Defiance and the Dragon (Redwood Dragons Book 1)

by Sloane Meyers

  “One of the dragon stones?” he said. “There’s more than one of them? I thought the dragon stone itself was the most powerful of the ancient artifacts, and that we were relatively safe now that it had been recovered.”

  Knox turned his eyes to Vance. “Bree has brought to my attention the possibility that there may be more than one dragon stone,” he said calmly. “But we’ll get to that in a minute.”

  Bree couldn’t keep herself from cutting in at this point, though. “Then you are part of the same clan of Redwood Dragons that helped recover the emerald dragon stone,” she said, her voice filling with awe.

  “Yes,” Knox said. “Although most of the credit for that mission properly belongs to the shifters in Texas. I guess, if you’ve studied the history of the stone as much as you claim, you must know the story? The Texas shifters found the stone and kept it out of enemy hands. In the process, William, the former leader of the Redwood Dragons was kidnapped. I went to help rescue him, and after that he retired. He was getting old, and, I suppose he was ready to settle into an easier life than living out here in the forest. He wanted a warm home and a woman, and he got both. He deserved it, too. I’ve never known a man as honorable as William.”

  Bree saw all of the men bow their heads in respect when Knox spoke of William. The man had meant a lot to all of them, she could tell.

  “I do know the story well,” Bree said. “And I must say I’m in awe that out of all the shifters I could have run across, I found one from the clan that was part of recovering the last dragon stone.”

  “It seems to be a sign of some sort,” Knox said slowly. “But you must understand it’s still difficult for me to believe everything you’ve told me. I’m trusting you greatly by bringing you here. I never allow outsiders in our base camp. But if what you’re warning me of is true, then we will need each other’s help.”

  This time it was Owen who spoke up. “I am so confused right now,” he said. “Can someone please explain what the hell is going on here? There are more dragon stones? And I heard a mention of wizards being in danger? I thought all of the wizards were gone?”

  Knox turned to look at Bree. “I think I’ve given you a pretty good overview of who, exactly, I am. Now it’s your turn to explain to my men who you are. After that, I’d like to hear what you know about this supposed sapphire dragon stone.

  Bree felt her heart pounding as all eyes turned to her. All of a sudden, she felt the same nervous energy she had felt right before she presented her case to the High Council. This was her second chance to prove to someone that a crisis was at hand. She had failed to convince the High Council. If she failed to convince this crew, she might see her worst fears realized and the dragon sapphire might fall into the wrong hands.

  Taking a deep breath, Bree began speaking. She told the whole story, in as much detail as she could. First, she explained that wizards did in fact exist. In an attempt to prove it, she held her magic ring high and performed a few simple spells. She made a flashlight beam shoot from the ring’s pointed tip, and then a fountain of fiery sparks. She turned herself invisible and back again. The men looked impressed, but Bree could tell by their faces that they held some of the same doubts that Knox did. How could they know that the ring itself was not just some powerful artifact, enabling her to do magic? Could they really believe that Bree herself was the source of the magic, and that the ring was just the instrument her magic flowed through?

  In an act of great trust, Bree allowed each of them to handle the ring. They spoke the same words Bree had spoken to initiate magic spells, but, of course, nothing happened. They looked slightly less skeptical—but only slightly. Sometimes words were not enough to unlock the power of ancient artifacts, and special training was necessary. In that case, it would be possible for a ring to work for one person but not another. In the end, Bree decided she would have to be content with their guarded skepticism regarding whether or not wizards existed. It was the best she could do for now, and she pressed forward with explaining why she had sought out shifters in the first place.

  She explained to them her job of Advocate, and what her duties had been in the wizarding community. Then she told them of her assignment, seemingly a throwaway assignment, to make sure that the dragon stone had indeed been recovered and was being held safely away from the forces of evil. She told them how she had discovered that, although the dragon stone was safe, there was actually more than one dragon stone, and one of those stones was in grave danger of falling into the wrong hands. If it did, it would bring ruin to humans, shifters, and wizards alike.

  She told of how she had appeared before the High Council, pleading with them and asking them to take the threat seriously. But no one had listened to her, and she had been sent home feeling ashamed. With a trembling voice, she told them of how she had decided to run away and take matters into her own hands—and she explained what the consequences would be for her if she was found. Then, with a rueful smile, she retold the story of how she had trailed Knox for several days before revealing herself and asking for his help. Lastly, she explained what the drones were, and how she could no longer stay where she had been in the far northern portions of the California redwood forests, lest the wizards come and find her.

  “So there you have it,” she said, looking around at the disbelieving faces of Knox’s clan members. “I’m sure, since you all know of the power of the emerald dragon stone, that you can understand how powerful the sapphire dragon stone must be. But if you want details, I brought with me my folder of facts and information on the sapphire dragon stone. It’s in my backpack, which, thankfully, the drones weren’t able to steal.”

  There was silence for several long moments. None of the shifters seemed to want to be the first one to speak. They all looked at Knox, perhaps hoping he would be the one to break the silence. But Knox was staring off at the sky, which was now a fiery orange from the setting sun, a thoughtful look on his face. Finally, impatient Vance could not take it any longer.

  “Is this all true, Knox?” Vance demanded, his eyes wide as he looked up at his clan leader.

  Knox shifted his eyes back to look first at his men, then at Bree. The intensity in his eyes as they met hers unnerved her.

  “What she says about meeting me in the forest, and being attacked by drones, is all true,” Knox said. “As for the other parts—the existence of wizards and multiple dragon stones—I have no way to verify their truth. But my gut is telling me to trust Bree, and William always told us to follow our gut instincts when all else failed.”

  “I respect that, Boss,” Myles said slowly. “But these are some pretty big claims she’s making. It sounds like it could be a trap. What if someone is trying to get information from us on where the emerald dragon stone actually is? We have to be careful. We owe it to the shifter protectors to do everything we can to proceed carefully and make sure that the dragon stone stays safe.”

  “No offense, Bree,” Owen said, looking quickly over at her. “You seem like a nice enough person, but, if you are who you say you are, hopefully you understand that we need to be careful.”

  “No offense taken,” Bree said. She understood that the men were wary. And yet, it took everything within her not to plead with them to see how much depended on their decision.

  “I think the best thing for us to do is to have a private meeting, and go over the information that Bree has on the supposed sapphire dragon stone,” Knox said. “I wish the other dragons were here to weigh in, too, but we can’t wait for them to get back. We need to make a decision soon. Bree, would you mind hanging out in my cabin for a little while so I can talk to the crew alone?”

  Bree had been expecting this, and she nodded. “No problem,” she said. She stood stiffly, realizing for the first time since she arrived at the dragons’ base just how tired she was. She fished out her folder of information on the dragon stones, and handed it to Knox. He handed it off to Myles, then gestured toward the cabins.

  “Come on. I’ll show you my p
lace.”

  Bree followed him, feeling strangely nervous about seeing his cabin. She hadn’t thought much about where she would stay once she arrived at his clan’s headquarters. She had expected the headquarters to be much bigger, and was surprised at how few cabins and shifters there were here. In her mind’s eye, she had pictured a big village, like Falcon Cross. A small group might be better, though. There would be less politics involved, and fewer hoops to jump through to get a mission going.

  Hopefully a mission would be going soon. Bree felt the knot in the pit of her stomach tightening every time she thought about where the sapphire stone might be right now, and how close it might be to falling into the wrong hands.

  “This is my place,” Knox said as he pushed open the door to a cabin at the end of one of the rows. “It’s not big, but it’s cozy. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you’re still hungry or thirsty, although I’d guess that after all the chili and beer we’ve had you’re probably more tired than anything else. If that’s the case, feel free to crash on the couch, or even on my bed.”

  Bree nodded. “Thanks,” she said. “I could use a nap.”

  Knox nodded too, then stared around the room awkwardly for a moment. “Listen,” he said, sounding uncomfortable as he spoke. “I believe you. It’s crazy to me to think that wizards still exist, but, hey, a lot of people think that it’s crazy that shifters exist. The impossible only seems impossible before you’ve seen what’s actually possible.”

  Bree chuckled. “That’s quite a deep thought.”

  Knox smiled. “I try. But listen, don’t worry about the crew. They trust me, and I’ll convince them to trust you.”

  Bree felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. At the same time, she felt her body heating up again under Knox’s gaze. He seemed to feel the heat, too, because he looked at her long and hard before turning to leave.

  “Make yourself at home, Bree,” he said. When he spoke her name a certain tenderness filled his voice, and the heat in Bree’s body intensified. Before she could answer, though, he had turned and left, firmly closing the cabin door behind him.

  It was almost completely dark now, but Bree didn’t bother looking for a light switch. She bent over to take off her hiking boots, leaving them by the front door, then wiggling her toes as she started walking across the small living room. The cabin was tiny, but it did have a separate bedroom.

  “Magicae lucis,” Bree said. A flashlight beam came streaming from her magic ring, and she swept the light across the room. The only furniture was a small kitchen table with two chairs, and a couch in the living room. There was not much in the way of decorations, but the place was neat and looked comfortable. Bree made her way to the bedroom, where a giant bed took up most of the small room. It was covered with a large, navy plaid comforter. Bree had not intended to sleep on Knox’s bed, but now that she saw it, it looked too comfortable to pass up.

  She lay down on it, immediately sinking into the softness with a groan of delight. She was so tired, and it felt like so long since she’d slept in a proper bed. And yet, despite how tired she was, sleep did not come right away.

  Instead, she used the light beam from her ring to make little circles of light on the ceiling. She wondered, as she watched the light dancing above her, whether Knox would really be able to convince his shifters to trust her. And did it matter whether everyone else trusted her, as long as he did? He seemed to be firmly in charge here. Hopefully his trust was enough.

  Bree thought of Lily, and a deep sadness filled her. She hoped that everything would work out in the end, not just for her sake but for Lily’s. Lily had always stood up for her, and it must be heartbreaking now to have a roommate who appeared to be a deserter and treasonous. But Bree had done what she knew in her heart she had to do. Hopefully, one day soon, not just Lily but all of Falcon Cross would understand that.

  Bree wondered how long it would take Knox to talk to his clan members. She hoped that it would be long enough for her to get some good rest, because she had a feeling that the days ahead might be even more exhausting than the last few days had been.

  With a sigh, Bree lowered her arm, which had been raised so that she could point her magic ring at the ceiling.

  “Lumis terminantur,” Bree whispered. The light went out, and within moments Bree had fallen asleep.

  Chapter Nine

  “Incoming dragon,” Myles said. Knox looked up, surprised to see that Myles was correct. Spiraling down through the darkness, lightly outlined by the waning crescent moon, was a formidable dragon shape. Even in the poor lighting, Knox could see the uniquely spiked tail whipping through the night sky. He would know that dragon anywhere.

  “Noah,” Knox said, his heart filling with joy. “Noah is back. You guys said it was going to be another several days before he got here.”

  Vance shrugged. “Last time he called he was still in Portugal and was having trouble getting a flight out. Something must have worked out sooner than he thought.”

  “Well, we’ll wait until he lands to discuss Bree and the possibility of another dragon stone,” Knox said. “He’ll certainly be interested in hearing about this.”

  A few minutes later, they heard rustling in the forest as Noah made his way down the path toward the cabins. He was in human form, and was carrying a large backpack of supplies. He had already dressed again, and was wearing a pair of jeans and an oversized black hoodie. When he was close enough to see the rest of the dragons sitting around the fire pit, he grinned and waved.

  “You’re back!” Knox called out to him, rushing up to give him a big bear hug and a hearty slap on the back.

  “You’re back, too,” Noah said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Myles told me you’d gone off on a survival mission, but that wasn’t a very long survival mission. I thought you’d still be out there, proving how long you could make it on your own. Don’t tell me you got too worried about the crew and came home.”

  Knox rolled his eyes at Noah’s accusing tone. “No. If you must know, I came home because I learned of the potential existence of a second dragon stone.”

  Knox paused dramatically, expecting Noah to look shocked. But instead, Noah only gave a grim shake of his head.

  “So you’ve heard about it, too,” Noah said. “And here I thought I was going to be coming home with news that would astonish you all. It seems someone has beaten me to the punch line, though.”

  “Wait, what do you mean?” Owen asked. “You’ve heard of a second dragon stone, too?”

  Noah nodded slowly. “Yes. When I was in Portugal, spying on the ones who held the artifact in Portugal I had been sent to find, I heard whisperings of it. At first I didn’t believe it was true. I thought that those whispering such things must be misinformed. I thought perhaps they were confused, and had heard some rumors about the original dragon stone that they thought meant it was still missing. But no. The more I listened, the more I realized that what they were talking about was certainly not the same dragon stone that had already been recovered and handed over to the shifter protectors for safekeeping. I did some digging around and found out that what we knew about the dragon stone was only a fraction of what there is to know. I got back as quickly as I could, thinking I would have a tough job ahead of me, convincing you that what I said was true. But it seems that I was wrong. What have you all heard, and who did you hear it from?”

  “You might want to sit down for this,” Vance said. Noah looked surprised, but then did sit down.

  “Pass me a beer,” Noah said. “And then someone tell me what the heck is going on here.”

  Owen passed Noah a beer, and then Knox once again told Bree’s story from beginning to end. Noah sipped his beer and listened to the whole thing without once showing any sign of disbelief. That was one of the things Knox loved about Noah. He was good at keeping a poker face, when he wanted to. When Knox had finally finished talking, Noah set aside his now-empty beer bottle and stared into the fire for several long mo
ments. Knox waited, letting him think. He knew his best friend was not taking this situation lightly, and he wanted to give him a chance to process everything he had just heard.

  “Wizards, eh?” Noah finally said. “Well I’ll be.”

  Vance, of course, could keep silent no longer. “You don’t think it’s really true, do you Noah? I mean, Bree did some magic with her ring, but surely that’s just a magical artifact.”

  Noah looked up at the group. His eyes met Knox’s and Knox saw that there was no doubt in Noah’s eyes that Bree’s story was true.

  “There have been strange stirrings in the shifter world,” Noah said. “I saw and heard a lot of things on my trip abroad. And I’ve learned better than to doubt the existence of an entire group of people just because everyone has always said they don’t exist.”

  “But what real proof do we have that there are still wizards?” Vance persisted. “It’s fine to question things, but a magic ring might just be a magic ring. It doesn’t prove that the person who has it is actually a wizard.”

  “There are rumors that the men seeking the second dragon stone have realized that wizards exist,” Noah said slowly. “I don’t know how they would know this. The men are, by all accounts, very evil. But they are full humans, and their belief in wizards gives me pause. As for proving that someone is an actual wizard, there is an easy test, you know, to see whether someone actually has magical powers aside from just a magical object.”

  “There is?” Vance asked, looking surprised. Myles and Own looked surprised, too. But Knox suddenly felt foolish.

  “Of course!” Knox said, slapping his forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that? We just need to take away her ring or wand and see if she can still do magic.”

  Knox felt foolish for forgetting this, although to be fair, he had not spent much time studying wizards. They had always been a non-issue, so he hadn’t given them much thought. All of his men except Noah were still looking at him in confusion, so he started to explain.