Dragon Feared

by Kit Bladegrave

  Despite his bleeding and his clearly being in pain, he laughed, a deep sound that warmed me. “Help is on the way, Everest, don’t worry.”

  “Wait, where are you… where are you going?” I was going to pass out, I could feel it.

  “Everest, look at me,” he said sternly, and I just realized I had no idea how he could know my name. “Do not come looking for me, understand? And tell no one you saw me.”

  “What? Why… why would I…” My vision was growing spotty, and I couldn’t get the words to come out right.

  I felt his hand squeeze mine, and then I blinked, and he was gone.

  “Damn.” I sat up, staring around where the fight had taken and spotted a bit of torn shirt with blood on it. Not sure why I did it, I snatched it up and shoved it in my pocket just as everything went dark.

  Seven

  Everest

  “Everest? Everest, can you hear me?”

  “Hmm?” I was comfortable, floating in nothingness. Why were they trying to wake me up? I tried to shove away their hands and go back to sleep, until a burning hot pain shot up my side.

  I yelped and sat up too fast.

  “Everest, calm down,” a familiar voice said, gently shoving my shoulders back down.

  Elsa. That was the headmistress. What was she doing in my room? I opened one eye, then another and frowned.

  Outside, why was I outside?

  “What… what’s going on?” I asked, voice croaky.

  “There was an attack, and you’ve been wounded.”

  “Huh?” I glanced down to where her hands were tugging away my ripped shirt and saw the deep punctures. It all rushed back, and I looked around frantically. “They were here! They were trying to kidnap me!”

  There were others around us. Professor Fredwin, and more. All of them stopped their quiet murmurings to glance at me.

  “We know, it’s why the alarms went off,” Elsa explained calmly. “We’ve called the Hunters. They’re out looking for them now, don’t worry. You’re safe, Everest, but we need to get you back to the school and tend to this wound.”

  I winced as she poked it again. “Hunters? Wait, they weren’t… they weren’t… damn.” My mind was all muddied, and I scrunched my eyes shut so hard it hurt. “Tattoos, they had tattoos.”

  “Do you remember what they looked like?” Elsa asked as Professor Fredwin knelt down on my other side. “Take your time, Everest. Why don’t you tell us why you were out here?”

  I tried to remember exactly what happened. “I couldn’t sleep, thought I’d take a walk,” I started to explain as I ran through the fight. “I was about to go back inside when the bells rang out… and then three… there were three of them. They were just here. They were going to take me somewhere, but I don’t know why.”

  I remembered what happened next, them dragging me away, and Slade.

  My eyes shot open again, and Elsa watched me curiously. He said not to say he was there, but why? He saved my life, again.

  “Everest?” Professor Fredwin asked. “What is it?”

  “Nothing… sorry, just, uh… first fight, you know?” I lied, well, half-lied. It was my first fight. “Their eyes… they were weird.”

  “What do you mean by weird?” Elsa pushed.

  “Their irises, they were red with a black ring around them… and the tattoos, black diamonds with vines around them, red vines.” I heard a few gasps of surprise and saw Elsa’s eyes narrow. “What? Is that bad?”

  “It’s not possible,” she said sharply. “I’m afraid you were seeing things.”

  “What? No, I wasn’t! I got a pretty clear image of them, I swear it!” I tried to jump up, but my side throbbed in pain, and I sank back down, struggling to remain conscious. “I know what I saw, Headmistress. I’m not a liar!”

  “Everest, what you describe… they don’t exist,” Professor Fredwin said gently.

  “Yes, they do, I saw them! I fought them!”

  They both exchanged a curious glance at those words before he asked, “How did you manage to fight off three of them, you say?”

  “I uh… I don’t know… but one of them, his hands shifted into his dragon form. I didn’t think that was possible.” I winced as another throb of pain shot through my middle. I closed my eyes and rested my head back. “I know what I saw.”

  “That marking belongs to a Black Diamond Dragon,” Elsa informed me. “They are extinct, Everest, it was just your mind playing tricks. They were Shadowguards, and the Hunters will find them and kill them. We’ve had reports of some in the area.”

  But I was shaking my head. “No, I’ve read what they look like, and these were different! You’re going to hurt some innocent dragon!”

  There were more gasps at those words before Elsa rested her hand on my forehead.

  “Sleep, Everest, we’ll talk about this more when you wake.”

  I tried to keep arguing, but then my eyes closed and there was nothing.

  Eight

  Everest

  I spent that whole day in the infirmary as they patched up the wound at my side. I told Professor Fredwin again what I saw, swearing to him up and down they were Black Diamonds.

  By the end of our conversation, he promised he would tell the Hunters, but I saw the doubt of belief in his eyes.

  No one believed me, or no one wanted to.

  Jared and Amelie checked on me first thing that morning, but I swore I was fine and told no one about Slade, just like he asked.

  The torn fabric was burning a hole in my pocket, but I couldn’t use it yet. I’d seen a tracking spell in one of my books and planned on using it as soon as I had some alone time.

  Slade might not want to be found, but I remembered how bad his wounds were, too. And if there were Hunters out there looking for dragons, what were the chances they’d find him? I knew he was one now, after watching him fight, and those eyes. I wasn’t sure which one he was, but he was definitely a dragon.

  After dinner, I was finally released and hurried back to the dorm to find Amelie and Jared talking in the living room.

  “Hey!” Amelie asked as she bounced towards me and gave me a gentle hug, watching the wound at my side. “You feeling okay? Want anything to eat? I’m sure the food there was crap.”

  “No, I’m not really hungry,” I said. “Thanks though.”

  Jared was right behind her in giving me a hug, and I hugged him back, suddenly realizing how close I’d come to getting myself kidnapped, or killed.

  But it wasn’t Jared I wanted to hug right then, but Slade. Both of us nearly died, all because of me.

  “Everest? You’re shaking,” he said softly, and guided me to the couch. He kept his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned against his side, not wanting to move out from underneath the safety I felt beside him. He was a big guy after all.

  Amelie brought over a blanket to put on my lap, and I tried to smile at them both.

  “Really, I’m alright,” I insisted. “Just, ah, just everything’s catching up to me.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe next time you go for a walk at night, you bring one of us with you,” he suggested with a growl to his words. “I can’t believe they attacked you. Bastard Shadowguards.”

  I shook my head and leaned away so I could see his furrowing brow. “No, they weren’t Shadowguards. I told Elsa that.”

  Amelie and Jared exchanged a worried glance.

  “Everest,” she said slowly, “who else would’ve attacked a school? They’re always doing stuff like this, and we’ve heard rumors of some being in the city.”

  “No, the tattoos, they were Black Diamond.”

  They laughed nervously, and I stood up, not wanting to be around them suddenly.

  “No, Everest, we’re sorry,” Amelie said as she caught my hand, “but you have to admit, Black Diamonds? They’ve been extinct for centuries. Why would they be here now?”

  “I don’t know, maybe because I’m this Descendant, whatever witch thing,” I ranted, annoyed at no one believing me.
My mom might’ve gone a little nuts since she lost her magic, but that had nothing to do with my mental state. “I know what I saw, and I’m sick of everyone blaming every little infraction against innocent dragons!”

  Amelie sucked in a breath, and Jared’s eyes narrowed to furious slits.

  “If there are Shadowguards in the area, they are the ones responsible for this attack,” he said stiffly, each word bearing a bite. “This is exactly the type of thing they would plan, kidnapping a Descendant. Do you not understand how serious this is?”

  I glared at him as I pointed at my side. “Think I do since I’m the one they tried to kidnap!”

  “How did you fight them off anyway?” he asked.

  I kept my face perfectly blank. “They heard the others coming and took off.”

  He smirked, but it wasn’t in amusement. I didn’t like that look on his face; it made him look mean almost. “Typical. Shadowguards are cowards by nature. You didn’t see Black Diamonds, Everest, so let it go.”

  I opened my mouth to keep arguing with him when a shadow outside our balcony doors caught my eye.

  “What are they doing?” I asked, nodding to the dragon shifting back to a man outside the windows.

  “The campus is on partial lockdown still,” Jared explained. “Until the Shadowguards are caught.”

  I ground my teeth, my irritation hitting an all-time high, but stalked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and try to calm down.

  Those Hunters were out there probably going after some innocent Shadowguards who did nothing wrong except step out of the shadows. Ironic. I didn’t want to think of them being killed… or Slade. What if they found Slade?

  I swallowed down my fear the best I could and told myself he could take care of himself.

  Jared got up from the couch and paced around, peering out the windows as he growled quietly the whole time. He was on edge. There was an anger within him that seemed almost uncontrollable, but he was somehow managing to hide it. Something told me it wasn’t all about what happened to me, though.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  Despite how we disagreed, I didn’t want him to be mad at me. In truth, I thought I was the only one allowed to be mad since no one believed me.

  “I’d rather be out there with the Hunters,” he said. “I would have enlisted the moment I was old enough if my father had not insisted I finish school. I want to be a Hunter for times just like this. Those Shadowguards are vile. How dare they attack the school like that? There are kids here as young as six on the other side of campus in the elementary dorms. One day, I’m going to be a Hunter, and I’ll be able to do more than just twiddle my fingers and hope for the best.”

  “When will this lockdown be over?” I asked, thinking about using that tracking spell to find Slade.

  I couldn’t very well do it with a guard on the balcony. And I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to wander the campus grounds alone until it ended, either.

  “They’ll sound an alarm when they’ve caught them, and the threat has been neutralized. Until then, we go about our days, with minor restrictions of course. Curfews and the like.”

  I set my glass down hard on the counter. “Neutralized? Just like that? They’re not even going to ask them first if they did it?”

  “Why would they?” Jared snapped. “It’s obvious they’re responsible.”

  “No, I told you, like I told everyone else! They weren’t Shadowguards! Why does everyone have it out for them, huh? Why?” I stalked around the counter and stood toe to toe with Jared as he seethed. “Just because their clan did some bad stuff in the past does not mean we should condemn them all!”

  Jared looked like he wanted to shapeshift and then bite me in half, but I didn’t back down. “You’re right about one thing,” he said, a serpent-like hiss erupted from his throat. “You haven’t been a part of this world long. You’re an ignorant girl who thinks she’s better than everyone else and has some right to judge us for the way we handle things. But, really, you don’t know a thing.” With that, he spun around and left the dorm, slamming the door behind him.

  My blood was boiling. “They weren’t Shadowguards!” I shouted at the door, and turned to Amelie, wishing she at least would believe me, but she seemed just as annoyed as Jared was. “What? Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t go along with just blindly killing someone because of what they are.”

  “It’s not that,” Amelie said and sighed. “Truth is, a lot of what you’re saying makes sense. There are plenty of witches and dragons who believe the Council is excessive in the way it treats Shadowguard Dragons. Even some members of the Council have brought it up from time to time, but they always fall back on the traditional ways of doing things.”

  “Well, then what is it? What did I say that was so awful?”

  “It’s not what you said,” she mumbled. “It’s who you said it to.”

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Jared’s little sister was killed by Shadowguard Dragons.” Amelie looked down. “He takes it pretty hard, her death.”

  I threw my head back and cursed. “Damn it,” I whispered. I wished I could take everything back now, but at the same time, Shadowguards weren’t the ones who attacked me. I understood his rage over his sister, but these were two different events. Still, I wasn’t going to leave it like this. “What happened?”

  “She was just a kid,” Amelie explained. “Just a little girl, and they tore her up and left her out in front of his parent’s lawn on display. The Shadowguard Dragons fought a war with us because they disagreed with the way the Hollow Well Dragons associated with humans. They thought of humans as inferior. The Shadowguard clan was brutal during the war, and they never stopped being brutal. The war was over, but they kept fighting long after they had lost. Eventually, the Council had to act. Creating the Hunters was their solution, and it wasn’t a solution they came to lightly.”

  So much history that I still felt so disconnected to. I didn’t like it, but that’s how it always was when a stranger stepped into a new world.

  I wanted them to believe me about last night, but I would save my convincing them for a later day. Right now, I needed to apologize to one of the only friends I had.

  It didn’t take me long to find Jared. He was sitting on a bench in the lobby of the dorm building, just a few other students walking around the halls.

  I sat by him, and heard a slight growl erupt from his throat. I wasn’t going to be scared off by dragon noises, not after my own fight against dragons.

  I placed my hand on top of his, and he looked at me with a frustrated gaze.

  “I’m sorry, Jared, I didn’t know.”

  He snatched his hand away. “Let me guess, Amelie told you?”

  I nodded, and he shut his eyes, some of his anger slipping away as his shoulders sagged.

  “No, you didn’t. I guess I should apologize to you too. I get what you’re saying. I really do. But, there is a reason the Council does things this way. They’ve tried giving Shadowguard Dragons chances, but that just results in betrayal and more heartache.”

  I bit my tongue about arguing with him again regarding who really attacked me, and asked instead, “What was your sister like? What was her name?”

  “Her name was Ariel,” he said with a soft smile. “She looked a lot more like my dad, like a Hollow Well Dragon. I look more like my mom, the witch.”

  “So, she had red hair?” I asked.

  “Yeah, she was the spitting image of a Hollow Well.” He wiped at his eyes hastily, and I tried to put my hand on his again. This time, he let me. “She… she was just six years old when it happened.”

  “Tell me something funny about her.”

  He turned his head in my direction as he thought for a moment. “She inherited both of my parent’s abilities… unlike me. She was a shapeshifter, and she could cast spells. That’s rare, especially for Hollow Well hybrids. You see it a bit more often with other breeds, but even then, it’s not common. Most hybrids on
ly inherit one ability. She would have had a bright future in our world,” he said, but his face darkened, “but that also made her a target for the Shadowguard Dragons. They keep track of us. It’s sick.”

  I wondered if that was how they managed to know about me when I didn’t even have an idea of who or what I was. It’d explain how they found me in Jersey… and yet I still had no idea how Slade kept turning up at just the right times. I shoved that question away for later, when I finally managed to find him.

  “Anyways, Ariel was a little trickster. She would cast spells on Mom’s chocolate chip cookies while they were in the oven, and all the chocolate chips would jump to one cookie. She would snag it and eat this cookie just stuffed of chocolate chips, and then we’d have chip-less chocolate chip cookies.”

  We laughed quietly together. “Sounds like my kind of girl.”

  “Life with her was certainly never boring.”

  “Listen, Jared, I really am sorry about what I said. I’m not going to lie and say I am not bothered by the way the Council handles things with the Hunters, but I get it a little better now. I’m sorry for not being more sensitive. If you ever want to talk about Ariel, I’d love to know more about her. And, I really mean that.”

  “Thank you. That… that actually means a lot.” He swiped at his eyes again, and cleared his throat. “I just really haven’t talked about her in a long time, you know?”

  I reached around and placed my palm on his back. “It’s all right. You’re welcome to unwind in front of me. You don’t always have to be The Jared Winchester The Third—the well put together overachiever. You can just be Jared. We both know, I’m nowhere near to acting as how a Descendant should.”

  He chuckled. “I like that. I like you, too,” he added, and I felt my cheeks grow warm. “You’re different. In a good way.”

  He leaned in, and my heart started pounding. I had told myself that I was going to focus on school, but honestly… I had never allowed myself to just be a teenager. To kiss a guy. To be irresponsible. To relax and not worry. I had always had to worry about mine and Mason’s futures.