by Trudi Jaye
There’s another room to one side, a bathroom. All of a sudden, I feel dirty. I shuffle into the room, checking for towels. There’s a change of clothes, cotton pants and a shirt, even a bra and undies that are about my size. Part of me recoils at the idea that they know my size, but I’m so exhausted, I can’t work myself into being outwardly upset over it. I pull off my dirty and ripped clothes, and step under the water. It’s a double shower, so I turn on both heads and close my eyes as the water soaks my skin and rejuvenates me.
It’s only when I start to sway that I get out of the shower. The big soft bed in the other room is calling to me. I need sleep, or I’m going to be useless. I dress in the clothes they’ve provided and wander back out into the main room, drying my hair with a towel. I spot a brush on a dresser near the bed and use it to take the worst of the knots out of my long tangled hair. I eye the bed for a moment, trying to work up the energy to avoid it. I give in and lay myself down. It’s as soft as it looks, and I almost float on the thick duvet cover. As I’m drifting off to sleep, someone knocks on my door.
Sitting bolt upright, I remember where I am and why I’m here. I’m a prisoner, no matter that they’ve put me in the nicest prison anyone could ever have. I climb down off the bed and resolve to sleep on the floor to remind myself not to relax.
When I open the door, Amos is smiling at me, a tray of food in his hands. “May I come in?”
I step back and wave him in. “Sure. It’s not like I have a choice, is it?”
A line appears between his eyes. “My father has high-handed methods, but he does it for the greater good. He wants you to feel welcome here.”
It’s hard not to remind him of all the people his father has killed trying to bring me here, but I hold it in. Amos seems friendly. Perhaps if I can befriend him, he’ll help me. “Really?” is all I say, trying to put all my fear and frustration into that one word.
“Really,” Amos says earnestly. “He just wants what is best for everyone.”
“Maybe not everyone,” I murmur under my breath. Turns out it’s hard to be discrete.
Amos frowns, and I smile at him. “What food have you brought me? I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since...” I trail off, remembering that Si was supposed to be cooking us dinner when they were attacked. I’m suddenly not hungry anymore.
“What is it?”
“Do you really want to know?” I ask in a tight voice.
“Of course. I wouldn’t ask otherwise.”
“My friend Si was cooking dinner when your father’s mercenaries attacked and killed him, as well as Jeff. So I haven’t eaten in a while.”
Amos’s face darkens, and his brown eyes flash with an emotion I can’t decipher. “I’m sorry about your friends. I didn’t know they had been hurt.”
“Then you’re not in your father’s confidence and you can’t say for sure what he means to do with me,” I snap. Inwardly I wince. I really did mean to be nice to him. He seems gentle compared to his father. It’s almost like kicking a puppy.
“My father... has a very strong opinion on the way things should be, and he will do anything necessary to make sure it comes about,” says Amos, his expression earnest. “We need people like him to make the tough decisions and ensure the peace. It’s the only way.”
This time I can’t help it. I sneer at him. “That sounds like a rehearsed speech. How many times have you practiced that in the mirror?”
Amos carefully places the tray down on the dresser and turns back to me. Instead of anger on his face, I see sadness. “I’m sorry you feel that way. My father is a great man, you’ll see. Once you’re rested and have talked to him, you’ll come to understand the way it must be.”
He walks purposefully back to the door, and I notice for the first time that he moves with the quiet grace of someone who knows how to fight. It occurs to me that he’s been raised in the middle of a war, just like me. I feel a weird kind of kinship with him, and when Amos opens the door and glances back at me one more time, I’m not feeling so angry anymore. Amos nods to me, then closes the door behind him with a quiet click.
But that small click is far more ominous than if he’d slammed it. I shiver, holding my arms around my body.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I wake up slowly, and at first, I can’t remember where I am. I rub my hand over my eyes, wiping at the sleep in the corners. I look around the room and freeze.
I’m a prisoner of the Earthbound, stuck in some strange fortress, who knows where, at the mercy of a man who has been chasing me since I was a baby. For a moment, I’m motionless, holding the sheet against my body. I feel like a deer in the headlights, and the thought flashes through my head that perhaps if I don’t move from this spot, time will stand still and I’ll be able to avoid the confrontation with Vincent that I know is coming. I am frozen for a moment longer and then I sigh. When did hiding from things ever make them go away? I know that better than anyone.
I crawl out of bed and go stand next to the tray of food that Amos delivered. I didn’t eat any last night, but now I’m so hungry I could gnaw my arm off. I pick up the fruit pieces and start to munch on them. The sandwiches have wilted a little, but I drink the orange juice and devour the crackers and cheese.
Just as I’m checking out the windows for latches—there are none—I hear a scratching at the door, and a guard opens it unceremoniously. “Vincent wants to see you,” he says.
“I’ve just woken. I need to freshen up,” I say, just to be perverse.
The guard nods. “You have five minutes to prepare yourself.” He slams the door shut.
I consider delaying, but the guard looks the type to drag me down the hallway whether I am wearing a towel or my clothes. The bathroom has a new toothbrush, deodorant, and soap. Everything a girl could want. Five minutes later, I’m ready to face the demon.
The guard opens the door, gesturing for me to follow. I look around the hallway, half expecting Seth to be there. “Is Seth coming too?”
The guard shakes his head. “No. He will remain in his room.” He leads me back to the same chambers as yesterday and I’m able to look around more coherently. The murals and paintings are still the most eye-catching aspect of the room. They’re all depicting heroic acts of bravery by members of the Earthbound, who are wearing their ceremonial robes.
I can’t help but give an incredulous snort.
The dragons are depicted as terrifying and diabolical beasts, but I feel sorry for them. The Dragon Wars were fought because of too many dragons and too little space. They were beautiful creatures, if deadly, and didn’t deserve to be hunted to extinction by the Earthbound. They just needed a few lessons in birth control.
I don’t deserve to be here either, hunted down by the Earthbound. I narrow my eyes and study a particularly gory painting of a dragon with its head severed from its neck. Given the purpose of the Earthbound, my being here doesn’t make any sense. If Vincent really thinks I’m a dragon, he should have killed me when he had the chance. Which makes me wonder if he’s just playing some kind of game with me. What is he trying to achieve?
Staring into the painted eyes of a dragon in its last death throes, I can’t imagine why anyone would think I’m linked to something so fierce and dangerous. If I’m a dragon, I’ll eat my hat. I’m nothing like the wild creatures on the walls. Si was always trying to get me to be more ruthless, more fierce, when I fight. Maybe now I know why.
Thinking of Si and Jeff makes me clench my fists. I can’t believe this all comes down to Vincent believing I’m a dragon. What a stupid mistake. It’s almost too much to bear.
I look around, trying to distract myself. There’s no one else in the room other than the guard, who has merged back into the wall behind me. On the side of the room, a door opens and two more guards enter the chamber, followed by Vincent. He waves me over to him and sits at a large chair. He gestures at one of the guards, who pulls another chair over to rest next to his. “Come, child, sit here with me. I will not hurt you.”
Part of me wants to remain where I am, to see what he does. Will he send over one of his guards to manhandle me? But, instead I stride over and sit down purposefully, my eyes never leaving his. He stares back calmly, not seeming perturbed by my focused attention.
He doesn’t say anything, and the silence makes me start to fidget. I’m the first to break the eye contact, and I see him smile. I realise it’s a power play, and he feels he’s won something. I don’t like to tell him I could have kept going all day; Jeff was the master of the stare-down. I just want to move things along.
“I promised to answer your questions,” he says.
“You did.”
He spreads his arms wide and leans back. “Ask away.”
“Why have you really been hunting me all these years?”
“You still don’t believe me? I do not lie.”
“You’ve been misinformed.” I glance up at the pictures of dead or dying dragons around the room. “I’m not one of those creatures. There’s no way.”
“There are many misconceptions about dragons now that they no longer inhabit our Earth. They take on two forms, human and dragon. Dragons are not simple creatures; they are intelligent, fierce, and complex. They have qualities of both their human side and their beast side.”
“I’m none of those things. I’m pretty simple, actually.” I have to convince him that I’m not who he thinks I am. Then perhaps he’ll stop this relentless pursuit. Hope flares in my chest. Maybe I can escape this constant cat-and-mouse game?
“You’re nothing like the dragons of old, you are correct. You weren’t raised in one of their feral nests; you weren’t taught the old ways from birth. But that doesn’t mean you’re not a dragon.”
“Is my father a dragon too, then?” I ask.
“He is not. Dragons don’t mate with other dragons. They cannot bear to be in each other’s company for more than a few minutes. That is why the Dragon Wars were so devastating.”
“So they mate with humans?”
“Your father hides it well, but he is not human either. Dragons must mate with supernaturals. A human could not do what was necessary to impregnate a dragon.”
I scrunch up my face at his words. I can’t believe he’s talking about sex with me. He’s a freaking stranger. Well, maybe not a stranger; he’s been stalking me my whole life. That might make it even worse.
“What makes you think I’m a dragon?”
Vincent settles back in his chair. “Your mother was the last of her kind; she had lain dormant for many centuries before emerging from her hiding place near the mouth of the Yangtze River in China. Your father was sent over to investigate sightings. But when he found her, he didn’t do his duty and kill her.” Vincent’s lip curls. “Instead, they had a baby together.”
“Just like that?” It’s a nice story, but I can’t afford to believe anything this man tells me.
Vincent waves his hand. “Oh, months passed. We waited patiently, thinking he was simply being thorough. But then we realised he wasn’t planning to come back.” Vincent paused, staring off into the distance.
“Then what happened?” I say impatiently.
“She had just had a baby when we attacked. Your father wasn’t at the house. She was holed up in her fortress in China for five days before erupting out of it and fighting the Earthbound to the death. The baby was never found.”
“What makes you think I’m that baby?”
“Your father married her in secret. When he appeared back in the US with a baby, we knew immediately who you were.”
“And you tried to kill me.”
He pauses before answering, glancing away and back again. “I promised to tell you the truth. So yes, we did try to kill you. We tried for a few years when you were a child. But then we realized what you could do.”
“And what’s that?”
“You can help sustain the spell web. You’re more powerful than any other supernatural alive, and your magic alone could keep the spell web operating smoothly for years.”
“If I’m so powerful, how come you captured me?” I ask snarkily. I still have the bruises to show from it.
“You did manage to knock out all my men. You’re a young woman alone, without her usual protectors, and you haven’t been introduced to your dragon side yet. I’m an older, more experienced opponent.”
I roll my eyes at him.
He shrugs, as if he is not responsible for his supposed advantage.
“And how do I charge up the spell web?”
“I believe you already have a strong connection to it. I’ve been watching the spikes in the spell web around you since you arrived. You’ve used it unconsciously the whole time, testing things out, sensing what is happening around you. You would just need to tap into that a little more.” He flicks his fingers and I realize he’s lying to me.
Those hours of playing poker with Jeff are finally paying off. Vincent twitches. I’ve seen it twice in this conversation. Once when he told me he wouldn’t hurt me, and now talking about how I would power the spell web. What makes me think he’s lying? I don’t know, but I don’t trust him.
I think of Jeff and his arguments against the spell web. “Why do we need the spell web anymore? There are no more dragons.”
“We have you.”
“Answer the question.”
He sighs. “The last five hundred years have been the most peaceful on record for the supernatural community. The ability of the spell web to hide supernaturals from the humans has proved to be a positive outcome. We don’t have to contend with their fear and their conspiracy theories on a daily basis. We are free to live our lives.”
“Is it fair to the humans?”
“Do you honestly think they want to know that werewolves, dragons, and other monsters really exist? No, of course not. They’re much happier now than they would be if they knew.”
“And you’re going to decide that for them?”
“Absolutely. Along with the SIG, who are completely comfortable with the idea.”
“So why do you need me? Isn’t the spell web self-sustaining?”
Again he pauses. His fingers twitch. “The magic of the spell web is weakening. The number of supernaturals is declining; there are gaps appearing in the spell web.”
I think of Seth and wonder if he’s a gap that shouldn’t be there. His patchy coverage is unusual, but I don’t think it’s a weakening in the spell web. It feels more like a natural occurrence, like someone who doesn’t quite fit into the web as it’s been designed.
I send out a whisper along the spell web, looking for evidence of what Vincent is saying to me. Straight away, I find breakages around us, weakened areas I’ve never felt before. I’ve never felt it anywhere else, and I wonder what has been happening at the Earthbound headquarters to cause such weakness in the web. One thing is for sure, Vincent is not telling me the whole truth.
“I can sense you along the spell web. You play with it like it’s a toy.” His voice has an edge to it, and I’m confused, until I realize he’s jealous.
He’s the Earthbound leader; he’s supposed to be the one controlling the spell web.
“I still don’t get why you’re so sure I’m a dragon.”
“I can see you’re not going to believe it unless I prove it to you. Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“To try to kill you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
My heart is pounding desperately in my chest as I struggle against the two guards holding me above the massive clear container of water. There are bricks strapped to my sides, making it difficult to move. Plus, they’re supers, and my extra strength isn’t more than the two of them combined.
They’re going to drown me. Vincent is officially fucking crazy.
Who has this kind of thing lying around anyway? A big see-thru box of water. There’s no air inside it, just water, and they’re going to close the lid over me. I love water, I always have, but that doesn’t change the fact
that I’ll drown in minutes. This has been his plan all along, and I wasted time talking to him, trying to understand what he was doing. I could have escaped while I was in that damn room.
It makes me want to scream.
When they drop me into the water, I plunge straight down. I land at the bottom of the pool with a thud and immediately look around. I can see Vincent and the pair of guards watching me. I desperately attempt to untie the bricks from around my waist, but my movements are thick and clunky, and I can’t get them free. Water is my element, but it feels like my enemy today. I don’t know what Vincent expects me to do. Maybe it’s like those witch trials from centuries ago: drop the woman in water, if she lives, she’s a witch—or a dragon—if she drowns, she isn’t a witch—or a dragon. Whichever way it goes, I think I’m going to lose.
Damned if I’m going to lose. To paraphrase Seth, it’s time to turn the situation around. I search the small space for a weakness, somewhere I can force myself free. I have water magic, after all. I should be able to use it.
I kick up to the top of the pool, the weight of the bricks making it difficult, and push with my shoulder against the door where they let me in. It doesn’t budge. I swim to the corners and shove against the join where the panes of glass meet. I gather my magic around me, thrusting the water at the glass as well. There is some kind of spell holding it all together, and my magic can’t break through.
I’m running out of air. I hit the glass repeatedly with the palm of my hands in front of Vincent, trying to let him know that I give in. That he wins and I am wrong. If he wants me to be a dragon, then I will damn well be a dragon.
As long as he doesn’t let me drown in this damn pool.
But Vincent simply watches me, his face impassive. He’s waiting for me to do something amazing, and I can’t. I’m not who he thinks I am. I’ve been waiting my whole life to find out why they’re hunting me, and now that I know, I realize it’s all been a mistake. I’m not special.
