, not even realizing I’d moved.

  “Everest? What are you doing?”

  I crouched beside her as tears shimmered in her eyes and she glared at the mat furiously.

  “Talk to me.”

  “I can’t do it,” she whispered.

  “Can’t do what? Magic? It just takes time and training—”

  “No. I can’t do any of it. I can’t be a Descendant. I can’t save lives,” she ranted, the tears falling down her face now. She angrily wiped them away and pushed off the mat, stalking around the room. “Mom was a great witch and Aiden is some incredible warrior. Even Jared is a damned hybrid who’s casting way beyond his years and Amelie… she’s amazing. And I’m just… I’m just me. I can’t do it.”

  I straightened and watched her closely, not saying a word.

  “All my life, I worked my ass off just to try and get by, and no one was there for me. I had to take care of myself and my brother, always. And now, now I have to take care of everyone. I have to help save people because I’m a Descendant, and great things are expected of me.”

  “No one expects you to do anything yet,” I tr
ied to say.

  But she was shaking her head, pacing frantically back and forth.

  “Who told you that?”

  “No one has to tell me anything. I can see it on all their faces when I walk by.” She threw her arms in the air as she went on, barely taking a breath. “They see the necklace and the look of hope in their eyes, it kills me every time.”

  She stopped walking so fast, I expected her to fall over, her eyes taking on a bitter, distant look. This was not the Everest who came to the warehouse, not worried about being attacked. This Everest was scared, no, terrified and not for herself. She was worried about everyone else instead of herself. That fear was fear of failure and ground my teeth angrily, ready to march out there and yell at them all to leave her alone.

  “You’re still in training, it takes time,” I tried to say again, but she stomped over to me and poked me hard in the chest.

  “You don’t get it. I can’t be their… their savior. I’ve been playing catch up ever since I found out about all of this and every night… I just…” She trailed off and quickly backed away, trying to turn her back on me.

  I grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. “Look at me, damn it. Every night, what?”

  She wouldn’t look at me. I gently took her chin between my fingers and turned her face.

  “Everest, what is going on with you? Just talk to me, please.”

  The second her yellow-green eyes flickered to mine, her fear slammed into me. “Every night I see Radnak in my dreams, and he’s… he’s killing you, and I’m too weak to stop him,” she whispered, her words shaking as bad as the rest of her. “I’m always too weak. I can’t do this, Slade, I’m not Zara, and I don’t think I ever will be.”

  My arms were around her, holding her close as I kissed the top of her head, trying to calm her down. She tucked her head against my shoulder and clung to my shirt. A current of emotion washed over me, and I cursed Jared for being right. I had loved Zara, and I’d be a fool not to admit how much I cared for Everest. I let her fall apart in my arms for a few minutes before I set her back on her feet and lowered my head, so we were eye level.

  “Listen to me, alright?” I said sternly. “I never expected you to be like Zara. She was born into a violent world. She had to fight to survive, and there were days when it was too much for her, too.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?” she murmured.

  “It’s true. We’d get back from a fight, and she would sit down and cry for all the people she couldn’t save, and for those she had to kill herself.” I choked up a bit, remembering how hard those moments were for both of us. We never talked, just sat next to one another until the pain ebbed and the tears stopped flowing. “War is not pretty, Everest, and it’s hard on all of us.”

  “But the dreams, and everyone’s expectations—”

  I put my finger to her lips to stop the words from flowing out. “They’re just dreams and screw everyone’s expectations. When the time is right, you’ll do what you have to do, but until that moment, your only goal right now is to train and get yourself ready. Understand? You’re already stronger than you think. And braver… or stupid,” I added and earned a smile before she gave me a gentle punch on my arm. “Trust me, please? You have to stop worrying about everyone else and think about yourself for once.”

  “I’m not sure I can.”

  “You’re going to have to. Otherwise, you’re never going to get out of your own head enough to be the witch, be the dragon you’re meant to be.”

  I hugged her close again, lending her what strength I could… until I felt her hands move and suddenly I was staring up at her from the flat of my back, mouth open in shock and sucking air back into my lungs. She grinned down at me with glee, and I grunted in annoyance.

  “Huh, look at that,” she mused, bouncing away as I got to my feet.

  “Really? You want to do this now?” I rubbed my backside, pride slightly wounded, but also happy to see some of the light back in her eyes as she stayed light on her feet, waving me forward. “Well, alright then. Loser gets the dinner trays?”

  “Deal.”

  Unlike the past couple of days, I really had to focus not to wind up on the mats again. There were still traces of that fear in her eyes, but with each successful block or hit against me, it receded more and more. She was a Descendant, and sadly, great deeds would always be expected of her, but first, she had to learn to be Everest.

  A few moves later and I flipped her over onto the mat, pinning her with my body and smiling when she couldn’t get out of the hold.

  “I think that means I win,” I teased.

  “This time,” she argued. “There’ll always be a next time.”

  I considered moving, but her gaze drew me in, and the rest of the world fell away. Just as I was considering making a move, she lifted her head off the mat and kissed me. It was far from a brief peck, and I kissed her back, rolling us over, so I wasn’t squishing her. She held my face in her hands—neither of us caring about the sweat—and didn’t stop until we were out of breath.

  And someone cleared his throat in the doorway.

  Both of our heads whipped around.

  Heart pounding, I was ready to panic until I saw Tank, holding his side and waggling his eyebrows at us.

  “Are we interrupting something?” he asked.

  I froze, Everest still holding me to the mat.

  “We?” I asked, confused.

  Until Aiden stepped into view.

  “Shit,” I whispered, and Everest burst out laughing, getting to her feet and pulling me up with her.

  “I’m going to get cleaned up, and I guess I’ll see you at dinner.” Everest squeezed my hand, gave me a wink, and left me alone to face her father.

  He gave her a quick hug as she passed, but as soon as she was gone, he stared intently at me from across the room.

  “So, you two looked like training was going well,” Tank said helpfully.

  “Yeah, actually it is,” I muttered, looking at Aiden though. “Sir, I just…” I stopped, not sure what I wanted to say as Aiden stepped up to me.

  His face was dangerously blank and I half-expected him to deck me, not sure I’d blame him, but then he let out a growling laugh and gave me a one-armed hug. “Stop looking like I’m going to go grab a shotgun and chase you off with it. To be honest, I’d rather see Everest with you than that Hollow Well guy.”

  I sagged in relief. “I’d have to say I agree, sir.”

  “Drop the sirs, Slade, we both know you’re the only one in this room who should be addressed like that,” he added quietly.

  My smile froze on my face.

  “If I were you, I wouldn’t tell Everest that yet. She’s got enough on her plate. Nice to see her smiling again, though. She’d been down the last few days and wouldn’t tell us why.” He clapped me on the shoulder and walked back to the door where Tank was still waiting. “Preston wants to see you,” he called back.

  “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”

  When I was alone, I planted my hands on my hips and kicked at the mat. Preston and Jenny had probably told Aiden a long time ago who I really was. Very few knew; it was safer that way.

  It was bad enough Radnak knew me by this name and wanted me for whatever he was preparing for. If he realized who I truly was, he’d send his minions after me in a heartbeat, doing whatever necessary to snatch me away.

  Everest was in enough danger on her own. With any luck, she’d never find out. Not even Zara had known.

  I took a few more seconds to compose myself, then left the training room, ready to go back to just being Slade and not what my blood and true name made me.

  Five

  Everest

  Training was far from easy after my breakdown, but I had a new sense of who I was and what I was here to do. Slade was right. I wasn’t born into this world of war, and I couldn’t expect myself to be a badass witch, or dragon for that matter, in mere days. Only time and focus would get me to that point. I worried we w
ere running out of time, but whenever I seemed to be taking my annoyance out on myself again, Slade had ways of getting me out of my funks.

  Some of them I liked, and some of them made me want to smack that smug smile right off his face. Anger was a very strong conduit for me. If I wasn’t training hard enough to his liking, he’d find whatever way he could to tick me off. The other morning he wound up with a bloodied face, but I won the next three sparring matches against him. Won them soundly.

  Then there were the days when we were alone, and he’d let his hand linger on mine for a few seconds, or plant a sweet kiss on my cheek, or the top of my head. He’d pull me into his arms, and for those few moments, it didn’t matter if I was a Descendant and a war raged just outside, a war many didn’t even know about. All that mattered was being with him. I’d expected a lecture from my father when he caught us practically making out the other day, but all he and Mom did was give me a weird knowing smile I still wasn’t sure I understood…

  I ducked at the last second and kicked out Slade’s legs, sending him to the mat.

  “Did you really think I was distracted?” I mocked, bouncing on the balls of my feet as he rolled back to his. “Come on, you’re going easy on me today.”

  “You think so, huh?” He wiped the sweat from his forehead and winked.

  Butterflies formed in my stomach, but I didn’t let him throw me off. He feinted right and charged towards the left, spinning around my outstretched arm to deck him. He flipped me over, but the day before, he taught me the trick to turning this move on an opponent.

  And I mastered it spectacularly.

  Slade’s hands moved fast, almost too fast for me to move after he caught his balance again, but he was a damned good teacher. When we both wound up with a hand around the other’s throat, he grinned.

  Clapping sounded from the doorway. We broke apart to see Tank and Jared there, watching us. I blushed, not used to being the center of so much attention. Slade only made it worse when he leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.