Embers of Destruction

by J. Scott Savage

  Kallista tried to hide her disgust, but it must not have worked very well because Simoni said, “It really is delicious. You should try it.”

  “Feel free to have mine,” Kallista snapped, unsure whether the girl was joking or not. Simoni bugged her. It wasn’t just the fact that she had betrayed them to Cove’s leaders, nearly dooming everyone in the city to destruction by the green dragon. It was that everything about her was so . . . wonderful. She was always cheerful and perky.

  People were like machines. None of them were perfect. The more they appeared that way, the bigger their flaw was once it was discovered. She glared at Simoni until the girl flounced her perfect hair and turned away.

  Angus, on the other hand, was a pain pretty much all the time. “Are we going to laze around all day or kill dragons?” he called from where he sat by a tree, doing nothing to help.

  Still holding her wrench, Plucky called down from Ladon, “Ain’t lazing, you birdbrained dandy prat! Some of us has been working all morning.”

  “You keep saying that, but I haven’t seen any results,” Angus said.

  Plucky shouted back, and the two of them traded insults.

  “Pleasant morning?” Trenton asked Kallista, gathering up the utensils Clyde had dropped.

  “It was,” Kallista said. “Are you going to tell me that green dreck is delicious too?”

  Trenton laughed. “I’ll tell you what it tastes like as soon as you tell me what the two of you are working on up there.” He jerked a thumb toward Ladon. “You know, I helped build that. I’m risking my life as much as you are every time we go up. If you’re making changes, don’t you think you should let me in on them?”

  The wind shifted, and Kallista moved to keep the smoke out of her eyes. “You don’t trust me?”

  “It’s you who doesn’t trust me.” Trenton unscrewed the lid of his canteen and took a drink. “What happened to the days when we talked everything out?”

  Kallista stared at the smoke before turning away. She refused to say it, but she missed the days when it was only the two of them—making plans, taking chances, testing theories. When they were building the dragon, they’d learned to depend on each other. Sure, they argued—at times agreeing on anything had been like trying to mix water and oil—but over time, they’d become like two pistons in the same engine, urging each other on when they needed it and easing back when they didn’t.

  In Seattle, they’d started to drift apart. Then Plucky entered the picture, and Simoni, and Angus. Even Clyde, who was probably the kindest person in the group, couldn’t stand a minute of silence without cracking a joke or blurting out whatever he happened to be thinking at the time.

  It was like shoving six pistons into the same engine. In theory, it should have made them stronger. Except each of the pistons was trying to go in its own direction. As soon as you figured out one, the others changed things up. The more time she spent around other people, the more she realized why her father preferred machines.

  “You want to see what we’ve been working on?” she asked without looking at Trenton. “Go ahead and look. I won’t stop you.”

  The canteen lid rattled as Trenton screwed it back on. “Not until you want me to. What I want to know is why you’re keeping secrets.”

  Kallista sighed. Why hadn’t she shown him? He had helped her build Ladon, and he was right about risking his life. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, because she did. It wasn’t even that her project was such a big secret; she’d show it to everyone soon enough. It was just that she wasn’t used to being around so many people all the time.

  The hours she spent modifying the dragon, with only Plucky working wordlessly by her side, rejuvenated her. It was like the days she’d spent with her father. The two of them could work side by side, adjusting and repairing machines without saying a word, lost in their concentration of the work but comforted by each other’s presence.

  She knew that once she showed everyone her project, they’d all be asking questions and clamoring for more information. Angus would want his dragon modified immediately. Trenton would worry about safety. And Clyde . . . well, he had something to say about pretty much everything. Then what would she do for privacy?

  “Just tell me you aren’t building a giant chicken,” Trenton said.

  Kallista snorted and turned around. Before they’d found the plans for Ladon in the museum, they’d joked that the talon they’d built from the pieces her father had hidden looked like the foot of a giant chicken. “It’s a new weapon,” she said with a grin. “We’re going to shoot humongous eggs at the dragons.”

  “If we time it right, we can shoot the eggs with fire and flash fry them over the dragons’ eyes.”

  She clapped a hand to her mouth. Just like that, the two of them were laughing. It was almost like old times. Maybe people weren’t completely awful. “Actually, we’ve been building—”

  A blur of metal flew through the air. Angus ducked as Plucky’s wrench barely missed his head.

  “What are you doing, you crazy grease monkey?” Angus shouted. “You could have killed me!”

  “Shame I didn’t!” Plucky yelled back. “Call me a hog-­grubber again and I’ll bash you witless.”

  “I didn’t call you a hog-whatever.” Angus stepped back as Plucky searched for something else to throw at him. “I only said I don’t believe you’re actually building anything up there. You’re using it as an excuse to sleep in late. You didn’t have to—”

  “Not building anything?” Plucky screeched. “You sorry, slug-a-bed, starched . . .” For once, Plucky couldn’t come up with a strong enough insult.

  “Maybe we should break this up,” Trenton said to Kallista, starting toward them.

  “I’ll show you,” Plucky yelled. She turned to the front of the dragon and started it up. Smoke belched from the exhaust as the engines roared to life.

  Realizing what Plucky was about to do, Kallista raced toward the ladder. “Plucky, no!”

  Still shouting, Plucky flicked the switch they’d added to the controls. The dragon that had been quietly vibrating before now, shook as though a fierce wind was pounding against it. All four clawed feet rattled in the dirt, digging small trenches.

  “We need to test it first!” Kallista yelled. But it was too late. Flames flashed from Ladon’s underbelly, and the smoke coming from the exhaust turned from gray to black. Steam hissed in the air as the turbo fans kicked in.

  Plucky pounded the fire button, and a ball of flame burst from the dragon’s mouth. It was so bright it made Kallista squint. The fireball—more than three times the normal size—blasted into the trunk of an oak fifty feet away. The tree exploded. Chunks of bark and wood shot in every direction.

  Kallista dove to the ground as a flaming spear whizzed past her head.

  It was nearly a full minute before pieces of the tree stopped thumping to the ground. Blinking against the bright orange afterimage, Kallista dared to look around. Where the oak had stood, there was nothing but a charred piece of trunk, maybe ten feet tall and slanted severely to the left. It was as if the rest of the tree had disappeared. A few pieces of burning wood littered the ground; they would need to put those out before the whole forest caught on fire.

  One by one, Kallista and the others stood up, checking themselves and each other for injuries. Miraculously, none of them had been hit by the flying debris. Particles of dust and ash floated in a slowly descending cloud. Long green smears marked an area around the fire pit. It took Kallista a moment to realize they were the remains of Clyde’s asparagus oatmeal.

  Plucky, eyes wide and mouth slack, turned off Ladon’s engine. Her pink tongue darted out across her teeth before disappearing. “Um, rum sorry about that.”

  Trenton looked at Kallista and pulled a single oak leaf from his hair. “So, I guess that’s what . . . ?”

  Kallista let out a long, slow b
reath. “That’s what we’ve been working on.”

  I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you turbocharged the engine,” Trenton called from the backseat of their dragon. “That’s amazing!”

  “I was going to.” Kallista directed an irritated glance to her left where Plucky and Clyde flew Rounder. “As soon as we had a chance to test it.”

  Clyde steered to the left, keeping the two dragons in tight formation. Behind him, Plucky hunched her shoulders. “Said I was sorry, didn’t I? Lost my wool-brained temper, yeah, yeah.”

  With their steam engines running at minimal power, the three dragons glided almost silently through the air—Ladon in the middle with Rounder and Devastation to either side. Less than fifty feet below, the treetops formed a green canopy so thick Kallista couldn’t see the ground. They were flying low, hoping the dragons hadn’t heard the explosion. Although much of the fog had burned off, several thick pockets remained, especially to their right where ocean met land.

  “I don’t see what the problem is,” Angus shouted. “My only question is how soon we can get our upgrade. With that kind of firepower, I could take down two dragons at the same time. Maybe even three.”

  “The problem is we could have started a forest fire. Or woken the dragons.” Trenton adjusted his flight stick, and Ladon dropped a few feet closer to the treetops.

  “Careful back there.” Kallista glared at him. This was one of the things she’d been afraid of. He was a habitual worrier.

  “Careful?” Trenton raised his eyebrows. “Maybe you should have thought about being careful when you decided shooting fireballs the size of houses was a good idea. Did it ever occur to you the boiler might not be able to handle that kind of pressure?”

  “No, that never occurred to me,” Kallista said, the blood in her temples pounding. “Maybe you could explain how steam engines work. It’s not like I’ve been fixing them all my life or anything.”

  “Guys,” Clyde said. One look from Kallista snapped his mouth shut.

  Kallista twisted in her seat to look at Trenton. “First of all, it isn’t just fire. The blowers provide a short burst of power that can be used to fly faster, turn sharper, smash a boulder with one talon, or, yes, shoot more fire than normal.”

  “That’s all great,” Trenton said. “But how’s that going to keep the boiler from exploding? Have you even considered the increase in steam pressure? How long can you run the fans before the engine explodes?”

  “Of course I considered the increase in steam pressure. Based on my math, we can run the turbos for a minute—two, tops—before they overheat. I’m going to add an override that turns them off automatically. I just haven’t had the time yet.” She stared at Trenton, waiting for him to argue. When he didn’t, she released a slow breath. “You can double-check the numbers when we get on the ground.”

  She wasn’t good at apologies, even when she knew she should make them. This was as close as she could come.

  Trenton seemed to understand. He adjusted his goggles and looked toward the approaching hill. “Unless they’ve moved, the dragons should be on the other side of that rise.” He paused for a moment before turning to Simoni. “How do you think we should approach them?”

  Since when was Simoni in charge of the attack plan? Trenton always decided on their approach. Simoni looked at Trenton, and something passed silently between them. Kallista tugged at the strap of her helmet. Maybe she wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.

  Simoni pointed to the left. “Angus and I will fly around the hill and come in from the east. With the sun in the dragons’ eyes, it will make it harder for them to see us. Clyde, you and Plucky wait for us to circle around, then come straight over the rise. You should be right on top of the dragons, forcing them to break cover.”

  She nodded toward the ocean, barely visible through the fog to their right. “The blue should go straight for the water. Kallista and Trenton, you will be waiting there. If the blue is on its own, go for the kill. If they both come your way, delay them until the two of us can close in on their flanks. As long as you keep the blue from filling its belly, it will be defenseless.”

  Kallista wiped her goggles with the sleeve of her jacket, clearing away the water that had beaded on the lenses. It was a good plan. A very good plan. How had someone who spent all her time planting seeds come up with it?

  Simoni held up one hand. “On my count. Three—two—one.” She and Angus banked right while Clyde and Plucky took their position.

  Kallista veered toward the ocean as Trenton dropped Ladon closer to the treetops.

  “Something you want to tell me?” she asked, angling her head to keep an eye on the other two dragons.

  “About what?”

  Kallista had spent enough time around Trenton to know when he was playing dumb. But did that mean he wanted her to push harder to learn the truth or would pushing only make him more stubborn about hiding it? If only people came with instruction manuals.

  When Angus and Simoni disappeared from view, Kallista headed toward the mouth of the valley where they discovered a stream emptying into the ocean.

  “That could be a problem,” Trenton said.

  Kallista nodded. “If the blue dragon gets water from the stream instead of the ocean, we’ll be waiting here for nothing. But if we fly up and arrive too soon . . .”

  Trenton bit his lower lip. “We could ruin the plan.”

  For the next several minutes they soared above the crashing waves while below them large white birds squawked as they searched the beach for food. Prior to leaving Discovery, Kallista had never seen a seagull. But the closer they got to the water, the more the creatures swarmed in noisy white packs.

  She rose in her seat, straining for some sign of what was happening. A thick band of fog hugged the streambed, turning the far bank into a billowing white curtain. “I think we should go.”

  “Let’s wait a little longer.” Trenton pushed his goggles up on his head, searching the trees.

  As seconds ticked by with no sign of the dragons or their friends, Kallista became more and more certain something had gone wrong.

  She had nearly decided to go, no matter what Trenton thought, when a flash of blue scales burst from the trees.

  “Go!” Trenton screamed, yanking his goggles back into place. He cranked the throttle to full power as Kallista angled to cut the blue dragon off. Kallista smiled. With the dragon’s attention focused on Devastation’s pursuit, it wouldn’t see them until it was too late.

  Trenton hit the fire button, and a gout of flames burst from Ladon’s jaws. At the same time, a shadow fell over them.

  Acting on pure instinct, Kallista pushed the foot pedals, turning hard to the left. The black-and-red dragon stretched its jaws and ripped a gouge along the shoulder of her leather jacket, and she looked up in time to see the beast scream with fury, fangs glistening with poison, and circle back around. Trenton dropped them into a dive. Trees raced toward them, and it took every bit of strength Kallista had to muscle the flight control hard enough to keep from crashing.

  Once they had leveled out, Trenton leaned forward. “Did it get you?”

  She ripped her jacket off over her head and checked her arm. Her shirt was untouched. “No, I’m—”

  “Look out!” Trenton shouted.

  The black-and-red dragon had returned, talons raised. With nowhere else to go, they dove into the opening above the stream. Trees blurred past on their left and right. The blue dragon appeared ahead of them. Steam swirled from its nostrils, and its belly was fully extended.

  Kallista looked for somewhere to escape. They were too low to fly over the trees. The black-and-red dragon had forced them down toward the stream, and the blue had them cut off. Where were Rounder and Devastation?

  Trenton shot a fireball toward the blue dragon, but its blast of water extinguished it before it could do any damage. Kallista ey
ed the trees to her right, wondering if she could make a turn, but it was no good. The stream was too narrow, the branches too close.

  The blue raced straight toward them, steam billowing from between its teeth as it opened its jaws. The black-and-red was right on top of them. The only way out was to crash into the shallow water below.

  “The turbos!” Trenton yelled. “Fire the turbos.”

  Even as she reached for the switch, she knew it was too late. The dragons would be on them before the turbos had time to kick in. Ladon’s talons brushed the surface of the stream, sending sprays of water to either side. Mere feet away, the black-and-red screamed.

  Then it and the blue dragon pulled up and flew away.

  Kallista looked left and right, trying to figure out where the dragons had gone.

  Trenton pointed to the right. “They went into the fog.” He pulled them up from the stream as Kallista banked left.

  She circled slowly, waiting for the dragons to reappear. It had to be a trick. Only what was the point? The two dragons had Trenton and her trapped. In dozens of fights with dragons, she’d never seen them break off a battle when they had you outnumbered.

  Two shapes appeared from upstream, and she was already turning Ladon, ready to flee, when she realized it was their friends.

  “Where have you been?” Trenton yelled as the two mechanical dragons soared toward them.

  Clyde flew Rounder over to join them, and Plucky shook her head. “Ruddy mud-crunchers wasn’t where we expected.”

  “They were hiding in the fog on the other bank of the stream,” Simoni said. “Almost like they knew we were coming. We didn’t even realize where they were until we heard your shouts.”

  Trenton yanked off his helmet. “Something’s wrong with this whole situation.”

  Kallista nodded. Dragons didn’t set ambushes, and they didn’t give up a fight when they had the advantage.

  Angus slammed his fist against the side of Devastation, searching the air. “Which way did they go?”