Scorched s-1

by Mari Mancusi

  “Trinity?” His voice was so loud she had to turn down the volume. “Speak up, girl! I can’t hear you over this blasted thing.”

  She laughed even as the tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s me, Grandpa,” she told him as loud as she dared, while she watched the barbarian on the screen stumble into a tree and get stuck in its branches. What a noob, she thought, her heart soaring with affection. What a total noob.

  “Where are you?” she asked. “They told me you were dead.” Her hands fell to the keyboard and she instructed StarrLight to give Stegosaurus a hug. It wasn’t the same as a real-life one, but at the moment she’d take what she could get. The whole thing was just so surreal—she could barely believe it was happening.

  “Please. You think I’d go off and croak, and let you have all the fun raising the world’s last dragon?” he retorted gruffly, his voice cracking at the edges. On the screen, his barbarian broke out into a jig. She laughed and joined him, feeling totally silly yet totally happy too. Seriously—best game ever.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, then repeated herself louder so he could hear her. “I should have believed you from the beginning.”

  Her grandpa’s voice was firm. “You believe now. That’s all that matters.”

  He was right, she thought, as she looked around the colorful town square, drinking in all the familiar sights and sounds. It was funny—though the Dracken had created real-life accommodations made of her wildest fantasies, this simple video game felt a thousand times more luxurious.

  >>ConnorTheDragonHunter has joined the party.

  “Pretty clever, huh?” Connor’s voice broke in through her headphones, just as a dashing blond warrior wielding a two-handed sword walked onto the screen. Trinity’s heart melted a little at the sight of him. Talk about a knight in shining armor…

  “It was your grandpa’s idea,” the dragon hunter continued. “I needed to talk to you and you’d blocked me from your mind. But your grandfather knew you wouldn’t be able to resist logging into your precious game.” He walked over and joined Stegosaurus in his dance.

  “He knows me too well,” she said with a groan. She wondered where he was now—was he still inside Dracken Headquarters? She glanced at the door, both longingly and fearfully. A part of her wanted to see him so badly, but the other was afraid of what he’d do. He’d obviously seen Emmy in the courtyard. He knew she’d hatched. And if Caleb and the Dracken were to be believed, that meant he was here for one thing and one thing only.

  “Why are you here, Connor?” she asked, deciding there was no time to be coy. “What do you want from me?”

  Connor’s knight stopped dancing. “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t play dumb,” she snapped. “I know all about your little mission to save the world. Specifically the part where you were planning to kill me if things didn’t go your way.”

  “Wait, what?” her grandpa broke in. “What are you talking about? Connor’s there to rescue you, not kill you.”

  “He probably told you that, Grandpa, but that was never his true mission,” she said in a flat voice. “Was it, Connor?”

  She waited for him to deny it. To tell her that Caleb had been lying. That he’d made it all up just to get her on his side. But Connor only sighed deeply. “Yes,” he said at last. “That was my mission.”

  She glared at the screen—at his avatar—wanting to be furious, but instead feeling only hurt and betrayal clawing at her insides. “You kissed me,” she seethed. “You made me think we were on the same team. I trusted you. I saved your life from those government agents. And the whole time you were just leading me on! To get me to trust you so you could cut me down when the time was right.”

  “It wasn’t like that!”

  “Then what was it like?” she demanded. “I think I deserve to know the truth.”

  “You’d better start talking,” her grandpa added, the level one barbarian stepping in front of the knight, his massive arms crossing over his beefy chest. “Now.”

  The knight nodded, sinking down onto a nearby bench. “You have to understand,” he began in a low voice. “When I first got my orders, I didn’t know anything about you except what I’d learned at the academy. They taught us you were evil, that you’d set dragons on the world. They told us you were the one responsible for all the destruction. For millions of deaths.” She could hear his hard swallow in her ears. “For my father’s death.”

  Trinity cringed. In all her self-righteous anger, she’d conveniently forgotten about her future self’s role in this whole mess. She, with the help of her Dracken friends, had inadvertently released monsters upon the world, destroying everything Connor loved. She supposed she could understand why he might be a little reluctant to confide in her.

  But still…

  “It’s a bit harsh to judge me for something I haven’t even done yet,” she pointed out, “something that I might not even do.”

  “You’re right,” he said simply. “You’re absolutely right. And when I finally did meet you—when I started to get to know who you were—I realized the history texts had to be wrong. You weren’t some cold, world-destroying monster. You were just an innocent girl who had no idea of the situation she was about to be put into.” He sighed. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to know I might have to kill you to save the world, all while you’re trying to help me figure out a way to do it?” He paused, then added, “Let’s just say suddenly things didn’t seem so black and white anymore.”

  Trinity twisted her mother’s ring. “I guess I know what you mean,” she admitted. “It was kind of the same—once I met Emmy.” She remembered how much she wanted to destroy the egg when she’d first learned of what it was capable of. To snuff out Emmy’s life force before she even had the chance to be born. It was inconceivable to think of now. And maybe Connor felt the same way about her.

  “It doesn’t help that I’ve had to spend the last week sharing hotel rooms with this old guy,” Connor added, his character tossing his head toward the barbarian. “Having to hear how amazing you are. How smart and dedicated and loyal you are. How hard you work every day to keep him and his museum afloat. Blah, blah, blah.”

  “Well, it’s true!” Grandpa blustered over the headphones. “I owe this little girl everything.”

  Trinity stared at the screen, tears welling in her eyes. All this time she’d assumed her guardian had been too wrapped up in his own fantasy world to recognize any of the work she’d put in behind the scenes. But he’d noticed. He’d been paying attention all along. A choking sound escaped her throat.

  “I love you, Grandpa,” she whispered, then repeated it louder so he could hear.

  “I love you too, sweetheart,” he said. “And I’m not going to let anyone touch a hair on your pretty little head.” He huffed. “I am Stegg the Barbarian after all!” His character beat his chest and roared.

  She laughed. “Yes. Very frightening.” Then she sobered. “So what’s the deal, Connor? You still haven’t told us what you plan to do.”

  She heard his deep sigh over the headphones. “I honestly don’t know,” he said. “The thought of allowing dragons to exist in the world terrifies me more than you could ever know. But at the same time, how can I go and mercilessly cut someone down in cold blood who has done nothing wrong?” He paused, then added, “And not just someone. You.”

  His breath hitched and Trinity felt her heart beat a little faster. She suddenly wished she wasn’t in the game but right in front of Connor in real life, so she could look into his eyes and see the truth that she so desperately wanted to see.

  “I always prided myself on following orders,” he continued in a rush, “never questioning what they told me to do. But what if they were wrong? What if there is another way? Should I blindly stumble on because some people from an alternate future once told me to?” He cleared his throat. “I can’t. I just can’t. Maybe that makes me a terrible soldier. Maybe they should have never sent me here in the first place. But I�
�m here now. And I think it’s time to start making my own rules. Find a way to make this all work—where no one innocent has to die.”

  His words were passionate, his tone fierce, sending chills down Trinity’s spine. Did he really mean what he said? Could they really have a chance? “What about Emmy?”

  “Well, I’m not likely to let her sleep at the foot of my bed or lick my face anytime soon,” he said dryly, “but I’m willing to give her a chance. Most historians claim it was the hybrids that caused all the trouble. If this is true, then it should be okay for Emmy to exist—as long as we can get her away from the Dracken.”

  “But wait,” Trinity hesitated. “Can’t the Dracken help us? They’ve got everything you’d need to raise a dragon here, not to mention a good hiding spot.”

  Silence fell over her headphones. “What?” she demanded, a cold chill rising inside of her. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Trinity, honey,” Grandpa interjected at last, “the Dracken tried to kill me.”

  She froze, staring at the screen in horror. She suddenly realized that in her joy of seeing her grandpa still alive, she’d neglected to connect the dots in her mind. Darius must have doctored that newspaper, assuming the deed had already been done. And worse, he’d tried to pin the whole thing on Connor to make sure she’d never trust him again.

  He’d been so sympathetic. So willing to comfort her when she’d fallen into his arms. Ready to hold a memorial service even—to honor a man he himself had ordered killed. She squeezed her hands into fists. “God, I should have had Emmy flambé that bastard when I had the chance.”

  Connor’s knight put a comforting hand on her character’s shoulder. “While I’d definitely be the first to toast marshmallows on that bonfire,” he assured her, “there’s no time for that now. I had to trick my poor brother so I could get inside and give you the laptop. It won’t take him long to figure out what I did and return. We can’t be here when he does.”

  Trinity’s heart squeezed as she thought of Caleb. “He isn’t…” she started, then trailed off. “I mean, he’s not like…”

  “He didn’t know about your grandfather,” Connor told her gently, “which means he wasn’t in on Darius’s plans.”

  Trin let out a sigh of relief. That was something at least. “I’m pretty sure the rest of the kids here—the Potentials—aren’t either. They’re so nice. They truly believe they’ve been brought here to save the world.” Her heart ached at the thought.

  “We’ll figure out what to do about them later,” Connor said. “First we need to find a way to get out of here. I could walk right in, pretending to be my brother. But I can’t exactly waltz you and Emmy out the front door.”

  “No, but we can take the back,” Trinity broke in excitedly. “There are back passageways that run along the entire mall. The Dracken had them all sealed off—I don’t think many people here even know they exist. But I was able to find a door in the west courtyard that leads to a parking garage underground where an elevator can take us outside.” She paused. “In fact, I was about to head down there and make my escape when you showed up.”

  “You were?” Connor’s character face-palmed. “And here I thought I was your knight in shining armor coming to your aid.”

  She smirked. “Please. This princess can save herself,” she declared. She paused, then added, “But I am glad you’re here all the same.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “The door to the parking garage should be right around here somewhere,” Trinity whispered, consulting her blueprints before beckoning for Connor to follow her down the long, dark hallway that wound parallel to the mall. Emmy flapped along behind them, her eyes darting to every corner, her ears pricked for signs of trouble. The passageways hadn’t been used for some time, judging from the dust and cobwebs, and it was all Trin could do to keep from sneezing and giving their position away. The walls were so thin that at times they could hear muffled conversations going on behind them, and Trin realized it would take only the slightest noise for the Dracken to discover that they had rats in their walls.

  The passageway rounded a corner and the three of them stopped to take a peek. Sure enough, as the blueprints had indicated, the corridor dead-ended in a set of tall double doors rising before them, banded with iron. What the blueprints hadn’t been able to tell them, however, was that these particular doors were guarded by two armed men. Trinity’s heart fluttered with apprehension as she exchanged a look with Connor. What were they doing here? The Dracken must have left another entrance open when they did their remodel. But why? Was there something hidden behind these doors besides freedom? Something worth guarding?

  She looked down at the blueprints, searching for another way out. But this was it—the only way into the underground parking garage and their only hope for escape. They’d have to take out the guards somehow—quickly, quietly, as to not alert anyone on the other side of the walls. At least from the blueprints, she knew the store behind them was being used as unoccupied storage space, so it was unlikely anyone was in close proximity, but a gunshot would definitely be heard throughout the mall. There had to be another way. But how? Walk up to the guards and ask nicely?

  You’re going to have to push them, Connor told her silently. I’d help you, but it took all the spark I had left just to get inside and get you that laptop. I’m completely drained.

  She let out a slow breath, thinking back to the cop she’d unknowingly pushed on Christmas morning. It had practically killed her. But what choice did she have? They had to get past the guards somehow.

  Emmy can help you, Connor added, if you combine your spark.

  Right. She nodded. That was one of the things they’d been working on during training—pooling their energies to become twice as strong. But still, practice was one thing. Two heavily armed real-life men was quite another. If she failed…

  Connor reached out, squeezing her hand in his and giving her an encouraging look. You can do this, he assured her. You’re the Fire Kissed, after all.

  She rolled her eyes. Oh God, don’t you start all that too, she moaned. But inside she was secretly pleased. Connor believed in her. He trusted her with his life. She wasn’t about to let him down.

  Okay, she declared. Here goes nothing. You ready, Emmy?

  She reached out to her dragon, finding her with her mind. Emmy responded immediately, melding her spark with her mistress’s. Soon the whirling ball of their combined energy spun and sparkled at the front of them, seeming as big as a planet. Trin grinned at the dragon, her confidence rising.

  Oh yeah, baby. We gotz mad skillz. Just try to resist us!

  Connor gave her a dry look. Um, let’s not overdo it.

  Quiet, peanut gallery, she scolded. Just count us down.

  In three…two…one…

  She pushed. Let us in. Let us in. LET US IN.

  The all-too-familiar nausea washed over her like a tidal wave. Trin winced, closing her eyes until the initial feeling passed. Forcing in a shaky breath, she looked up at Connor in question. Did it work?

  Only one way to find out. Connor motioned for her to stay put as he rounded the corner.

  “Hey, guys!” he greeted the guards casually. “How’s it going? I’ve got some business behind these doors. Do you mind letting me in?”

  The guards looked at him, then at each other. “Sorry,” the first one said. “Darius left specific instructions that no one is allowed to pass through these doors.”

  Connor rolled his eyes in a perfect mimic of his brother. “Darius was the one who told me to come here in the first place. So how about it? Will you let me in?” He said the words slowly, so Trinity could repeat them with another push.

  Let us in. Let us in. Let us in.

  The effort almost knocked her off her feet. Yet the guards’ expressions didn’t change. They didn’t step aside. Trinity bit her lower lip, glancing up at Emmy nervously. Why wasn’t it working? The strength of their combined push should have had the guards falling
over one another trying to be the first to let Connor through. Instead, they seemed completely unmoved.

  “Maybe we should give Darius a call,” the second guard said, “just to make sure.”

  Connor snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that,” he replied. “I mean, personally I’d rather wake a sleeping bear, but maybe that’s just me.” His tone was casual and confident, but Trin caught a thread of fear winding through his voice. He obviously knew something was wrong. But what was it?

  She searched the guards’ faces, praying for even a hint of doubt somewhere in the depths of their eyes. It was then that she realized how young they were. Under their imposing uniforms, they were merely teenage boys, unlike the other guards she’d seen milling about the place. The mercenaries the Dracken had hired were all ex-military—burly and beefy and scarred. These boys were skinny and fresh-faced and…

  …not guards at all.

  The realization hit her with the force of a ten-ton truck. These weren’t guards. They were Potentials. Whatever was behind the door was evidently too secret for mere mercenaries to be entrusted with guarding. Instead, the Dracken had manned it with those who would be resistant to mind manipulation.

  Those who could read minds on their own.

  Connor, we need to get out of here! she sent. This isn’t going to work.

  If the Potentials read Connor’s mind, they would realize everything. They’d sound the alarm. They’d stop their escape. She and Emmy would be captured. Connor would be killed.

  She couldn’t let that happen.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, trying one more time. Let us go, let us go, LET US GO!

  Icy pain stabbed at her like a thousand icicles boring into her brain. Her legs gave out from under her and she fell to the ground with a crash. But the Potentials remained unaffected, the first one making a move for his transcriber.

  “You know what?” Connor broke in with a barking laugh. “Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I’m at the wrong door.” He hastily began to back away. But before he could break free, the second Potential grabbed him by his collar, yanking him toward him, then shoving him face-first into the cement wall. Trin let out a squeak of horror as she caught the blood trickling down Connor’s jaw as he staggered, dazed from the blow to his head.