by Lysa Daley
“Why isn't Fitz doing something?” I asked Chad.
“Give him a second,” Chad says, trying to calm me down, but he can’t hide the fact that he sounds equally uncertain. “He’ll do something soon.”
As if on cue, the clear high notes of what sounds like a bird singing rings out across the dark canyon. When my uncle hears this, he drops to the ground and curls into a ball. The bird call was a signal.
Sunglasses’ head snap around, wondering if something is happening. Then a fierce explosion rocks everything within a hundred yards.
Even from where we are, Chad and I are knocked on our butts. Ruby slams back against the wall, and we hear a sickening thump.
“Ruby! Are you okay?” I ask, realizing the sound we heard was her head hitting the wall.
She looks woozy as she rubs the back of her skull. “I’m… I’m okay.”
Clearly, she’s not.
Smoke canisters are launched into the group of suits, and the air fills with a blinding gray cloud.
Fitz's team leaps into action.
“It feels like they planned for something like this,” Chad says with wide eyes. “I was watching your uncle, and it seemed like he was expecting this. When he heard the bird call, he jumped into action.”
It crosses my mind that my uncle and Fitz may have had a contingency plan in place, in case anything like this ever happened.
From our vantage point, we can't see what's going on down in the canyon. Chaos has erupted. There's a lot of yelling and the sound of fighting.
A moment later, Fitz emerges out of the gray smoke, running towards us. He's got my uncle propped up on his shoulder.
“He rescued him!” Ruby says.
At first, I'm filled with joy, but then I see the strange alien dagger sticking out of my uncle’s chest.
“He's been stabbed,” I cry out.
As Fitz hurries towards us, assisting my uncle, he whistles again. A different bird call. A different signal.
“Get him out of here. Back to the door where we came in,” Fitz says, easing my uncle down, and heading back into the chaos. “Go! We’ll be right behind you.”
Suddenly, a second explosion pounds the area as the rest of Fitz’s team retreats.
“Come on, Uncle Conrad,” I say, kneeling close to him. “We have to move.”
Together, Chad and I retrace our steps. Ruby, suffering from the blow to her head, struggles to keep up with us. Our progress is slow, but we don’t stop.
“We’re almost there.” Chad urges us on. Out the secret back door, we’re heading up the path we came in on.
Just as it looks like we’re going to get away and make it safely back to the caravan, a hand grabs me from behind. I feel BrightSky, still tethered across my back, ripped away from my body.
Turning, I come face to face with Sunglasses. “Evening, Princess.”
I move to retrieve my sword. I’ll fight him hand to hand if I have to. But I’m too late as a semi-circle of six other black suits flank him, pointing their weapons at us.
Sunglasses grins. “Need to be more careful with this beautiful sword. Gosh, it’s awful pretty.”
“Give that back,” I demand.
“Sorry,” he sneers. “You may have him, but as long as I have this, you can’t open the Stargate and slip from my grasp. Again.”
Fury wells up inside me, without another thought, I surge forward. He is not taking my sword. Sunglasses is surprised by my attack.
My elbow comes up, knocking his ever-present raybans off. His head snaps back, but he recovers more quickly than seems humanly possible. Unfortunately, he stumbles but doesn’t drop BrightSky.
His face turns back to me - without the glasses - and I see his eyes and gasp.
His eyes have no colored irises surround by white. There’s no color at all. They’re totally black. Like slick stones from a muddy river.
It’s unnerving.
Sunglasses turns to go. The suits are retreating. They're giving up, at least for now. They’ve lost my uncle, but they have my sword.
When Sunglasses looks back toward us, he’s again wearing shades. He must keep an extra pair in his pocket. If I had coal black eyes, I would too.
Fitz returns with his team behind him. He sees Sunglasses holding BrightSky. “Leave it!” Fitz yells to me, sensing that I want to go after it again. “It’s not worth the risk.”
“No!” Chad replies, bolting toward the Horlocks. “She can’t lose her sword.”
“Chad!” I cry. “Don’t!!”
When Sunglasses sees him coming, he stops and a smile creases his face. It’s like he’s daring Chad to come closer, daring him to try to rescue my sword.
But Chad surprises the man with a wicked fast punch to the gut. Sunglasses crumples over as Chad yanks BrightSky away from him.
But an instant before Chad can get back to us, a dozen more suits materialize from the smoke.
Chad is outnumbered. And cornered.
Realizing this, he yells to me. “Astrid, catch!” Then he hurls my sword in the air.
Unafraid, I move toward the deadly spinning sword. If I don’t catch it just right, I’ll be impaled by my own deadly sharp weapon.
Yet, somehow, I’m not afraid. I reach out and the hilt sails gracefully into my hand. He did it! He saved my sword.
I turn my eyes back to him and see that Chad is furiously fighting back, but there are just too many of them. He’s no match for the sea of black suits who quickly swallow him up.
“Chad!!!” I scream.
“Astrid!” Chad yells as they drag him away. “Astrid!!”
My heart pounds wildly, and I’m ready to run after him, but Fitz stops me with a firm hand around my arm. “No, Astrid! We have to go.”
“We can't leave Chad here,” I argue, watching the Horlocks take him away.
“I’m sorry, but he's lost to you now.” Fitz tries to pull me in the other direction.
“How can you say that!” I refused to budge as Chad slowly disappears into the smoke and my heart crumbles.
“Astrid, even if I wanted to go back, it's too late. There’s too many of them.”
I know he’s right. We’re outnumbered 10 to 1. Chad gambled and lost.
Tanaka appears by my side, helping me move my uncle up the path, to the waiting helicopter.
A few minutes later, the helicopter takes off, and I see a trail of dust rising into the sky as a stream of police cars speed toward the chaos.
I’m heartsick knowing that we left Chad behind.
My uncle weakly takes my hand. He can’t speak, but I feel a faint squeeze, like he’s trying to reassure me that everything will be okay.
As we fly off to the west, fly to safety, I silently wonder if he’s right.
Chapter 8
Flying low, the helicopter slices through the dark canyons, eventually veering north away from the twinkling lights of town.
Cool as a cucumber, O’Malley silently mans the controls with Fitz in the passenger seat. I’m in the back, crouched next to my uncle, who lies unconscious on the floor, his breathing ragged and shallow. Ruby, looking dazed and dizzy, flanks him on the other side.
I feel numb with grief and loss thinking about Chad. Over and over in my mind, I replay the vision of the Horlocks dragging him away.
I stare at BrightSky leaning against the side wall of the helicopter. Is this stupid sword really worth all of this trouble? Am I worth it?
We touch down on a small helipad that rises above the black crashing Pacific. A cluster of vehicles dots the nearby beach parking lot, including my uncle’s old familiar beat up white pickup truck. I can’t believe my eyes.
“How did you—“ I begin.
“I had Tanaka’s team retrieve it earlier,” Fitz answers before I get the question out.
Two fresh team members, who’ve been waiting for us, transfer my uncle from the helicopter to a gurney.
Heads bent low, we climb down to the ground, and Fitz asks me, “So you’ve moved
eight, nine times?”
“Ten,” I say, then add. “But I thought you knew that?”
“I did.” He ignores my sharp tone and hands me a piece of paper. “That means you’re good at starting over.”
“What’s this?” I ask, looking at the paper.
“Directions to a safe house in Sacramento.”
“Sacramento?” I repeat.
“If you don’t stop, you should be there by dawn if you three leave now.”
“Me too?” Ruby asks, sounding confused. “But my parents—“
“You can’t go home,” Fitz shuts her down. “You’re not safe here. Not right now, at least. If you go home, we’re putting your parents and your sister at risk. Because the Horlocks have seen you, you must both go. I’ll talk to Ruby’s parents. Hopefully, she can return home soon. We know what to say in situations like this.”
“How could you possibly explain?” I wonder aloud.
“Leave it to me.” He hands me a second piece of paper with what looks like a pair of random numbers scribbled on it. “No matter what. Don’t lose these numbers.”
“Where are we going?” Ruby asks.
“This will lead you to a hidden medical facility that caters to the non-human. It’s the only place where your uncle can get the appropriate care.”
“What about Chad?” I ask, desperate for him to have a solution to this problem.
A dark shadow crosses Fitz’s face. “Don’t worry. We’ll talk to his family.”
“How will you get him back?” I press Fitz.
He hesitates which makes me nervous. Finally, he says, “The team will discuss it back at headquarters. We’ll come up with a plan.”
O’Malley and his men transfer my uncle into the backseat of the pickup.
Fitz hands me my uncle’s key ring. “Okay, Astrid, you have to drive.”
“Me?!” I shrink back like the keys are a two-headed poisonous viper. “I can’t drive. I’ve literally had one lesson in the parking lot of the K-Mart by the airport.”
Ruby - still woozy from a bump on the head — says, “Hey, no problemo! I’m good to drive.”
Obviously, that’s not going to work.
“No, that’s okay, Ruby. I’ll do it,” I say, trying to sound reassuring. “You can get a little sleep.”
“Sleep sounds nice,” she says, her eyes already fluttering shut.
Fitz helps us get my uncle into the backseat. He stirs for a moment, his eyes blinking open. As soon as my uncle’s safely inside, he loses consciousness again. Ruby climbs in the backseat with him and looks like she’s about to fall asleep.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I say, as panic bubbles up inside of me. “Why can’t you come with us?”
“There are things I need to attend to here,” he replies vaguely. “But, others will look out for you until I can get there.” He levels a serious look at me. “You can do this.”
“I don’t know…” I must look very unsure.
“Your uncle needs special attention,” Fitz tells me. “And there are only a few facilities on the planet that can attend to him and wounds like this. It might be his only hope for survival. An injury caused by Draconian steel is very serious.”
I nod.
“Good girl.” Fitz then proceeds to give me the world’s fastest driving lesson. Behind the wheel, I maneuver around the parking lot.
He pulls a small disposable cell phone from his pocket and hands it to me. “This is untraceable. Call me in case of an emergency. Otherwise, follow the directions I gave you on the first piece of paper. Once you hit Interstate 5, it’s a straight shot north. Just get in the right lane and hold it steady at 60 mph. Stop at the motel listed called Elven Hollow Motorlodge. It’s a sort of safe house. You’ll get further instructions there.”
I nod as it sinks in that I’m really going to have to do this. It’s always been my uncle who bundled the two of us into the truck and got us safely to a new location, a new home, a new life. But now, the roles have reversed, and I’m the one whisking him away.
“Go! Others are waiting,” Fitz says, getting out of the passenger seat. “Do not - I repeat - do not speak to anyone until you get to the safe house.”
“I won’t.”
He closes the door, and I pull out of the parking lot, glancing in the rearview mirror, to get a last look at Fitz watching me with an uncertain expression etched across his face.
As I steer the big truck out on the mostly deserted back country roads heading toward the interstate, I see that Ruby is now fully asleep in the back seat.
After a few miles, I feel more comfortable behind the wheel. All in all, this driving thing isn’t so hard. Maybe it’s because I’m pretty much going in a straight line on a wide empty road.
After about ten minutes I realize my hands ache. It’s probably a safe bet that this dull pain has something to do with the fact that I have a death grip on the steering wheel.
Loosening my hands a little, I turn the radio on. My uncle had a sweet sound system installed in this truck a few years back, so at least that’s good. To keep myself awake, I sing along to the songs playing. The oldies station is what’s coming in the clearest so half the time I just mumble stupidly because I don’t know the words.
I consider trying to find some music from this century, but because my uncle likes oldies, I’m hoping that maybe even in his current unconscious state, the songs might seep in.
After 150 miles or so, my stomach starts to growl. It occurs to me that I’ve hardly eaten today. I know Fitz told me not to stop, but when I see an all-night mini-mart on the side of the freeway, I pull in.
It’s three in the morning, and not another soul is around. I park right outside the front door and under a bright light.
I quietly slide out of the truck, lock the doors, leaving my uncle and Ruby snoozing in the back.
Inside, I buy a vanilla latte, a little pack of cookies and some almonds. I’m in and out in less than five minutes.
But as I approach the truck, I see movement in the front seat and what looks like a flash of glowing eyes.
I freeze in my tracks. Ruby and my uncle are still asleep in the back.
Someone, or something else, is now in the truck.
Chapter 9
I stand perfectly still, watching the inside of the truck, waiting to see more movement in the front. My heart pounds so hard in my chest, it might actually explode.
I’m so stupid. Why didn’t I listen to Fitz? He told me not to stop. And worse yet, I left BrightSky in the truck. I have to get used to bringing her with me all the time. What good is a magical, mythic sword if you keep forgetting to take it with you?
Utterly defenseless, I inch closer. Unfortunately, a little fog covers the windows from Ruby and my uncle’s breath making it harder to see inside.
I quickly survey the rest of the parking lot and the inside of the store. The lone clerk — only other person in the mini-mart with me — has gone back to watching a reality TV show about killer alligators.
There’s not another living creature in sight.
Once I’m close enough, I see movement in the dark space on the floor in front of the passenger seat, but I can’t get a good look inside. Whoever, or whatever, it is must be crouched.
Steeling myself, I grab the door handle with one hand and swing the door open ready to face whatever threat lies within.
Instead, I find myself staring at two big familiar green eyes gazing lazily up at me from the floor of the front seat.
“Tom?”
How in the world did he find us a hundred and fifty miles away from home?
“Is that your cat?” Ruby murmurs, waking up momentarily.
“Yep.”
It’s the big gray stray cat the lives in our yard. Except, as it turns out, Tom isn’t exactly a cat. He’s a shapeshifting creature known as a Lesser Valarian Drolgon. And my guardian. Somehow, he’s found me.
My uncle, awake from the noise, briefly smiles at the sight of the f
amiliar green eyes and murmurs, “Good drolgon.”
Tom gracefully slinks into the backseat and curls up on my uncle’s lap.
The four of us pull back onto the interstate. There’s no question I feel safer and more secure now that Tom has joined us.
After another hour, I see the faint glow of what must be San Francisco off to the west. My latte and cookies long gone, I just keep driving and singing along to unfamiliar oldies.
As dawn breaks over the eastern hills, I pass a sign that reads “Sacramento City Limits.”
“Are we there yet?” Ruby stirs quietly in the backseat.
“Pretty close, I think,” I say, handing her the piece of paper Fitz gave me with directions to some random motel called the Elven Hollow.
“Weird name,” Ruby says.
She helps me navigate past a sea of fast food joints, gas stations and bail bonds shops into an old rundown part of the city.
When we do finally locate this mysterious motel/safe house, I’m pretty sure I’d rather just sleep in the car.
“Yikes. Looks like the elves have left the hollow,” Ruby comments, frowning at the sight of the motor lodge.
She’s not wrong.
“But a nice place to shoot a horror movie,” I add as we gaze at the sad two story motel, complete with empty swimming pool, rusty patio furniture and droopy shutters.
I manage to maneuver the bulky truck into a parking spot near a pair of old soda machines that stand guard outside the front office.
“You stay here with my uncle and Tom,” I say to Ruby. “Let me go check it out. If something happens, you guys need to get out of here as fast as possible.”
Ruby nods gravely as I slink nervously out of the truck and cautiously head to the shabby door with the neon sign that blinks “office” on and off.
Naturally, there’s no one at the front desk in the tiny, dimly lit reception area. I ring the little bell a couple of times and wait.
Nothing.
I suddenly understand what it means to have the “heebie-jeebies.”
I ding the little bell again and before it’s done reverberating, a gruff male voice from the dark back office barks out, “Hold your horseflies! I’m on my way.”
