by Katie French
Tara pressed the gun to my thigh. “I don’t see any cliff around here. Do you?”
I swallowed, watching the gun nervously. The weight of the muzzle pressed into the meat of my thigh. I tried pushing my thoughts to my ring to call my sword again, but nothing happened.
Satisfied I was too afraid to move, Tara started latching straps across my thighs and ankles, pinning me to the table. The more straps she tightened, the more my fear threatened to get the best of me. Trying to keep it at bay, I kept talking.
“Why attack us now? You’ve been here for years, right?”
She pulled the strap across my thighs with a hard yank, then grabbed for the ones near my chest. “A good scientist doesn’t disrupt her work environment until she’s sure she can complete her task. Once things started progressing with the animals, I knew I had to move on to human subjects. And I knew I only had a little bit of time before you started meddling.”
“All those graves behind your house.”
I remembered the lumps of dirt. I had thought they might have been human bodies, but I realized now she hadn’t been lying about them being pets. How many owners had been told their precious pups had died when, in reality, they’d been tormented, cut open, and mutated?
Tara didn’t seem bothered by my disgust. She gave the strap at my chest several tugs until I could barely draw breath. I was trapped now, only my head free to move.
“The only problem is humans are such weak creatures. My formula is sound, but it’s your bodies that are faulty. Everyone I tried it on died on transition except for the one in the cage, but you see what a mess he is. Then I realized there was one human I knew who might be strong enough to survive the shift.” Her eyes locked into mine with a stare that made my blood run cold. “The dragon warden would survive.”
The cave rumbled, shaking everything around us. Rocks fell and split open, filling the chamber with noise. How long before the ceiling came down? God, I didn’t want to die.
Tara didn’t seem to notice the cavern coming apart. She wheeled the IV pole over, the blue liquid sloshing inside the bag.
“No,” I said, lurching against the bonds. “You can’t do this.” Images of Frank flashed before my eyes—his gray sagging skin, his clawed hands, the way he scampered across the floor on all fours.
I fought to free myself using any bit of strength I had left as Tara prepped the IV needle. She worked with focus I could never understand while I thrashed and screamed. The cave reverberated, and rocks smashed into her instruments and knocked one of her lights to the ground, but her fingers worked as steadily as if she were in her pristine clinic.
“Tara, we’re going to die. Your son… You can’t. Please stop!”
She held the needle up triumphantly, then grabbed the meat of my arm.
“No, no, no!” I tried to fight her, but she used her body weight to pin my already-strapped arm to the table. The needle pierced my skin, a sick feeling washing over me.
Tara stood up, smirking. She thumped the bag with a forefinger. “Twenty minutes and we’ll know.” Her eyes locked into mine. “Twenty minutes and your life as you know it is over.”
My stomach roiled as her words hit me. Something like acid flowed into my body. Clenching my fists and flexing my muscles, I tried to fight it off, but the cold leached into me. Dizziness pressed in, and my heart sped up like it would explode out of my chest, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the poison or my own terror.
Hot tears of anger and fear leaked down my face as my eyes roved around the cavern searching for something, anything to save me. A shadow drew my eye.
Moving around the perimeter of our lighted area, a figure stalked in. It slipped toward the darkened area of the lab where the rock had smashed a lamp to the ground. Another rumble and more falling rock allowed him to slip forward and grab a large metal microscope.
My eyes flicked to Tara. She was typing something into her laptop, the gun resting on the table inches from her hand.
The shadow moved behind her.
“Tara,” I said, drawing her attention. “What about Tom? If the cave comes down, he’ll die.”
Narrow eyes turned to me. “He’s a dragon. A little rock won’t hurt him. Your friends, though, scrambling their way up…” She made a tsk-tsk sound with her tongue.
The shadowed figure crept closer, within striking distance.
“I think I’m going to throw up!” I said, pretty sure it was very close to true.
“Go ahead,” she said, turning back to her computer.
The figure behind her raised the microscope, but a hunk of rock fell behind him.
She lifted her head, starting to turn toward the figure.
“Tara!” I screamed.
Her head snapped in my direction. As she did, Dad stepped into the light and smashed the microscope down on Tara Palmer’s head.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I watched in stunned silence as the heavy metal microscope came down on Tara’s head. Dad aimed the blow perfectly, the large base connecting with the top of her skull. A sickening crack like a baseball bat meeting a pitch echoed through the cavern. I caught Tara’s shocked expression for a fleeting second before all her joints unhinged and she fell like a rag doll to the ground.
Panting, Dad held the instrument in two hands as it glistened with Tara’s blood. His hair stood at odd angles, his face was streaked with dirt, and Tara’s blood splattered the cuff of his shirt, but I had never been so happy to see him.
“Lila,” he said, his voice cracking like he was in shock. He limped to me, dropping the microscope with a clang.
“Dad, hurry! Get this thing out. She’s trying to change me.” I gestured wildly toward the IV in my arm.
Wide eyes behind smeared glasses roved over the IV bag and the fluid nearly a third gone into my body. His trembling hands followed the tube from the bottom of the bag to my arm. “It’s taped in. Just give me a se—”
“Rip it out,” I screamed. “Hurry.”
Wincing like the idea pained him, Dad gripped the tube and yanked. The IV needle came free, blue liquid and blood pooling in the crook of my elbow.
Relief washed over me. “The straps!”
His hands fumbled on the latch at my chest. Once the first straps were free, I helped him remove the others at my thighs and ankles. I jumped off the table and fell to the ground.
“Lila!” Dad reached down for me.
I stood up by holding onto the table. “It’s vertigo. My eardrum. I’m okay.” I’d worry about whatever Tara had put in my body later. Above, the ceiling shook. Farther down the tunnel, sections of rock fell in sheets. Gritty dust clogged the air.
“If we don’t go now, we’ll never make it,” Dad said.
“Get to the exit. I’ll be right there.”
Running as best I could, I made it to Tom’s form. He was still unconscious, and I couldn’t tell if it was from injuries or some magical spell his mother had cast.
I shook a giant dragon arm, the scales rough and thick underneath my palms. “Tom? Tom!”
Another shower of rocks. I was getting desperate. Thinking fast, I pressed my ring to his flesh. Immediately, the air was flooded with the smell of burning dragon flesh.
Tom shook awake with a roar, whirling. I had to duck as a giant tail sliced through the air above my head. Standing up, he readied for attack.
“It’s me!” I held my hands out wide, standing in front of him.
Groggy eyes locked into mine. A low purr sounded in the back of his throat.
“Tom, we have to get out of here. The whole place is coming down. Can you carry us?”
But as soon as he tried to move, it was clear there was no way he could get us all out of here. One of his legs dragged uselessly and one wing jutted out at an odd angle. He could maybe limp himself and one human out of the cave, but not two people and an unconscious dragon.
Tom lurched forward, roaring in agony as he tried to straighten his wing.
“Listen,” I shou
ted. “We need to get Santiago to shift. Can you help me?”
One round blue eye focused in on me, then Tom nodded and lumbered over to Santiago. Pressing his muzzle against the side of Santiago’s head, he made a series of grunts. When that didn’t work, Tom nudged Santiago’s head. It rocked back and forth, but he didn’t wake.
Another grumble as more cavern fell. A rock smashed on the ground near my feet, pelting me with shrapnel.
“Lila,” Dad yelled from nearby. “Let’s go.”
“Not without them,” I said.
They came here to save me. I wouldn’t abandon the dragons, and there was also my sword. Something told me it was too precious to leave behind. While Tom tried again to rouse Santiago, I concentrated on calling it. Pressing my thoughts to my ring, I drew on the power and formed the image of the sword in my mind. This time, with my mind clear, the blade came slamming into my palm, glowing a bright yellow.
“Yes!” I turned to show Tom, but when I saw Santiago, the joy drained from my body.
Now in human form, Santiago looked dead or very nearly. Blood caked his naked body. Horrible gashes cut through the skin at his throat. Tom licked tenderly at the wound with his giant, dappled tongue.
Running over, I dropped beside Santiago, the fear making me immobile. What could I possibly do to save him?
Tom nudged me out of the way, using his tongue and mouth to lift Santiago gently between his jaws. Then he limped toward the last remaining entrance.
I followed his lead and ran behind him.
Catching up with Dad, I took his hand. We rushed behind Tom’s massive form, scrambling over rocks. It was slow going, especially since we were all unsteady on our feet. Would we make it before everything collapsed around us? Fallen boulders already choked sections of the hallway. Particles saturated the air, making it hard to breathe. Dad began to wheeze, and there was nothing I could do to help. A sword couldn’t clear the air. A ring couldn’t teleport us the hell out of here. I felt helpless.
The walls around us shook as more rocks fell, pelting us with pieces large and small. I curled in on myself, huddling close to Dad. Tom let out a muffled cry as rocks slammed into his back and head. Panicked, I searched for an escape that wasn’t coming.
The cave would collapse at any moment, and we were not moving fast enough.
We escaped Tara, but we would not escape the tunnel. And no one would even know where to look for our bodies. I gripped Dad’s hand, holding him close. He kissed the top of my head as silent tears cut through the lines of grit on his face.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” he said, pulling me close.
“It’s not over,” I said into his chest. “There has to be a way.”
A gust of wind began to blow in the tunnel. It seemed so out of the ordinary I lifted my head. I held my glowing sword up so I could see down the long dark tunnel. Something was headed in our direction. Something big from the sound of it.
A large brown dragon ran toward us, bat-like wings extended so the tips scraped against the cavern walls. Every so often, he would beat the air, blowing the grit away. Black reptilian eyes appeared out of the gloom, zeroing in on my light. It was more lizard than Tom and Tara with a broad shovel-shaped head and flat tan body. It moved more like a lizard, too, with a side-to-side motion, one front claw landing in the center of its body weight, then the other causing its body to sway back and forth.
He ran up, stopping before Tom and dipping his patterned head in greeting. Now that I saw him up close, I recognized him from the dragon’s sparing on Mirror Island. Was this one of Ki’s friends?
At the dragon’s approach, Tom made a keening sound. Then he swiveled his head carefully, keeping Santiago as still as he could while trying to catch my eye. His expression seemed to communicate that this was a friend and not a foe. That I should trust this dragon to get us out of here.
He didn’t have to tell me twice.
“Come on, Dad,” I said, pulling him around Tom toward the new dragon.
Dad hesitated. “Honey, are you sure?”
“Yeah,” I said, totally unsure.
The brown dragon lowered his head, as if letting me know it was okay to climb on. I pressed my hand on his scaly neck before glancing back at Dad.
“You go first,” he said, looking wary.
I scampered up the dragon’s back awkwardly, careful not to touch him with my ring or cut him with my sword. It was hard going at first, but I was soon seated on his broad shoulders with his long neck between my legs. How strange to sit atop a reptile, to feel his lungs expand underneath me. Up here, my head nearly scraped against the ceiling of the cavern. I felt the dragon’s strong muscles flex as he lowered himself fully to help Dad get a foothold.
Dad climbed up and sat behind me, wrapping one arm around my torso. I could tell he was nervous, but keeping it contained. Kind of like my whole life since this thing started. We were a good pair, he and I.
Then the dragon started to run.
It felt like riding a giant unpredictable horse. The gait was stranger, the bounce much higher. It was hard to get a good hold because his scales were smooth and his body was wide. Gripping with my thighs made it feel like I was on a never-ending Thigh Master, so I had to focus all my energy on staying put and keeping a tight hold on the sword.
More rocks fell as we navigated out. A few pinged off the dragon’s hide, but he didn’t seem to notice. Any rocks hitting our fragile bodies would likely kill us, but all we could do was pray. Behind us, Tom lumbered slowly, Santiago’s lifeless form in his mouth. It hurt my heart to see both so injured. They’d faced Tara just to save me. If either of them died, I didn’t know if I could forgive myself.
My thoughts turned to Tara. Was she dead? Would she die in the cavern collapse? Would we ever know what happened to her?
The darkness around us subsided somewhat. Beams of sunlight shining up ahead gave me hope.
The dragon had found an open tunnel. It now clambered up the sliding rocks, using big powerful claws to scour the sheets of granite and haul us out. His chest rose and fell in labored breaths as he struggled to take us to safety. Whoever this dragon was, I would kiss him when all this was said and done.
One last jump and he pulled us up into fresh air. I gave a whoop of relief, glancing back at Dad. We were alive!
Tall trees surrounded the clearing around the hole. The dim sky made me think it must be twilight. How long had we been underground?
The dragon slunk through the trees a few feet before lowering his neck so we could climb down. I jumped off, reaching up to help Dad clamber to the ground. His eyes were wide beneath smudged glasses.
“It all seems like a dream,” he said in a faraway voice.
I opened my mouth to answer, but saw Tom’s dragon form laboring up the last few feet. His claws dug trenches in the ground beside the hole as he pulled the second half of his body up. Then he lay winded beside the opening, his chest heaving up and down, blue scales expanding and deflating. Santiago was still unconscious in his mouth.
I turned to the brown dragon. “We need help. Santiago is hurt badly.”
The dragon nodded, spread his wings, and took off, stirring the trees around us.
Tom laid Santiago on the ground, then curled around him. Despite his own injuries and pain, he was protecting his friend.
I put my hand on Tom’s neck. The scales were smooth and cool to the touch. “Thank you,” I whispered.
He turned his giant head toward me. One blue marble eye took me in. He bumped my side with his snout, then settled on his paws again. Tom was hurt, but he would be okay. He had to be. And what we’d been through, would it draw us together or push us apart? Only time would tell.
The ground rumbled beneath our feet.
Everyone turned to the dark hole through which we’d just escaped.
Dad walked closer and peered down. “Maybe we should clear out in case there is a cave in.”
“I’m not sure we can move Santiago.”
Th
e rumbling noise changed, sounding more and more like something happening inside the tunnel.
“What’s that?” I said warily, stepping toward him.
A dragon head burst out of the hole, spraying dirt and rocks. With two giant arms, she pulled her massive body out, dragging rock and earth with her. Scales shed debris as she opened her mouth and turned toward my father.
Tara was alive.
“Dad!”
Tara’s jaws closed over my father’s torso. She lifted him up as his arms flailed and his legs kicked.
Dad screamed. Tom raised his head, uttering a roar of disbelief and anger. I sprinted across the ground, my sword raised. A choked cry sprung from my throat.
With my father in her jaws, Tara turned toward me and readied for my attack.
I aimed for her throat, intending to cut her head off.
Tom got there first. He rammed into her chest, colliding with the force of two semi-trucks smashing into each other.
Tara was caught unawares, the blow pushing her backward. I watched in horror as first her tail and legs, then her torso, disappeared back down the cavern hole. She scrambled with her front claws, trying to hold on as her body pulled her down.
She was falling, my father still pinned in her jaws.
“Dad!” I screamed, running to him.
His head lifted. His eyes locked onto mine.
Then he and Tara vanished into the darkness as they fell.
Chapter Twenty-Five
No! Tara would not take him from me. Not Dad, too.
I lunged forward as the hole swallowed my father and the evil dragon.
The cavern grumbled in its gut, a hungry beast demanding food, but I didn’t stop. I’d rather be devoured by the tunnel than lose Dad. Moonlight glinted on my sword as I ran.
Behind me, Tom made a throaty noise that sounded like a warning. I ignored it and ran faster, even as rocks came off the sides of the hole and fell in. My feet slipped on loose gravel as I sprinted forward.
I dropped to my knees in front of the hole. My sword cast a bright light into the collapsing passage, offering me a glimpse of Dad still trapped in Tara’s jaws as she retreated further in. The light of my sword glinted off his dirty glasses so I couldn’t see his eyes, but the look on his face was enough to double my panic. He was terrified.
