by Dyan Chick
"They won't kill me in here. They'll come for me." He lowered his voice. "Probably for you, too."
"Then what?" I had to hope there was something. A step in the process we could exploit.
"They'll take us to the burial site."
I didn't like the sound of that. "What burial site?"
"Where the Dragon Queen was buried. They have to perform the ritual there."
"Is it nearby?" I asked, hoping for a long transport where we could buy ourselves some time.
"Right on top of this mountain," James said.
"What happens if they wake up this queen?" I asked.
"The dragons will return to this realm," James took a breath, "and they'll kill anyone and everything that stands in their way."
28
We can't let this happen." I put my hands on James's thigh and leaned in to him. "We have to get away from them before they can complete the ritual. Stop it somehow."
"I don't think that's going to happen," a new voice said from behind me.
How had someone managed to get in here? I turned with a start and then my shoulders relaxed in relief. "You're okay."
I was surprised how happy I was to see the troublesome Fae. "How did you get in here? Did you find the way out?"
"I think you must be mistaking me for someone else," he said. "You see, that happens sometimes, though I think I'm much better looking than that brother of mine."
My breath caught in my chest as the realization sunk in. "You're not Tavas."
"Jaret, let her go. Haven't you used her enough already?" James said.
"Under normal circumstances, I might be inclined to approve the last request of a condemned man. However, one of our dragon mages was killed trying to escape and we are short one for the ritual. So, now your girlfriend gets to join in the fun. It's rather romantic, really. The two of you sacrificing yourselves for the rise of the dragons."
James pulled at the chains, trying to break free of the wall. "Jaret, you son of a bitch, you let her go."
"What are you going to do about it?" Jaret said with a sneer.
Not only was the man responsible for taking James and the others, he was the one who killed Jimmy. He was responsible for the destruction of Realm's Gate by dragon. If anyone deserved to die, it was him.
James might be trapped in here, but I wasn't. Moving as fast as I could while doubled over in the low cave, I charged at the newcomer.
Just as I was about to crash into him, an invisible force hit me, knocking me backward. I landed next to James, feeling disorientated, but determined to get back up. Moving slower than I wanted to, I fought to right myself, eyes narrowed at Jimmy's murderer.
Nostrils flaring, I opened my palms, fingers wide, and thought of fire. If I couldn't fight him, I'd burn him to death.
Flames roared to life in my hands, spreading up my wrists. Lifting my hands, I aimed at Jaret.
Then, from out of nowhere, the flames died. I tried to lift my hands so I could see them, but they were paralyzed in front of me. I tried to move my head so I could look down, but my body wouldn't respond to me. I was stuck. "What did you do?"
"You should know better than that," Jaret said. "No mage is a match for a Fae. Not even one with dragon blood."
"You're a murderer," I said, fighting the tears that stung the back of my eyes. Here I was, face to face with Jimmy's killer and I was useless to defend myself, let alone avenge his death.
Jaret rolled his eyes. "So attached to others, so emotional. Just like that no good brother of mine."
With a lazy wave of his hand, Jaret sent my sliding across the ground, until I slammed into James. My head throbbed harder than it had before and I reached up to rub my forehead. This time, my body responded. I could move again, but I knew I was going to have to be smarter about attacking Jaret. I wasn't strong enough to do it on my own.
"You're going to regret this, Jaret," James said.
"Oh?" Jaret stood under the oculus, a smile on his face. "I don't think I will."
"You think the dragon queen is going to keep you on as her second? Her mate? You're nothing to her. She'll probably eat you," James said.
"It's possible," Jaret said. "But you and I know what it's like to live longer than we need. The world won't mourn either of us. It's just a shame your young protege won't get to enjoy the benefits of old age."
"I hope that dragon eats you slowly," I spat.
"I'm sure you do," he said.
A moment later, he rose into the air and vanished into the opening on the ceiling.
I raced over to it, hoping it was still wide enough for me to climb through, but it wasn't any larger than it had been before he arrived.
Angry and confused, I lost the battle to keep the tears hidden and they streaked down my cheeks. I turned to James. "We have to stop them."
He was silent for a moment but looked like he was thinking of how to respond to me so I didn't press him.
After a moment, James took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "When they come for us, they're going to ask you to drink something. I'm going to need you to take it from them. Don't fight it."
I turned away from him, not believing my ears as more tears welled up in my eyes. Was he asking me to give up? This was it, then. No fighting back, no way to defend ourselves. Just give in. "How could you say that. There has to be something we can do."
"Look at me, Morgan."
Hesitantly, I turned to face him, not hiding the disappointment on my face.
"They won't kill you at the beginning of the ritual, they'll keep as many of you alive as possible to offer as sacrifices to the queen when she rises. They just need your blood. But if you resist, they'll kill you for sure. If you play along, you can run once the ritual starts." He didn't look as confident as I would have liked, but his words sounded sincere.
"What does the drink do?" I asked.
He looked away and a flush of embarrassment filled his face. "It's the same thing I gave you at my house."
"But I don't even remember that, how can I escape if I'm under the control of that drink? And how does that help you, or the others? I can't take it."
"You won't have a choice. If you don't take it, they'll kill you. And if you don't escape, you'll die," he said.
"That's my only hope? That they don't kill me too quickly? And then I'm supposed to leave you and everyone else behind?" After everything, that was it. Give up and let someone else save me? "I can't."
"You can. You're strong enough to fight it. You have to fight it."
I shook my head and walked back over to him, sitting down next to him. I reached a hand out to stroke his cheek with my fingers. "I'm not leaving you behind. When they come to get us, they'll have to remove your chains. We can fight them together."
He leaned his cheek against my hand. "No, we can't. They have a weapon that I can't fight."
"What kind of weapon?" I asked.
"They can force me to shift and in my dragon form, I'm not me. I don't think like me. I don't have control," he said.
"We have to try," I said.
"Forgive me," James said.
I pulled my hand away, brow furrowed. "For what?"
"I'm cashing in my favor," James said.
Panic welled up inside me. "No, don't do this."
"Morgan, I have a favor to ask you," he said the words over my protests. "When the Dragon-Bloods come for us, I need you to take the drink, but resist the herbs. I need you to not let them get to you."
An icy chill fell over me and my lower lip trembled. This had to be the feeling of a bargain being set in place. When they came, I'd have no choice. I'd have to take the drink, and I had to hope that his words were enough for me to resist the effects of the herbs. "Why?"
James opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, his gaze leaving mine to something beyond me.
Turning around, I saw what caused him to lose focus. We were no longer alone in the cave. Jaret was back, and this time, he had company. Six hooded figures stood b
ehind him, their cloaks covering their eyes so I couldn't make out the features of their faces.
"It's time," Jaret said.
One of the figures took a step forward, and dropped the hood. My mouth dropped open in shock as I stared at Jasmine, the head of the Mage Order. Chester was right. I knew at least one person in the Dragon-Bloods.
Closing my mouth, I scowled at her. "I should have known you'd have something to do with this."
"I'm sorry you have to get involved like this," she said. "McKenzie was supposed to lead you off track, keep you away from here. I thought I'd made that clear to her. But her sense of nobility kicked in, I suppose."
"I don't get it," I said. "If you wanted me dead, why not just kill me before?"
"Don't you get it?" she asked. "I really didn't want you dead. I'd never have given you that journal from your mother if I did."
In the chaos of the last few days, I'd forgotten about the journal. It was tucked somewhere in Dima's car. I hoped my friends had failed to find anything and were on their way back to that car right now. Maybe Dima or Alec would have the good sense to hide the journal for me.
"I wanted your help with all of this, but I knew I'd have to win your trust slowly. So I let you go on your quest, figuring we could keep you away long enough. But you bested our seer," Jasmine said.
Another figure stepped forward. "I never thought you'd go to the Oracle, let alone agree to work with Tavas."
I knew that voice and without realizing what I was doing, I scrambled back, trying to distance myself from the group. I was an adult now, I was no longer a child, but the voice of my past tormentor brought me right back to that place of fear.
"Morgan," James spoke behind me, but his voice sounded far away.
My hands trembled as I watched the man drop his hood, but I already knew what I would see.
"It's nice to see you, again, Ladybug." Dr. Byers’s dark eyes stared back at me. He smiled, as if he didn't care that he'd broken my trust for anyone with telepathic powers. As if he didn't care that I'd spent years fearing that he'd return and continue his unethical studies on me and the other mage children he managed to rope into his courses.
Imagine spending two hours every week with someone inside your head. Controlling all of your actions. Imagine walking around town aware of everything but unable to respond in the way you wanted to. For two years, I was his puppet and there was nobody else in this world I hated more than him. "Don't call me that, you sadistic fuck."
Dr. Byers smiled. "It wasn't all bad, was it?"
"Fuck you," I said.
Someone handed him a vial of liquid and he passed it off to Jasmine. "You better give it to her. She might bite off my hand it I get too close."
Jasmine took the liquid without a word and walked over to me. "Don't worry, dear. It'll be over soon. And you won't remember a thing."
I wanted to fight it. I didn't want to take the drink. Tears of frustration prickled at the back of my eyes.
Jasmine reached her hand out, the vial of liquid in her hand. "Go on, take it. Don't make me hurt you."
Every muscle was on fire as I resisted taking the drink. I knew the longer I waited to fulfill the favor, the worse it would get.
"Go ahead," James said, his words gentle.
Closing my eyes, I gave in, and reached my hand out. The vial was placed against my palm and I closed my fingers around it.
Without opening my eyes, I lifted it to my lips, then threw my head back as I tipped in the contents.
29
The liquid tasted sweet on my tongue, different than it had in the tea James gave me when we first met. My instincts told me to spit it in Jasmine's face, but the thought was fleeting, and I swallowed it.
"See, that wasn't so bad," Jasmine said.
I glanced back at James, letting him know with my expression that I wasn't pleased with what he'd made me do.
"Don't worry about him," Jasmine said. "We've got big plans for both of you. But right now, it's your turn. Follow me."
It took me a moment to realize that I was following Jasmine without considering my actions. The drink was already kicking in, making me do things I didn't want to do. Somehow, the oculus above us expanded and I was pulled upward, landing inside another, wider cave. Jasmine continued walking, the other Dragon-Bloods behind me, and I continued to follow without question.
James's attempt at helping me resist didn't seem to work. Anxiety fluttered in the pit of my stomach and I wondered if I was going to willingly follow Jasmine and the others to my death.
Then, while still following Jasmine as she lead us down a stone corridor lined with torches, I realized that I was aware of what was going on. This didn't feel like the herbs James gave me in the tea. When I took that, I lost all awareness. This was more like what happened when Dr. Byers had pulled on the strings of my mind, making me do things without my consent. What did that mean? Was there a way to break through? As a child, I wasn't able to reclaim control. It took me running from sessions for weeks before my mom stopped making me go.
Was there a way I could do it now? I wondered if there was anything in the book my mom left behind. Was there anything I could have learned from that before I charged in to this?
Ahead, I saw a column of sunlight pouring into the cave from above. As I neared the opening, it expanded, growing wide enough for five people to rise through at once. On the edges of the opening, I noticed the loose boards and rotting structure. We were at the old entrance to the mine. So the room I'd been in with James must have been an old mining tunnel. Somehow, they were using magic to control the openings to the tunnels.
"Out here," Jasmine's voice carried in from the other side of the cave. I'd slowed down, taken my time. Did that mean I could resist her orders? Wanting to see if it was possible, I willed myself to stop walking. My legs continued to move, despite my mind screaming for them to cease.
For a moment, I wondered if it mattered. If I couldn't save my friends, if the world was about to end in dragon fire, anyway, did it matter if I escaped? What kind of escape would that be? Get away just long enough to watch the world burn, alone and full of regret?
Jasmine stopped in front of a circular hole in the mountainside. She pointed to the spot next to her. "Stand right here."
I took the position she indicated and stopped moving. Glancing down, I looked at the hole. It looked like it went straight through the mountain, dark and forbidding, I couldn't see the end. It reminded me of the hole I'd jumped into with James that took us to his secret garage, but I had a feeling I wouldn't like where this hole ended.
"Let me go, you brute."
I turned at the sound of a familiar voice and saw Dima being led in with McKenzie and Tavas. Each of them was held by two guards. "Where's Alec?"
Dima shook her head. "I don't know. We got separated."
"What did you say?" Jasmine asked. "You shouldn't be asking questions."
I pressed my lips together. Had I just given away my advantage?
Jasmine looked at me, eyes narrowed. "I suppose it doesn't matter if you're aware. It'll just hurt more when I slice your throat."
"You crazy bitch," McKenzie said. "How could you do this to us? To the Order? I trusted you. I followed you."
"Why do you think I gave you the security position?" Jasmine said to her former employee. "You wanted to belong so bad, you missed all the details. Think of all those nights I asked you to reset the cameras or clear the old data."
McKenzie looked away from Jasmine and my heart ached for her. She'd been played in all this just as much as I had.
Looking away from McKenzie, my eyes settled on Tavas. He had caused me pain in the past, but now I had a feeling that I didn't know the whole story. While I still didn't trust the Fae, he probably wasn't as bad as I thought he was.
Suddenly, I felt a searing pain slice through my arm and I turned away from my friends as I cried out. Jasmine was backing away from me, a knife stained with blood in her hand.
Breathl
ess, I looked down to see the cut on my forearm. Blood rolled down my arm and onto the ground below.
"Stop it!" someone screamed from behind me. "Let her go!"
Jasmine grabbed me by my wrist and pulled my arm over the hole in the ground. With a ruthless squeeze, she wrapped her fingers around my arm and caused the bleeding to increase so my blood fell into the hole.
I wanted to pull away, to resist, but I was frozen there. Forced to endure everything she was doing to me. My arm throbbed from where her fingers had pressed into my flesh and the slice across my skin stung.
Apparently finished with me, she dropped my arm and took a step back. From somewhere behind me, a hooded figure emerged, leading a group of three bound young women with blank eyes. They paraded by us, one at a time and I watched, helpless as all three women I didn't know were cut open by Jasmine, and had their blood squeezed into the chasm below.
After they were finished, their captor dragged them away, where they stood in silence, watching and waiting for whatever was going to happen next. None of them seemed aware of their surroundings. Each woman stood motionless, their arms at their side, blood dripping to the ground from a wound they didn't seem to feel.
Then, another hooded figure guided three more mindless women to the tunnel. My heart raced as I recognized the beautiful red-head at the back of the group. "Lyla!"
Jasmine looked up from the first of her new round of victims, knife in mid-slice and glared at me. Then, she smiled, and went back to adding more blood to the hole.
It was a horrible sight, and with each new wound, bile rose in my throat. How could someone be so terrible? "You know this isn't going to be good for you in the end, right?"
Jasmine cut open Lyla's arm and dragged my unaware friend for her blood donation in the twisted ritual we'd all become a part of.
"There will be rewards for those of us who help the dragon queen rise," Jasmine said. "Don't worry, we'll let you live long enough to see her rebirth. Then, she can eat all you lovely maidens as tribute to her greatness."
