Burning Bright (Going Down in Flames)

by Chris Cannon

  “Send Clint in,” her grandfather said.

  Bryn went back out and whispered to her friends. “I set Ferrin off. Tread lightly.” In a louder voice, she said, “Clint, you’re up.”

  Bryn went to the phone and called her parents. After trading assurances that all was well and confirming that someone was watching their house, she sat and ate some more Christmas cookies.

  After giving their statements, Clint and Ivy had a guard drive them back to their car in Dragon’s Bluff.

  Once they were gone, Bryn sat on the chaise lounge and reran the day’s events in her head. A wave of self-doubt hit her. Had she been stupid to give Adden the bracelet?

  “May I sit with you?” Derek asked.

  “Of course.” She scooted over to the edge so he’d have plenty of room.

  “I wanted to apologize for what happened today,” he said. “I never should have let Adden enter the store.”

  What could she say to that? “You protected me. You have nothing to apologize for.”

  “I saw him coming down the street, blasting ice in different directions. I didn’t know what he was doing, but I knew he was trouble. I should have blocked the entrance until backup arrived,” he said. “But all I could think about was making sure you were okay and I couldn’t do that from outside the store.”

  “You can second-guess yourself all you want, but it won’t do any good.” Not that she wasn’t guilty of the exact same thing. “I’m just grateful you kept him from reaching me, so don’t beat yourself up over the rest of it.”

  “Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “I just wanted to say my piece before your grandfather reassigns me.”

  That wasn’t right. “You think he’d reassign you because of today?”

  “I believe he will. As is his right.”

  “That sucks,” Bryn said.

  He smiled. “It would be best if you didn’t mention this conversation to anyone. We aren’t supposed to interact on a personal level with the people we protect.”

  “That sucks, too,” Bryn said.

  He laughed, and his green eyes sparkled, and his smile was genuine. Ivy was right. He was cute, and it would be easy for a girl to fall for someone like him.

  Male voices could be heard coming down the hall. Derek jumped to his feet and stood off to the side in guard mode a split second before Jaxon entered the room.

  “What in the hell did you do?” he asked.

  She glared at him. “Do you want to try that again?”

  “You know what I mean.” He pulled her to her feet and hugged her. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” She relaxed against his chest for a moment. Being wrapped in his arms was comforting. It was funny that his heart was beating fast. He must have been worried. She looked up at him. “Seriously. I’m okay.”

  “Good. Now. Answer my first question.”

  Bryn stepped back and sat on the chaise. He joined her, still holding her hand, which was nice. She repeated her tale of weirdness, ending with, “And if anyone had told me there was a chance Silvers could use a hybrid weapon I never would have given it to him.”

  “I would have used the same logic,” Jaxon said. “No one can fault you for that.”

  “Your father disagrees,” Bryn said.

  “I’m not surprised,” Jaxon said. “Now what?”

  “I don’t know. My parents are safe. I’m not sure where the other artifacts are being kept, but I’d love to look and see if there was anything else I could use.”

  “Do you think you could use a weapon meant for a Blue?” He held out his free hand, showing the cuff link.

  “I’m not sure I’d want to try. If I was wrong, the results might be fatal.”

  “True. What about that sword Valmont used? Did he take it with him?”

  “No,” Bryn said. “I have it, but the cool thing about the bracelet was the element of surprise. I can’t exactly walk around campus with a sword strapped to my side.”

  “You might start a new fashion trend,” Jaxon said.

  She was grateful he was joking around with her. “I can still use my fire and ice.” And then she had a funny thought. “Could Garrett or one of the Greens make another bracelet for me?”

  “Good question. I’m not sure who made the artifacts in the first place.”

  “Me, either,” Bryn said. “They’re old. Miss Enid said she’d only heard of elemental weapons in myths and legends. And if they could be created now, I doubt the Silvers would be trying to steal ours.”

  Bryn’s grandfather entered the room. “We’re going over footage of Dragon’s Bluff. Come and look at the video with us. See if you recognize anyone from school.”

  They gathered around the dining room table to watch the screen. “Adden was parked across the street from the Snack Shack. He seemed to know where you were and then he followed you, acting like he was window shopping.”

  “If only there had been some law in effect that would have kept Adden from loitering in his car and on the streets,” Ferrin said, taking sarcasm to a new level.

  “Who knew your plans for today?” her grandfather asked, like he hadn’t heard Ferrin.

  “We talked about it in the dining hall at school—before Christmas,” Bryn said. “Anyone could have overheard.”

  Bryn watched the video play out. It cut from one angle to another. Adden looked perfectly normal when he walked down the street. He nodded at people and said hello, but he didn’t stop to speak to anyone. One of the people he walked past was Janelle.

  Bryn pointed at the screen. “That’s a girl from my Medic classes. She didn’t interact with him but she’s the only person I recognize.”

  “Since she had no contact with him, I doubt she was involved,” her grandfather said. “We’ll find out why she was in Dragon’s Bluff and what she did, just to make sure.”

  “This is where it becomes disturbing.” Her grandfather pointed at the screen. Adden raised his hand and blasted ice, and the screen went blank. The video switched to another camera feed and the same thing happened.

  “Derek had been watching the art store from across the street. He saw Adden’s strange behavior and realized it could be a threat, so he ran to join you.”

  “Adden knew where the cameras were,” Jaxon said.

  “The cameras are there for everyone’s safety,” her grandfather said, “so we try to make them blend with the architecture but we don’t hide them.”

  “To sum up, there are crazy Silvers trying to get ahold of dragon artifacts which are meant to be individual weapons, but when combined they might make something worse,” Bryn said.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sure they know about my cuff link swords,” Jaxon said, “but I doubt they realize Ivy’s bracelet is also an artifact. Where are the other items?”

  “They’re being studied to see if they can be reproduced,” Ferrin said.

  “Any luck in that area?” Bryn asked. It was probably too much to hope that she could get another bracelet.

  “They have had a modicum of success focusing a dragon’s element into a dagger, but it doesn’t hold its form for long.”

  “Are they working on campus?” Bryn asked.

  “Yes,” her grandfather nodded.

  “Do you think the Silvers were looking for artifacts,” Jaxon asked, “or your experiments on artifacts, on the Friday you cancelled classes?”

  “You think they wanted us to quarantine students so they’d have time to search the campus?” Ferrin asked.

  “It makes sense,” Jaxon said. “They had to know that multiple students feeling ill would cause a quarantine and the Medics would investigate.”

  “There was an attempted break-in at the Vaults of the Library that day,” her grandfather said. “They made it down the stairs to the main chamber but were unable to open the doors, since they didn’t have a knight.”

  “How’d they get the key to go down there?” Bryn asked.

  “A dragon-pire fed on Miss Enid, knocked he
r out, and then used the key.”

  Poor Miss Enid. She’d be very unhappy about being duped. Not to mention losing the key.

  “There are a few more orders of business. Derek will be your shadow until you return to school,” her grandfather said. “We’ll station him on campus to keep an eye on you but you won’t notice him,” her grandfather said. “Now, you and Jaxon can spend some time together before he leaves.”

  …

  Feeling like she wanted some semi-fresh air, Bryn suggested they go up to the atrium. She and Jaxon walked among the flowers and stopped at a bench nestled into the plants. “This isn’t nearly as nice as your tree bridge,” she said. “But it will have to do.”

  “It would be nicer without your shadow,” Jaxon said.

  Derek stood off to the side, about a hundred feet away, staring down the hall like he was ready to lay down his life if anyone tried to join them.

  “He’s doing his job,” Bryn said.

  “When I’m with you he isn’t necessary,” Jaxon said. “His presence is insulting.”

  She wanted to laugh but that would be wrong. “My grandparents are going to be hyper-protective for awhile. It’s no comment on your abilities.”

  “From now on, he won’t be the only shadow you have,” Jaxon said. “This will probably make you mad, but no more solo trips to Dragon’s Bluff. Clint and Ivy will have to adjust to my presence sooner or later, so we might as well start now.”

  “Fine. We’ll figure out some manly bonding thing you and Clint can do while Ivy and I shop for girly stuff.”

  “Or, we could just have everything you need delivered to your dorm room so you don’t have to leave campus.” He nodded like that was a fabulous idea.

  “Watch it. You’ll make me feel claustrophobic if you tell me I can’t go anywhere.”

  “I’m hoping common sense will prevail,” he said. “Although I get the feeling the odds may not be in my favor.”

  She elbowed him in the ribs, lightly so he’d know she was joking yet slightly annoyed. “Ha-ha.”

  “What were you shopping for today?”

  “Christmas ornaments for my parents. And I found some hand-blown glass ornaments that were beautiful—but I left them in the store. I should call and see if they can deliver them.”

  Jaxon gave her a strange look. “Christmas is over. Why would you buy them ornaments now?”

  Jaxon had never been without money so this was going to be an interesting conversation. “They go on sale after Christmas. My mom mentioned needing ornaments, so I thought I’d give some to her as a gift.”

  “They didn’t have a chance to buy them, or they couldn’t afford them?”

  “Both, probably. I think they’re trading services out at Sanctuary, but it’s not like before where they both had jobs.”

  “I never thought of that.” Jaxon furrowed his brow. “I’ve never thought about not having money to take care of things I wanted or needed.”

  “There are a lot of dragons that work and watch their budget so they can afford what they need. It’s bizarre to me that I have access to my grandparents’ unlimited bank account. And it’s a lot of fun, but it does make me feel guilty.”

  “Maybe you should talk to your grandfather about jobs for people in Sanctuary. I’m sure he could have some Greens look into it and set something up.”

  “Good idea.”

  “I don’t suppose this incident today will be the end of our problems with the Silvers,” Jaxon said.

  “No. They’ve discovered that there are fun new toys they can play with, so I’m pretty sure they’ll try to steal them.”

  “Since we know they’ll come after my cuff links, maybe we should use them to set a trap,” Jaxon said. “That way I won’t be waiting for them to jump out at me. We could get them to come to us on our terms.”

  “You want to be the bait for a crazy cult leader?”

  “When you put it that way it doesn’t sound as good,” he said.

  Bryn sighed. “Promise me you won’t run off and do something dangerous…without me.”

  “A normal female would have ended that sentence two words earlier.”

  “I’m serious. We really are a team now, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Then whatever danger there is, we face it together.”

  “I will do my best not to have any life-threatening adventures without you.”

  “Thank you.”

  …

  The next morning Derek stood guard in the hallway outside of Bryn’s door. That was new.

  He nodded at her. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.” She wasn’t sure what to say next. “So I was heading down to breakfast unless my grandparents have me confined to my room.”

  “Nothing like that,” he said. “I’m supposed to keep track of you. Just think of me as your shadow.”

  “Okay.” She set off down the hall and he fell into step behind her. Should she try and make small talk? Maybe after her coffee kicked in she’d have a better idea of how to handle this new situation.

  Her grandmother sat in the dining room, reading the newspaper and drinking tea. She smiled as Bryn came in. “You had a surprise delivery from Dragon’s Bluff this morning.”

  “I did?”

  “The lady from the art store said you forgot your ornaments.” Her grandmother pointed at the box, which Bryn had left behind after escaping Adden.

  She walked over to inspect the box. It was a little dented on one side. Had all the ornaments survived? She opened the outer box and checked the contents. The individual boxes were cushioned between layers of tissue paper, so they seemed to be intact.

  “Out of curiosity, why did you buy ornaments?” her grandmother asked.

  Bryn headed back to the table and poured herself a cup of coffee and grabbed a muffin from the basket on the table. “I bought them for my parents. They have a tree but didn’t have time to shop for ornaments.”

  “Oh.” Her grandmother appeared thoughtful but didn’t comment any further.

  “So what are the plans for today?” Bryn asked. After Adden’s appearance and the discovery that he could use her bracelet, she wasn’t sure how much freedom she’d have.

  “I planned to meet with the Women’s League in Dragon’s Bluff, but if you want to visit your parents and deliver your ornaments I could have the driver drop you and Derek off at Sanctuary and come back for you after lunch.”

  She was surprised her grandmother would make such a generous offer. “That sounds wonderful. I’ll call my parents and make sure it works for them. One phone call later, Bryn had her plans for the day in place.

  When they reached Sanctuary, both of her parents waited for them on the other side of the gate. Her father’s ax was absent. “Do you want to come in for a moment to say hello?” Bryn asked.

  Her grandmother looked away. “Perhaps another day. I wouldn’t want to be late for my meeting.”

  Bryn interpreted that response as “Absolutely not,” but hoped she was wrong.

  “All right. We’ll see you in a few hours.” Derek had already exited the vehicle, carrying the box of ornaments. He came around to open Bryn’s door. After checking in at the front gate and receiving their passes, Bryn wasn’t sure how to introduce Derek so she improvised.

  “Mom, Dad, this is my assigned shadow, Derek. Derek, meet Ian and Sara McKenna, my parents.”

  They exchanged rounds of the obligatory nice-to-meet-you’s and then headed toward her parents’ cabin.

  “What’s in the box?” her mom asked.

  Bryn grabbed the box from Derek. “It’s a surprise.”

  The wind picked up as they walked straight down the road before branching off to the right-hand street. Bits of sleet randomly hit Bryn in the face. “Please tell me it’s not going to sleet today.”

  “I heard we might have some snow,” her mom said.

  “Snow is fun, sleet is obnoxious,” her dad said as he opened the front door for them. Bryn followed he
r mom inside and then heard her dad say, “You’re not going to stand out here. Come inside.”

  Derek didn’t argue with her dad, but after surveying the small living room and kitchen area, he said, “I’ll keep watch by the door.” He moved to stand by the front door with his back to them. Could he even see anything out of the small window set into the door? Better than staring at a wall, but still, it made Bryn uncomfortable.

  “Let me take that for you.” Bryn’s dad plucked the box from her hands and passed it to her mom.

  “Thank you.” Her mom settled on the couch and opened the package. “Boxes inside a box.” She opened one of the smaller boxes and pulled out the globe made from swirling blue and green glass. “Oh, honey. I love it.”

  “They’re handblown. I found them in the art store in Dragon’s Bluff.”

  “Makes me wish we’d kept the tree inside a little bit longer,” her dad said.

  Her mom unwrapped a purple teardrop ornament and held it up to the light. “They don’t have to be just for Christmas. We could hang them from the skylights, like a chandelier.”

  “I’ll get the ladder,” her dad said.

  Warmth blossomed in Bryn’s chest. She’d missed these positive, warm, family moments. She loved her grandmother, but the difference in joy between the two women was astounding.

  Her dad brought the ladder back in and handed Bryn a spool of wire. “This should work.”

  Bryn helped her mom unwrap all the ornaments and attach varying lengths of wire to the ends where the hooks would normally go.

  “I’ll hold the ladder,” said her dad.

  Bryn grabbed an ornament, intent on climbing the ladder.

  “Let me help you,” Derek said.

  “Afraid I’ll fall off the ladder and you’ll have to explain the situation to my grandparents?” Bryn asked.

  Derek grinned, and his eyes lit up. “Yes, plus staring out the door is boring.”

  Bryn handed the ornaments to Derek while her dad held the ladder and her mom approved of their placement. When they were finished, the ornaments hung in a descending swirl design.

  “I love it,” Bryn’s mom said. “I’ll make us some hot tea.”

  Derek moved back toward the door.

  “Have a seat,” her dad said. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”